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Whooping Crane Recovery Receives Lift from Bill in Senate and Recognition from the Smithsonian
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Originally published 2005-04-29 Release Date: Thursday April 28, 2005 Contact: Kelley R. Tucker, International Crane Foundation 608/356-9462 ext. 152 Of the 15 crane species in the world, none is rarer than North America's own Whooping...  BackWhooping Crane Recovery Receives Lift from Bill in Senate and Recognition from the Smithsonian Originally published 2005-04-29 Release Date: Thursday April 28, 2005 Contact: Kelley R. Tucker, International Crane Foundation 608/356-9462 ext. 152 Of the 15 crane species in the world, none is rarer than North America's own Whooping Crane. Innovative methods developed in recent years by U.S. and Canadian partners are leading to the species' slow but steady recovery and providing a model for crane conservation worldwide. Now the U.S. Congress and the Smithsonian are lending a hand. Introduced today, the Feingold-Crapo Crane Conservation Act of 2005 seeks to protect the Whooping Crane and its imperiled cousins throughout Asia, Africa, North America, and Europe. The Act would support innovative efforts like the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP) which has garnered attention worldwide and brought hope to those working to save the rarest crane species. In fact, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is making plans to add to its collection one of the ultralight aircraft owned and piloted by WCEP partner Operation Migration and central to the WCEP effort. The images have been featured in the New York Times and on 60 Minutes—gangly white birds following a tiny ultralight aircraft from Wisconsin to Florida in a last resort attempt to reestablish a migrating species on a viable pathway. In 1944, only 21 Whooping Cranes remained. Habitat protection and hunting restrictions allowed the slow but steady recovery of these wild birds flying between Alberta and Texas and provided opportunities to augment recovery through a captive breeding program. In 1980, a group of crane biologists and officials from the U.S. and Canada began to chart a course for further recovery of the species. Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and, later, at the Wisconsin based non-profit International Crane Foundation (ICF) developed methods for successfully breeding birds and rearing chicks for release in the wild. Fundamental to recovery was the idea of reintroducing a migratory flock of birds in eastern North America. Soon after, the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP) was formed. WCEP combines the expertise of captive breeding centers like Patuxent and ICF, the innovative training methods and daring flight of non-profit Canadian partner Operation Migration, the biological expertise of the US Fish & Wildlife Service, and assistance from many other government and private partners. Over the past four years, 45 young WCEP birds have become wild, free-flying residents of the US and Canada. Just this week, birds from this nascent flock built nests and laid their first eggs. This drama has captured the minds and hearts of citizens all along and well beyond the Eastern Flyway, making the effort not just a biological success but an unparalleled educational opportunity. Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, a conservation advocate who co-chairs the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, said, "The whooping crane is a great example of the best method of species recovery. Species must have active care in order to recover. The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership has supported an active recovery program that has demonstrable benefits and a vision for how to save species." The Crane Conservation Act of 2005 creates a $25 million fund dispersed over five years for the conservation of crane species worldwide. Wisconsin Senator Feingold who has nurtured the progress of the Act from its inception remarked "Cranes are the most endangered family of birds in the world, with two-thirds of crane species facing extinction," Feingold said. "If we do not increase conservation efforts, these rare and beautiful birds will face a grim and unpromising future." For more information on WCEP: Click here For more information on the Smithsonian acquisition: Joe Duff, Operation Migration 905/982-1096 |
