Photos by Michael Forsberg and Tom Lynn

Join us for our special member’s only webinar with Conservation Photographer Michael Forsberg and North America Program Director Liz Smith, on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 11 a.m. Central Time. Members will receive information on how to register. Click here to join the flock today!

Before the presentation, our President and CEO Rich Beilfuss will welcome members, share a few stories about life during this pandemic year for our worldwide team and hold a brief Annual Members Meeting to elect the new members of the International Crane Foundation Board of Directors. 

Magic happens in the heart of North America each March when nearly a million Sandhill Cranes descend to the Platte River Valley in central Nebraska. In that beautiful moment of spring is the largest gathering of cranes in the world. The braided river serves as the nexus of a migratory flyway, a once vast prairie ecosystem and a watershed with a deep history.

Join Conservation Photographer and Nebraska native Michael Forsberg as he takes us on a lifelong personal journey with camera in hand following cranes up and down the Central Flyway, and exploring the Great Plains – once one of the greatest grasslands on Earth. See in a new way his home watershed where he co-founded an innovative multi-media storytelling project called Platte Basin Timelapse (PBT) that leverages the power of photography to explore the questions of where our water comes from and what it means to live in a watershed community. Healthy watersheds, resilient grasslands and the connectivity of migratory flyways are central to almost every conversation we have about crane conservation in the world today. And those conversations are stories and imagery that, when shared, have the power to elevate the science and transcend the politics to help each of us connect personally, care deeply and understand what is at stake.

Join us for our webinar with Assistant Curator of Birds Cyndie Gitter on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 11 a.m. Central Time. Click here to register.

The Crane Conservation Department at the International Crane Foundation’s Headquarters is involved in the captive flock’s care and management. One aspect of captive crane care often overlooked is how each of the crane pairs is formed within the flock. Every fall, aviculture staff help single birds within the flock find suitable companions. Just call us cupid (for cranes)! 

Pairing cranes in captivity requires considering many different things, including each bird’s genetics, rearing history, breeding or reintroduction goals, and even personality. Once a match is decided on, aviculturists work through the pair’s socialization, in which the birds get to know one another, learn to share resources and hopefully form a strong pair bond. 

Join our Assistant Curator of Birds Cyndie Gitter as she walks you through matchmaking and socialization, which are critical to providing our captive flock with the finest welfare and lead to breeding and conservation success for this naturally long-lived, strongly-bonded species. 

Photo by Joe Galkowski

Join crane enthusiast and International Crane Foundation volunteer Paul Tebbel for our webinar on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 11 a.m. Central Time! Click here to register.

What makes cranes so fascinating to humans?  To some who work with cranes, these tall, vocal birds are often described as “people with wings” because aspects of their behavior are remarkably similar to our own. Plus, over the last 30 years, more bird festivals in the U.S. have been dedicated to viewing and learning about cranes than any other bird species. Why is this fascination with cranes?  In this presentation, Paul will help you understand why we are drawn to cranes. By using video footage and sharing stories collected over his decades of working with and watching cranes, Paul combines crane biology with explanations of their behavior to help you better understand these amazing birds. The presenter has spent over 45 years of his life watching, researching and learning about cranes. This program is not a research presentation and is suitable for all audiences, especially those just learning about cranes. 

Photo by Martin Cooper

Join Executive Director and Founder of the Wildlife Science and Conservation Center of Mongolia Nyamba Batbayar and Asia Program Manager and Grants Officer Claire Mirande for our webinar on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. Central Time! Click here to register.

White-naped Cranes are among the most iconic and majestic species of East Asia’s wetlands and grasslands. Mongolia is a very important country for White-naped Crane conservation in Asia. The majority of the breeding pairs of the declining western population of the species nest in eastern Mongolia alongside nomadic herding families and their livestock.

Sharing fragile wetlands on the arid steppe is a huge challenge for cranes. Although Mongolian people do not harm birds, increasing numbers of livestock and guard dogs present serious threats to cranes. Intensification of agriculture has also become a serious concern. An annual Crane Festival engages local herders and farmers, improving their understanding of cranes and their habitats.

The Wildlife Science and Conservation Center of Mongolia (WSCC) and International Crane Foundation experts are working diligently with governments to ensure the finest habitats are legally protected. We are proud to announce that, through our efforts, core breeding habitat in the Khurkh and Khuiten River Valleys has been recently designated as a National Nature Reserve.  WSCC, in close partnership with the International Crane Foundation, will work with the government to manage this critical site in cooperation with local communities.

The survival of the White-naped Cranes depends on international collaboration among six countries, and we work hard to increase cooperation and information exchange on cranes. Cranes marked with transmitters and color bands by Mongolian biologists reveal vital information on migration ecology, key conservation areas and population dynamics. Migration data revealed an unprotected stopover site at Duolun in Inner Mongolia, China, where cranes must stop and replenish food reserves during spring and autumn migrations. The International Crane Foundation and partners in China are initiating work with local partners to ensure that cranes have secure feeding and roosting habitat at this critical site.

Trinity by Kim Russell

Join Graphic Artist and Sculptor Kim Russell and Visitor Program Manager Cully Shelton for our webinar on Thursday, Nov. 19, at 11 a.m. Central Time! Click here to register.

This fall, the International Crane Foundation is hosting a series of five webinars showcasing artists with strong ties to Sauk County, Wisconsin. The Cranes and Community Virtual Art Series highlights the work of five gifted artists, including Elliott Funmaker, Sr. (Head Singer and Leader of the Wisconsin Dells Singers and Dance Troupe), Janet Flynn (Painter), Kim Russell (Graphic Artist and Sculptor), Jay Jocham (Painter and Muralist), and Masako Pellerin (Origami Artist). From the traditional art of storytelling in Ho-Chunk culture to the ancient practice of folding paper cranes in Japan, viewers will learn about different art forms, processes and techniques.

The International Crane Foundation is proud to offer a platform to these artists, and we are excited to have the opportunity to share their work with you. Artists will discuss what inspires them, talk about their artistic process, and inspire viewers to share stories and make their own art. Viewers will be encouraged to explore their talents, feelings and beliefs to push their creative boundaries and use art as a vehicle for crane conservation, self-expression and community building.  

Bird artist Kim Russell puts pen to paper only when she knows her subject intimately. Her research becomes a journey that leads her from one path to another. “For every question I answer, I come up with three more. Along the way, I gain a wealth of fascinating facts about birds, and I gain more insight into my own place in the world.” Russell will share the journey that has shaped her pen and ink drawings of cranes and led her from Chicago’s suburbs to the rolling hills of Sauk County, home of the International Crane Foundation.