About WCCA

President: Daryl Henderson

Secretary: Tom Leiden

Treasurer: Jane Chandler

Board of Trustees: Lorne Scott, Walt Sturgeon, Tom Stehn.

Trustee emeritus: Chester McConnell

Web Site: https://whoopingcrane.com/

Newsletter: Grus Americana

Editor: Daryl Henderson

Address: Whooping Crane Conservation Association, 2950 7th Ave. Port Alberni, BC V9Y 2J4, Canada.

Contact: https://whoopingcrane.com/contact-wcca/

The Whooping Crane Conservation Association is a 501c3 nonprofit conservation organization.

Mission

The Whooping Crane Conservation Association is a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1966 with the following stated objectives:

  1. Advance conservation, protection, and propagation of the Whooping Crane population through its communications, publications, meetings, and committees, and through the activities of its members; to provide its members an opportunity for meeting to discuss related topics.
  2. To prevent the extinction of the Whooping Crane.
  3. To establish and maintain a captive management program for the perpetuation of the species.
  4. To promote greater harmony and unity of purpose among all organizations, institutions, and agencies working toward the protection, conservation, and production of this species.
  5. To collect and disseminate knowledge of this species; to advocate and encourage public appreciation and understanding of the Whooping Crane’s educational , scientific, and economic values.

Anyone who wishes to get involved with the protection of the Whooping Crane and stay up to date with associated events is invited to join the WCCA.

History

The serious plight of the Whooping Crane population alarmed some people many years ago. In response a  small loosely organized group of “pen pals” initiated the “Whooper Club” in the 1950’s.  This small group of individuals along the great bird’s flyway in the United States and Canada commenced urging government agencies on both sides of the border to do something to halt the demise of Whooping Cranes.  Eventually the Whooper Club became the Whooping Crane Conservation Association (WCCA) in 1961. Thus WCCA became the first private group with the mission of restoration of Whooping Cranes and their habitats.  This same important mission continues today.  The Whooping Crane Conservation Association has encouraged, and worked with government agencies in the United States and Canada to improve management of Whooping Cranes.

The WCCA has pursued its objectives since it was founded in 1961 to improve the status of the whooping cranes. These efforts to improve the status of Whooping Cranes were intensified after WCCA formally incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1966. WCCA has continued to work towards its objectives by coordinating with government conservation agencies and private interests; providing information to our members and the public; holding meetings to promote our cause; funding research projects; and informing public officials about the needs for sound conservation of Whooping Cranes.

The membership of the WCCA includes a Canadian Council to accommodate international concepts.

The WCCA led the way in advocating the use of aviculture to establish the captive populations of whoopers which have made possible the many research efforts that have used captive-reared cranes. Two WCCA members conducted the first project to develop techniques, using sandhill cranes, that were later applied to collect eggs from the wild, transport, incubate, brood, and husband the young cranes. These techniques contributed to the development of the captive whooper flock at the Pautuxent Wildlife Research Center, from eggs supplied by the Canadian Wildlife Service from Wood Buffalo National Park. These flocks have now been expanded to include flocks at the zoo in Calgary Alberta Canada and the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin.

From the offspring of these captive flocks, Whooping Cranes are currently being used in efforts to establish two new wild flocks.  One of these is a non-migrating flock located in Southern Louisiana.  The other is a migratory flock with spring/summer nesting habitat in Wisconsin and winter habitat in west Florida.  See the Current Flock Status page for more details.

The WCCA continues its educational efforts as well as  providing financial and political assistance to various projects designed to further the recovery of the whooping crane.

WCCA’s board has recently approved assistance in the purchase of whooping crane habitat and a joint-venture easement of additional habitat in Texas.