Whooping Crane Conservation Association

By:  Chester McConnell, Whooping Crane Conservation Association

Whooping cranes are currently (11/23/2011) continuing to migrate from their nesting habitat in Canada to their winter habitat in the United States. Martha C. Tacha, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Grand Island, NE is responsible compiling records of whooping crane sightings along the migration route. Tacha reports, “There are a still a few whooping cranes in the flyway. A single adult-plumaged bird was spotted at Quivira NWR and another at Salt Plains NWR. Only 43 whoopers have been confirmed north of Kansas since 11/9/2011. Interestingly, two additional single-parent families were detected and photographed. That makes three families with only one parent observed and photographed in the flyway this migration, which is both uncommon and troubling. Unfortunately, one of the GPS-marked juveniles was found dead west
central Kansas and cause of death is unknown at this time.”

Dan Alonso, Refuge Manager, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge estimated 80 percent (240) of the whoopers have now reached the refuge along the Texas coast. Eighteen of the 20 whoopers with GPS monitors attached have also reached the refuge. An aerial census is planned for next week to get a more definite count.

During their 2,400 mile southward migration, the cranes take their time, stopping periodically to feed in agricultural fields and wetlands. The southward migration will soon be completed and the whoopers will settled down for the winter on Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Then when the spring season arrives, the birds will migrate back to their nesting habitat in Canada. Whooping cranes have followed this schedule for thousands of years.

The whooping crane’s natural habitats are essential to their survival. Until about the 1400’s, whooping cranes ranged across much of central North America, from as far north as Canada’s Northwest Territories to the southern coast of Texas. Though never believed to be abundant, their numbers were thought to be around 1,500 in the mid-1800. As European’s immigrated to North America in large numbers, their settlement and developments destroyed much of the whoopers nesting and winter habitats. Unregulated hunting also contributed to the whooper population decline. By the 1940s the whooping crane population had dropped to an all-time low of 15 birds. Aided by
protection and habitat management the original wild migratory flock has slowly recovered and now numbers approximately 300.

Currently, however, family units and small groups of juvenile whoopers continue their leisurely southward journey. They are headed to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The wintering habitat of the last remaining wild migratory flock of whooping cranes in the world is located in on Aransas Refuge on the central coast of Texas, USA.
Aransas was originally established by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1937 as a “refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife… and to conserve fish or wildlife which are listed as endangered or threatened species…”

The Aransas Refuge complex is comprised of over 115,000 acres including the Blackjack Peninsula (Aransas proper), Matagorda Island, and the Myrtle Foester Whitmire, Tatton, and Lamar units. These areas provide essential wintering habitat for the endangered whooping cranes in addition to vital resting, feeding, wintering, and nesting grounds for a wide assortment of migratory birds and native Texas wildlife.

The nesting habitat of the last remaining wild migratory flock of whooping cranes is located in Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada. Approximately 11 million acres (17,300 sq. mi.) in size, Wood Buffalo National Park is Canada’s largest national park and one of the largest parks in the world. The park was established in 1922 to protect the
free-roaming bison herds of the area. Now the park also focuses on supporting and protecting many unique natural and cultural resources, from diverse ecosystems and rare species like whooping cranes to the traditional activities of Aboriginal residents. During the 2011 nesting season wildlife biologist recorded 75 whooping crane nests on Wood Buffalo.  Approximately 37 chicks fledged from the record 75 nests in August 2011. Due to this successful nesting season, the flock size may reach record levels of around 300 this fall.

Whooping Crane Conservation Association president Lorne Scott sent letter to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Executive Director Carter Smith requesting measures to help ensure adequate food source for whooping cranes. President Scott advises,”The Whooping Crane Conservation Association (WCCA) has been working to help whooping cranes for over 60 years.  Since blue crabs are the main food source for wintering whooping cranes at Aransas, we are concerned with the long-term decline of blue crabs Gulf-wide, including the Texas coast.   Specifically, we urge your Department to institute a seasonal closure on blue crab harvest in areas used by wintering whooping cranes.” 

In 2009, personnel of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD -Fisheries and Regulatory divisions) and Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) met several times and developed a proposal to expand the crab closure zone to all marshes currently being used by wintering whooping cranes.  Also proposed was a closure 300 feet out from the marshes in the shallow parts of the bays where whooping cranes may forage.  With crabbing currently prohibited on Aransas and Matagorda Island NWRs, the proposal would affect marshes on San Jose Island, Welder Flats and Lamar as well as bay edges throughout the crane area.  This proposal would increase availability of blue crabs for wintering whooping cranes, reduce disturbance to the cranes, and would reduce the problem of traps being abandoned in the shallow marshes.  The proposed closure would be seasonal in nature only for when the cranes are on the Texas Coast from October 15^th through April 15^th.  

Your Department wanted to collect additional information on exactly how many licensed crab fisherman would be impacted, but this was never completed.  TPWD personnel subsequently decided not to present this matter to your Commission, and the proposal was dropped. 

The WCCA requests that TPWD re-consider this matter and bring it before the Commission.  The closure would impact only a handful of commercial crabbers; it would reduce the problem of crab traps being placed in the shallow marshes and later abandoned when tides become too low to check traps; and it would signal the Department’s concern about the blue crab resource and the endangered whooping crane.  In 2009, the Aransas NWR began to enforce a closure of the crab fishery on Matagorda Island.  A similar move by TPWD for the crane areas including San Jose Island, Welder Flats and Lamar would benefit whooping cranes by increasing their food supply.  It makes little sense to be trapping crabs during the whooping crane season (October 15 to April 15) since low tides during the winter make most of the marshes and bay shorelines inaccessible with fisherman unable to access traps.  A seasonal closure would also reduce disturbance to whooping cranes, an issue of increasing concern as more and more people are able to access even the shallowest of marshes with kayaks and airboats. 

A map of the seasonal proposed closure as discussed in 2009 is attached.   We urge your Department to bring this matter to your commission for passage.

Tom and Lipstick

Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be retiring on September 30, 2011. Tom has been an outstanding Coordinator for the Whooping Crane program. He has always worked with all interests including the Whooping Crane Conservation Association. Always at the ready to answer emails and telephone calls and serve as a speaker at our programs, Tom has served us and all others exceptionally well. Tom is from the old school and knows and appreciates the role of private conservation groups. We could ask for no better. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could ask for no better. We will miss Tom but wish him the best in retirement.

I asked Tom to give us a final message…

“My news from Aransas is that I am going to retire September 30th! I feel so lucky to have been able to have such a rewarding career and work with such wonderful people. After 29 years at Aransas doing crane work and 32+ years federal service, it’s time for a change, whatever the future may bring. We’ll stay in Aransas Pass on the Texas coast since my wife will continue her solo practise as a family physician. I’ll be windsurfing daily and planning trips to the mountains to do more hiking. It is likely that an acting whooping crane coordinator will be appointed to carry on the program. Refuge Biologist Brad Strobel will lead the whooping crane monitoring program at Aransas.”

Tom Stehn.

Tom Stehn, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge reports that, “The eighth aerial census of the 2010-11 whooping crane season was conducted April 13, 2011 in a Cessna 210 piloted by Gary Ritchey of Air Transit Solutions, Castroville, Texas with USFWS observers Brad Strobel, Matt Butler, and Bill Ostrand. Search conditions were good, and all portions of the crane range were covered in the 5.9-hour flight.”

Sighted on the flight were 7 adults and 3 juveniles = 10 total whooping cranes.

Adults + Young

San Jose – 2 + 1 = 3

Refuge – 3 + 0 = 3

Lamar – none

Matagorda – 2 + 2 = 4

Welder Flats – None

Total – 7 + 3 = 10

With only 10 whooping cranes remaining at Aransas and an estimated 269 in migration (flock size 279),

96.4% of the flock has left Aransas. Present at Aransas were two family groups (including a twin family) and 3 presumed subadults. This will be the last flight of the spring unless one additional flight is made in May to see if the 10 have departed. Tom Stehn report concludes by saying, “thanks go to Brad Strobel who has taken over the census flights as I wind down towards retirement sometime later this year.”

Now that the whooping cranes are mostly migrating from Aransas NWR, Texas, observers from various locations are filing reports of birds they spot. Jeanine Lackey,Fish and Wildlife Biologist,U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,Grand Island, Nebraska is compiling records of the sightings. Biologist Lackey has distributed the most recent whooping crane migration data that has been transmitted to the Grand Island Field Office.

There have been 37 confirmed sighting of whooping cranes along the migration corridor. In addition to these confirmed sightings the Grand Island office has received 15 unconfirmed and 3 probable reports.

During a census flight conducted at Aransas on April 13th, 10 whooping cranes were still present on the refuge. Therefore, 269 birds are currently in migration.

Whooping cranes are still confirmed on the ground in Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. A report just came in from Saskatchewan of a possible sighting but this has not been confirmed. The recent weather developments including 55 mph winds out of the NNW, snow, (a.k.a. blizzard) and rain have basically stopped cranes in their tracks.

And now for some recent news about Tom Stehn, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, long time whooping crane coordinator. Tom has announced his retirement “sometimes later this year”. The Whooping Crane Conservation Association has always enjoyed an excellent working relationship with Tom and his retirement presents a mixed feeling for us. Tom has always kept us informed by sending census reports, annual reports, special interesting stories and participating in our annual meetings. We could always count on Tom when we needed special information. So, for all these, and other reasons, we are disappointed to see Tom retire. But then, on the other hand, Tom has served the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and many others exceptionally well and he deserves to retire and spend time doing what he wants to do. So, Tom, whenever “sometimes later this years” arrives, we wish you a happy retirement and we sincerely thank you for all you have done for whooping cranes and those of us who love them.

The third aerial census of the 2010-11 whooping crane season was conducted January 19, 2011 in a Cessna 210 piloted by Gary Ritchey of Air Transit Solutions, Castroville, Texas with USFWS observer Tom Stehn.

The flight only covered 2/3’s of the crane area due to limited flight time.  Flight conditions and visibility were good throughout the 4-hour flight, although clouds made it a harder to find cranes during mid-portions of the census.  A follow-up flight the next day had to be cancelled due to fog and low ceilings.   

Sighted on the flight were 175 adults and 36 juveniles = 211 total whooping cranes.  The only recent confirmed report I have of whooping cranes not at Aransas was one white-plumaged whooping crane in north Texas near Electra on January 2nd.

Assuming numbers had remained the same from the previous flight in the areas not covered, the numbers represent an increase of 3 cranes above the previous record-tying count of 270.  However, although I fully expect flock size to be more than the 270 previously tallied, it will take several more flights before I can establish a better estimate of flock size.

Crane habitat use observed on the census flight (n=211):

              74 of the cranes observed were in salt marsh habitat

              82 were on prescribed burns

              21 were in shallow open bay habitat

              31 were on uplands areas

                3 were at fresh water sources

The 82 whooping cranes on prescribed burns was notably very high.

Burn Location     Unit Number        # of Cranes Observed

San Jose Island            –                                3

Matagorda Island         G1                            6

Aransas Refuge          C4/C5                       21

Aransas Refuge          C8/C9                       52

The prescribed burns have changed the distribution of cranes on the winter range, with many cranes moving to the two refuge burns from different parts of the wintering area.  For example, two of the radioed cranes have left Lamar and are staying on the refuge burns and adjacent salt marsh.  One adult female crane was captured on Lamar and radioed on January 8^th by biologists organized by The Crane Trust, Wood River, Nebraska.  They set out a snare attached to a long twine, and when the bird stepped in the snare, they yanked on a fishing pole and tightened the snare, ran out from blinds and grabbed the bird.

This is normally a tougher time for whooping cranes to find adequate food resources, and this winter is no exception as evidenced by increased use of uplands, burns, and open bay habitat during the flight.  A crab count conducted January 7th had found only 6 blue crabs in an hour of walking the marsh, but compared to some winters, this was not too bad.  No wolfberry fruits or flowers had been found, with the crop over for the year.

Salinities are currently 19 ppt in San Antonio bay just north of the refuge.  Several inches of rain that fell

January 15-16^th has provided additional drinking water for the cranes in various areas of standing water next to the salt marsh and eased access to drinking water for the cranes.

A severe hail storm that crossed the Texas coast in the early morning hours of January 9^th apparently killed over 1,000 birds in a narrow area on San Jose Island stretching over 15 miles.  Initially reported by a waterfowl hunter, a reconnaissance by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department estimated at least 1,000 birds had been killed.  Species found dead included sandhill crane, white pelican, roseate spoonbill, black skimmer, ducks, plovers, and terns.  Sixteen specimens were necropsied by the National Wildlife Health Center, but I do not yet have the results.  During the reconnaissance, TPWD had observed 8 whooping cranes that looked fine.  Additional searches in other parts of the crane range had not find any dead birds.  On today’s census flight, there was no evidence of hail-killed birds or missing whooping cranes on San Jose Island.  I think the whooping cranes dodged nature’s bullet, though we’ll probably never know for sure if a few whooping cranes perished.  Tornados and wind gusts > 60 mph associated with the storm had also damaged buildings in various locations in the Coastal Bend.

       Tom Stehn, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

Aransas: December 9th, 2010

Tom Stehn, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge reports: “The second aerial census of the 2010-11 whooping crane season was conducted December 9, 2010 in a Cessna 210 piloted by Gary Ritchey of Air Transit Solutions, Castroville, Texas with USFWS observers Tom Stehn and Brad Strobel.”

Sighted on the flight were 223 adults and 45 juveniles = 268 total whooping cranes.

Photograph by Vickie Henderson

This was an increase of 31 cranes since the previous flight conducted December 1st.  Flight conditions and visibility were excellent throughout the flight.  A low pressure system that had brought howling north winds on December 8th had moved off the coast, followed by clear skies and moderate southeast winds.  With nearly complete flight coverage of the crane area, the 268 cranes counted represents an accurate estimate of the number of cranes present.

One additional whooping crane is known present near Cherokee in northern Oklahoma.  Thus, flock size is at least 269.  Although there have been no additional recent migration reports, as many as 15-20 more whooping cranes are hoped to still be in migration.  Recent reports of whooping cranes at Aransas possibly not located on today’s flight include a group of 9 seen flying over the refuge’s back gate road on December 7, and a single that was observed roosting at Heron Flats Marsh on December 1 and 6 and followed sandhills to forage on pasture land and/or farm fields north of the refuge.

To date, 45 of the 46 juveniles found in mid-August on the nesting grounds have made it safely to Aransas.  The 45 chicks at Aransas include five sets of “twin” chicks, (adult pairs that have brought two chicks each). Five pairs with two chicks each had been sighted in Canada in August. This is the second highest total of “twin” families at Aransas, exceeded only by the 7 sets of “twins” present at Aransas in the 2006 winter.  The two new twin families found on today’s flight were located on Matagorda Island and Welder Flats.

Crane habitat use observed on the census flight:       

• 209 of the 268 cranes observed were in salt marsh habitat.
• 10 were in shallow open bay habitat.
• 8 were on uplands in areas rooted up by feral hogs on Matagorda Island.
• 26 were on uplands with no sign of hog rooting.
• 4 were at a game feeder at Welder Flats.
• 11 were at fresh water sources.

Habitat use by the whooping cranes has changed some over the past week.  A total of 78.0% of the cranes were in salt marsh, whereas the previous week it had been 89.0%.  Upland use observed totaled 34 cranes compared to eight last week, and freshwater use is starting to occur (11 cranes compared to zero last week).  The salinity at a gauge in San Antonio Bay north of Mustang Lake is currently 14.5 parts per thousand (ppt).  Refuge salinities measured on December 6 ranged from 17 to 20 ppt, levels where crane use of fresh water sources starts to be observed.  Blue crabs are still readily available, with 101 crabs counted on a 1,000 meter transect on December 6.  However, the wolfberry crop is nearing an end with only 7 berries and no flowers observed on transects run on December 6.  Tides were also considerably lower this week with exposed mud flats observed on San Jose.  A string of about 100 commercial blue crab traps were noted in the bay edge off of Matagorda Island between Twin lakes and Power Lake.

Tom Stehn, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

Looking for the perfect Christmas gift?

Maybe you want to drop a subtle hint to Santa?

All books ordered through this link to Amazon will result in a small commission being paid to the Whooping Crane Conservation Association and any money received will be used to help pay for operation of this web page.

Thank you for your support.

This web site is maintained by Business Cornerstone Services

The first aerial census of the 2010-11 whooping crane season was conducted December 1, 2010 in a Cessna 210 piloted by Gary Ritchey of Air Transit Solutions, Castroville, Texas with USFWS observers Tom Stehn and Brad Strobel. Sighted on the flight were 199 adults and 38 juveniles = 237 total whooping cranes.

December 1 – Recap of whooping cranes (237) found at Aransas:

Flight conditions and visibility were excellent throughout the flight as a low pressure system that had brought howling north winds on November 30 had moved off the coast, followed by clear skies and light southeast winds. With nearly complete coverage of the crane area during the flight, the 237 cranes counted represent an accurate estimate of the number of cranes present.

To date, 38 of the 46 juveniles found in mid-August on the nesting grounds have made it safely to Aransas. The 38 chicks include three sets of “twin” chicks, (adult pairs that have brought two chicks each). Five pairs with two chicks each had been sighted in Canada in August. The third set of “twin” chicks to make it to Aransas had spent 21 days (October 29 – November 18) in Brown County, South Dakota observed nearly daily by Jay Peterson, USFWS District Manager of the Sand Lake Wetland Management District. Jay writes:

“What a treat it was for me to see the birds each time, but it was more rewarding for me to be associated with the folks I took with or gave directions to, who did not have whoopers on their life bird list.”

The last 3 of the 10 radioed whooping cranes completed the migration on November 26th, missing their Thanksgiving feast of blue crabs by one day. All 10 radioed cranes are now at Aransas. With no recent sightings reported north of Oklahoma (as of November 29th), it appears the migration is nearing completion. I have my fingers crossed that 50 more whooping cranes will still arrive since I’m hoping for a peak count greater than 285 this winter.

Crane habitat use observed on the census flight:

211 of the 237 cranes observed were in salt marsh habitat.

18 were in shallow open bay habitat.

5 were on uplands in areas rooted up by feral hogs on Matagorda Island.

3 were on grazed pasture oak savannah uplands at Welder Flats.

The cranes are feeding heavily on blue crabs and wolfberries this fall with both of those food items abundant in November. It is possible that the 18 whooping cranes observed in open bay habitat could also have been foraging on blue crab. The largest group size observed during the census was nine birds seen on refuge salt flats just north of the Pipeline. No cranes were observed at freshwater sources since salinities in San Antonio Bay are 14 parts per thousand, low enough for the cranes to drink water directly from the marsh. However, salinities have been rising (they were 9 ppt one week ago) and the area could use rain. Tides were high on today’s flight with all the tidal flats covered with water on San Jose Island. No commercial blue crab traps were found in the crane marshes or within 100 yards of shore. Only a few abandoned traps were seen in the crane marshes that will be targeted for removal during the annual crab trap pickup in February.

The observed proliferation of black mangrove in the crane marshes on Matagorda Island and at Welder Flats is very disturbing. The mangrove completely replaces the former salt marsh vegetation and excludes forage items used by the whooping cranes including Carolina wolfberry and fiddler crab populations. Many acres of marsh have become completely covered with this native species that is moving north as climate change reduces the number of hard freezes. In the past, hard freezes over multiple days limited the northward spread of mangrove since mangrove can only tolerate short spells of freezing temperatures. The last extended extremely hard freeze at Aransas occurred in 1989.

Happy Holidays

Looking for the perfect Christmas gift? Maybe you want to drop a subtle hint to Santa?

All books ordered through this link to Amazon will result in a small commission being paid to the Whooping Crane Conservation Association and any money received will be used to help pay for operation of this web page.

Thank you for your support.

This web site is maintained by Business Cornerstone Services

October 2009 to September 2010

Highlights:

The Aransas-Wood Buffalo population (AWBP) of whooping cranes rebounded from 247 present in the spring of 2009 to 263 in the spring, 2010. With 46 chicks fledging from a record 74 nests in August, 2010 the flock size should reach record levels this fall expected somewhere around 290. Threats to the flock including land and water development in Texas, the spread of black mangrove on the wintering grounds, the long-term decline of blue crab populations in Texas, sea level rise / land subsidence, and wind farm and power line construction in the migration corridor all continued to be important issues.

Two whooping cranes captured at Aransas and nine in Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP) were fitted with GPS transmitters and tracked by satellite. Crews visited migration stopover sites after the birds were present to gather habitat use data. This project is being carried out by The Crane Trust headed up by Dr. Felipe Chavez-Ramirez. It is funded by the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program, The Crane Trust, and the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center. The tracking is the first done on the AWBP in 25 years and is a top research priority of the Whooping Crane Recovery Team! Since the 1950s, 474 AWBP whooping cranes have died, with 37 carcasses recovered, and cause of death determined in only 17 instances. With the loss of 21.4% of the flock in the 12 months following April 2008, it is imperative that we learn more about whooping crane mortality.

Based on opportunistic sightings, the Cooperative Whooping Crane Tracking Project documented 103 confirmed sightings of whooping cranes in the U.S. Central Flyway during fall, 2009 and 52 sightings in spring, 2010.

A study by Dr. Ken Jones at the University of Georgia genomics lab to better describe the genetic composition of the captive flock got underway in September, 2010. The new genomics technology will derive genetic information from 454 single nucleotide polymorphisms, a substantial increase from the 12 loci used in the past on which most of our genetic decisions involving whooping crane pairings are currently based.

Planning efforts continued for the proposed reintroduction of a nonmigratory flock of whooping cranes at White Lake, Louisiana. White Lake is where the last whooping crane nest in Louisiana had been found in 1939.

Production in the wild from reintroduced flocks in 2010 was somewhat disappointing, though better than last year. In Florida with improved water conditions, 8 of the 9 remaining pairs nested and hatched 4 chicks, but only 1 chick survived to fledge. In Wisconsin, 12 pairs nested, with 3 first nests and 3 re-nests incubated full term and hatching 7 chicks. Two chicks fledged. Nest abandonment consistent with the presence of black flies continued to be a major hurdle for the reintroduction at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).

The captive flocks had a very good production season in 2010. Twenty-four chicks entered the migratory reintroduction program in Wisconsin, and 11 chicks are being formed into a cohort for a possible nonmigratory release in Louisiana in February, 2011. Three chicks of high genetic value were held back for the captive flocks.

Flock sizes are estimated at 263 for the AWBP, 119 for the WI to FL flock, and 25 nonmigratory birds in Florida. With 167 cranes in captivity, the world total (all located in North America) of whooping cranes is 574, up 38 from one year ago.

The full report can be read here…

Whooping Crane Recovery Update: October 2009 to September 2010

Support the Whooping Cranes Web

Are you interested in books about cranes or other related topics? If you are, use the link below to search for your favorite subject.

All books ordered through this link to Amazon will result in a small commission being paid to the Whooping Crane Conservation Association and any money received will be used to help pay for operation of this web page.

Thank you for your support.

This web site is maintained by Business Cornerstone Services

An aerial census flight was conducted May 19, 2010 in a Cessna 210 piloted by Gary Ritchey of Air Transit Solutions of Castroville, Texas with USFWS observer Tom Stehn. This is the first flight since the airplane was damaged by a bird strike on the March 23rd census. The plane’s windshield, several instruments, and interior were replaced.

A single white-plumaged whooping crane was sighted on the refuge’s Dunham Point Marsh. I could not tell if the crane is the one we refer to as Scarbaby that has failed to migrate several years. Dunham Point is adjacent to the Lobstick territory, the parents of Scarbaby, so that is why I think the crane could be him.

The spring migration proceeded ahead of schedule this year. The highlight of the migration was the presence of 76 whooping cranes in 5 separate groups on the Quivira NWR on April 1st. Another interesting report was the presence of 5 whooping cranes 2 miles from the Titan I wind project in South Dakota April 3-5. The turbines were shut down during critical times, and were actually ordered shut down by a biological monitor as the birds began their migration flight. The two cranes radioed at Aransas were tracked successfully and both completed the migration. One is sitting on a nest, and the radioed juvenile was recently located north of Wood Buffalo National Park and across Great Slave Lake.

From the Gulf oil spill, models predict 1 percent chance of oily waters reaching the central Texas coast. However, tar balls are expected to be hitting the Texas beaches. The refuge has videotaped the beach and marsh edges. Additional biological monitoring will be done in the near future to assess potential future damage from oil impacts.
– Tom Stehn

Ensuring Gaudalupe River Flows from the Hill Country to the Coast Updates from The Aransas Project – MAY 10,2010

The Whooping Crane Conservation Association has reprinted three editorials forwarded to us from The Aransas Project.The Aransas Project is striving to assure that the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge and associates estuaries receive adequate water supplies from inland watersheds. As you know, if you have read articles on this web page over the past several years, whooping cranes require suitable habitats to survive. Water is a key element. But adequate water is not assured, and certainly not without a fight. There are numerous people on our planet who do not give a dam about whooping cranes or any other endangered species. As the human population continues to increase such problems will increase.Our Association has worked for many years to protect whooping cranes and their habitats. But it is now crunch time and we must do more. To gain more insight, read the following two editorials and the letter to the editor. If this baffles you, scan down to the next article or click on the following links for background information.

The Big Whoop by Morgan Smith – The Texas Tribune

Victoria Advocate Editorials Dismiss Aransas County Concerns About Freshwater
Two recent editorials appearing in the Victoria Advocate, one by the Advocate editorial board and one by the Victoria Economic Development Corporation (VEDC)highlight the disregard for Aransas County when making decisions involving large-scale water allocations from the Guadalupe River (see editorials below).

Both opinion pieces authored in Victoria County include repeated references to water in the Guadalupe River as our water.? While acknowledging the good folks of Aransas County? who also need this water, VEDCs Mr. Fowler urges, there are very few projects that will allow us to trade a portion of our water resource for such value.? The Victoria Advocate editorial board chimes in, Let keep our water here.?

We have already seen that the Guadalupe River cannot sustain existing water commitments during periods of low-flow and deliver sufficient freshwater inflows to sustain our bays and estuaries. Yet the Victoria Advocate and Mr. Fowler urge Victoria County to snap up this water for a proposed Exelon nuclear power plant before someone else does, for a plant that may never be built. This approach presents a false choice of one community vs. another that will harm both Victoria and Aransas County in the long run.

The shortsightedness urged by the Advocate and Mr. Fowler stands in stark contrast to the letter to the editor that ran the same day by Dr. Ron Outen, Regional Director of The Aransas Project (see below). In his letter, Dr. Outen urged Victoria and its mayor, Will Armstrong, to make these important water decisions based on sound science and proper resource management. Outen explains that, TAP’s position is that the river should be managed top to bottom for the benefit of all of Texas, including coastal communities.?
Read These Editorials and Comment on the Advocate Website (www.victoriaadvocate.com).

Read the complete editorials at the links below. If you feel so moved, we encourage you to leave a comment on any of the three pieces voicing that this water is a precious resource to be balanced and distributed basin-wide for the good of all who depend on it:

VEDC Editorial (letter cut and pasted below)
Victoria Advocate Editorial Board (letter cut and pasted below)
TAP’s Dr. Ron Outen, Letter to Editor (letter cut and pasted below)
———————————————————————–
Let’s keep our resources here

By the Advocate Editorial Board
Originally published April 19, 2010

Plain and simple: If we don’t allow Exelon accessibility to 75,000-acre feet of water, somebody else will take it because of the H2O’s marketability. That somebody else will likely be some large municipality.

These are not new water rights, according to Jerry James, director of Victoria’s environmental services and alternate member of the Region L’s board. James said the water rights were permitted in the late 1940s to the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority and to the Dow Chemical Co. And that makes those “senior” water rights. In other words, GBRA and DOW have first dibs on that water.

GBRA and DOW are merely leasing those rights to Exelon should the nuclear power company build here in Victoria County.

“The termination date of the reservation agreement is Dec. 31, 2013,” said Bill West, GBRA general manager.

Exelon, should it decide to construct its nuclear power plant in Victoria County, will have a huge impact on our area’s economy. The column by Victoria Economic Development Corporation president Dale Fowler on today’s Viewpoints page outlines that economic impact. We cannot afford to lose the chance for this power plant in our county.

Concerns that there isn’t enough water have come from neighboring Aransas County, groups and organizations and individuals. We think the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority wouldn’t promise this amount of water if we didn’t have it. And Exelon officials have said if there isn’t enough water, they won’t build.

“Exelon has done extensive studies to assure itself that the 75,000-acre feet of water out of the Guadalupe River, along with its proposed off-channel reservoir, will provide its project the necessary dependable water supply,” West said.

No doubt, if Exelon doesn’t exercise its option to use the reserved water, somebody else will.

“GBRA’s water rights authorize the water to be used for municipal, industrial and agricultural purposes throughout GBRA’s 10-county statutory district,” West added.

James speculated that if Exelon did not use the water, “it could go to San Antonio – anywhere it’s marketable.”

Let’s keep our water here. Let’s keep it for Exelon, which in turn will provide the biggest boost to our economy in several decades.

This editorial reflects the views of the Victoria Advocate’s editorial board.

___________________________________________

Water for economy is good tradeoff

Originally published April 19, 2010 a

In September of 2006, I met Exelon representatives for the first time, and in December of 2007, Exelon announced that Victoria would be the site of their next nuclear electric generation station.

I remember a crowded room of public officials and local business people and the high degree of enthusiasm that filled the air. Exelon was proposing to build a multi-billion dollar facility that would eventually employee at least 700 to 800 people with salaries averaging $70,000 per year. These new jobs would translate into increased business in almost every other sector of the local economy and our unemployment rate at that time was at 3.4 percent.

Fast forward three years and Exelon still has a strong interest in Victoria County being home to a nuclear power station. Exelon’s interest is evidenced by their recent filing for an Early Site Permit from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

In spite of Exelon’s interest, there have been changes – changes primarily due to the down turn in the national economy in general and the electricity market in Texas.

Our goal as a community is to help facilitate Exelon’s high interest level in our location because regardless of the time frame, next year or 10 years, we will benefit from their proposed project in South Victoria County.

One way this project is being facilitated is through Guadalupe Blanco River Authority’s willingness to reserve up to 75,000- acre feet of water for this eventual project and for the Region L Planning Group to maintain this project in their long-range plan.

Last week, I attended two public meetings in Victoria, the Region L Water Planning Group and the NRC public information meeting. At each of these meetings, there were a few folks who threw stones at the idea of holding water for this project or even allowing this project access to the water at all.

There were the good folks from Aransas County who expressed concerns for their economy should the river not flow enough and there were people from the big city who suggested that there may not be enough water for other prospective companies should Exelon come to the region.

The fact is that we continue to market this area to prospective industry, and GBRA assures us that their agreement with Exelon gives them flexibility should another suitor company come calling that needed water before Exelon makes a commitment to build.

Local leaders will help drive this decision should it be necessary. However, there are very few projects that will allow us to trade a portion of our water resource for such value.

Additionally, it is important for all to understand that Exelon has gone to great engineering lengths and great expense to design a water cooling system that will minimize their need to withdraw water from the river during times of low flow. The proposed cooling lake of almost 4,900 acres will be 20 feet deep. This lake will allow Exelon to sustain operations while taking little or no water from the river for an extended period time. The normal consumptive water use is estimated to be only 2.6 percent of the
daily river flow based on a 60-year average. The engineering studies that have been done so far all indicate adequate water supply for this project and Exelon assures us that they will not build a plant should adequate water not exist.

All of this concern over how we as a community and GBRA use our available water resource assumes that we will always have the ability to make that decision.

As we see the next census unfold, I believe Texas will emerge as one of the fastest growing states in the nation and the metro areas will certainly be where the major growth is and will continue to take place. These major metropolitan areas have the legislative clout to get the water they need,
taking water and jobs.

The only way we are assured any long-term value for the water that now flows past our region is to dedicate it for such a project as Exelon would propose.

We do have to decide if the new jobs and increasing pay roll is worth the trade for a resource that big cities can take. Fast forward three years and our unemployment rate is 8.2 percent.

You tell me, do we need the jobs?

Dale Fowler is a resident of Victoria and the president of the Victoria
Economic Development Corporation.

__________________________________

Working on sound H2O management

Originally published April 16, 2010

Editor, the Advocate:

The April 1 article, “Local residents comment at Edwards Aquifer Recovery planning meeting,” reported comments by Mayor Armstrong concerning a “.big burden with the whooping cranes.” Armstrong reportedly told Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program (EARIP) officials, “[m]y challenge to you is to use scientific information to make your decisions not the very, very wealthy lawyers that are going to get a whole lot wealthier over this.”

As a scientist and the regional director for The Aransas Project (TAP), I find these comments to be off the mark.

In Aransas County, we treasure the bays, the wildlife, fishing and the cranes. These are not a “burden”; they are the basis of a regional tourism economy. Fishermen and birders worldwide seek out these bays.

Freshwater inflows are essential for healthy bays, and the bays nourished by the Guadalupe support some of the most productive fisheries and birding areas along the Texas Coast.

I agree that these decisions should be based on sound science. Science tells us that without adequate freshwater, the entire bay ecosystem is harmed, including the whooping cranes. Historic data shows a correlation between Guadalupe River flows and crane mortality. We lost 23 whoopers due to low flows during winter 2008-09, and commercial and sports fisheries collapsed as well, all because of high salinity in the bays.

Science, as well as common sense, tells us the Guadalupe is already over-allocated and the situation is going to get worse without responsible management. TAP’s position is that the river should be managed “top to bottom” for the benefit of all of Texas, including coastal communities.

Unfortunately, EARIP’s scope includes neither the Whooping Crane nor river flows downstream to the Coast. Even if EARIP secures aquifer spring flows to protect species downstream, EARIP can’t ensure that any of this water will actually reach the coastal bays that depend on the Guadalupe.

Surely, in Victoria County, any reasonable discussion about water allocation would include the basinwide impact of GBRA selling 24 billion gallons of water annually from the Guadalupe to Exelon for its proposed nuclear plant. This proposed project demonstrates the need for decisions based on sound science and proper resource management.

I invite Mayor Armstrong to come down to Rockport and get acquainted with us. TAP is about putting fundamental fairness and sound science into water management. It’s also about protecting a regional economy and the most recognizable endangered species in North America.

Dr. Ron Outen, Rockport