Whooping Crane Conservation Association

“WCCA to meet with other organizations in Nebraska in March 2011

The WCCA will hold a business meeting in association with the 12th North American Crane Workshop. Details of when and where the WCCA will meet will be shared with our members prior to the event. There will be awesome field trips and many presentations on cranes and other water birds. It will be a great event!

THE TWELFTH NORTH AMERICAN CRANE WORKSHOP will be held in Grand Island, Nebraska, March 13 – 16, 2011 and will be held jointly with the Waterbird Society.  The workshop is open to all those interested in crane research and conservation. Workshop details and registration information coming soon. Contacts for the meeting are: FELIPE CHAVEZ-RAMIREZ, Local Committee Chair (EM: fchavez@whoopingcrane.org<mailto:fchavez@whoopingcrane.org>) and DAVID ABORN, Scientific Program Chair (EM: david-aborn@utc.edu<mailto:david-aborn@utc.edu>).

The Platte River and nearby wetlands in mid-March provide staging habitat for nearly 10 million waterfowl and half a million Sandhill Cranes–a phenomenon of global significance. Due to its use by large numbers of migrating shorebirds, the area also is designated a Landscape of International Importance by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network.

Additional information on the meeting can be found at the websites of the Waterbird Society (http://www.waterbirds.org/annual_meeting) and North American Crane Working Group (http://www.nacwg.org/).”

This email is to let you know that in association with the Workshop described above, the WCCA Trustees will be holding a meeting at 7pm on Monday the 14th of March. All members of the WCCA are welcome to attend the Trustee meeting. If you have questions about this event you may contact WCCA newsletter editor Marty Folk at 1475 Regal Ct., Kissimmee, FL 34744, email marty.folk@myfwc.com<mailto:marty.folk@myfwc.com> or phone 407-348-3009.

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Atlanta (CNN) — Federal authorities have offered a reward for information in the case of three endangered whooping cranes found shot to death in southwestern Georgia.
The bodies of the cranes were found and reported by hunters near Albany, Georgia, on December 30, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday. They were sent to the service’s forensics laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, where wildlife scientists determined they “sustained injuries consistent with gunshot wounds.”
It is not known when the cranes were shot. They were part of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership, an initiative aimed at reintroducing whooping cranes into the eastern United States. There are about 570 whooping cranes left in the world, 400 of them in the wild, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. About 100 cranes are in the eastern migratory population.
This was the cranes’ first migration, the service said in a statement. They were banded and equipped with transmitters and had last been tracked in Hamilton County, Tennessee, where they roosted with other cranes December 10.
A $12,500 reward is offered by the service and other organizations including the Humane Society of the United States, the International Crane Foundation and the Georgia Conservancy. It will be provided to a person or persons who provide information leading to an arrest and successful prosecution, officials said.
In addition to the Endangered Species Act, whooping cranes are protected by Georgia law and the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Those wishing to offer information can call the Georgia Department of Natural Resources or the Fish and Wildlife Service.

12th North American Crane Workshop and 34th Annual Meeting of

The Waterbird Society Joint Meeting

13-16 March 2011 Grand Island, Nebraska USA

Announcement and Call for Papers

This meeting will constitute the annual meeting for the 2010 calendar year for The Waterbird Society and the 12th North American Crane Workshop, and will include presentations of research papers, symposia, workshops, social events and area field trips. The Waterbird Society will be meeting for the first time with the North American Crane Working Group whose mission is to improve communication and interaction among individuals researching or managing cranes in North America. The theme of the meeting is Migration and Migratory Landscapes and both organizations are anticipating a productive and stimulating conference. Planned symposia and special paper sessions include:

Playa Wetland Ecology (Ted LaGrange)
Mountain Plover Management and Conservation (Brad Andres; Tammy VerCauteren)
Ecology of Waterbird Migration (Lisa Webb)
Local Movements and Roosting Habits of Waterbirds (Chip Weseloh)
Black Tern: Science and Management (Patty Szczys)
Species Reintroductions (Marilyn Spalding)
Climate Change, Freshwater Resources and Waterbirds (Marilyn Spalding)
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Lessons Learned (Jonathan Cohen)
Why, How, and Wherefore of Monitoring Programs (Organizers: Susan Elbin & Nellie Tsipoura)

In addition, the meeting will include general paper sessions and poster presentations.

Members of both organizations and non-members are encouraged to submit an abstract of their work for oral or poster presentation at the meeting. Deadline for submitting abstracts is 15 January 2011. Submit an abstract.

Meeting Structure

This year’s meeting will be a joint meeting of the North American Crane Working Group and The Waterbird Society. This is the first time these two societies have come together and promises to be an exciting and educational experience for all. This joint meeting should provide an opportunity for members of the two societies to meet and learn about each other’s work. A broader participation of professionals should increase opportunities to interact and make connections, particularly for students.

Venue

Grand Island, Nebraska. The conference will be held at the Holiday Inn Midtown. The Holiday Inn Midtown has 206 rooms and is a conference center with two ballrooms, seven breakout rooms, an exhibit area and all services required for a major conference. Grand Island is located in south-central Nebraska, in the middle of the continent and in an important migratory corridor for millions of birds along the Central Flyway.

Spring time, the dates for this meeting, is a busy time as this region is part of the Central Flyway and some 6-10 million waterfowl and half a million Sandhill Cranes are staging in a relatively narrow corridor. Cranes, geese, ducks, and shorebirds are easily visible in and along the Platte River and adjacent wetlands and fields. The spring staging of sandhill cranes is recognized as a unique ecological phenomenon. Sandhill Cranes use the Platte River Valley as a staging area from late February through mid-April, using the river to roost and obtaining energy reserves from waste corn in the surrounding areas. Just south of the Platte River Valley is the Rainwater Basin, a complex of shallow basin wetlands. Comprised of hundreds of individual wetlands of different sizes, it is an internationally recognized stopover area for migrating shorebirds and is also considered a Landscape of Hemispheric Importance by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Daily opportunities to view cranes and waterfowl on the river will be available via blinds and field trips.

In mid-1800’s, an idea came to light to develop a city in Central Nebraska. This city would be situated along the Platte River Road, and the first settlers hoped that the central location of this city would be ideal for the relocation of the nation’s capital from Washington D.C. This dream was of course, never became reality.

In 1857, an expedition of 35 people set out from Davenport, Iowa, consisting of German immigrants. The banking house called Chubb Brothers and Barrows, of Davenport supported the group. They were instructed to choose their settlement’s location within an area named by French Fur Traders as “La Grande Island”, an island in the Platte River. In 1857, the group of settlers began their journey, arrived at their destination and began their settlement on July 4, 1857. By September, log houses had been constructed from ash, elm, and cottonwood timber.

Scientific Program

Concurrent sessions will take place Monday-Wednesday 14-16th March. A poster session will take place late afternoon and evening on Monday 14th March.

Travel

Grand Island has a regional airport with direct flight services from Denver, Phoenix, and Las Vegas with Allegiant Air and Great Lakes Airlines. Kearney Regional airport is 40 minutes away and supports flights to Denver with Great Lakes Airlines. Lincoln airport is a 1.5 hour drive to Grand Island and supports direct flights to Minneapolis and Denver. Omaha airport is a 2.5 hour drive from Grand Island and has connecting flights to and from most major airline hubs in the US.

Transportation from Airports to Conference Center

Shuttle Service
Transportation from Omaha, Lincoln, and Kearney airports is available via Eppley Express shuttle service for $56.00 from Omaha, $49.00 from Lincoln, and $28.00 from Kearney. Please contact the shuttle service directly to make reservations at: eppleyexpress.com or call 1-800-888-9793 or locally at (308) 234-6066. For those arriving at the Grand Island airport, simply call the hotel for their shuttle, rent a car, or call for a taxi.

Car rental agencies are available at all airports listed here.

Driving Directions

Grand Island is just north of Interstate Highway 80 (I-80). From Lincoln or Omaha you need take Highway I-80 west, to exit 314, also Locust Street Exit (90 miles from Lincoln, 150 miles from Omaha), and head North on Locust Street for 6.5 miles to Holiday Inn Midtown.

From Kearney or coming eastbound take I-80 east to exit 314 .

Weather

Spring weather in the Central Platte River Valley is extreme and highly variable each year. Be prepared for anything from warm to cold snowy conditions. Every spring is different.
March in Nebraska is a typical transition month on the Great Plains. Weather conditions can change drastically through the week, and through the day. Expect temperatures in Grand Island to range from below freezing at night (many times below 0°F at night) to around 50°F during the day. Precipitation is mainly in the form of freezing drizzle and/or snow. Winds are moderate to strong averaging 12 mph with 40 mph not uncommon.
Record High Temperature at Grand Island in March: 90°F
Record Low Temperature at Grand Island in March: -21°F
30-Year Normal High for March: 77°F
30-Year Normal Low for March: 7°F
Average High for March 2009: 49.5°F
Average High for March 2009: 27.0°F

Lodging

The room rate at the Conference host hotel for meeting participants at the Holiday Inn Midtown room is $79.00 for single, double, triple, or quadruple occupancy. Participants must make their own reservations directly with the hotel at 800-548-5542. Mention “North American Crane-Waterbird Society” reservation code when making reservations to ensure you get the special rate. You may also make hotel reservations online at this link: &&&&NACWG/WBS

Conference Hotel address:
Midtown Holiday Inn
2503 South Locust Street
Grand Island, NE 68801

Other Accommodations
Several hotels are available within walking distance of the Holiday Inn. Blocks of rooms have been reserved at the Best Western and Super 8 motels, through 1 March, for those looking for alternative lodging options.

Best Western Inn & Suites
2707 S Locust St
Grand Island, NE 68801
308-381-8855
A block of 25 -30 sleeping rooms is available at a flat rate $89.99 + tax for 1-4 persons.
Amenities include hot continental breakfast, swimming pool, exercise room, wireless internet, microwave & frig.

Super 8
2603 South Locust St
Grand Island, NE 68801
308-384-4380
A block of 25 sleeping rooms is available at a Flat rate $65.00 + tax for 1-4 persons.
Amenities include continental breakfast, swimming pool, wireless internet, microwave & frig.

Special Rates and Support for Students

The possibility of multiple occupancy per room (up to 4) at the Holiday Inn Midtown and other hotels should provide reasonable lodging rates for students willing to share a room. Students with limited or no funding support from grants or their institutions may apply for a lodging scholarship at the Crane Trust (See Lodging Scholarship Guidelines below for details). Travel Scholarships are available from The Waterbird Society, for information contact: Linda Wires (tel. 612-624-2297). All students who have submitted for an oral presentation or poster to the scientific program will be eligible for significantly reduced registration fees. Students who are not presenting will still have reduced registration fees as outlined below in Registration Costs.

Lodging Scholarships
Students without project or institutional support may apply for a lodging scholarship at The Crane Trust. Interested students please contact Walter Wehtje (tel. 308-384-4633).

Registration Costs

Early regular (member) $250.00
Early regular (non-member) $295.00
Join WBS
Join NACWG
Student $100.00
Late regular (member) $300.00
Late regular (non-member) $345.00
Late student $150.00

Non-member registration includes a one year membership to either NACWG or WBS.

Registration costs will include breakfasts and lunches on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Food at the reception, all socials, banquet, and coffee breaks is also included with registration. Dinner, except for the banquet on Wednesday 15th March, is on your own. Complimentary food is available at the Hospitality Barn. In addition, food and drinks at The Crane Trust Hospitality Barn and the Hospitality Suite at the hotel are complementary for paid registrants (must provide proof of registration via name tag and beverage container).

Registration

Registration is available <here>. Registration packets and for those wishing to register on site the Registration desk will be open Sunday 13th March from 1300-1700 hrs and from 0700-1000 hrs on all conference days at the Holiday Inn Midtown.

Food

Breakfast and lunches will be provided as part of registration on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and offered at the hotel. Dinner on Wednesday is provided at the banquet. Food will be available at dinner time at The Crane Trust Hospitality Barn on Monday and Tuesday. For other meals or food options a list of local restaurants is attached (Appendix A).

Meeting Logistics

In an effort to decrease the amount of disposable containers used at the meeting, all paid registrants will receive a non-disposable hot liquid mug for coffee and tea and a water bottle style container that can be used for cold beverages. You must have your mug for coffee breaks and must have your water bottle for refreshments at the different socials described below (except for the banquet).

Social Events

Sunday 13 March:

The ice breaker social will take place at The Crane Trust facilities, 20 minutes from the Hotel. Transportation from and to the hotel and food and drinks will be provided. The ice breaker will be near (but far enough to not cause disturbance) to one of the largest sandhill crane roosts in the Platte River. From this location we will be able to observe as thousands of cranes fly from fields to staging areas and to roost sites in the river which will also be visible from our location. Buses will depart every hour at the top of the hour from the Hotel parking lot to the Trust starting at 1730 hrs. Buses will leave the Trust for the hotel every 30 minutes starting at 2000 hours.

Poster Session Monday 14 March:

The Poster session will be from 1600-1800 hrs on Monday and will feature a cash bar and heavy hors d’oevres. Posters should be up by noon Monday 14 March for early viewing and poster presenters should be next to their posters from 1600-1800 hrs for interaction.

All Evenings:

The Crane Trust Hospitality Barn is intended to provide opportunities to enjoy the Sandhill Crane roosting flights and other migratory bird movements at The Crane Trust Wild Rose Ranch. The Hospitality Barn will be open every evening during the conference. Drinks and heavy appetizers will be available to all registered participants (must have water bottle included in registration packet) at no additional charge. Drinks to be provided include soft drinks, Thunderhead Brewery microbrews, and wine. You are free to bring your own drinks if you prefer other types of items. Transportation will be available via motor coaches running every half-hour starting at the end of scheduled presentations until 2230 PM. Buses depart from and return to the Holiday Inn Midtown parking lot. For those preferring to stay at the hotel, a hospitality suite will provide drinks and light snacks.

Banquet:

The banquet will take place on the evening of Wednesday, 16th March, at the Holiday Inn Midtown and is included in the price of registration.

Field Trips

A pre-conference field trip is available on Sunday 13th March. Tuesday, 15 March, is the field trip day for the North American Crane Working Group members. A post-conference field will be on Thursday 17 March. Two field trips are available:

Trip 1: Birdwatching

For those interested in bird watching, Joel Jorgensen, avian biologist with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Andy Bishop, biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will lead a trip through the Rainwater Basin wetlands located south and east of Grand Island. These wetlands support literally millions of migrating ducks, geese, and shorebirds.

All trips depart from the Midtown Holiday Inn at 0900 hrs. Travel will be by bus to the various wetlands. Lunch will be provided. Following lunch the return trip will concentrate on viewing sandhill cranes in the meadows and fields along the Platte River. The tour is expected to end at 1530 hrs.

Trip 2: Restoration and Management of Platte River

For those interested in the extensive restoration work being done on the Platte River by The Whooping Crane Trust, the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners Program, the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program, The Nature Conservancy, power companies and Natural Resource Districts, there will be an opportunity to travel with Jim Jenniges, Environmental Specialist with the Nebraska Public Power District and Chad Smith, Environmental Manager of the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program to restoration sites to view completed work and to discuss the purpose of the activities, and past as well as future activities. Travel between sites will provide ample opportunity to observe cranes, waterfowl, and other bird species in fields and wetlands.

The Tour will leave from the Midtown Holiday Inn at 9:30 AM and return by 3:30 PM. Lunch will be provided. The trip will include an opportunity to view sandhill cranes in the meadows and fields along the Platte River.

Crane blind viewing

Crane viewing blinds will be available on a first come-first serve basis at the Conference. These blinds, provided by the Crane Trust, are available for $15/person. There will be a host that will escort you to the viewing blind. The viewing blind tours will leave from the Midtown Holiday Inn at 0530 hrs each morning and 1630 hrs each afternoon. Reservation will be on a first come first serve basis and signup sheets will be available at check-in. Commercial crane blind viewing opportunities are also available via The Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center and Rowe Audubon Sanctuary. Space in these blinds may be reserved in advance through each entity.

Self-guided Trips

Opportunities to view cranes and birdwatching are not limited to the organized field trips. Individuals are encouraged to get out on their own to view the migratory water bird spectacle that is spring in The Central Platte Nebraska. A self guided tour map will be available in registration packet.

Silent Auction

The Waterbird Society will host its traditional Silent Auction on the Wednesday, before the banquet. All participants are encouraged to bring and donate avian artwork, books, etc. Proceeds from the Silent Auction go towards student travel awards for the next Waterbird Society meeting. Further details on the Silent Auction will appear on the Waterbird Society webpage.

Other Activities

The Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Poineer’s Wings Over the Platte Art Exhibit and Sale will be ongoing. Painting, sculpture and photography works will be on exhibit from 25 February to 10 April, 2011.

The North American Crane Working Group and Waterbird Society are grateful to several sponsors for supporting the workshop.

NEWS RELEASE from the U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE
Wildlife Agencies Investigating the Deaths of Three Whooping Cranes in South Georgia

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources are investigating the suspicious deaths of three whooping cranes in south Georgia.

The cranes were found and reported by hunters in Calhoun County, just west of Albany, Ga., on Dec 30, 2010. The landowner reported the cranes had been in the area for a few weeks before they found them dead just before New Year’s Eve.

Necropsies are expected to be completed in about two weeks.
The cranes are part of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership effort to reintroduce whooping cranes into the eastern United States. These three cranes were released in October 2010 with seven other first-year birds in Wisconsin as part of the Direct Autumn Release program. They generally follow other older whooping cranes and sometime sandhill cranes during the fall migration to find suitable wintering habitat. They were banded and equipped with transmitters and were not part of the ultralight aircraft-led migration effort.
 
Any information concerning the deaths of these cranes should be provided to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Terry Hasting at 404-763-7959 (ext. 233).  For more information about the reintroduction effort, visit http://www.bringbackthecranes.org.

Tom Stehn, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge reports, “The whooping crane migration is well underway. The first two whooping cranes were sighted at Aransas on October 21. Numerous other cranes arrived near the end of October and the first week in November. So far, ground reports from numerous parties have helped me record that 59 white-plumaged and 11 juveniles = 70 whooping cranes are at Aransas. No aerial surveys have been done to date to get a total count.”

Tom continued, “From the 10 radioed whooping cranes, 6 of those 10 have completed the migration to Aransas. Thus, one can estimated that 60% of the flock has reached Aransas. With 290 whooping cranes expected to reach Aransas, that means an estimated 174 could be here already (60% x 290). The 4 radioed cranes still in migration are located in Saskatchewan, North Dakota, and South Dakota.”

The most exciting news it that a pair that winters on Lamar has brought two chicks with them. A second family group with two chicks is currently in South Dakota. I’m hoping that this is a sign that the flock will meet my optimistic hope for a record size that should include 45+ juveniles. The habitat looks great for the returning cranes with blue crabs abundant, wolfberries available, and marsh salinities relatively low.

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Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane Coordinator,U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that the whooping cranes have initiated their southward migration from Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada. Whooping cranes are currently spread all the way from the nesting grounds to the wintering grounds. The first two whooping cranes have arrived at Aransas in Texas, with a pair sighted October 21st by Dr. Felipe Chavez-Ramirez and Walter Wehtje of The Crane Trust who are currently at Aransas. Crane Trust data from the 10 radioed cranes have them in NorthDakota or Canada (including some still in Wood Buffalo National Park), except for one subadult bird that is in Oklahoma. 

Retired CWS biologist Brian Johns spotted 63 whooping cranes at 3 different locations in Saskatchewan on October 21st, so that tells you where the majority of the flock is located.   With so many cranes still in Canada, and the first 2 cranes spotted at Aransas five days past the average first arrival date of October 16th, the migration appears to be about one week later than average this year.  I will start census flights at Aransas in early November.

Observational data compiled by Jeanine Lackey of the Cooperative Whooping Crane Tracking Project in Grand Island, Nebraska has numerous reports coming from North Dakota with nothing from other Flyway States (SD, NE, KS) except the radioed crane in Oklahoma and one white-plumaged bird in eastern Colorado outside of the usual migration corridor that was apparently influenced by sandhill cranes.

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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

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Click the link to view the document…

Patuxent Research Notes

 
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Associated Press – August 19, 2010 3:34 PM ET

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hopes to bring whooping cranes back into south Louisiana, establishing a flock that lives and breeds on state-owned land in Vermilion Parish.

Whoopers are the world’s most endangered crane, with just under 400 birds in the wild and fewer than 150 captive. The Fish and Wildlife Service is asking for public comment on its proposal to try to establish a flock at the White Lake Wetland Conservation Area, where the cranes once lived and raised young.

The only self-sustaining wild flock migrates between Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories of Canada and Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. One smaller flock migrates between Wisconsin and Florida, and a second lives in Florida year-round.