WCEP Statement
WCEP statement on Class of 2008
winter site decision
February 7, 2008
Contact: Rachel F. Levin, 612-713-5311
The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP) announced today that it plans to split the ultralight-led Class of 2008 cranes into two groups upon arrival in Florida this fall, pending outcome of stakeholder input and permitting requirements.
One group will winter at Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), and it is hoped that the other group will winter at St. Marks NWR. Both refuges are on the Florida Gulf coast.
The decision comes after the loss in February 2007 of 17 of the 18 Class of 2006 whooping cranes in a severe storm at Chassahowitzka NWR. WCEP has spent the past year examining the circumstances of the deaths. While the loss resulted from a rare and severe storm, WCEP is exploring all options to safeguard against such a loss in the future.
In making the decision to divide the next group of ultralight-led cranes between two winter sites, WCEP’s highest priority concerns were maximizing first-year survival of young whooping cranes (including avoiding the catastrophic loss of a class group) and maximizing opportunities for the young cranes to socialize and form pair bonds on the winter grounds.
After studying potential alternative winter sites, WCEP identified St. Marks NWR as a suitable release site. The Chassahowitzka and St. Marks sites have different habitat characteristics and each meets many of WCEP’s priority objectives for winter management of the cranes.
Splitting the flock between Chassahowitzka and St. Marks meets the highest priority concerns for the safety and well-being of the young whooping cranes and offers an opportunity to learn more about what is best for these endangered birds. Evaluating the response of the cranes will improve WCEP’s understanding of whooping crane ecology and inform future management.
Wintering the young cranes at two separate sites in Florida will require greater effort and expense but will protect the tremendous investment of dollars and hope invested in these magnificent birds. The protective benefits to the reintroduced cohorts make such expenditures viable and prudent. WCEP’s initial assessment is that the split is feasible even with the extra expense, and we will be looking for ways to fund the additional costs.
There are additional operational and logistic factors that need to be considered and addressed, and WCEP will be looking for input from the community around St. Marks NWR. The partnership will continue to investigate additional suitable winter release sites for future years.
WCEP appreciates the longtime, ongoing and valued support of its partners in the Chassahowitzka NWR area, and looks forward to new partnership opportunities in the coming years.
An international coalition of public and private organizations, WCEP is conducting the reintroduction project in an effort to return this endangered species to its historic range in eastern North America. This spring, there will be 76 migrating whooping cranes in the wild in eastern North America thanks to the efforts of WCEP and its many donors, partners and supporters.
-WCEP-
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