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WHOOPING CRANE EASTERN PARTNERSHIP
NEWS RELEASE

First "Class of 2002" Endangered Whooping Cranes Reach Wisconsin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 15, 2003

Media Contacts:
Joan Garland, International Crane Foundation, 608-356-9462 ext. 142
Rachel Levin,US Fish and Wildlife Service, 612-713-5311

Eleven juvenile whooping cranes from the ultralight-led migration “Class of 2002” returned to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in central Wisconsin last Sunday, completing a 13-day, 1,200-mile unassisted return migration from their winter home at Florida’s Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge.

Biologists tracked hatch year ‘02 cranes #2, #4, #13 and #18 as they crossed from Illinois into Wisconsin at 12:30 pm on April 13. Four hours later, they touched down at one of their former training sites located on the Necedah wildlife refuge. Traveling with the young birds as they winged their way north from Florida was hatch year ’01 crane #5.

Class of 2002 flock mates #3, #5, #7, #8, #15, #16 and #17 followed a short time later, arriving at the Necedah refuge at about 6:50 p.m. to complete their first unaided migration. Cranes #1, #11 and #12 from the same 2002 cohort arrived in Wisconsin at about 5:30 Sunday afternoon and are currently in a wetland approximately 70 miles southeast of the Necedah area.

Two remaining 2002 birds, #9 and #14, are currently still migrating. Crane #14 was last seen in central Illinois, while #9 was last observed foraging in a flooded cornfield in North Carolina, east of the anticipated migration route.

A male whooping crane, #6 from the Class of ’01 was the first of his cohort to reach Wisconsin after migrating north unassisted for the second time. Number 6 returned on March 25 to Dodge County, Wisconsin, and has since joined his former flock mates, cranes #1 and #2, at Necedah, after they returned to the refuge on April 1. The female #7, also from the 2001 flock was located yesterday in east-central Wisconsin, where she was observed foraging with a large group of her non-endangered sandhill crane cousins.

The Class of 2002 was the second whooping crane flock to be led by the Operation Migration team with ultralight aircraft on a 1,200-mile journey in an effort to return this most endangered crane to eastern North America. They arrived at Chassahowitzka NWR on November 30, 2002, after a 49-day southward migration.

After becoming the first group of whooping cranes successfully led on a migration by ultralight aircraft, in the fall of 2001, the Class of 2001 cranes became the first whooping cranes to fly freely over the eastern half of North America after the species was reduced to only fifteen individuals and nearly wiped out. The five cranes from 2001 made their first solo journey south, returning to Florida last fall as the new generation was making the trip with the aircraft.

The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP) is a consortium of non-profit organizations and government agencies working together to return migratory whooping cranes to eastern North America, which is a portion of its historic range.

The ultimate goal of the project is to reintroduce enough whooping cranes to the new flyway to establish a self-sustaining flock containing at least 25 adult breeding pairs. Costumed rearing and a strict no-talking rule are incorporated into the training routine to ensure the young cranes never see or hear people. Helping ensure the wildness of these young birds is a must. To prevent these cranes from becoming accustomed to humans, please respect these birds as you would any other wildlife--do not feed, approach, or call to them. Please observe and enjoy them from a suitable distance.

WCEP founding members are the International Crane Foundation, International Whooping Crane Recovery Team, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, Operation Migration Inc., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey’s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and National Wildlife Health Center, and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Many other flyway states, provinces, private individuals and conservation groups have joined forces with and support WCEP by donating resources, funding and personnel. More than 60 percent of the projects estimated $1.8 million budget comes from private sources in the form of grants, donations and corporate sponsors.

-WCEP-

Editors: Photos of the cranes are available from the International Crane Foundation or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

For more information on the project, its partners, and how you can help, visit the WCEP website at http://www.bringbackthecranes.org for updates on the spring migration visit http://www.savingcranes.org

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