Whooping Crane Recovery--A Major Milestone

In 1937 there were fewer then 20 whooping cranes left in the world.  In 1967 scientists began a breeding colony at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.   Last week our ultra-light led Whooping Crane reintroduction project hit a major milestone on June 22 when the first chicks (there are two) were hatched in the wild.  The parents were hatched and reared here at PWRC in 2002.

Contact:  John French, Laurel, MD, 301-497-5702 

Wind Power Conference

Patuxent's Chandler Robbins (retired) presented the banquet address on Bird Migration on June 27 to 140 participants in a three-day wind power conference in Toledo, Ohio, organized by Alexander Hoar of FWS.  Focus of the conference was on the Great Lakes Region.  In addition to federal, state and NGO speakers from the U.S. and Canada, there were two presentations by wind turbine experts from the United Kingdom.  The papers from the Conference will be available on a CD.   PWRC has been collaborating with FWS for more than a year on research related to wind power.  Allan O'Connell and Deanna Dawson both have studies aimed at documenting bird distribution patterns in regions where wind power is being developed, in order to identify locations and conditions where and when birds might be at risk.

Contact Graham Smith, Laurel, MD, 301-497-5620

Old Growth Bottom Land Meets the Biological Review Team

Patuxent scientist selected for Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) biological review team. --- Dr. J Michael Meyers of Patuxent's Athens, GA field station will assist with the Bond Swamp NWR Biological review, July 25-27, 2006.  The team will spend three days conducting the review including one full day and possible half of another in the field. Bond Swamp NWR, south of Macon, GA, is an important old growth bottomland forest where Brooks Meanley, a retired Patuxent wildlife biologist, first discovered a large population of Swainson's Warblers during his military duties in Macon during the mid 1940s.  Dr. Meyers recently conducted research on habitat of Swainson's Warblers at the refuge and located more than 165 territories of this species during two years of field work.  The refuge also has a population of black bears and many nesting Neotropical migratory birds of special concern.  It's the best place to go birding in central Georgia in late April and May.

Contact: J. Michael Meyers, Athens, GA, 706-542-1882

HiLites Contact: Regina Lanning, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, 301-497-5509

See Previous HiLites:

March 15, 2004
May 3, 2004
May 17, 2004
May 24, 2004
June 7, 2004
June 28, 2004
August 2, 2004
September 23, 2004
October 19, 2004
November 3, 2004
December 23, 2004
January 25, 2005
March 7, 2005
April 4, 2005
August 29, 2005
October 17, 2005
October 31, 2005
December 12, 2005
March 27, 2006