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Species InformationListed Species in the Upper Midwest Listed Species' Ranges by State and County Featured SpeciesEndangered Species ActContacts
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Endangered Species
Whooping Crane Reintroduction
Questions and Answers about the Final Rule and Environmental AssessmentHistory and BackgroundWhy did the U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service prepare a final Environmental Assessment (EA) and publish a
final Rule to establish a nonessential experimental population of whooping cranes in the
eastern U.S.?
Why is there a
plan to reintroduce a migratory flock of whooping cranes to the eastern U.S.?
Who is
responsible for the reintroduction?
In 1996 the whooping crane recovery teams of Canada and the United States were merged into an international team, now known as the International Whooping Crane Recovery Team. This Team developed a recovery plan that calls for the establishment of a second migratory whooping crane population in the eastern U.S. With that goal in mind, the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership was formed in 1998 under the leadership of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Who is the
Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership
Why not
relocate some of the migratory whooping cranes from the Aransas/Wood Buffalo flock?
How much will
this project cost?
Why was Wisconsin chosen as the site for the reintroduction? Wisconsin was chosen for several reasons. Wisconsin is within the historic breeding area of migratory whooping cranes and the reintroduced Wisconsin flock will be separated from the existing migratory flock. In addition, suitable habitat on Federal, State, and private lands is available. Wisconsin's long tradition of environmental commitment and support from the public increases the chances for success within the state.
If this reintroduction is successful, will the whooping crane be taken off the endangered species list? If this reintroduction is successful and the ongoing reintroduction of a non-migratory whooping crane population in Florida also is successful, the Federal status of the species could be changed, eventually, from endangered to threatened. This is a less restrictive designation for species that still need the protection of the Endangered Species Act, but are not in danger of extinction in the foreseeable future. While it may be possible in the long term to fully recover the species, removal of the whooping crane from the Federal list of threatened and endangered species would require further steps. Even if the whooping crane is removed from the Endangered Species list, it will still be federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Rearing Crane Chicks for ReintroductionWhere do the
chicks for the whooping crane reintroduction come from?
Where are the
cranes used for the reintroduction being reared?
What happens to the chicks after they arrive at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge? To promote wildness in the birds, every attempt is made to provide as natural an experience as possible. At the refuge, the birds would be housed in pens painted natural colors and disguised with trees. Feed and water containers would be made of natural materials and all human paraphernalia removed. The enclosures would be constructed in the bird's natural wetland habitat and access by people restricted. Personnel from Operation Migration, Inc. would conduct most of the conditioning after the cranes arrive at Necedah NWR.
Why do the
people rearing the cranes wear costumes?
Will the fact
that researchers have worn costumes make a difference in how the birds perceive humans?
How are the
cranes being fed? What do they eat?
During the migration, we will mix the pelletized feed with whole corn. The birds will be fed from metal feeders that would hang in the pen and would be painted earth tones to make them look more natural. We will use two or more feeders at all times so one dominant bird could not monopolize a single food source.
How will cranes
at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge be protected from predators?
After the cranes have learned to fly and before they migrate, is there a chance that they would leave the Refuge and fly to nearby wetlands? At that early stage of life the birds are still immature. They associate the handlers, the aircraft and the pen area with security and comfort. When they are released during the day they may wander but they do not go far. This behavior is natural as the birds learn about their environment and begin to explore.
Will people be
allowed to view any part of the crane rearing and training at Necedah National Wildlife
Refuge?
During migration, there is no way to know exactly what the flight path will be each day, so viewing the cranes flying overhead behind the ultralights can only be a matter of chance. It is hoped that a safe opportunity can be arranged for people to see them fly overhead while in training at Necedah NWR and perhaps when they arrive at Chassahowitzka NWR. But it is most critical that the human form not become familiar to the birds. The birds' safety and future survival is a critical factor in this reintroduction. Migration AspectWhy do the cranes have to be taught to migrate? Cranes learn the migration route from the previous generation. Chicks hatched on the nesting grounds learn to fly with their parents, following them in the fall to the wintering grounds. Their destinations and the route they use may have evolved for thousands of years but it exists only in the memories of the birds that use it. If all individuals of a species are lost from a region, the route is lost forever. Birds that are raised in captivity lack an older generation to teach them and they tend to become resident, staying the entire year in the same location.
Why use
ultralights to lead the birds?
How do you
train the cranes to follow the ultralight?
Will
ultralights lead the cranes back in the spring?
What role will state wildlife agencies have in the states along the migration route? Our state wildlife agency partners identified stakeholder concerns related to the project, proposed migration stopover locations and will help coordinate the migration with private and public landowners. Some of the migration stopover locations are located on prime state-owned wildlife lands. States have been kept fully informed of progress made by the migration team. The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership obtained the support and approval for the sandhill crane migration study in 2000 from all the states within the NEP designation area.
Will people be
able to watch or view the cranes during the migration?
In the summer of 2000, two whooping cranes from the experimental flock in Florida population migrated more than 1,000 miles on their own to rural Michigan. Does this mean that the project is unnecessary? This unexpected development resulted in the first whooping crane sighting in Michigan in more than 100 years. Although not technically called a migration, the birds' movements were encouraging. Even though two cranes moved to Michigan last summer, only the female made it safely back to Florida. There is no indication that another journey will be initiated next year. If the migration to Michigan were to become an annual event, it offers another migration route in the east for whooping cranes. Having multiple populations on different migration routes decreases the chance that a disease outbreak, habitat loss or bad weather in a given area may wipe out the entire population of cranes. Crane BiologyHow are whooping
cranes different from sandhill cranes?
What is the
current status of the whooping crane - is it in danger of extinction?
While whooping cranes are not in immediate danger of extinction, extinction in the wild without reintroductions would be likely because of the small size of the single wild natural migratory flock. For this reason, multiple efforts are underway to reduce the danger of extinction by increasing populations in the wild, including a new migratory population in the East.
What caused the
whooping crane's near extinction?
Are there
currently threats to whooping cranes?
The principal threat continues to be a contaminant spill along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway that bisects the winter range. It is one of the busiest waterways in the world and much of the commercial barge traffic is petrochemical products including crude petroleum, gasoline, benzene, and basic industrial chemicals. Each of these cargoes is chronically to acutely toxic.
Why doesn't the flock of whooping cranes in Florida migrate? The non-migratory whooping crane population in Florida was reintroduced in 1993, a product of captive breeding and reintroduction efforts. Since migration is a behavior that must be learned by cranes, the Florida whooping cranes are expected to remain in areas near where they were released. The recent dispersal of two cranes that wandered as far away as Michigan in the summer of 2000 is thought to have occurred as a result of a severe drought in Florida which made their home marshes unsuitable for breeding. The dispersal observed in those two cranes is expected to be an infrequent and unpredictable event in the future.
What habitats do whooping cranes use? Whooping cranes spend most of their time in shallow water wetlands where they feed and nest. Nests are built on small islands of bulrushes, cattails, and sedges that provide protection from predators. At night (when not incubating), whooping cranes stand (roost) in shallow water where they are safe from coyotes and bobcats. During migration, the wild population uses a variety of feeding and roosting habitats, including croplands, marshes, and submerged sandbars in rivers. They winter in bays and coastal marshes in and near the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas Gulf Coast. The experimental non-migratory population inhabits palmetto grasslands, savannahs, and shallow marshes in the Florida's Kissimmee Prairie region.
What do whooping cranes eat? Whooping cranes feed in shallow water wetlands and eat insects, minnows, crabs, clams, crayfish, and frogs. During migration and on their wintering grounds they sometimes feed in upland areas, especially in areas that have been flooded or burned. There they forage for acorns, snails, insects, rodents, and other food items.
How long do whooping cranes live? Whooping cranes may live up 25 years in the wild. Captive birds have lived up to 40 years.
How many young does each whooping crane pair produce each year? In Wood Buffalo Park, 50 pairs of cranes produce from 15 to 30 chicks each year. Whooping cranes do not start breeding until they are four or five years old even though they have their adult plumage by the time they are a little over one year old. When they do mate, they are monogamous and have the same mate for life. If one of the pairs dies, the remaining bird will mate with another. Whooping cranes usually nest once each year, but sometimes they will lay a second clutch of eggs if their first is destroyed. Occasionally a pair will skip a nesting season if conditions are unsuitable or for no apparent reason.
Whooping crane pairs lay two eggs in late April to mid-May, with hatching one month later. The parents share incubation and rearing duties although the female takes the primary role in feeding and caring for the young. Most often, successful nesting pairs raise one young each year. As a rule, fierce competition between the two chicks usually results in the death of the smaller, weaker sibling. Occasionally, when food supplies are abundant and the chicks are perhaps more evenly matched in size and strength, whooping cranes have been known to successfully raise two chicks.
Are the remaining whooping cranes genetically diverse enough to survive into the future? The population reached a low of 21 birds in 1945-46 which resulted in a decline in diversity and changes in gene frequencies. However, the population continues to expand and genetic diversity, though reduced, appears to be comparable to many other crane populations. Endangered Species Act Protection for a "Nonessential Experimental Population" of Whooping CranesWhy does the experiment require designating the flock as a
"nonessential experimental population?"
This designation is made possible by provisions contained within section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act, as amended. The population is considered experimental because it is being (re)introduced into suitable habitat that is outside of the whooping crane's current range, but within its historic range. It is designated nonessential because the likelihood of survival of the whooping crane, as a species, would not be reduced if this entire population was not successful and was lost. To designate this nonessential experimental population, the Secretary of the Interior must determine that the action will not result in jeopardy to the continued existence of the whooping crane. Survival of the whooping crane as a species has been determined to be secure, based upon the existence of the wild, migratory population and the captive breeding flocks in multiple locations. The nonessential experimental population status will protect this whooping crane population as appropriate to conserve the population, while still allowing the presence of the cranes to be compatible with routine human activities in the reintroduction area. We believe the nonessential experimental designation will allow us to retain the full support of the public, which will be critical to the success of the project.
What would happen if someone shoots one of the whooping cranes in this population? Because of the experimental non-essential designation in this rule, if the shooting is determined to be accidental and occurred incidentally to an otherwise lawful activity that was being carried out in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, no prosecution under the Endangered Species Act would occur. In the case of an intentional shooting, the full protection of the Endangered Species Act could apply.
Are there other laws that would protect this flock of whooping cranes? Yes, they would be protected under applicable State laws for non-game species and the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which protects all birds that migrate such as herons, egrets and songbirds.
What would happen if whooping cranes from this population try to nest on my property - will this affect how I can use my property? As a result of the flexibilty associated with this rule, no conflicts are envisioned between the whooping cranes's reintroduction and activities on private lands. Any disturbance of nesting cranes on private property that is accidental or incidental to an otherwise lawful activity, such as recreation (hunting, trapping), agricultural practices (plowing, planting, application of pesticides, etc.), construction or water management would not be considered an illegal activity under the Endangered Species Act.
Are private
property owners part of this project? Additionally, many private individuals, businesses and corporations have donated funds, services, personnel and products through the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership's non-profit and fund raising entities.
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Page revised January 22, 2008 |
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U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service
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