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The goal of this project is to study the annual movements of lesser sandhill cranes which summer near Homer, Alaska. This project will document local movements of cranes during early and late summer periods, and document their migration paths to and from their wintering areas. This study will also allow us to identify important sites they use for migrational staging and wintering that may need conservation. The data will also be used to evaluate their use of their winter landscape and help us assess habitat use by feeding and roosting cranes that will provide the basis for developing recommendations to farmers about the suitability of specific crops or agricultural practices. Data on movements at the landscape level will help develop a regional understanding of how cranes use their wintering habitats and the relative importance of public vs. privately owned lands in meeting their winter habitat requirements of cranes. Our results will and help predict how future landscape changes, such as expansion of urban development, changing agricultural practices, and proposals to develop water storage reservoirs in existing winter and summer areas, could impact important wintering and summering habitats and help assess where additional conservation efforts are needed.
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U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey