Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) and U.S. Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) are reintroducing the Crane Conservation Act to help assist in the recovery of several endangered crane species.  The bill passed the House of Representatives and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee last year and was positioned to pass the Senate before stalling late in the last Congress.  The bipartisan bill would establish a grant program to fund international and domestic crane conservation projects and encourage the Department of Interior to seek input from individuals and organizations actively involved in crane conservation. Senators Feingold and Mike Crapo (R-ID) are lead sponsors of the Senate bill which is also cosponsored by Senators Herb Kohl (D-WI), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Ben Cardin (D-MD), John Kerry (D-MA), Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Mel Martinez (R-FL).  Representative Baldwin is the lead sponsor of the House bill which is also cosponsored by Representatives Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL), James Oberstar (D-MN), Ron Kind (D-WI) and Raul Grijalva (D-AZ).  

“We saw great momentum behind this effort to protect these endangered birds last year and I am very hopeful we’ll finally be able to push it through this Congress,” Feingold said. “Wisconsin provides habitat and refuge for several species of cranes and I have been proud to work with Congresswoman Baldwin on this effort.  Since we came so close to passing this last year, I will do all I can to build on that momentum and ensure these protections are finally enacted into law.”

“The work done at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, WI has had an impact world-wide in preserving and protecting this magnificent animal species,” said Congresswoman Baldwin. “With federal support, we can expand that influence to inspire and instruct a new generation of conservationists at home and abroad.  This is the ‘Wisconsin Idea’ in action and I’m proud to join Senator Feingold in introducing this important legislation,” Baldwin said.

Cranes are the most endangered family of birds in the world, with eleven of the world's fifteen species at risk of extinction. The Feingold-Baldwin bill will encourage further conservation efforts on behalf of endangered cranes, supporting initiatives and organizations throughout the world dedicated to the protection of these rare birds and their ecosystems.

Wisconsin has played an important role in the conservation of the rarest crane, the North American Whooping Crane. Since 2001, led by the non-profit Operation Migration, young whooping cranes have migrated from Wisconsin’s Necedah National Wildlife Refuge to their breeding grounds in Florida’s Chassahowitzka Wildlife Refuge in an effort to reintroduce a migratory flock into their historic range in the eastern United States. The 1,300-mile journey involves a cooperative effort between federal and state governments, landowners, volunteers, and non-governmental organizations. The reintroduced birds have come from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland, as well as a captive flock established at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin.  Another flock of whooping cranes migrates from Canada via Kansas to Texas.

The Crane Conservation Act is supported by the International Crane Foundation, American Bird Conservancy, Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Audubon Nature Institute, Defenders of Wildlife, National Wildlife Refuge Association, Wildlife Conservation Society, World Wildlife Fund, and fifteen other conservation organizations.