Whooping Cranes are Coming

The whooping cranes began their flight from Wisconsin to Florida on Friday, Oct. 17. Follow their progress, view photos, and more at Journey North. There are many ways you can help the cranes reach the St. Marks NWR. Please visit the Operation Migration website to find out how.

Whooping cranes, named for their loud and penetrating unison calls, live and breed in wetland areas, where they feed on crabs, clams, frogs and aquatic plants. They are distinctive animals, standing five feet tall, with white bodies, black wing tips and red crowns on their heads.

The staff at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (St. Marks NWR) was pleased to hear that The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP) announced Thursday, February 7, 2008 that it plans to split the ultralight-led Class of 2008 cranes into two groups upon arrival in Florida this fall. One group will winter at Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), and the other group will winter at St. Marks NWR. Both refuges are on the Florida Gulf coast.

The decision comes after the loss in February 2007 of 17 of the 18 Class of 2006 whooping cranes in a severe storm at Chassahowitzka NWR. WCEP has spent the past year examining the circumstances of the deaths. While the loss resulted from a rare and severe storm, WCEP is exploring all options to safeguard against such a loss in the future. In making the decision to divide the next group of ultralight-led cranes between two winter sites, WCEP’s highest priority concerns were maximizing first-year survival of young whooping cranes (including avoiding the catastrophic loss of a class group) and maximizing opportunities for the young cranes to socialize and form pair bonds on the winter grounds.

After studying potential alternative winter sites, WCEP identified St. Marks NWR as a suitable release site. The Chassahowitzka and St. Marks sites have different habitat characteristics and each meets many of WCEP’s priority objectives for winter management of the cranes. Splitting the flock between Chassahowitzka and St. Marks meets the highest priority concerns for the safety and well-being of the young whooping cranes and offers an opportunity to learn more about what is best for these endangered birds. Evaluating the response of the cranes will improve WCEP’s understanding of whooping crane ecology and inform future management.

The prospective wintering site at St. Marks NWR requires closing portions of Mensler Creek and Cow Creek and their surrounding marshes to all public access approximately December-April. The exact closure dates will depend on when the cranes arrive.

An international coalition of public and private organizations, WCEP is conducting the reintroduction project in an effort to return this endangered species to its historic range in eastern North America. This spring, there will be 76 migrating whooping cranes in the wild in eastern North America thanks to the efforts of WCEP and its many donors, partners and supporters.

For more information, go to WCEP's Web site at: http://www.bringbackthecranes.org
or Operation Migration: http://www.operationmigration.org.

The staff at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is pleased to announce that we have received the Whooping Crane Pen construction permit and are preparing for a December arrival of the cranes. We appreciate all of the community support we have received for this. Several volunteers including the Wakulla High NJROTC filled sandbags to use as reef for the cranes to roost and tied together fencing material. The Refuge staff and volunteers spent several days in the marsh constructing the seven acre pen.
Crane Pen Construction

The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP) is responsible for bring the whooping cranes to Wakulla County. An international coalition of public and private orgaizations, WCEP is conducting the reintroduction project in an effort to return this endangered species to its historic range in eastern North America.

For more information go the WCEP's website at http://www.bringbackthecranes.org.

Crane Pen Construction
Wakulla High NJROTC Volunteers

Crane Pen Construction
Wakulla High NJROTC Volunteers

The Necedah National Wildlife Refuge is located 4 miles west of Necedah, WI; in the Great Central Wisconsin Swamp. Of special interest to the St. Marks NWR is Necedah's mission to protect and restore whooping cranes. It is from Necedah NWR that Whooping Cranes are coming to the St. Marks NWR.

Visit the photo gallery to view some photos from the '07 departure from Necedah NWR and the "Craniacs" gathering at 4:30- 6:00 AM to watch the departure. For more photos and information about Nededah, visit the Friends of Necedah National Wildlife Refuge.

First Whooping Cranes of the "Class of 2008" Arrive at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge
(June 26, 2008)

Track the Cranes progress
Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership
Operation Migration, Inc.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
International Crane Foundation
USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Friends of Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge
Friends of Necedah National Wildlife Refuge

Information and photos courtesy of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership