Washington’s North Cascades National Park lies at the center of some of the most protected, well- connected wildlife habitat in the Lower 48......

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-0 ... -park.html

"LOUISIANA CONSERVATIONIST ", [March April, 1950 p22,25]
(partially edited for spelling, punctuation. Feb 2011)

LOUISIANA'S LONE "WHOOPER" CAPTURED
By Arthur Van Pelt


Taking Louisiana's last whooping crane to Port Aransas, Texas, its capture in Louisiana swamp.

A FIRST-HAND description of a dramatic outdoors event that occurred just a few days ago, came to me recently. It impressed me so strongly that I'm going to pass it on to you. It concern the passing from our state of the largest and one of the most beautiful and spectacular of all the birds of America, --a bird that, in the years gone by, lived here in great numbers, but whose ranks were decimated by the lust to kill of our own people.

The bird is the great Whooping Crane. Much has been said in the public press during the late years about the passing of the species. Gradually its numbers have been lowered until now only 35 are known to exist alive in all the world.

Most of these appear now to be congregated in the Aransas Wildlife Reserve, an ideal habitat for them, east of Corpus Christi in the coastal marshes of Texas. Until a few days ago, though, Louisiana could lay claim to one lone Whooper, — a beautiful big bird which seemed to prefer to remain in solitary dignity, in the open marshes of Vermilion and Cameron Parishes rather than to join the others of his kind in Texas.

For years, this one bird has remained in the Louisiana marshlands. Almost daily, trained observers of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Audubon Society, or the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries made flights over his favorite feeding grounds to check on his presence and welfare. That bird got more jealous attention than does the average child.

But the thoughts of the wildlife experts later were turned to new channels. Their efforts of late have been directed toward increasing the number of the living birds; not only to watching them.

And so, after deliberations between Government, Audubon Society and State officials, it was determined to attempt to capture the lonely Louisiana bird and remove it to the company of those already in the Aransas Pass Reserve, in the hope of inducing a mating between it and one of the others and, possibly of adding to the world's population of the species.

The effort was made in mid March. First, the current location of the great white bird had to be determined. Johnny Lynch, of Abbeville, La., representing the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who had been carefully watching the lonely crane for several years, took to the air and after a long flight, found it, far down in the prairie, just north of White Lake and south of Gueydan, La.

A day or two later, following a plan of strategy agreed upon, two helicopters, owned and operated by the Petroleum Bell Helicopter Service, took off from Lafayette and flew over the marshes where the bird had been seen the day before. Again it was located and a chase began.

Johnny, in narrating the subsequent activities to me, told of the wonderful aerial acrobatics of the great bird which, as he said, defeated the flying skill of the veteran pilots that day, and at last it escaped them by simply dropping into the marsh and disappearing into the tall grass. Two days later, however, a second attempt was made and it was a different story, as Johnny told it.

"We decided to use relay tactics that day," he said. "We flew quite widely apart and arranged signals so that both crews might know if the bird were located. Our ship saw it first. We were three in that (flying windmill), E. J. Smith, the pilot, Frank Lee and I. We signaled the other machine and they came over. In it was the pilot, L. L. McCombie, and Bob Allen and Nick Schexnayder, both of the Audubon Society. Nick, resident manager of the society's reserve west of Marsh Island, had been nursing that bird along for a number of years and we decided that he should have the honor of finally capturing it.

"We literally tired the bird out. by chasing it and finally it alighted in the marsh. Quickly the helicopter dropped down above it and I believe that Nick Schexnayder was out of the helicopter and dropping before it was within 20 feet the marsh. But he was within reach of the bird when he landed and caught it by the upper neck to prevent it striking him with its dagger-like bill. We handled it carefully and got it into the plane and came back to Lafayette. Then we drove non-stop to Aransas Pass, Texas, that same evening and night to place that valuable specimen among its relatives in the best possible condition. Nick literally cuddled that big bird in his arms all the way, on that trip, but it was well worth all the effort that we all took to accomplish the result that we did.

"When we got there, and after a little exercise the crane was in fine shape again and hungry. We fed him some frogs and he made friends with all of us, as tame as could be. It was amazing."

In 1935 there were five of these immense birds known to be living in that great prairie country. I personally saw them in the Gueydan prairie, just once many years ago. They looked like five men dressed in white out in the marsh. By 1940, their numbers had increased to 13 birds. But that same year there came a great storm and tidal wave that drove the birds in to the rice fields and most of them were shot by hunters or killed by the storm. Only three remained and of these two have, since then, been lost. Only this one old bird remained.

The Whooping Crane is five feet or more in height and weighs from 30 to as high as 40 pounds. So you can see what a job it is to handle one alone. The Whooper is pure dazzling white with black wing tips and a crown of brilliantly red atop its head. It's truly a noble looking bird. Audubon Park had one up to a year ago when it was loaned to the Audubon Society and is now on the Aransas Reserve. They hope that the tribe may increase this year. .\t all events everything possible is being done to preserve the species, as you can see. It's kind of sad to see the passing of a magnificent species from our state, to see the drop to absolute zero from the great abundance of the Whooping Cranes that used to come to Louisiana each year.

Endangered cranes to be reintroduced in Louisiana



A whooping crane stands in an enclosure at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Maryland, in this photo taken October 10, 2010 and released to Reuters on February 8, 2011. Ten whooping cranes, the most endangered species of crane in the world, will be reintroduced in a Louisiana conservation area more than 60 years after the birds' numbers dwindled to near zero, the U.S. Interior Department said on February 8, 2010. REUTERS/LDWF (Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries)/Carrie Salyers/Handout

Credit: Reuters/LDWF (Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries)/Carrie Salyers/Handout
Related News

By Emily Stephenson

WASHINGTON | Wed Feb 9, 2011 10:55am EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ten whooping cranes, the most endangered species of crane in the world, will be reintroduced in a Louisiana conservation area more than 60 years after the birds' numbers dwindled to near zero, the U.S. Interior Department said on Tuesday.

"The whooping crane is an iconic species that should be returned and restored to health along the Gulf Coast," said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. "The reintroduction of these remarkable birds will be a milestone moment for the Gulf Coast."

Whooping cranes -- named for their loud, trumpeting call -- are the world's most endangered species of crane and are only found in North America.

The total population, once believed to have numbered more than 15,000, fell to just 15 birds in the 1940s as a result of hunting and habitat loss, according to the National Wildlife Federation.

The entire Louisiana population had been wiped out or removed by the 1950s. The surviving birds all belonged to one flock that migrated between Canada and Texas and is still the only self-sustaining wild population of whooping cranes.

"That's as close to extinction as anything's ever come," said Heather Ray, director of development for Operation Migration. Her group and others have worked to re-establish the whooping crane.

There are now only about 560 birds in the wild and captivity, said Tom Hess, the Louisiana project's field manager.

The cranes that will be reintroduced this month were bred at the U.S. Geological Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland and will be moved first to an enclosed pen in Louisiana's White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area, Hess said.

When the birds get used to their new surroundings, they will be released into a 1.5-acre (0.67-hectare) open pen. They will be monitored, fed and encouraged to roost, said Hess, who works for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

The next set of cranes should be reintroduced in October, he said. The project is expected to last about 10 years.

Scientists tried previously to introduce whooping cranes to live alongside another crane species in Idaho, but the whooping cranes there failed to breed, Ray said.

An effort to introduce whooping cranes in Florida has been more successful, reaching about 100 birds, she said. Conservation groups taught the cranes to migrate from Florida to Wisconsin by having them fly after a plane.

(Reporting by Emily Stephenson; Editing by Sandra Maler)

I got the word this afternoon.....

For the first time in over 50 years WLF can confirm the presence of a FLOCK of Whooping Cranes in Louisiana!

That is exciting! Where did they come from? And (being a bit lazy) - what's the WLF?

Quote by: JudyB

That is exciting! Where did they come from? And (being a bit lazy) - what's the WLF?

Patuxent Wildlife Refuge in Maryland. they were supposed to arrive 2/1 and the delays were due to weather issues!!! they arrived today

I'm not sure why he put those initials, typo..... the state agency is LDWF (LA Dept of Wildlife and Fisheries)

Thanks, jwnix! Is this going to impact Operation Migration or the Direct Release programs? I know they're rethinking some of what they're doing with some of the crane programs because the migrating cranes aren't reproducing at the rate they'd hoped - but I haven't read through the various articles and figured out how some of these things inter-relate.

Quote by: JudyB

Thanks, jwnix! Is this going to impact Operation Migration or the Direct Release programs? I know they're rethinking some of what they're doing with some of the crane programs because the migrating cranes aren't reproducing at the rate they'd hoped - but I haven't read through the various articles and figured out how some of these things inter-relate.

What I DO know is that all of the various programs are working to increase populations with the goal of getting this species to be self-sustaining and OFF the endangered species list. Of course we are a long way from that..... as I know more, I will put it here as long as there seems to be some interest.

I am so excited as it is happening in my lifetime, and we are doing this huge step forward toward restoring this species and hopefully it will be helpful to help this species make a come back!!!!