OPERATION MIGRATION The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership

Partnership Overview

Since 2001, Operation Migration has led 13 generations of Whooping cranes on their first migration from Wisconsin to Florida

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has supported this work since the beginning and is a founding member of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership

Nine agencies make up the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership

including … US Fish and Wildlife Service

International Crane Foundation

USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Wisconsin Dept of Natural Resources

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

The Whooping Crane Recovery Team

Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin

USGS Wildlife Health Center

Operation Migration

Accomplishments

In 2006 a pair of reintroduced Whooping cranes produced

a wild hatched chick

They taught it to migrate along the route we taught

them ....

It was the first Wild hatched, migratory chick in the eastern flyway since

the last nest was reported in 1878

There are now over 100 birds in the Eastern Migratory Population Our target is 125 individuals, including 25 breeding pairs

Partnership ImpactPartnership with NFWF and the Southern Company

supports early imprinting at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center....

Relocation of our equipment from Florida to Wisconsin ....

Summer training...

Migration...

And Winter monitoring.

The Power of Flight has even assisted with the power of flight – by helping with the purchase of aircraft

Indirect Outcomes

This high profile project provided an unprecedented outreach opportunity

Support from NFWF helps fund Journey North

Providing interactive, curriculum based lesson plans for 1.6 million students annually

Lessons Learned

In 2010, we determined that black flies were causing nest abandonment at Necedah NWR, resulting in low productivity

For the 2011 field season, we relocated to a new release site out of the range of black flies

New facilities were constructed in an isolated marsh including a roosting pen and a runway

So far three generations of Whooping cranes have been reintroduced at White River

Looking Forward

Over the last 18 months, WCEP used Population Viability Analysis and a Structure Decision Making process to develop a 5 year strategic plan

Releases will continue in the black fly free area of White River until that flock reaches breeding age.

Additional research will include nest management studies at Necedah to mitigate the black fly issue

and collecting eggs from Wood Buffalo National Park to compare the survival and breeding success of wild stock verses birds raised in captivity for multiple generations.

Since this project began, 14 Whooping cranes have been illegally shot.

Vandal shooting was the cause of death of 6 WCEP birds and it was the suspected cause of 4 others.