Whooping Crane (1 Viewer)

Following is a copy of message from Arenberg Foundations www.learner.org. This web site is for teachers and educators K12, but rest of us are free to tag along for the ride.

August 20, 2005

Journey South With Endangered Whooping Cranes Led by Ultralight Planes
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/crane/index.html

With ultralight pilots leading the way, a new flock of whooping cranes is returning to eastern North America where they have not flown for over a century. The project began in 2001 and is now in its 5th year. Twenty-two new whooping crane chicks are being added to the flock this year. They hatched last spring and now are in "flight school," preparing for their first journey south. These 22 will follow the tiny ultralight planes from Wisconsin to Florida. This year, an additional four chicks will participate in a new experiment; they'll attempt to follow the older, wild flock members and migrate without help from the ultralights--as all ultimately must do.

Get Ready, Get Set...
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/AboutFall.html
Learn all about the birds, the crew, and the training while you wait for the migration to begin. Starting September 2nd, we will follow the count-down to migration in weekly training progress reports posted every Friday. Short, printable booklets, slide shows, and accompanying teacher guides bring you and your students up to date with this landmark conservation project.

Go!
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/05/WCEPHighlights.html
The cranes are scheduled for take-off in mid-October. Daily "Migration Highlights" will be posted on the Web throughout the ultralight-led migration. Each Friday, we will also summarize the week's highlights by e-mail. In their own migration journals (templates provided), students can track their favorite chick or the whole flock.

Seven states, 1,200 miles, and many risks face the cranes. How will this year's migration compare to the previous four? With a record number of chicks, this year promises to be a thrilling adventure! Get a front-row seat with photos, journal questions, audio and video clips, and classroom lessons. Join us for chapter five in the bold plan to establish a second flock of wild, migratory whooping cranes as a hedge against extinction of this magnificent species!

Presented in cooperation with Operation Migration and the entire Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP).

Copyright 2005 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to [email protected]

Craig

Hi Craig,

Thank you for the above post. Since I got the internet 2 years ago I have been an avid follower of the Whooping Crane story and their journeys.

Good luck with this years "trainees" from the oldest one in the world, so they tell me. I hope they have a smoother trip this year and the caravan and microlight remain intact.

Give my thanks to everyone concerned and best wishes for a safe trip.

God, I must be getting old autumn/winter arrives sooner ever year.

Ann

This has been one of the most interesting conservation efforts I've seen. Kudos to all involved. We followed last year's migration info and will certainly be doing so again.

craig whitmore said:

Presented in cooperation with Operation Migration and the entire Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP).

Craig

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Hi, Craig, Ann and anyone else who is interested. Teachers, students or not you can follow the Field Journal of Operation Migration at:

http://www.operationmigration.org/Field_Journal.html

I have followed them for about four years, and it is truly fascinating. It is one of the most ambitious and successful conservation efforts in the world. It has taken over ten years to get where they are now with over 40 captive bred birds now wild, and a further 20 or so in training for this year's migration due to start in early to mid October.

I have made donations from the start, as this project is funded by grants and donations, and they are sorely in need of financial support. Anything would be welcome.

I am SO delighted to see other people have been following Op. Mig. There have been so few Guest Book entries from the UK or outside Canada and the US. Please go to the Field Journal, click on Guest Book and register your moral support. More support from across the pond will be welcomed with open arms. They are now doing regular (hard copy) newsletters, to which you can subscribe, but which comes free with membership. I can guarantee any involvement with them will bring a whole range of emotions to you through your PC.

My only connection with them is through following their website, and talking to them but it is the best thing I have ever done. If you have ever seen the film "Fly Away Home" you will have seen the beginnings of this wonderful adventure, slightly fictionalised.

Thelma

Thelma W. said:

If you have ever seen the film "Fly Away Home" you will have seen the beginnings of this wonderful adventure, slightly fictionalised.
Thelma

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It was this film that first caught my attention. I saw it and loved it. Only a little later did I find out about the continuing work with the Whooping Cranes and have been following it since.

And I second you suggestion that it is a very worthwhile effort to support.

Dave B Smith said:

And I second you suggestion that it is a very worthwhile effort to support.

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Dave, I am so glad. It is nice to be able to share it with someone. It is difficult to guage whether any people are watching in the UK. I have seen a couple of messages on the Guest Book from the UK, besides mine but that's all.

It is such an example of what dedication, hard work, and a lot of money, can achieve. I am really looking forward to the start of the migration. I just hope enough funds come in before they start.