WCCA Today (Updated - 8/23/2009 - 2:41 AM)

Brian Johns Announces Retirement

Brian Johns, Wildlife Biologist,Canadian Wildlife Service writes WCCA that: "It is with mixed feelings that I write this note. As some of you know I have had a very enjoyable 36 year career with the Canadian Wildlife\Service. My first day on the job was May 1, 1973. Over the last 3.5 decades I have had the opportunity to work on whooping cranes, sandhill cranes, loggerhead shrike, grassland and boreal songbirds and even the odd duck. It has all been fun. There is no perfect time to go, however I have been contemplating retirement for a while and am thinking that the time is near for leaving government and forging ahead. In preparation for that, Lea Craig-Moore has been conducting the surveys this summer. Not being in the field earlier this year has allowed me to celebrate my anniversary at home with my wife Dianne and see my apple trees in blossom. This is something I haven't had in a long time. I will still be doing the fledging success surveys later this month."

Brian explains tht, "The Aransas/Wood Buffalo cranes have had a tough year but in my experience they are not only beautiful creatures, they are resilient and have gone through adversity before and came out strong. Hopefully this is just another one of those periodic dips in their 10 year cycle. This doesn't mean that we can be complacent, we must still remain vigilant in our efforts. A total of 62 nesting pairs have been found this summer, only 4 fewer than the all time high."

Brian states, "I have learned so much from the cranes and all of you who care so much about them. My days in the field and at meetings with you have been inspiring. Thanks for your dedication to whooping crane recovery and support over the years, it is truly appreciated. I especially want to thank Tom Stehn, Lea Craig-Moore, Jim Bredy, Kathy St. Laurent and my friends and colleagues in Fort Smith. Thanks also to my friends and colleagues with Canadian Wildlife Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Geological Survey, Parks Canada, Governments of Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Florida, Wisconsin, Calgary Zoo, International Crane Foundation, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Platte River Trust, Species Survival Center, Whooping Crane Conservation Association, Operation Migration, the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership and all those that I have had the opportunity to work with over the years. Thanks again!"

Brian tells us, "Please remember, I am not gone, I have just moved over a bit, so feel free to pick my brain at any time. I will still be around the office for a couple of months yet. Long live cranes! Brian"

The Whooping Crane Conservation Association recognizes that Brian has been one of North America's tremendous conservation leaders while serving in his whooping crane management role. We will certainly miss Brian, his good nature, friendly spirit and expert knowledge about whooping cranes. We wish him the best in retirement and we know he will remain involved.

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Florida Non-Migratory Whooper Flock - Update #6

Marty Folk, Avian Research, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has provided WCCA with Update #6 for the Florida Non-migratory whooping crane flock. The Florida flock has experienced some serious difficulties during the past two years. Drought conditions in the whoopers Florida range have made the situation much worse. Yet, the Florida Avain Research team continues to monitor the whoopers.

Marty Folk advised, "Perhaps you have been waiting by your computer for my next report...sorry to take so long. I've been waiting to announce that our whooping crane chick fledged. The chick is 111 days old today. It is likely the chick fledged long ago, but I haven't reported it yet, because we have not verified this. There are at least several reasons...this is a relatively immobile pair that doesn't go anywhere. Apparently their territory supplies everything they need; there is no hurry to fly. Secondly, about the time the chick would have been fledging, the male shed his flight feathers (It takes 44± days to regrow them). Because crane families like to "stick together", this means the family is grounded for a while. We expect the male to be flight-capable again in a couple weeks."

Marty adds, "As expected, we saw no further nesting after my last report below. We ended the season with 4 nests and 1 chick."
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UPDATE - Wood Buffalo National Park/Aransas Refuge
Whooper Nesting Report

Lea Craig-Moore, Canadian Wildlife Service reports that, " The June chick surveys were conducted June 16-20 in Wood Buffalo National park by Jim Bredy and Tom Stehn from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Lea Craig-Moore from the Canadian Wildlife Service. A total of 52 chicks were seen from 62 nests (61 nests had been found in May, and one additional family was found in June). Two chicks were seen at ten nests, one chick at 32 nests and 18 nests had no young. Two nests were still being incubated on the last day of surveys. This year's June production is 0.84 chicks per nest which is on target with the long term average of 0.8 chicks/nest."

Lea also advised that, "Water conditions were excellent in May but have dropped over the month due to negligible precipitation. August surveys are scheduled to begin about the 18th."

I flew for 2.3 hours on June 30th and did NOT find any whooping cranes at Aransas.

Surveys done June 16-20 in Wood Buffalo National Park documented 52 chicks, including 10 sets of twins, hatching from the 62 nests.

During the last census report from Aransas National Refuge in Texas, several whooping cranes were still there. Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently reported that, "I flew for 2.3 hours on June 30th and did NOT find any whooping cranes at Aransas."
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Whoopers Busy in Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada

Brian Johns, Wildlife Biologist, Canadian Wildlife Service reports that, "Lea Craig-Moore and Kathy St. Laurent have completed the whooping crane breeding pair surveys in Wood Buffalo National Park and surrounding area. Habitat conditions were good, with water levels being higher than normal. The spring was slightly later than average and the northern portions of the nesting area still had a number of snow banks and some frozen wetlands. In total 61 nests were discovered, only 5 fewer than the all time high of 66 in 2008. Another 22 pairs of cranes were observed, half of which have likely bred in previous years and the remainder were subadult pairs. Lea, Tom Stehn and Jim Bredy will be conducting the hatching success surveys in a couple of weeks and I will send an update after those are completed."

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Aransas Whooper Update

Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane Coordinator reports that, “ Four whooping cranes were seen by experienced staff this afternoon (May 28, 09) at Aransas NWR along the Intracoastal Canal that runs through the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The cranes were grouped as a duo, and then about 5 miles away were two singles separated by 100+ yards. I presume all 4 are subadults.”

Tom adds that, “I have not done a census flight since April 21st , and probably will not do so until July to see if these 4 decide to spend the summer and whether any others are still around. These 4 cranes could still migrate, but they also could spend the summer at Aransas.”

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Florida Non-Migratory Whooping Crane Update #5:

Marty Folk, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that, “The two active whooping crane nests described in my 5th Update have failed. One nest failed on Saturday and one Sunday. Visits to the abandoned nests revealed no eggs or remains. Water levels had declined such that it would have been possible for mammalian predators to approach the nests without getting their feet wet. Normally the birds abandon at this point so the nest failures were predictable. The Polk County nest was in a large lake that was not immune to the drying effects of this drought. We still could see a nesting (our latest laying date is 27 May) but not likely from the 2 pairs that just failed. The chick in Osceola County is now 60 days old.”

Marty explained that, “The South Florida Water Management District recently reported that the period from November 2008 through April 2009 ranked as the driest six-month period in South Florida history based on records dating back to 1932. The trouble is, we began this drought back in 2006 and had already accumulated a large deficit prior to November last year. However, this week a stalled front is bringing rain to Florida! We've had 3.2 inches of rain at my house this week (it seems like the Great Flood), and some areas have gotten more. It is "too little too late" for this breeding season, but is a start for rehydrating the thirsty landscape.”

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Florida's Non-Migratory Whooping Crane Flock - 2009 Update #4:

Great news! Marty Folk, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued his second update report for the day (5-5-09). Marty notified us that, "The minute I sent out my update #3 on Florida's non-migratory flock of whooping cranes (see below) we discovered another nesting (actually a re-nest). The pair who had the 2nd nest (in Lake County, see report below), have re-nested and currently have 1 egg, just laid since yesterday's check of the pair. We moved our video surveillance equipment and began recording their behavior."

WCCA is thrilled to send you Marty Folk's" report. Hopefully, this nest will be another success. We will keep you posted.

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Summary of Nesting in the Three Whooping Crane Flocks

Brian Johns, Wildlife Biologist, Canadian Wildlife Service sends a brief report on the most recent events concerning the Aransas-Wood Buffalo whooping crane flock, the Wisconsin-Florida migratory experimental flock and the Florida non-migratory experimental flock.

Aransas/Wood Buffalo flock:

Brian reports that, "Some whoopers that departed their Aransas, Texas wintering habitat have migrated to Canada while others continue on their way. The cranes are in the process of completing their migration to Wood Buffalo. There have been fewer sightings in Canada this spring compared to other years, which may mean that the birds have had good migration conditions and have moved on through or that there are still a few birds to come. Habitat conditions on the breeding grounds appear to be near normal and Lea Craig-Moore will begin nesting surveys in about 10 days."

Wisconsin/Florida:

Brian advised that, "Twelve nests were initiated this spring in Wisconsin and as of May 3 all nests had failed."

Florida:

Biologist Johns wrote that, "Three nests were initiated by whoopers in Florida's non-migratory flock. One nest failed, one is being incubated and one has a 46 day old chick."

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Florida's Non-Migratory Flock - 2009 Update #3:

Marty Folk, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologist reports that: "Earlier I reported on a whooping crane chick in 'nest #1'.The chick from nest #1 still survives and is 46 days of age today (May 5, 2009). The eggs that we collected from 'nest #2' showed no sign of embryos. The pair at nest #2 produced fertile eggs during their previous 3 nest attempts and we suspect that winter rainfall was insufficient to stimulate copulation or some aspect of egg or sperm production. We now have a new nest by a pair in Polk County. They are nesting in a lake because all marshes in the area are dry."

Marty advised,"We continue intensive daily monitoring in order to document survival and movements of the whooping cranes. Also, as you may know, we have identified that male whooping cranes aren't living as long as females, and that male whooping cranes are more vulnerable to collisions with power lines than females. We suspect this may be associated with the males' propensity to lead the flocks and be the defenders of the flocks. We are also collecting behavioral data to help us learn more about this. We also continue to gather data on whooping crane feather molt. Every other year, on average, adult whoopers molt all their flight feathers and are grounded for an average of 44 days while the new feathers grow."

Marty stated that in the area of Florida's non-migratory whooping crane habitat there is no sign of relief here from the drought. The long days with high temperatures at 90 degrees really bake the landscape.

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Aransas Whooping Crane Census Flight--April 21, 2009

The eleventh aerial census of the 2008-09 crane season at Aransas was conducted April 21, 2009 with USFWS observer Tom Stehn in a Cessna 210 piloted by Gary Ritchey of Air Transit Solutions of Castroville, Texas. Viewing conditions were ideal with clear skies and moderate winds. Nearly all parts of the crane range were flown.

Migration

Today’s flight tallied 20 adults plus 1 juvenile = 21 total. BLACKJACK! Thirteen of the cranes were located on the BLACKJACK Peninsula (Aransas NWR), 6 were on Matagorda Island, and 2 at Welder Flats. Thus, 91.5% of the flock has started the migration (226 birds out of 247), including all known adult pairs. Eighty-eight cranes have started the migration since the last flight on April 7th when 109 cranes were estimated present. Whooping cranes in migration have recently been reported as far north as Saskatchewan. Some cranes not tallied above presumably headed north today since conditions were very good for migration with sunny skies and mostly southwest and south winds after several days of unfavorable migration weather.

Eight of the 21 cranes located on today’s flight were singles. The one juvenile present was closely associated in a group with 3 white-plumaged cranes, the largest group observed on today’s flight. The juvenile’s parents have presumably started the migration and left “junior” behind. This juvenile crane will be fine and has the knowledge to make the return migration to Wood Buffalo National Park on its own or with other subadult cranes.

Whooping Crane Numbers

With estimated losses that have occurred at Aransas this winter, the current flock size is estimated at 225 adults + 22 juveniles = 247. The estimated peak winter flock size was 232 adults + 38 juveniles = 270 total.

Habitat use

For the first time all winter, all the whooping cranes on today’s flight were found in salt marsh. The cranes are believed to be feeding on fiddler crabs since blue crabs in the marsh ponds are still scarce due to the continuing drought. A blue crab count done on April 1st found zero crabs in the marsh. The refuge has discontinued its program of supplemental feeding with corn since most of the cranes have migrated.

A lightning-caused wildfire that started April 18th on Matagorda Island burned approximately 10,000+ acres of upland prairie lands. The fire, located between Pringle Lake and Power Lake, was contained on April 20th and allowed to burn out. The burn will benefit the prairie habitat by recycling nutrients and controlling brush.

By Tom Stehn - Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

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Second Update Florida's Non-Migratory Whooper
2009 breeding season

Marty Folk, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that "One whooping crane chick hatched from the nest described in my first update. Today the chick is 24 days old. A second nest was initiated in Lake County on 4 March. This 2nd nest was incubated longer than necessary (something that never happens in Wisconsin!) and on Friday we collected 2 non-viable eggs for necropsy. We video-taped both nests this year with surveillance equipment that recorded the activity at the nest during all daylight hours. We will be analyzing this pool of video, along with other footage previously recorded through the years, to determine if incubation behavior by the birds may have been associated with nest success."

Marty advises, "We've not witnessed any other nesting activity this spring. Because of drought, there is little suitable habitat available.Beginning in March we began intensively monitoring the flock in order to collect more data to help us understand what happens to the birds when they go missing. In March, 3 field people drove 9660 miles, flew 28.6 hours, and spent long days monitoring the flock. So far we've recovered no dead birds (we need birds to die so we can find them and necropsy them). What we have documented is substantial movements by much of the flock. Some birds have dispersed beyond where we could find them (beyond the central FL peninsula), only to return later. Several are still missing. Dispersal is a suspected reason why birds have "disappeared" in the past. So even if we don't document mortality with our intensive monitoring, we are documenting this extreme rate of movements/dispersal. We suspect the birds are moving in response to drought, perhaps looking for wetter/greener pastures."

Since the beginning of the year one pair has been bouncing between 4 points in north and central Florida (see attached figure). The minimum distance traveled by the whoopers this past quarter was 470 miles. This much traveling of course increases the odds of travel-related mortality such as collisions with power lines, etc.

Marty stated, "We continue to monitor 4 migratory whoopers in Polk County and the 1 on Paynes Prairie near Gainesville. We will keep you posted."

The tenth aerial census of the 2008-09 crane season at Aransas was conducted April 7, 2009 with USFWS observer Tom Stehn in a Cessna 210 piloted by Gary Ritchey of Air Transit Solutions of Castroville, Texas.  Viewing conditions were ideal with clear skies and light winds, although turbulence made the ride uncomfortable most of the time.  Nearly all parts of the crane range were flown.

Migraton

Today’s flight tallied 103 adults + 6 juveniles = 109 total.  Thus, 56% of the flock has started the migration.  Whooping cranes have been confirmed on April 2nd as far north as Nebraska.  I expect a considerable number of cranes will start the migration in the next week.  Conditions should be ideal for departure with very strong southeast winds forecast for Aransas April 8-9.

Whooping Crane Numbers

With estimated losses that have occurred at Aransas this winter, the current flock size is estimated at 225 adults + 22 juveniles = 247.  The estimated peak winter flock size was 232 adults + 38 juveniles = 270 total.

Mortality

Today’s flight provided evidence of 2 additional mortalities, with total winter mortality now estimated for the winter at 7 adults and 16 chicks totaling 23 whooping cranes, a loss of 8.5% of the flock that was a record 270 in the fall.  In the last 20 years, the current winter ranks as the worst in terms of mortality, ahead of 1990 when 7.5% of the whooping cranes (11 out of 146) died at Aransas.  The 3rd worst winter in 1993 showed a 4.9% loss at Aransas (7 out of 143).  Mortality in the 2008-09 winter (23 birds) can be added to the 34 whooping cranes that left Aransas in the spring of 2008 and failed to return in the fall.  Thus, 57 whooping cranes have died in the last 12 months, or 21.4% of the flock of 266 present at Aransas in the spring, 2008.

The 2 additional mortalities confirmed on today’s flight that had been reported earlier by volunteers and staff are as follows: 
Tour Boat Naturalist Ray Kirkwood had seen March 19-29 the Rattlesnake Island juvenile with a very bad limp, using its wings when it moved to try to reduce the weight put on its injured leg.  The bird retained flight ability but was lethargic and may have stopped eating.  The chick was not observed on April 1st when I looked for it from a boat and had presumably died.  The pair believed to be its parents was observed on their territory on today’s flight with no sign of the juvenile. 
The second mortality involved a grouping of 1 adult with 1 chick observed twice about 4 hours apart on April 1st in the marsh west of the airstrip on the south end of Matagorda Island.  This same grouping of 1+1 was observed on their East Bray territory on today’s flight, providing confirmation that one adult has died.  

Sightings near Aransas

Three whooping crane subadults that used the farm fields south of Austwell for much of the winter were last reported present on March 14th.  They have either returned to the salt marsh or have started the migration.

 Habitat use

For the first time all winter, nearly all the whooping cranes were found in the salt marsh on today’s flight.  The cranes are believed to be feeding on fiddler crabs since blue crabs in the marsh ponds are still scarce due to the continuing drought.  A blue crab count done on April 1st found zero crabs in the marsh.

Whooping crane locations on the flight included 2 observed at man-made fresh water sources, 2 at a game feeder, and 9 in open bay habitat.  No cranes were on burned or unburned uplands.  Tides were low caused by a very strong “norther” that had brought northwest winds on April 6th.  Salinities remain high, measured recently at 29 ppt in the refuge boat canal and 39 in the adjacent marsh.  One monitoring station in San Antonio Bay has a salinity of 25 ppt.  The drought rated as “exceptional” shows no sign of ending in central and south Texas.  Many counties have imposed prescribed burn bans due to the fire danger.  Corpus Christi, Texas is 4.5 inches below normal rainfall starting January 1st.

Overall, these continue to be some of the worst conditions I have ever observed for the cranes at Aransas, with some birds looking thin and with disheveled plumage.  The refuge is continuing its program of supplemental feeding with corn.  A moderate response by the whooping cranes has continued.  The cranes are getting somewhat of an energy boost by catching fiddler crabs just prior to migration.

By Tom Stehn - Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

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Whooping Crane Census Flight
March 15, 2009

The ninth aerial census of the 2008-09 crane season at Aransas was conducted March 15, 2009 with USFWS observer Tom Stehn in a Cessna 210 piloted by Gary Ritchey of Air Transit Solutions of Castroville, Texas.  Viewing conditions were less than ideal with overcast skies and occasional light rain.  Parts of the crane range were not flown as rain and lightning ended the flight after 3.7 hours.

Whooping Crane Numbers

With estimated losses that has occurred at Aransas this winter, the current flock size is estimated at 226 adults + 23 juveniles = 249.  The estimated peak winter flock size was 232 adults + 38 juveniles = 270 total.

Mortality

Today’s flight provided evidence of 3 additional mortalities, with total winter mortality now estimated for the winter at 6 adults and 15 chicks totaling 21 whooping cranes, a loss of 7.8% of the flock that was a record 270 in the fall.  In the last 20 years, the current winter ranks as the worst in terms of mortality, ahead of 1990 when 7.5% of the whooping cranes (11 out of 146) died at Aransas.  The 3rd worst winter in 1993 showed a 4.9% loss at Aransas (7 out of 143).  Mortality in the 2008-09 winter (21 birds) can be added to the 34 whooping cranes that left Aransas in the spring of 2008 and failed to return in the fall.  Thus, 55 whooping cranes have died in the last 12 months, or 20.7% of the flock of 266 present at Aransas in the spring, 2008.

Four dead whooping cranes have been picked up this winter; at least two were emaciated, and the virus IBD (infectious bursal disease) has been isolated from one of the juveniles by Dr. Hon Ip at the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin.  It is not yet known if this strain of IBD is pathogenic to whooping cranes, but it seems probable.  The 4th carcass discovered this winter was an old pile of white-plumaged feathers discovered March 2nd during a blue crab count conducted by volunteer Katherine Cullen and two Chinese biologists.  The two Chinese that have cranes on their refuges in China expertly identified the feathers.  On today’s flight, observations confirmed that one additional adult is missing leaving a one-adult family just south of Panther Point on Matagorda.  Also, the refuge’s Pipeline and Matagorda’s Airport juveniles are missing and listed as dead.  These last 3 mortalities had presumably all occurred prior to the February 25th flight, with observations on today’s flight confirming the losses.

Migration

One juvenile whooping crane was confirmed on the Platte River in Nebraska on February 20th.  This is presumably the juvenile that had over-wintered in Oklahoma and probably moved north with sandhill cranes.  It was still present on the Platte through March 9 and presumably is still there.

I have been asked how the current poor conditions of the cranes may affect the migration.  I have no idea how that may affect the timing of the migration which seems to vary by only about one week from year to year.  Low numbers of whooping cranes start leaving Aransas the last week in March, with the majority of the cranes departing the first 2 weeks in April.  The last of the breeding pairs have all gone by April 21st; a few subadults occasionally stay into May.  I expect the migration to proceed normally, with birds making it all the way to Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada.  However, mortality in the migration could increase.  My next census flight is scheduled for the week of April 6th to see how the migration is progressing. 

Sightings near Aransas

Three whooping crane subadults continue to use farm fields south of Austwell.  They were seen in a pond next to an agricultural field on March 12th, but were not searched for on today’s flight due to lack of time.

Habitat use

Management practices are aiding the cranes this winter.  Crane locations on the flight included 7 observed at man-made fresh water sources, 17 on burned uplands, 33 on unburned uplands mostly foraging for tubers where feral hogs have rooted up the earth, 4 at game feeders, 1 on a well pad, and 23 in open bay habitat.  Two cranes were on a recent burn on Matagorda Island conducted March 10th.  Tides have risen somewhat since the previous flight on February 25th.  Salinities remain high, measured recently at 30 ppt in the refuge boat canal.  The drought rated as “exceptional” shows no sign of ending in central and south Texas.  Many counties have imposed prescribed burn bans due to the fire danger.  However, rain received in south Texas on March 14-15 has helped a little.

 Blue crabs are still scarce due to the drought.  These are the worst conditions I have ever observed for the cranes at Aransas, with some birds looking thin and with disheveled plumage.  I wish I had better news to report.  The refuge is continuing its program of supplemental feeding with corn.  A moderate response by the whooping cranes has been observed with 76 photographs taken by remote motion-activated cameras in the past week of whooping cranes at refuge feeders.  Other animals eating the corn include feral hogs, deer, raccoons, grackles and just a few remaining wintering sandhill cranes.

The USFWS used 2 airboats the week of February 23rd to pick up 411 abandoned crab traps in the crane area.  This was done in conjunction with a program organized by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to pick up abandoned traps all along the Texas coast.  Waters within the boundary of Matagorda Island National Wildlife Refuge have recently been closed permanently to commercial crabbing with signs posted at most entrances into the marsh.

By Tom Stehn - Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

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Deadly Winter for Whooping Cranes
By Anton Caputo - Express-News

The severe drought gripping Texas is turning a promising year for the endangered whooping crane into the second-deadliest on record.

Eighteen of the majestic birds have died in their winter home on the coast this season, likely because of food and water shortages caused by the record drought, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Manager Dan Alonso said.

The 18 birds represent almost 7 percent of the flock's population this season. The highest mortality rate on record was 1990 when 7.5 percent of the flock died while wintering in Texas.

The desperate situation has prompted wildlife biologists to break a "wildlife management taboo" and put out corn and water to help the birds make it through the winter.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also is making efforts to more stringently enforce its no-crabbing rules within the 115,000-acre confines of the refuge. That's an attempt to save the dwindling population of blue crabs for the whooping cranes.

"That is what we are presently doing to help the whooping crane get back on their feet or at least keep any more from dying," Alonso said.

San Antonio Express-News

The cranes will migrate within the next month on their 2,400-mile journey to their summer home in Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada.

Standing 5 feet tall, the whooping crane is one of the most iconic and endangered birds in the world.

Habitat loss and hunting nearly wiped out the species in the past century. The number of cranes dipped to as low as 15 in 1945and the crane was declared endangered in 1970.

But a concerted effort to bring back the birds has been successful. Last year, there were 500 whooping cranes in North America for the first time in a century. And the Texas flock, which is the last wild migratory flock in the world, hit a record 270 this season before the die-off.

Most agree that the record-setting drought afflicting Texas is behind this year's high mortality. But one dead bird also tested positive for a virus that has been detected in a captive whooping crane flock in Florida. It's the first time the virus has appeared in the wild Texas flock.

"They are running a number of tests to determine what else might be present," Alonso said. "There could be other issues out there that we are not aware of."

Many have pointed directly to the drought's impact on the state's blue crab population as a likely cause of the strain on the whooping crane flock. Alonso said many of the areas surveyed in the refuge that typically contain blue crab were devoid of the critters this year. Blue crabs, which can make up as much as 85 percent of the bird's diet, require a freshwater inflow in the coastal estuaries for a healthy habitat.

Norman Boyd of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said blue crab numbers have been running low in the Guadalupe estuary since the mid 1990s, and he cautioned against blaming the current lack of fresh water solely on the downfall of the whooping crane's favorite food. The state is investigating a number of possible causes, he said, and over-fishing may be one of them.

"Make no mistake, freshwater inflows are very important to crabs, but it's hard to pin down a one-to-one relationship in our crab catch rate and freshwater inflows," Boyd said. "Our catch rate has dropped off during the past decade and we've had wet years since then and we don't see the crab population spiking during those wet years."
Portions (c) 2009 San Antonio Express-News. All rights reserved.

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Marty Folk reports that, "Conditions have been very dry in Florida for several years. Above is an image we recently took of a small lake in Lake County. The area outlined in green is the normal shoreline.

Last year the decision was made by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to discontinue the release of whooping cranes into Florida's non-migratory flock. The FWC accepted the recommendation from the multi-agency International Whooping Crane Recovery Team.

The team created the release program 15 years ago in an effort to establish a self-sustaining, non-migratory whooping crane population in Florida. Naturally occurring whooping crane populations in the southeastern United States disappeared by the 1930s.

Scientists decided to stop releasing cranes into the non-migratory flock for a variety of reasons, including problems with survival and reproduction, both of which have been complicated by drought. Additional considerations included shorter-than-expected life spans, scarcity of birds for release, project costs and the loss of habitat from development. The team felt that project resources and birds produced in captivity could be better used for other whooping crane releases as well as to maintain the captive flock.

Marty Folk, whooping crane project leader with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission continues to monitor the population and has provided an update report concerning the 2009 Breeding Season.

Marty reports that, "Conditions have been very dry in Florida for several years. Attached is an image we recently took of a small lake in Lake County. The area outlined in green is the normal shoreline. All marshes in this area are completely dry. The drought continues but despite that, we now have an active nest. This pair's marsh holds water only because of a hydrological connection to a large lake. As you know, the goal of this project now has shifted to an emphasis on increasing our knowledge of the problems, especially regarding reproduction and survival. Toward that end, we are monitoring the nest intensively by employing video surveillance. There's a chance we might see several other nest attempts this year, but we don't expect more than 3 nests from the population's 11 pairs. The current population consists of 11 males and 18 females."

Marty continues, "Drought is an obvious problem for breeding, but even in wet years some pairs failed to hatch eggs, so we are looking at incubation behavior to see if some pairs don't incubate 'properly'. We are computerizing a back-log of surveillance video that will allow us to look for problems with behavior by comparing successful vs. unsuccessful pairs. Thus far we have computerized >800 hours (that's not a typo-800 hours) of incubation behavior and still have a lot to go."

Marty advises that in addition to long-term drought, other major problems include survival of individual whoopers. Marty explains that, "Male Florida whooping cranes are not living as long as they should; the general rule is that they die by age 10. Females are doing better and 9 birds are >9 years of age (the 2 oldest are turning 16 this spring).However, for both males and females, we don't have good data on what happens to them when they "disappear". Some birds, at time of disappearance, did not have functioning transmitters and so could not be tracked. Even for birds with functioning transmitters, if a carcass is not retrieved within 24 hours of death, scavenging and decomposition make it very difficult to determine cause of death. Others likely dispersed beyond a reasonable tracking distance and were never seen again."

Florida wildlife officials are attempting to get a better understanding of the problems by intensive monitoring. Marty describes, "When we plot dates of mortality/disappearance by age, we see that most older cranes die/go missing from March-June. With that knowledge, we've begun an intensive monitoring schedule that involves checking high-priority (older) birds on a daily basis. We've not monitored this intensively since the early days of the project; our normal schedule has been 2-3 checks/week. Our hope is to recover downed birds asap so that necropsies can provide the best possible data."

Marty concludes that, "We do know that perhaps one reason males don't survive as well as females is that they are more prone to power line collisions, and may be more prone in general to other traumatic events and also predation. We speculate that it is associated with the males' role in defending a territory, and also the males' general tendency to lead the group. So now we are collecting behavioral data on who leads flocks of whooping cranes, both in flight and on the ground, to look for trends."

The Florida whooping crane team has been flying roughly one day/week to track migratory whooping cranes this winter. From the ground they have also been able to monitor 4 migratory birds in Polk County (the ultra-light led whoopers).
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Whooping Crane Census Flight - February 24-25, 2009

Tom Stehn, USFWS biologist, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge and assocates recently completed another census of whooping cranes at Aransas. Stehn reports that, "The eighth aerial census of the 2008-09 crane season at Aransas was conducted February 24-25, 2009 with USFWS observer Tom Stehn in a Cessna 210 piloted by Gary Ritchey of Air Transit Solutions of Castroville, Texas. Viewing conditions were very good for the survey, although strong winds made for a very choppy ride."

Stehn advised that, "We found 238 whooping cranes, but time limitations required us to fly at
greater speeds making it likely a few whooping cranes were overlooked. Strong tail winds and full power gave us at one point a maximum recorded speed of 198 mph on our GPS."

Whooping Crane Numbers

The estimated peak winter flock size remains at 232 adults + 38 juveniles = 270 total. However, the last two census flights have documented additional mortality that has occurred at Aransas. I estimate the current flock size to be 228 adults + 25 juveniles = 253, but this figure may change depending on future observations.

Mortality

Mortality this winter is currently estimated at 4 adults/subadults and 13 juveniles totaling 17 whooping cranes. This is a loss so far of 6.3% of the wintering population (17 out of 270). The all-time worst winter on record was 1990 when 11 out of 146 (7.5%) whooping cranes died at Aransas. In the last 20 years, the current winter ranks as the second worst in terms of mortality, but we still have one month to go. The 3rd worst winter in 1993 showed a 4.9% loss at Aransas (7 out of 143). Mortality in the 2008-09 winter (17 birds) must be added to the 34 whooping cranes that left Aransas in the spring of 2008 and failed to return in the fall. Thus, 51 whooping cranes have died in the last 12 months, or 19.2% of the flock of 266 present at Aransas in the spring, 2008.

Three dead whooping cranes have been picked up this winter; two were emaciated. The wing from a juvenile whooping crane was picked up by refuge staff in the North Pt. Pasture on February 13th. The remainder of the carcass was in the mouth of an alligator at a freshwater dugout. This chick from the North Dunham Point family had separated from its parents as observed by staff on January 29th and February 11th. It presumably was sick and/or emaciated, a factor that contributed to its separation and made the juvenile vulnerable to predation.

Migration

One juvenile whooping crane was confirmed on the Platte River in Nebraska on February 20th. This is presumably the juvenile that had over-wintered in Oklahoma and probably moved north with sandhill cranes.

Sightings near Aransas

Three whooping crane subadults continue to use farm fields south of Austwell. They were seen in a pond next to an agricultural field.

Habitat use

Management practices are aiding the cranes this winter. Cranes on the flight included 28 observed at man-made fresh water sources, 9 on burned uplands, 13 on unburned uplands mostly foraging for tubers where feral hogs have rooted up the earth, 18 at game feeders, 1 on a shell road, and 20 in open bay habitat. Some water is starting to move back into the coastal salt marshes, although much of San Jose Island remained as dry tidal flats. Salinities remain high, measured at 30 ppt in the refuge boat canal. The drought rated as “exceptional” shows no sign of ending in central and south Texas. Many counties have imposed prescribed burn bans due to the fire danger.

Blue crabs are still scarce due to the drought. The refuge is continuing its program of supplemental feeding using corn. A moderate response by the whooping cranes has been observed with 100 photographs taken by remote motion-activated cameras in the past week of whooping cranes at refuge feeders. Other animals eating the corn include feral hogs, deer, raccoons, grackles and sandhill cranes.

The USFWS used up to 2 airboats the week of February 23rd to pick up abandoned crab traps in the crane area. This was done in conjunction with a program organized by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to pick up traps all along the Texas coast. Volunteers running private boats picked up many traps on February 21st.

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Whooping Crane Census Flight - February 11, 2009

The seventh aerial census of the 2008-09 crane season was conducted February 11, 2009 with USFWS observers Tom Stehn and Carey Strobel in a Cessna 210 piloted by Gary Ritchey of Air Transit Solutions of Castroville, Texas.  Weather conditions were good for the census, although winds aloft made surface conditions somewhat choppy.

We only found 229 whooping cranes, but time limitations required us to make wider transects in some areas which as expected resulted in overlooking some of the cranes.

Whooping Crane Numbers

The estimated peak winter flock size remains at 232 adults + 38 juveniles = 270 total.  Due to mortality that has occurred at Aransas, I estimate the current flock size to be 229 adults + 30 juveniles = 259, but this figure may change depending on future flight observations.

Mortality

Although no single flight is conclusive, I estimate 11 whooping cranes have died this winter (8 chicks and 3 adults).  That is a loss so far of 4.1% of the wintering population (11 out of 270).
The all-time worst winter on record was 1990 when 11 out of 146 (7.5%) whooping cranes died at Aransas.  The winter of 1993 showed a 4.9% loss at Aransas (7 out of 143).  In the last 20 years, the current winter ranks as the third worst in terms of mortality, but we still have two months to go. Two dead whooping cranes have been picked up this winter - both were emaciated.

Signs of the harsh conditions and/or mortality included:
The North Dunham Bay chick has separated from its parents.
            The Panther Point chick is missing and presumably has died since the last flight 2 weeks
                    ago.
            One adult with one chick was observed for the second straight flight on the south end of
                   Matagorda Island, indicative of the loss of one adult.
            The Mustang Slough chick that separated from its parents in early January is missing and
                   suspected dead.
            The chick of the Pipeline pair is missing and suspected dead.
            The chick of the West Welder pair is missing and suspected dead.

 Habitat use

Surveys of whooping crane foods and foraging behavior done by Dr. Felipe Chavez-Ramirez the week of February 2nd confirmed the current scarcity of natural foods for the whooping crane.  At present, it takes additional effort for whooping cranes to find blue crabs; some of the cranes are foraging on clams which are much less nutritious.

Management practices are definitely aiding the cranes this winter.  Cranes on the flight included 27 observed at man-made fresh water sources, 36 on burned uplands, 15 on unburned uplands mostly foraging for tubers where feral hogs have rooted up the earth, 23 at game feeders, and 13 in open bay habitat.  Much of the marsh is still notably dry due to recent low wind-driven tides, though tides started to rise over the past week.  Salinities remain high, measured at 30 ppt in the refuge boat canal.

On January 29th, the refuge conducted two more prescribed burns totaling 2,417 acres (Units C10 and C11).  A total of 5 cranes were observed on this burn during the census flight.  The refuge also continued its program of supplemental feeding using corn.  A moderate response by the whooping cranes has been observed with 20 different whooping cranes documented at feeders the first week in February.  Other animals eating the corn include deer, feral hogs, raccoons, grackles and sandhill cranes.

Sightings near Aransas

Three whooping crane subadults continue to use farm fields south of Austwell.  They were seen in a shallow-flooded portion of an agricultural field since the water where they had been roosting is greatly diminished and can no longer provide safe roosting habitat.   The drought shows no sign of ending in central and south Texas.  Many counties have imposed prescribed burn bans due to the fire danger.

By Tom Stehn - Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

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Where are they now? February 11, 2009

Whooping cranes at Chassahowitzka NWR Photo by Joan Garland, ICF Education Outreach Coordinator

Including the 14 recently released 2008 ultralight-led whooping cranes, the maximum size of the eastern migratory population is 87 birds (52 males and 35 females). Estimated distribution: 44 birds in Florida, 4 in Georgia, 4 in South Carolina, 7 in Alabama, 18-21 in Tennessee, 1 in Indiana, and 6-9 at unknown locations.

The cranes at the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge were released on February 3 from the top-netted pen where they had been housed during the health exams. The birds are foraging in tidal creeks outside of the pensite during the day and roosting in the open-topped pen at night. All seven birds are doing very well.

The seven cranes at the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge were released from their top-netted pen on January 28. They have been foraging in mud flats about 3/4 mile away from the pensite during the day and roosting in the open-topped pen at night. They are also doing very well in their new surroundings.

The 2008 DAR (Direct Autumn Release) whooping cranes remain at their previous locations. Number 37-08 is with eight older whooping cranes and thousands of sandhill cranes at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park in Alachua County, Florida. The current location of #10-08 (the crane removed from the ultralight cohort) is unknown--he had previously been with the group of whooping cranes at Paynes Prairie. The other four DAR birds, #31-08, #32-08, #36-08, and #38-08 are located in Lawrence County, Tennessee with older whooping crane #16-02.

Update and photo by Joan Garland, ICF Education Outreach Coordinator. Report provided by Richard Urbanek, USFWS.

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Whooping Crane Census Flight

Tom Stehn, USFWS biologists and associates completed another whooping crane census at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge recently. Stehn advises that, " The sixth aerial census of the 2008-09 crane season was conducted January 29, 2009 in a Cessna 210 piloted by Gary Ritchey of Air Transit Solutions of Castroville, Texas with USFWS observer Tom Stehn. Weather conditions were good for the census, but overcast skies and haze made viewing less than ideal for 2 hours in the morning and 1 hour in the late afternoon. The middle of the day was gorgeous."

Recap of cranes found at Aransas on the aerial

	Adults + Young
Refuge	54 + 9
Lamar	19 + 4
San Jose	51 + 5
Matagorda	80 + 10
Welder Flats	26 + 1
Farm Fields	3 + 0
TOTAL	233 + 29 = 262

Whooping Crane Numbers

Tom Stehn reports that, "The estimated peak winter flock size remains at 232 adults + 38 juveniles =270 total. Movements of the cranes to upland areas and water holes as well as their use of unusual locations this winter continues to make it very difficult to find and count every crane. A total of 262 cranes were tallied on the census, and it seems probable that the East Welder Flats family was overlooked."

Mortality

Two dead whooping cranes have been picked up this winter - both were emaciated. In addition, the crane distribution indicates some additional loses may have occurred. The South Sundown Island juvenile has been missing for a couple months and is presumed dead. The Mustang Slough juvenile that separated from its parents and was foraging along the refuge tour loop has not been seen since January 10th after wandering north of the refuge. Only 29 out of the 35 juveniles I had expected to find were located on the census. This probably indicates some additional mortality of an unknown number of chicks has occurred. Also, in two instances, a single adult with its juvenile was encountered with no second adult crane in the vicinity. This could indicate adult mortality, although sometimes one of the adults is off in another territory in a territorial encounter. One more juvenile has split off from its parents. A solitary juvenile was observed on the very south end of the crane range on San Jose Island. I estimate the current flock size to be 231 adults + 34 juveniles = 265, but this is not a solid figure.

Habitat Use

Cranes on the flight included 27 observed at fresh water sources, 33 on burned uplands, 31 on unburned uplands including shell roads, 18 at game feeders, and 40 in open bay habitat. At Welder Flats, 25 of the 27 cranes observed were in open bay habitat mostly foraging along the edge of the GIWW. Tides were extremely low the week of January 22nd. Much of the marsh on San Jose Island consisted of dry mudflats. Food sources for whooping cranes continue to be very low this winter, primarily due to the summer drought. With food shortages continuing in the salt marsh, crane use of uplands as well as a notable shift to open bay habitat has cranes staying off their territories. This makes it very difficult to determine the identity of pairs and family groups and leads to much uncertainty during the census count. With the continuing food shortages for the cranes, refuge staff conducted two prescribed burns the week of January 26th. On the census flight, 30 cranes were observed foraging on the recent burn on Matagorda Island. Eight cranes were seen the day after on a refuge burn conducted on January 29th. Due to the food shortage in the marshes, the refuge has begun an experimental supplemental feeding program. Seventeen game feeders have been placed near waterholes at approximately 3-mile intervals along refuge roads adjacent to the crane marshes on Aransas and Matagorda Island NWRs. Five whooping cranes were near these feeders on the census flight. Despite cranes presumably seeing the spread corn as they make daily flights to water, use of the feeders during the first week of use was characterized as “light”. Remote cameras and additional field observations will help determine how much the feeders are used in the future.

Items of Interest

The whooping crane juvenile wintering near Hennesy, Oklahoma apparently continued its migration sometime after January 25th after its roost pond froze over during a cold front on the 26th. Its whereabouts are currently unknown. The search area at Aransas has been expanded this winter since the cranes are showing up in unusual places. The 21 whooping cranes found on the Lamar Peninsula (18 at feeders) is as record high. A group of 4 adults was sighted in the interior of the Lamar Peninsula southwest of the Johnson Ranch in a location I have never flown over before. The group presumably was visiting a game feeder in front of a residence. They were difficult to spot from the air due to the big trees.

Sightings near Aransas

Whooping cranes are showing up in unusual places presumably related to food shortages and the need to seek fresh water to drink. On today’s flight, 3 adults were in a former fish farm impoundment on the Bauer property south of Austwell along FM 774. Two cranes were at a game feeder north of Holiday Beach along Highway 35. One whooping crane was confirmed present near Oso Bay in Corpus Christi on January 13th. It was at game feeder in a location where a whooping crane had also been present in fall, 2005.

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Ultralight-led Whooping Cranes Arrive at Florida Wintering Grounds

Ultralight lands to talk with the crowd about finishing the 1,200 mile journey, Jan 22, 2009. The cranes flew their last leg on Jan 23, 2009 arriving at Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by John McCormick

Fourteen endangered whooping cranes and their surrogate parents, four ultralight aircraft, have arrived at their wintering grounds in Florida after a trek of more than 1,200 miles through seven states. 
 
Seven of the cranes arrived at their wintering location on the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Wakulla County, Florida on January 17. The other seven ultralight-led birds arrived on their wintering grounds at the Chassahowitzka NWR in Citrus County today.   

These fourteen cranes from the “Class of 2008” are the eighth group to be guided by ultralights to Florida from Necedah NWR in central Wisconsin.  The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP), an international coalition of public and private organizations, is conducting the reintroduction project in an effort to restore this endangered species to part of its historic range in eastern North America.  

"This Class of 2008 brings another exciting year for this great partnership and it gets us one step closer to seeing the recovery of this magnificent species,” said Keith Ramos, Acting Refuge Manager at Chassahowitzka NWR.  “The staff at Chassahowitzka NWR worked hard to make sure that everything was ready for the arrival of the birds.  We are very excited to be a part of this project and to be able to share our excitement with our new partners at the St. Marks NWR." 

“St. Marks has been anticipating the birds’ arrival for months, and the outpouring of community support around Wakulla and Leon counties has been phenomenal,” said Terry Peacock, Refuge Manager at St. Marks NWR. “We are thankful for the help of all of our volunteers who have assisted with pen set-up and helped with other preparations around the refuge.” 

This is the first year the cranes will winter at two separate locations.  The decision to split the cohort 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 hopes the two wintering locations will help reduce the risk of another catastrophic loss.  

In addition to the 14 birds led south by Operation Migration’s ultralights, five cranes made their first southward migration this fall as part of WCEP’s Direct Autumn Release (DAR) program.  Biologists from the International Crane Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reared the cranes at Necedah NWR and released them in the company of older cranes from whom the young birds learned the migration route.  An additional whooping crane, which had been removed from the ultralight-led cohort due to aggressive behavior, was released on the Necedah NWR using DAR methods.  This juvenile crane and one of the DAR birds arrived in Alachua County, Florida in late December. The other four birds are currently in Tennessee.  This is the fourth year WCEP has used this DAR method.  

Whooping cranes that take part in the ultralight and Direct Autumn Release reintroductions are hatched at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Md., and at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wis.  Chicks are raised under a strict isolation protocol and to ensure the birds remain wild, handlers adhere to a no-talking rule and wear costumes designed to mask the human form. 

In 2001, project partner Operation Migration’s pilots led the first whooping crane chicks, conditioned to follow their ultralight aircraft surrogates, south from Necedah NWR to Chassahowitzka NWR.  Each subsequent year, WCEP biologists and pilots have conditioned and guided additional groups of juvenile cranes to Chassahowitzka NWR. Having been shown the way once, the young birds self initiate their return migration in the spring, and in subsequent years, continue to migrate on their own. 

In the spring and fall, project staff from the International Crane Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service track and monitor the released cranes in an effort to learn as much as possible about their unassisted journeys and the habitat choices they make both along the way and on their summering and wintering grounds. 

Most graduated classes of whooping cranes spend the summer in central Wisconsin, where they use areas on or near the Necedah NWR, as well as other public and private lands.

Whooping cranes were on the verge of extinction in the 1940s. Today, there are only about 525 birds in existence, 375 of them in the wild. Aside from the 73 birds reintroduced by WCEP, the only other migrating population of whooping cranes nests at the Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories of Canada and winters at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas Gulf Coast.  A non-migrating flock of approximately 30 birds lives year-round in the central Florida Kissimmee region.  
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. 

WCEP asks anyone who encounters a whooping crane in the wild to please give them the respect and distance they need. Do not approach birds on foot within 200 yards; remain in your vehicle; do not approach in a vehicle within 100 yards.  Also, please remain concealed and do not speak loudly enough that the birds can hear you.  Finally, do not trespass on private property in an attempt to view or photograph whooping cranes. 
Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership founding members are the International Crane Foundation, Operation Migration, Inc., Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and National Wildlife Health Center, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, and the International Whooping Crane Recovery Team. 

Many other flyway states, provinces, private individuals and conservation groups have joined forces with and support WCEP by donating resources, funding and personnel. More than 60 percent of the project’s budget comes from private sources in the form of grants, public donations and corporate sponsors. 

A Wisconsin Whooping Crane Management Plan that describes project goals and management and monitoring strategies shared and implemented by the partners is online at: http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/birds/wcrane/wcraneplan.htm.

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FWC to stop releasing non-migratory whooping cranes
 

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will discontinue the release of whooping cranes into Florida's non-migratory flock. The FWC accepted the recent recommendation from the multi-agency International Whooping Crane Recovery Team.

The team created the release program 15 years ago in an effort to establish a self-sustaining, non-migratory whooping crane population in Florida. Naturally occurring whooping crane populations in the southeastern United States disappeared by the 1930s.

Scientists decided to stop releasing cranes into the non-migratory flock for a variety of reasons, including problems with survival and reproduction, both of which have been complicated by drought. Additional considerations included shorter-than-expected life spans, scarcity of birds for release, project costs and the loss of habitat from development. The team felt that project resources and birds produced in captivity could be better used for other whooping crane releases as well as to maintain the captive flock. 

"It was a tough decision," said FWC biologist Marty Folk. "Many people were involved, but most agreed that this was the right decision and the right time to make it."

From 1993 to 2004, biologists released 289 captive-raised, non-migratory whooping cranes into Osceola, Lake and Polk counties in Central Florida. The last releases took place in winter of 2004-2005. FWC biologists will continue to study the remaining 31 birds.

The FWC was the lead agency in Florida in the cooperative effort to establish a non-migratory flock. Major partners included the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, the Canadian Wildlife Service and the International Crane Foundation.

As a member of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership, the FWC continues its involvement with a separate project to reintroduce migratory whooping cranes in the eastern United States. This flock migrates from Wisconsin to Florida each year.  In the coming year, biologists will release 20 additional whooping cranes into the current flock of 68 birds. 

To learn more about whooping crane research programs, visit:
http://research.MyFWC.com 
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REPORT UPDATE from Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane Coordinator,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
 

Tom Stehn,

Whooping Crane Coordinator

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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Recovery Strategy (Canada)
 

After a public consultation period, the Recovery Strategy for the Whooping Crane in Canada was posted on the Species At Risk Public Registry in November 2007 (http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/plans/showDocument_e.cfm?id=966).

In it is described some of the first Critical Habitat for an endangered species ever identified in Canada. The critical habitat identified to date is protected under both the National Parks Act and the Species at Risk Act and includes the habitat of over 95% of the breeding birds. Further study and consultations are currently underway to identify and protect additional critical breeding habitat for future expansion of the population. In addition, staging habitat in Saskatchewan is being evaluated for its potential for critical habitat designation.

Brian Johns
Wildlife Biologist
Canadian Wildlife Service
115 Perimeter Road
Saskatoon, Sask.
S7N 0X4

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FLORIDA'S NON-MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANES

June 2008 Update

Marty Folk, Florida's Whooping Crane Project Leader reports that, "The Leesburg pair has lost their chick. One of the landowners adjacent to the nest lake/marsh heard a ruckus yesterday morning. He saw that the chick was missing and there were 4 raccoons in the area."

Marty continues, "This wraps up our 2008 whooping crane breeding season. Season totals: 5 nests (2 were renests) by 3 pairs, 3 nests hatched 5 chicks; none lived past 25 days. We’ve been getting some scattered “summer” showers but we will never catch up on rainfall without (I fear) a major tropical system. Most marshes are still dry, or nearly so. I hope the weather is better where you are!"

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(Previous Report Below)

One Step Forward And One Back For Florida's Non-Migratory Whoopers

Marty Folk, Florida's Whooping Crane leader reports that, "The pair of whooping cranes in Leesburg hatched a chick on 29 May. That's the good news.  Then the pair on Lake Kissimmee abandoned their nest today. That's the bad news. The Kissimmee pair tended the nest pretty well and we do not know why they chose this time to abandon it. We recovered 2 eggs from the nest; they will be necropsied by Marilyn."

May 2008 Update

Marty Folks, Florida's Whooping Crane project leader sends an update on drought-stricken Florida:

Marty reports that, "An attempt by a pair of whooping cranes to re-nest in the Leesburg area is due to hatch. The pair is still incubating. In addition another nest was initiated in rural Lake County and incubated 3 weeks. Surveillance video showed that on 22 May they were disturbed by cattle grazing at 0808 and 1002 and both birds flushed from the nest area out of camera view, but returned after cattle had passed.  At 2002 both flew away and were not observed at the nest area again. A visit to the nest revealed that the water had dried up. The water around a crane nest is a protective “moat” not only against predators, but livestock. Cattle generally are not a disturbance at nests until the water levels decline."

Marty described that, "Another whooper pair has re-nested in a location with the potential for relatively high human traffic. However, the water is too shallow for anything but air boats.  Our plan is to monitor the nest and see what happens. We do not want to identify where this nest is due to the potential for attracting unwanted human attention/disturbance. "

Marty explained that, "Drought of course impacts not only reproduction, but survival. We have documented the presumed mortality of a 2006 hy wild-fledged Florida whooper. Remains of this bird’s transmitter and bands were recovered from a small dugout within a large dried-up wetland. The dugout contained at least 11 alligators (0.3-1.8 m in length).   Boy, am I tired of drought."

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(Previous Report Below)

Sad News From Florida – Non-Migratory Flock

Marty Folks, Florida Whooping Crane biologist reports that, “The pair of whooping cranes located by Lake Kissimmee lost their second chick last week. We currently do not have any active nests. It is early enough we may see a few more nest attempts.”

Just two weeks ago, Marty had reported that, “The pair near Lake Kissimmee continues to raise their remaining chick. They’ve moved away from the lake into their traditional territory, thereby decreasing the threat of human disturbance. Big rains last weekend put some water back into the marshes of their territory.”  Unfortunately, the last of the pair of young whoopers hatched recently is now dead. Even though the chick was taken to a safer place and rains increased the water acreage, mother nature had another design. 

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(Previous Report Below)

3rd Report for the 2008 Breeding Season: 4/2008

Good News and Bad News for Florida’s Non-migratory Whooper Flock

Marty Folks, Florida’s whooping crane project leader sent a report on two nesting events in Florida’s non-migratory flock, Marty reports that, ‘The pair of whooping cranes near Lake Kissimmee continues to raise their chick. They’ve moved away from the lake into their traditional territory, thereby decreasing the threat of human disturbance. Big rains last weekend put some water back into the marshes of their territory.” 

In addition, Marty sent some bad news. He reports that, “Our 2^nd nest, the one in Leesburg, was successful.  The pair hatched 2 chicks by Saturday morning. However, Tuesday morning before daylight, people living by the pond heard a commotion and the whoopers calling. After daylight, the whooper pair was seen without chicks. They spent a lot of time flying over the area. Kathy visited the site and went by boat out to the nest. The nest was floating over deep water (>4 feet deep) and could have easily been accessed by an alligator or otter. The nest showed no evidence to assist in determining what happened to the chicks.

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(Previous Report Below)

2nd Report for the 2008 Breeding Season:

Marty Folks, Florida's Whooping Crane Biologists reports that their monitoring team has been busy this season. Marty advised that, "With the aid of constant video surveillance we determined that a nest we were observing on Lake Kissimmee was not subject to human disturbance and therefore it was not necessary to close the area. The nest successfully hatched 2 chicks by 3/21/08. That day, while the parents were 30m from the nest with one of the chicks, crows took the other chick off the nest and ate it. The parents continue to tend the one chick in the vicinity of the nest."

In addition, Marty reported that, "A second pair of Whoopers (the one in Leesburg) began incubating 3/5/08 on the same small “lake” they used last year. We are using video surveillance to collect data at the nest. And  a third pair built a platform but has not yet laid. If they do, it will be the third nest on a “lake” this year. Marsh water levels are still very low to non-existent."
   
Marty added that, "We have hired a replacement for Jeannette Parker. Tim Dellinger starts today. Tim has extensive background with birds and did his master’s on wood thrushes in West Virginia. Most of his experience is from Florida, where he worked with swallow-tailed kites, short-tailed hawks, and caracaras. Once Tim is oriented, I look forward to begin catching up on projects I have fallen behind on."

The Whooping Crane Conservation wishes the Florida whooper team and the non-migratory population of whooping cranes the best.

 

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WHOOPER UPDATE FOR ARANSAS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE AREA
 

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July 29, 2007
State law will set flow standards for river systems
Environmental groups back bid to protect bays' salinity balance

By THOMAS KOROSEC
Copyright © 2007 Houston Chronicle

PORT O'CONNOR — Fed by heavy rains in the Hill Country, San Antonio Bay is flooded this summer with freshwater.

Just last fall, though, the story was drought, which crimped the Guadalupe River's flow into this critter-rich bay estuary system 75 miles up the coast from Corpus Christi.

"Droughts and flood are natural for the bay," Norman Boyd, a biologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, explained as dolphin frolicked behind him in the wake of a barge.

"The gene pool has been pulled through these conditions for thousands of years," he said. "What you don't want to do is take so much water from the river that we change the averages that much."

The challenge in managing Texas' rivers, Boyd said, is to avoid turning natural droughts into frequent, protracted events that change the mix of salt and fresh waters in the bay. That could decimate an ecosystem teeming with crabs, oysters, shrimp, fish and aquatic birds, including the endangered whooping crane.

A bill aimed at maintaining these so-called environmental flows was signed into law last month. It's being praised by environmental groups as a groundbreaking step toward preserving the health and productivity of Texas waters.

Historically in Texas, water not tapped by cities, industries and farms and left to run to the Gulf of Mexico has been considered "wasted."

Laying to rest that notion, the law will set up environmental flow standards for every river system in the state. They will be set through a public process that includes scientific study and input from water authorities, cities, businesses, environmental groups — everyone with a stake in the rivers.

It begins the process of ensuring that water is protected for environmental needs, although that outcome is not ultimately guaranteed.

"One of the big things we have accomplished is having the state acknowledge this as a priority, not just an after-the-fact consideration," said Myron Hess, an attorney in the National Wildlife Federation's Austin office.

The state, he noted, has gone through nearly a decade of long-range water planning with only scant mention in its most recent 50-year plan of leaving water flowing in its waterways.

'More controversial'

The concept of leaving water in rivers for the environment has been hotly contested and, in recent years, a matter for the courts.

Through a compromise that was signed off on by the state's major water suppliers, the chemical industry and other business groups, the new law sets up a process to inform decisions about river flows with the best available science.

In rivers that are not already overtaxed by existing water rights, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is directed to set aside for the environment some or all of the water not already dedicated to drinking water suppliers, agriculture, industrial plants and the like.

"Some people remember how we would find a good dam site and you went ahead and built it," said Dean Robbins, assistant general manager of the Texas Water Conservation Association, which represents the state's major water supply systems. "Water is much more controversial now than it's ever been."

Robbins said the rulemaking process set out in the law — in which the TCEQ will set the standards after hearing from scientists and interest groups — is a reasonable compromise for water suppliers because it will provide some certainty about flow limits in rivers across the state.

"It sets up a stakeholder-driven process that allows stakeholders to look at the science and make some recommendations to TCEQ on how they are going to go about setting aside water," he said.

By all accounts, much of the science behind the matter is in sharp dispute given the complexity of marine and river ecosystems, and that, too, is a subject the new law attempts to resolve.

"When we talk about these issues we just end up in a huge fight over the science," said Hess, the environmental lawyer. "We hope this process gets us to something we can agree on today instead of just fighting to a standstill."

Texas' new law was crafted against the backdrop of a much more contentious push by several environmental groups around the state to ensure rivers are not pumped dry one day.

Legal battles

In 2000, the San Marcos River Foundation applied for a water rights permit allowing it to keep hundreds of millions of gallons flowing in the San Marcos and Guadalupe rivers. Four other groups followed suit with application for permits aimed at keeping water flowing into Galveston and Matagorda bays and Caddo Lake.

In the past, such water rights have only been granted for human use, such as supplying water to cities or crops. The environmental groups' aim was to get in line for this public resource before future developers tap the last drop.

In 2003, under strong pressure from water suppliers and developers, the TCEQ rejected the San Marcos group's application, saying the commission lacked authority to grant a permit for such a use.

The San Marcos foundation sued, won in a district court in Austin last year, and is now defending that decision in an appeal.

"We didn't see the state watching out for the river," said Dianne Wassenich, executive director of the San Marcos group, which paid a $52,000 application fee for its permit.

She said in droughts, the river gets down below 100 cubic feet of flow per second, "which is a pretty small stream."

Impact on wildlife

In the late 1990s, flows into the Guadalupe watershed were reduced so severely, she said, that the supply of blue crabs in San Antonio Bay dwindled, cutting the food supply to whooping cranes in the adjacent Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. She and federal wildlife officials attribute the death of 13 whooping cranes to that dry spell.

Although the nation's largest flock of whooping cranes — numbering 237 — has become emblematic of the inflows issue, freshwater flows into estuaries all along the Texas coast provide nutrients, sediments and the proper mix of salt and fresh water sustaining scores of species, from tiny worms and clams to juvenile redfish, biologists say.

Wassenich said she doubts the new inflows law can help the San Marcos River because much of its water is already spoken for by existing water permits.

Some of that capacity has gone unused, but it is being tapped in increasing amounts as the Hill Country draws new residents.

One developer near Martindale recently acquired unused water rights dating back nearly 100 years and is using it to build a high-end housing development around a newly impounded water-skiing lake, she said.

"There are so many old, unused permits on this river I think you could dry it several times if they were all used," she said.

"It's an arrangement that might help some rivers that still have a lot of unappropriated water left, like in East Texas. Our river is pretty close to overcapacity now, so there's not much left to set aside (for environmental flows)."

If her group prevails in court, however, it would give instream flows in the river priority over such proposals as an application for water from the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority.

The 10-county district based in Seguin is proposing to take water out of the Guadalupe at a point just above San Antonio Bay and pump it north to cities such as New Braunfels and San Marcos.

The project, expected to cost $793 million, is included in the state's most recent long-range water development plan, which was adopted in November.

Hess, with the National Wildlife Federation, said he and others who pushed for the new law support Wassenich in her fight.

But he said that even a victory for her group in the current lawsuit is not likely to force TCEQ to grant water rights to environmental groups against the wishes of the state's largest cities, water developers, industry, farmers and others.

Striking a balance

There are those, too, who wonder whether the new law can balance the need for freshwater for the environment against the powerful push of rising populations, new homes and businesses.

"When the water boys start talking about not having water for all the babies, it's hard to stand in the way," said Guy Jackson, an Anahuac attorney who represents a group of Galveston Bay oystermen. "You can fit everyone who's anyone in the oyster business into my office, which is about 20 by 20. How much clout do you think we'll have?"

Biologists consider oysters a "sentinel species," a general barometer of a bay's overall health. Immobile for much of their life cycle, they must live with the mix of fresh and salt water that comes their way.

'A harbinger of the future'

Beginning in November, Galveston Bay, the center of the state's $2 billion a year commercial and sports fishing industry, will be the first to go through the environmental flows study and rulemaking process under the new law, along with Sabine Lake.

Ken Kramer, director of the Sierra Club's Lone Star chapter, said instances in recent years where the Rio Grande and other rivers stopped flowing altogether make it clear the issue is not theoretical.

"That's a harbinger of the future if we don't start allocating water now," he said. "This law moves the ball forward a little but there's a lot of work left to be done."

thomas.korosec@chron.com

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International Recovery Plan for Whooping Cranes

Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane Recovery Team chair has furnished the Whooping Crane Conservation Association a copy of the International Recovery Plan for Whooping Cranes. This in depth 163 page report documents Canadian and United States plans for the recovery of Grus Americana (whooping cranes). This important report explains the history of whooping crane management efforts and describes future plans and goals.  The report includes an executive summary which summarizes the document in five pages. Yet if you desire to read all 163 pages of details Click Here.
 

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Everything in Nature is Tied Together

After we have been studying ecosystems for years, we learned that they were very complex. Nothing appears to live without being dependent on other things in the environment. So, it has been said that everything in nature is tied together. The Whooping Crane Conservation Association web page occasionally includes articles that shows how water resource uses affect Whooping Cranes. Springs in the Edwards Aquifer sometimes contribute 70% of the inflow reaching whooping crane critical habitat.  Thus, pumping issues in the Edwards Aquifer will affect whooping cranes. The following article provides another bit of interesting information on this subject.

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Don't renew Edwards aquifer water war

January 11, 2007 - Posted at 12:00 a.m.

BY KEN KRAMER

AUSTIN - Edwards aquifer management has been a complex and contentious issue for years. Those who survived the "water wars" of the 1990s have scars from court and state legislative battles over aquifer pumping, springflows, endangered species and Guadalupe River flows.

Many good things resulted from that turmoil. Sierra Club litigation over the impacts of aquifer pumping on Comal and San Marcos springs – endangered and threatened species habitat - served as a "wake-up call" for the Edwards region. That led to substantial progress on water conservation in San Antonio, adoption of more efficient irrigation practices by some agricultural producers, creation of the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) and some diversification of water supplies.

All has not been perfect, but conservation, supplemental water supplies and management practices - along with some well-timed rainfall - have combined to avoid a major aquifer crisis in recent years while everyone grapples with assuring long-term aquifer protection and springflow maintenance.

But a smoldering issue remains due to an inconsistency in the law creating the EAA. Senate Bill 1477 called for a cap on aquifer pumping of 450,000 acre-feet a year - down to 400,000 acre-feet by the end of 2007 - but it set up criteria for the EAA to issue pumping permits that could result in as much as 549,000 acre-feet of annual water withdrawals. Now that the permitting process is complete and the 400,000 acre-foot deadline is months away, this inconsistency must be addressed.

S.B. 1477 authorizes the EAA to proportionately reduce the volume of all permitted withdrawals in order to meet the cap. The EAA also may acquire specific pumping rights for compensation. In addition, the EAA may raise the cap on pumping but only after a determination by its board that "additional supplies are available from the aquifer" and after "consultation with appropriate state and federal agencies."

Now, however, the EAA has decided to pursue state legislation to raise the cap 549,000 acre-feet per year without any finding that doing so is scientifically valid. The fact that the EAA board is seeking legislative action rather than raising the cap itself is a tacit admission that the increase is not scientifically justified.

The EAA has produced no in-depth analysis of why the alternatives of proportional reduction or acquisition of specific permits should not be pursued. This prevents a frank and open public discussion of these options.

That's unfortunate, because raising the cap on Edwards pumping - in the absence of any scientific justification that it can be done without harming springflows - solves nothing.

Raising the cap poses many potential problems - including the prospect that the Edwards region is more likely to be put into a critical management period quicker and more often if regular pumping increases to 549,000 acre-feet.

Moreover, springflows are likely to be reduced on an ongoing basis by such increased pumping. That has serious implications for maintaining robust habitats for endangered and threatened species (including whooping crane habitat on the coast), flows in the Guadalupe River, inflows to the San Antonio Bay system and thus economic enterprises in the Crossroads and Mid-Coastal Bend region.

Perhaps the biggest negative of raising the cap without scientific justification is that it would reinstitute the "us" versus "them" approach in the Edwards region. It pits pumpers against almost everyone else, and it puts their interests above all others.

There was a time for fighting over the Edwards. What is needed now, however, is a scientifically based management system balancing all competing water interests - one resulting from an active and open dialogue among those interests.

Some possibilities in that regard are emerging, but a legislatively imposed increase in the Edwards pumping cap at this time will undermine those possibilities and may well throw us all back into a battle that no one really wants to fight again. It's time to move forward, not backward.

Ken Kramer is the director of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, P.O. Box 1931, Austin 78767-1931 or e-mail lonestar.chapter@sierraclub.org.

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WCCA Aids SMRF in Effort to Conserve Water Essential for Whooping Cranes

The San Marcos River Foundation received a grant this summer for $7,000 from the Whooping Crane Conservation Association  (WCCA).  The WCCA grant was then matched with a donation of $3,500 from an individual for the SMRF Water Right Project. These funds assisted SMRF through a tough spot this summer, providing a much needed boost for legal fees and other expenses involved in carrying on this effort to preserve the San Marcos River and flow from other rivers to the estuaries at the Gulf Coast where the whooping cranes winter.

The Water Right Project, which celebrated its 6th anniversary in July 2006, has required SMRF to invest most of its funds since the Water Right Project began.  SMRF applied in 2000 for a water right to make sure that rivers and bays are protected with an amount of water dedicated to instream flow and freshwater inflows.  Texas is experiencing a mad dash for water, and many groups, individuals and foundations have assisted with funding for the SMRF project.

SMRF was buoyed, so to speak, by the ruling that came out earlier in 2006 from the District Court in Austin, Texas.  The ruling was in SMRF's favor, saying that the state agency that grants water rights did indeed treat SMRF's application incorrectly (by denying the application without a hearing).  But of course that agency has appealed now to a higher court. 

SMRF has also appealed another point in the case, to stay on the legal course for this water right project, and to remain involved through the appeals process. The point was one that the judge in the District Court did not address fully in her ruling.

This summer the case took a sudden but interesting twist when a random administrative assignment was done by the courts to even out caseloads around the state.  The appeal was moved to Corpus Christi, a Gulf Coast city.  SMRF's opposition immediately filed motions to move the case back to Austin in central Texas.  SMRF's attorneys opposed those motions and said Corpus Christi was just fine, as assigned by the court system.  No decision has yet come forth on this issue.  

A stack of appeal briefs and responses have been filed by all sides and now the case awaits a court date.  SMRF expects to hear the date any day now.  WCCA's grant was used for legal fees to cover this appeal, and to continue extensive fundraising and grant writing by the only staff person for SMRF.  (For instance:  anyone shopping at a Randall's or Tom Thumb grocery store can get a discount card to give a percentage of all purchases to a charity.  SMRF's charity number is #1808.  Ask to be sure SMRF is listed in your state, at the main desk in the store of your choice.)

Meanwhile water issues continue to be the hottest news in Texas, because of drought.  Many wells are going dry in central Texas, and water pumping rights are selling for ever-higher amounts.  San Antonio, the largest city on the watershed that feeds the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) bays, is using its considerable influence to modify various water plans, as well as modifying regulations governing an aquifer in central Texas.  These modifications are not keeping in mind the needs of wildlife and coastal ecosystems.

San Antonio is also trying to keep water rates much, much cheaper for its residents than surrounding towns, and to accomplish this, they plan to take more water from the aquifer under their city.  Sadly, this aquifer is also the one that provides springflow that has historically been the river base flow and essential to the coastal bays and estuaries of ANWR during dry periods.

The Texas Legislature is considering major water legislation this coming session, starting in January 2007.  Committees appointed to study water issues will be coming out with reports by December.  So far, Texas is committed to studying water issues but not acting on what is learned from these studies. 

To end on a cheerier note, the El Nino weather patterns are expected to break the drought in central Texas soon, and bring more rain to the parched area.  Thank goodness a small coastal strip around ANWR did not suffer the same drought this year that central Texas did---the coast has had good rains, keeping the marshes from becoming too saline as springflows from central Texas diminished steadily. 

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Crisis in Texas

The Whooping Crane Conservation Association is including this article on our web page to inform our viewers about the growing water crisis in Texas. As most of you know, The Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the coast of Texas is the winter habitat for Whoopers.  River water inflows onto Aransas Refuge are essential for the survival of the cranes.  With the growing water shortages and increasing human population, the threat to Aransas Refuge is clear.  We must continue to work with those organizations that are leading the struggle to ensure that ample water continues to flow to Aransas. If we fail in our efforts, the last wild flock of Whooping Cranes may not survive. Our Association has provided funding to help in the struggle.  We must do more.  If you can, we ask you to make a special earmarked donation to the Whooping Crane Conservation Association to be used for fighting the battle to ensure ample water for Aransas Refuge.

THANKS.                                                      

Chester McConnell, WCCA web page editor      

Full Story in PDF format Click here.

Full Story in Word format Click here.

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FIRST WILD-HATCHED

WHOOPING CRANE CHICKS IN THE REINTRODUCED EASTERN MIGRATORY  POPULATION!!  WELCOME W1-06 and W2-06:

Richard Urbanek, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biologist has sent an amazing story for whooping crane interests. On 22 June behavior of whooping crane pair nos. 11-02/17-02 in their nest marsh east of the east dike of East Rynearson Pool, Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, Wisconsin indicated that their eggs had hatched. They had begun incubation on 23 May.

Hatching of two chicks was confirmed today (photos). The whooping crane parents were hatched from eggs in an incubator. They learned to migrate from Wisconsin to Florida following an ultralight plane. Now, these amazing birds have learned the process of building a nest in the wild,and laying and hatching their eggs. We trust that their parenting skills will continue and raise the two new hatchlings to adults.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!! And congratulations to Operation Migration and the entire Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership.

Pictured Below are the new chicks with their parents:
(Click on Picture for Larger View)

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International Whooping Crane Recovery Team announces New Members

I am pleased to welcome the two newest members to the International Whooping Crane Recovery Team; Marty Folk and Dr. Felipe Chavez-Ramirez.

Marty is with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and Felipe is with the Platte River Whooping Crane Habitat Trust. Both are very experienced whooping crane biologists. They are taking the place of former U.S. Team members Steve Nesbitt and Julie Langenberg, D.V.M.

The International Team is made up of 5 persons representing Canada and 5 representing the U.S.

Canada: Brian Johns, Stuart Macmillan, Sandie Black, Anne Riemer, Deborah Johnson
U.S. : Tom Stehn, John French, George Archibald, Marty Folk, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez.

Our next team meeting is scheduled for Lafayette, Louisiana the week of January 29th or February 5th, 2007 depending on logistical arrangements.

Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane Coordinator
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Aransas NWR
P.O. Box 100
Austwell, TX 77950
(361) 286-3559 Ext. 221
fax (361) 286-3722
E:mail: tom_stehn@fws.gov
 

Environmental groups trying to buy water rights win court ruling

Judge orders they be given same consideration as cities, businesses

By DINA CAPPIELLO
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Feb. 7, 2006, 11:52PM

Environmental groups seeking to purchase water rights to keep Texas' streams and rivers flowing in the face of increasing demand will be given the same consideration as cities and businesses, a judge in Austin ruled Tuesday.

The decision compels the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to consider granting water rights that preserve "environmental flows," water needed by the state's bays, fish and other wildlife. The agency had previously denied four applications by environmental groups, saying it did not have the authority to issue a water right to conserve water.

Thinking of the future

"This is a major step forward for us. This is the only way that our rivers and bays and estuaries will be there for future generations," said Dianne Wassenich, executive director of the San Marcos River Foundation, the first group to apply in 2000. Its application, which would have secured 1.3 million acre-feet of water a year for the Guadalupe and San Marcos rivers, was rejected in March 2003. An acre-foot of water is equal to 325,000 gallons.

The other applications, which were filed in 2002, were aimed at conserving water for Galveston Bay, the Trinity, Colorado and Lavaca rivers and Caddo Lake. Together, the proposals sought more than 12 million acre-feet per year.

Questions arose in 2003

In 2003, questions started to arise about whether a system set up to dole out publicly owned water for consumption could be used for preservation.

In February 2003, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst wrote to the TCEQ saying that it should delay consideration of permits seeking water for environmental purposes because it was unclear whether the state could do so under the law.

However, state District Judge Suzanne Covington said Tuesday the law was clear.

"My ruling that the commission has jurisdiction ... includes a finding that Texas law does contemplate appropriation of water rights for instream uses and to protect inflows into bays and estuaries," she wrote in a letter to attorneys on both sides. The TCEQ said Tuesday that it was considering whether to appeal.            dina.cappiello@chron.com

WCCA note: The Whooping Crane Conservation Association has been assisting the San Marcos River Foundation in this instream water rights issue for several years. Maintaining instream flows into the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge wetland ecosystem is absolutely essential to the existence of the only wild whooping cranes flock in the world. Therefore, WCCA celebrates this most important legal victory with the Foundation. Yet we can not let our guard down. Commercial and government interest will do everything in their power to reverse the court’s decision or use other political means to use all the scarce water from the rivers.

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Corpus Christi Caller-Times

December 4, 2003

Water needs for man and nature need to be balanced.

Ruling by Texas Legislature shoots down private organization's attempts at conservation

The Texas Legislature recently rejected the notion of private organizations buying river water to set aside for conservation, at least until after a commission studies how best to balance the water needs of man and nature.

Some people fear that Texas rivers could be sucked dry before resolution comes at the end of next year. Unfortunately, this is not that far fetched because lawmakers did not impose the same water-rights moratorium on municipalities, agriculture and industry. Attempts already have been made to purchase much of the remaining available water in parts the state by the City of Houston and others.

This decision is unfair at best, and possibly environmentally irresponsible.

If you don't think this could affect you, then consider what a healthy bay system means to you personally and to our community at large. Without sufficient freshwater inflows, fishing as we know it is at risk.

This legislative decision represents retroactive lawmaking based on the fact that the change was proposed specifically to block permit applications that existed when water rights would have been available to anyone willing to pay. They changed the rules.

The organizations that applied for water-rights permits were working within the system when, collectively, they applied for some 12 million acre feet of water from various rivers. Members within these groups were attempting, in part, to guarantee the flow of lifeblood into their respective estuaries as God intended and nature requires. Recreational flow also was part of their motivation, but this does not diminish their conservation goals.

And while they may have fallen short of this goal, they made a strong point that state water policies favor cities and businesses to the possible detriment of bays and estuaries. This is a tradition that should be broken. A commission is being formed to study these issues and attempt to balance the needs of a growing metropolitan population against those of coastal communities, coastal fisheries and estuaries.

Public meetings will convene and I'll post a schedule as soon as it's available.

The governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the Texas House will decide who sits on this 15-member commission. Members will represent river authorities, environmental groups including the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), elected officials and related state agencies such as Texas Parks & Wildlife and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

You might recall my praising the San Marcos River Foundation in a previous column for its attempt to buy 1.115 million acre feet of water to help keep rafting afloat along and that river system alive, along with the estuaries it feeds. This amount was not arbitrary. It's the amount biologists determined is necessary to maintain the health of that particular river and estuary system.

The SMRF application was among the ones dismissed. The other applications for water permits were filed by the Caddo Lake Institute, the Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association, the Galveston Bay Foundation and the Matagorda Bay Foundation. These efforts mostly represent noble and novel attempts to preserve coastal wetlands, bays, plants, animals and humans that depend on them.

Historically water rights are issued only to developers, businesses, farmers and thirsty communities, which want to share in a supply diminished by an increasing number of manmade reservoirs and pipelines siphoning our rivers and aquifers. And more are proposed.

Nobody knows how much stress a particular bay system can take before it collapses or before it is irreparably altered, but we've seen it happen in other countries. It seems many Texans are too willing to test our bays to the brink of peril. The trouble is, recovery from this point is not assured.

Those who would gamble with our natural resources believe that man's needs for tap water are in competition with nature's needs. I reject this notion. These needs are one in the same and should never be considered mutually exclusive.

The real fight pits wasteful practices against reasonable conservation. Desalinization plants could provide some relief and I hope they do.

But meanwhile, it's ludicrous to think that river water flowing into the bays is wasted. If you want to witness waste, then look no farther than your St. Augustine lawn, landscapes and gardens with non-native plants, running faucets while brushing teeth, shaving or any of the other choices we make to spill more than we should.

Somehow, the burden of proof has fallen on the champions of nature to prove that estuaries need freshwater rather than on those who might destroy it to prove they do not.

Every river in the world flows into the sea. What more proof do we need?

Outdoors writer David Sikes' column appears Thursdays and Sundays. Contact him at 886-3616 or sikesd@caller.com

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San Marcos River Foundation continues struggle to protect Whooping Crane habitat

Wintering habitat for the last flock of wild Whooping Cranes is located on the Texas coast on, and near, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.  This critical habitat depends on fresh water inflows from rivers to mix with salt water from the Gulf of Mexico. This mixture results in conditions favorable to produce food for Whooping Cranes and aquatic life for other needs. Yet, due to increasing needs for water by the continuing growth of the human population, more and more water is being removed from the rivers. The situation has become serious. Ample fresh water must be allowed to flow into the estuaries to maintain healthy fish and shell fish populations. Many businesses depend on a productive fishery and tens of thousands of sports fishermen enjoy the resource.  Unfortunately, efforts to allow some of the fresh water to flow into the estuaries are experiencing problems from misguided politicians.

On March 19 this year, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) denied the San Marcos River Foundation’s (SMRF) instream flow application, saying they did not have authority to grant instream flow permits for protecting rivers and bays. TCEQ said they wanted to continue their past practice of "protecting rivers and bays with conditions (or restrictions during low flow periods) on permits to pump water out of Texas rivers".  They ignored the recommendations of their technical staff and attorneys in denying the SMRF permit.  Their staff had recommended the permit go to a hearing to work out the amount needed to be preserved in rivers, for bays.  Needless to say, if the TCEQ had been protecting the rivers and bays, SMRF would not have needed to apply for this permit to begin with!

This is just another step in the long process to protect instream flows on the Guadalupe.  SMRF attorneys immediately filed a request for a rehearing by the TCEQ Commissioners, a standard first option when a permit is denied.  TCEQ did not respond, which effectively denies the request. SMRF filed suit against TCEQ in Travis County District Court in Austin, where the State Capitol and TCEQ offices are located.  We will prove to the Court that the law is clear---our permit should be allowed to go to an administrative hearing to decide how much water should be granted and to hear the scientific basis for the need for adequate instream flow and freshwater inflow to San Antonio Bay.  There are other instream permits that have been granted in the past by TCEQ for wildlife, fish, recreation and preserving wetlands that we will bring forth in the Court case.  We are busy raising funds to pay legal fees for this step, and speaking to groups to explain what is going on and how important it is to join SMRF in this effort.

Meanwhile, the Texas Legislature passed a bill on the last day or two of the session in early June, to "study" the instream flow/freshwater inflows issue further, and decreed that no instream flow permits could be granted during the two year study period, until the next legislative session. And even worse, the bill continues to allow consumptive water right permits to be granted while the studying goes on. It remains to be seen exactly what kinds of interests are represented on the study commission.  Appointments will be made by elected officials like the Governor and Lt. Governor, with only one person designated to be from the resource protection interests, out of around 17 appointments.

SMRF believes that since our application was made three years ago, under the laws at that time, and since our lawsuit was filed regarding our application before the bill was introduced at the Legislature, this bill does not affect our case.  It may affect other applications to preserve other Texas rivers and bays that were not as far along in the process as ours when the bill was filed and passed.  We will all have to work together to make sure no Texas rivers and bays are damaged during this "study" period, and be very vigilant about new consumptive water right applications that might further damage Texas bays.

SMRF remains committed to protecting instream flows and freshwater inflows.  The Foundation has had great support from groups all over Texas and the United States. Dianne Wassenich, SMRF stated that  “We just have to look at the study commission as a good press opportunity to get the word out that we must protect our rivers and bays in Texas, right now, before it is too late, and make it clear to the public that it is NOT being done currently.  We were thrilled about the recent National Wildlife Federation poll that showed that Texans strongly want their rivers and bays to have adequate water, even if they have to be more efficient with water to accomplish that.  That poll is a real boost!   It helps to know the majority of Texans are firmly with us on this.” Don Henley of the Eagles came to the Capitol to a press conference about the poll, and spoke up for Texas rivers and bays in April.

There is a new July issue of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine devoted to Bays and Estuaries, with a beautifully photographed article on San Antonio Bay and the whooping cranes titled "The Whooper's Table".  It mentions that SMRF brought the water issue to the top of the water planning agenda in Texas, and goes into great detail about the cranes' food sources being tied to the health of the bay.  Tom Stehn, USFWS, was a source for the information in the article, and the writer Michael Berryhill did a terrific job.   Email:
magazine@tpwd.state.tx.us to get a copy.  Texas Parks and Wildlife has also just finished a documentary about water planning in Texas and the crisis facing Texas rivers and bays, "Will Texas Run Dry?" that was aired on Texas PBS stations in June and July.  SMRF is happy to see attention drawn to the issue of preserving water in our rivers for our bays.

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