Black Crowned Cranes T H R E at E N E D J E W E L O F T H E S a H E L by Richard Beilfuss, President & CEO and Kerryn Morrison, Africa Program Leader
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Saving cranes and the places where cranes dance Volume 43, Number 1 February 2017 Black Crowned Cranes T HREAT ENED J EWEL OF T HE S AHEL By Richard Beilfuss, President & CEO and Kerryn Morrison, Africa Program Leader rom the Atlantic coast of Senegal to the Nile Valley of In recent decades, however, the Sahel, the semi-arid zone of Ethiopia, the floodplains of the African Sahel were once transition in Africa between the Sahara Desert to the north an oasis for wildlife and nomadic herders. The Black and the lush green savannas to the south, has been ravaged by FCrowned Crane – the Jewel of the Sahel –was common across climate change, warfare, and increasing competition for food, the region and a flagship for the most important floodplains of fuel, and water. Black Crowned Cranes there are in serious West and Central Africa. trouble. Now classified as “Vulnerable,” Continued on page 2 The Casamance Delta of Senegal is a fragile stronghold for threatened Black Crowned Cranes and many other species. From reducing local nest disturbance to abating global climate change, urgent action is needed at many levels to ensure the future of this species, and the people who share this landscape. Photo by Kerryn Morrison Continued from page 1 Directors Black Crowned Cranes have disappeared from former strongholds The floodplains where Black Crowned Cranes nest are increasingly Richard Beilfuss, Madison, WI (President & CEO) James Brumm, New York, NY (Chair) Notes from the President like the Inner Niger Delta of Mali, and although the national bird of saline. The local people attribute this to climate change – higher Urban Lehner, Newport, OR (Vice Chair) By Rich Beilfuss Nigeria, they are now extinct in that country. The vast Sudd of South temperatures and increasing evaporation, coupled with decreasing Charles Gibbons, Jupiter, FL (Treasurer) George Archibald, Baraboo, WI (Co-Founder) Sudan, where tens of thousands of Black Crowned Cranes were once rainfall across the region. Studies back this up, but the rapid impact Roberta Asher, River Forest, IL Now More Than Ever! recorded, has suffered chronic warfare, and key breeding grounds in of this change is startling. A massive die-off of wetland forest Steven Becker, Glen Ellyn, IL Cameroon and Chad are under severe threat from Islamist militant and mangrove is occurring over great distances, with stumps of Larry Benjamin, Lake Forest, IL Leslie Coolidge, Barrington Hills, IL groups. The challenges are immense. trees appearing as watery tombstones. This salinization is causing A. Sidney England, Davis, CA he New Year has already made one thing waterbirds, is Fortunately, a few hardships for families, who Steve Euller, Minneapolis, MN clear: The cranes of the world need us now suffering from Ann Hamilton, Houston, TX strongholds remain for Black must dig deeper and deeper more than ever. multiple threats – the impacts of dams, sand wells each year to find fresh Hall Healy, Glencoe, IL T dredging, increasingly erratic rainfall patterns, Crowned Cranes, and two Mirabel Helme, United Kingdom In January, we received the devastating news water to meet their needs. are in Senegal. Last October, Heather Henson, New York, NY that another Endangered Whooping Crane was and human encroachment. A proposed outlet Robert Hoguet, New York, NY we traveled to Senegal to As Black Crowned Crane shot, this time in Indiana. We are sad and we dam could further stress the system by preventing Paul King, Vancouver, WA natural water fluctuations and associated water intensify our conservation habitat disappears, they Nancy Merrill, Hayden, CO are angry about this loss. We will not allow this impact for this beleaguered are increasingly exposed to Patti Brash McKeithan, River Hills, WI event to set the tone quality that maintains the primary food source Janet McKenna, Brookfield, WI species through renewed capture for international trade for the New Year and for Siberian Cranes and David H. Myers, Idaho Falls, ID many other species of partnership, investment, and and regional domestication. Margery Nicolson, Pacific Palisades, CA – with your help – we action in coastal West Africa. Many cranes in West Africa Hugh O’Halloran, Jackson, WY are committed to conservation concern. Jeanne Prochnow, Milwaukee, WI Our trip began with the 14th are fully domesticated and ensuring that justice This project, and threats Paul Robbins, Madison, WI to the lake, were recently Pan African Ornithological roam about like chickens or Jennifer Perkins Speers, Salt Lake City, UT is served and future Congress in Senegal, an peacocks, a status symbol William Smith, Shell Lake, WI shootings are deterred. highlighted in The New Jeffrey Sundberg, Libertyville, IL York Times and Huffington important gathering of for hotels, businesses, and Timothy Tuff, Atlanta, GA Through our I Give a African bird conservationists family compounds (see Whoop campaign, we Post. We have been that occurs every four Saving Imisambi on page Other Officers are drawing national collaborating closely with years. We met conservation 5 to learn more about how Robert Dohmen, Mequon, WI attention to the plight our Chinese colleagues at (Secretary) Poyang Lake since 1985, leaders from more than 25 we are working to get other James Harris, Baraboo, WI and Harbin, China of Whooping Cranes, African countries and held captive cranes back into the (Senior Vice President) and the steps you can and we continue to work a special session for crane wild). These captive birds Tom Hecht, Madison, WI take to help safeguard Critically Endangered Siberian Cranes at Poyang urgently on the ground (Vice President-Development) conservation work in Africa. are usually malnourished, them. We are advising Lake, China. Photo by Zheng Zhongjie to safeguard this most Roger Hoeger, DeForest, WI important wetland in Asia. One significant conservation and have short lives, fueling (Vice President and CFO) judges and attorneys on leader in Senegal is Idrissa the demand to take more Kim Smith, Baraboo, WI tough sentencing for Whooping Crane shootings These are just two examples of why our work is (Vice President-Headquarters Operations) Ndiaye, who has worked from the wild. Presumably, that will serve as a true deterrent to these criminal so important and how we are uniquely positioned tirelessly for Black Crowned because they are frequently acts. We are deeply committed to the future of the to focus on the challenges cranes face. This year, Cranes in Senegal for more captured in the region, wild Follow us on social media! last remaining wild flock of Whooping Cranes wherever there are cranes and in whatever way than a decade. Idrissa is a Black Crowned Cranes are that migrates between Canada and Texas, and the they need us – we will be there – now more than field biologist who connects incredibly skittish around establishment of a separate, secure flock in the ever. We’ll keep you informed every step of the deeply with the communities people. We struggled most of eastern U.S. and Louisiana. way and may ask for your help as it’s needed. We the time to get within a few who live near cranes, and Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, are grateful knowing that you stand at the ready. hundred feet of the cranes – has added much to our Critically Endangered Siberian Cranes are facing From local shootings to large-scale habitat threats they were constantly on alert knowledge of the nesting a daunting challenge. China’s Poyang Lake, the in places like China, our job is to find solutions and flew within seconds of and foraging ecology of the winter habitat for the estimated 3,600 remaining for cranes around the world… and we are making our car or boat stopping. species, and the management Siberian Cranes and more than 400,000 an impact every single day. I invite you challenges they face. After Despite these daunting to follow our latest news by joining our the conference, we travelled Senegalese conservation leader Idrissa Ndiaye discovers a nest with three Black challenges, we left Senegal social media community. Here’s to a Crowned Crane eggs. Photo by Rich Beilfuss The Bugle is the quarterly newsletter for members with Idrissa to the two Black with new hope for the of the International Crane Foundation. ICF was successful year of saving cranes and the Crowned Crane strongholds species. We were especially founded in 1973 by Ronald Sauey, Ph.D. (1948 - places where cranes dance! of Senegal – the Senegal River Delta on the far northern border with encouraged by the wonderful community groups organized by 1987) and George Archibald, Ph.D. Mauritania, and the Casamance Delta on the far southern border Idrissa, who have made the Black Crowned Crane their totem and Editor: Betsy Didrickson Bugle comments or questions? This Endangered Whooping Crane (#4- with Guinea Bissau. As many as 3,000 Black Crowned Cranes may have dedicated themselves to watching over the birds and their Please write Betsy at [email protected] or 11), one of just 450 of her species left in still occur across this region, giving us hope for the future. habitats. Efforts are underway to restore water and vegetation in these P.O. Box 447, Baraboo, WI 53913 the wild, was shot last month. With the vast floodplains. Lessons from the great work of Olivier Nsengimana Memberships make our work possible. Please We learned much from Idrissa and the communities we visited. We join or give a gift membership to a friend at the loss of this breeding female, we mourn in Rwanda can help us return domesticated cranes safely to the spent several days searching for crownie nests, and we were surprised following annual rates: not only a beautiful individual, but also wild. Our renewed efforts to protect the cranes in peaceful Senegal to learn that their nests are more similar to the highly-aquatic Wattled Student or Senior Citizen.......................$25 the future generations she was likely to and coastal West Africa, as well as our ongoing efforts to save the Crane than their close relative the Grey Crowned Crane.