International Crane Foundation Nonprofit Org E11376 Shady Lane Rd. U.S. Postage P.O. Box 447 PAID Baraboo, WI 53913-0447 LaCrosse, WI www.savingcranes.org Permit No. 25 Address Service Requested Volume 36, Number 1 February 2010 Sarus-scape: ARICHTAPESTRY By K.S. Gopi Sundar, ICF Research Associate (India) The International Crane Foundation is a Travel Green destination. www.travelgreenwisconsin.com The Bugle is printed with non-VOC UV inks. Newsletter is also available in electronic format. Think Spring! Bird-a-thon 2010 By Ann Burke, Director of Public Relations As the snow remains piled around crane be composed of one or as many people as pens at ICF’s World Headquarters, I find you prefer. Your birding may take place myself wondering if spring will ever return anywhere in the world – we’ve had teams to the Midwest. However, Great Horned count birds as far away as India and China. Owls singing their starry love songs under You may want to consider conducting your February skies reminds me that spring is count on Saturday, May 8 beginning at ICF not that far away. In celebrating thoughts as we are hosting an early morning bird hike of warmer days, ICF announces its 22nd in celebration of International Migratory Bird-a-thon. Bird Day. Participate as an individual This annual event is designed to tease out Once you form or join a team, please nly the boy’s head was visible amid the lotus leaves and grasses as he swam clutching his prize of five large or form your own team: the bird watcher in all of us – novice or invite as many family members and friends Olotus flowers. The rains had filled the village’s community wetland, and several villagers roamed the waters, expert – while sharing a fun day with family as possible to sponsor your day with a tax- • Create your own, personalized fundraising some astride their buffaloes. The Sarus Crane watched this activity warily from the nest as his partner stood beside and friends and raising essential support for deductible gift or per-species pledge to page to email to your family and friends. him. Two eggs were being incubated, but all the human activity so close by did not warrant leaving the nest. Man crane and wetland conservation. Whether support ICF’s global conservation efforts. All Visit www.firstgiving.com/ICFBirdathon Continued on page 2 you are interested in establishing your own donors will receive our quarterly newsletter • Request an information packet by mail. and Sarus continued their individual existences – the other’s presence was completely normal. Bird-a-thon team, joining or supporting The ICF Bugle and contributors of $25 or Contact Ann Burke at 608-356-9462 someone else’s, or sponsoring ICF’s more will receive a one-year membership to ext.147 or [email protected]. “Craniacs” led by our Co-founder George ICF, including free entry and tours of our To learn more, visit www.savingcranes.org/birdathon.html Mark your Calendar! Archibald, we invite you to join in this campus in Wisconsin – the only place in the A Sarus Crane pair at their exciting tradition. world to see all 15 species of cranes! You may also make a gift or pledge to the nest in a community wetland Saturday, April 17 This year’s Bird-a-thon will run from Prizes will be awarded to the top three Bird-a-thon using the enclosed envelope. in Uttar Pradesh, India. Annual Midwest Crane Count Thank you and happy birding! April 1 – June 15. You may select one day (a teams or individuals for most dollars raised, Photo by K.S. Gopi Sundar Visit www.cranecount.org for details full 24-hour period) during this date range and to the top individual and team for most Cedar Waxwing. Photo by Steve Patterson to conduct your bird watching. A team can number of species found. and Report Archive from previous years. Siberian Cranes Black-necked Cranes Directors Continued from page 1 Joseph Branch, Mequon, WI Notes from ICF (Chairman) This idyllic setting in western Uttar Pradesh, India has remained Hall Healy, Glencoe, IL President Jim Hook ... largely unchanged for at least 100 years, and this area continues to (Vice Chairman) have the highest number of Sarus Cranes in the world. I have been Robert Dohmen, Mequon, WI The Charisma of Cranes observing over 250 Sarus Crane pairs here since 1998, and have (Secretary) completed a detailed field survey in 26 rice-dominated counties of George Archibald, Baraboo, WI Uttar Pradesh. Our understanding of how Sarus Cranes and people Leslie Coolidge, Barrington Hills, IL co-exist in this region is vital for the conservation of the species. Richard Dana, North Freedom, WI he two cohorts of Whooping Cranes in participate in this prestigious event. In western Uttar Pradesh, Sarus time their nesting with the flooding John Day, New York, NY Tthe Class of 2009 have successfully In January, we hosted a visit by Rod Nilsestuen, of fields by farmers just before the Indian monsoons. Thanks to Judith Derse Langenbach, Oconomowoc, WI concluded their ultralight-led migration to the Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture, Trade and farmer tolerance, Sarus Cranes making nests in rice paddies are as Charles Gibbons, Jupiter, FL Florida, with ten birds now at St Marks National Consumer Protection, and our Representative to successful as pairs that have natural wetlands for building their nests. Ann Hamilton, Houston, TX Wildlife Refuge (NWR) on Florida’s panhandle the Wisconsin House of Representatives, Fred Wetland habitat amid the fields improves chances of Sarus Cranes Polly Hix, Indianapolis, IN and the remaining ten birds at Chassahowitzka Clark. Their visit to ICF was prompted by our raising their chicks successfully. The wetland vegetation helps hide the Paul King, Vancouver, WA NWR, a few hours south in Citrus County. But new, energy efficient Africa Crowned Crane chicks until they can fly, considerably reducing predation. When the Lalise Mason, Houston, TX the first 2009 Whooping Crane to reach Florida holding building which serves as a leading edge monsoons arrive on time, the farmers reap a good rice harvest, and Nancy Mathews, Madison, WI was Direct Autumn Release (DAR) #42-09 who example for green building practices in Wisconsin. Two pair beats a pair! Both the Nilgai, India's largest antelope, and the Sarus Cranes have a good breeding season. Sarus pairs do poorly Janet McKenna, Oconomowoc, WI Secretary Nilsestuen and Representative Clark led Sarus, the world's tallest flying bird, benefit from farmer protection in arrived the old fashioned way, with an adult bird either when rains are late, or the amount of rains is lower than Margery Nicolson, Pacific Palisades, CA Uttar Pradesh, India. Photo by K.S. Gopi Sundar on January 7, 2010. With the remaining 85 adults us in a discussion of the prospective Clean Energy necessary to flood the landscape. Many villages here maintain Nancy O’Donnell, Saukville, WI and DAR birds throughout the southern portion Jobs Act, Governor Jim Doyle’s recently community wetlands, most farmers are tolerant of Sarus Cranes, and with growing human density – a strong indication of how valuable Harry Peterson, Middleton, WI of the flyway, we are thrilled to see the overall announced initiative to establish a new clean the monsoons have largely been on time. Flooded rice-fields during wetlands are to people in this floodplain. Sarus numbers, however, are Regina Phelps, San Francisco, CA reintroduced flock has reached a population of energy economy for Wisconsin. The bill will the Sarus’ breeding season, nice wetlands scattered amid croplands, the highest in western counties, and decline as we move east to more Bill Smith, Shell Lake, WI approximately 105. articulate clear objectives for curbing our Richard Steeves, Madison, WI and friendly farmers seem to be ingredients for a healthy Sarus-scape. densely populated counties. Numbers of species of other birds also ICF’s Dr. Tran Triet, representing the Phu My dependence on imported fossil fuels, generating In Uttar Pradesh, the lowest human density occurs in the western Carl-Albrecht von Treuenfels, Germany appear to have similar trends as Sarus numbers – more species occur Lepironia Wetland Conservation Project in new jobs, cutting pollution and cleaning up the counties. Numbers of people increase as we move to the eastern Sandra Whitmore, Libertyville, IL in the west, and decline as we move east. Action to improve Vietnam, has been invited by the United Nations air. Our guests urged us to follow this legislation counties. The situation for farmers and Sarus Cranes in these other Ginny Wolfe, Madison, WI and Tucson, AZ conditions for Sarus Cranes is likely, therefore, to benefit a range of Development Programme (UNDP) to participate closely as it moves ahead. rice-dominated counties is mixed. With growing human density other bird species. If the crop and wetlands across this region have not Other Officers in a panel discussion at the North American As this issue of The ICF Bugle attests, ICF comes greater need for farming land, more changed, then perhaps farmer attitudes towards crane have changed. launch of the International Year of Biodiversity on continues strong field programs in numerous roads and towns, and more urban Jim Hook, Milwaukee, WI My field work in 2010 will explore this aspect, and results will be (President and CEO) February 10 at the American Museum of Natural parts of the world, with creative activities that infrastructure. Strangely, amounts of reported in future Bugle articles. Rich Beilfuss, Madison, WI History in New York City. The panel includes have broad significance beyond cranes. We are wetlands are not necessarily reduced Of course, not everything is hunky-dory.