For more information contact: Kitty Esco, Sr. Public Relations & Information Specialist - (478) 994-1438 Terry Johnson, WRD Program Manager - (478) 994-1438 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
WRD ANNOUNCES SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE FIRST ULTRALIGHT-LED ENDANGERED WHOOPING CRANE MIGRATION 
FORSYTH, Ga. (December 7, 2001) - Six endangered whooping cranes touched down to their final destination in Citrus County, Florida after completing a 1,224 mile journey recently that was part of the longest study using ultralight aircraft to teach endangered whooping cranes a new migration route announces the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (DNR/WRD). Their journey, which lasted 50 days and took them through seven states, marks the end of the first step to reintroduce a migratory flock of whooping cranes into eastern North America. 
"The whooping crane has not been sighted in Georgia in over a century," said Terry Johnson, WRD Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program Manager. "This effort will help bring back an animal that was teetering on the brink of extinction." The Whooping Crane Reintroduction Project also had the support of 20 eastern U.S. states, numerous public and private agencies and organizations, as well as private landowners throughout the seven-state flyway. Over the next four years, more than 90 additional whooping cranes will be introduced to the southern migratory route from Necedah National Wildlife in central Wisconsin to a remote, isolated site on the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge in Florida's central west coast. Ultimately it is hoped the project will establish a self-sustaining flock of at least 25 breeding crane pairs. 
"In order to maintain their wild nature, the young whooping cranes, raised by costumed handlers and in isolation, will continue to interact only with costumed biologists and not be exposed to humans," said Dan Sprague, migration team crane biologist, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. "A temporary feeding station and night pen will be provided for a few days, after which they will be allowed to come and go as they choose. Throughout the winter the cranes will have fresh water and feed provided as a supplement to their daily natural diets," explained Sprague. "They will also be monitored and tracked on their return route in the spring of 2002." 
While traveling south through Georgia, the largest state they traversed, the cranes covered approximately 300 miles and made six landings. Wildlife Resources Division's Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program teamed up with WRD Game Management and Law Enforcement Sections along with private landowners to map out the perfect landing locations for the migration through the state. The various sites were chosen based on their accessible landing strip, secluded location and potential to provide adequate habitat for the cranes future travels on their own. 
"The ultralight-led reintroduction would not only restore the whooping crane to part of its historic range in Georgia, but it will also provide another geographically distinct migratory population that could lead to downlisting and eventual recovery," said Mike Harris, WRD Nongame Wildlife-Natural Heritage Section Chief. 
Whooping cranes are the most endangered crane on earth, having recovered from a low of only 21 birds in 1941 to slightly over 400 today. Nearly half of that number live in one wild migrating flock that moves between Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories of Canada and Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Gulf Coast of Texas, which makes the birds extremely vulnerable to hurricanes, contaminants and disease. In 1999, the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership was formed to bring together critical expertise from federal and state governments and non-profit organizations to help ensure the species' survival by establishing a second wild flock of migrating whooping cranes in the eastern United States. 
For more information on the ultralight-led endangered whooping crane migration, visit www.bringbackthecranes.org or www.operationmigration.org. Endangered species recovery and conservation projects in Georgia are partially funded by monies earned through the sale of wildlife license plates. More than 840,000 wildlife license plates have been sold in Georgia, raising over $12 million for wildlife conservation, recreation and education projects. In whooping crane conservation projects and many others, WRD is putting tag dollars to work for wildlife. ###