1. The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership

2. Partnership Overview S ince 2001, Operation Migration has led 13 generations of Whooping cranes on their first migration from Wisconsin to Florida The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has supported this work since the beginning and is a founding member of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership Nine agencies make up the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership including … US Fish and Wildlife Service International Crane Foundation USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Wisconsin Dept of Natural Resources National Fish and Wildlife Foundation The Whooping Crane Recovery Team Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin USGS Wildlife Health Center Operation Migration

3. Accomplishments In 2006 a pair of reintroduced Whooping cranes produced a wild hatched chick They taught it to migrate along the route we taught them.... It was the first Wild hatched, migratory chick in the eastern flyway since the last nest was reported in 1878 There are now over 100 birds in the Eastern Migratory Population Our target is 125 individuals, including 25 breeding pairs

4. Partnership Impact Relocation of our equipment from Florida to Wisconsin.... Summer training... Migration... And Winter monitoring. The Power of Flight has even assisted with the power of flight – by helping with the purchase of aircraft

5. Indirect Outcomes This high profile project provided an unprecedented outreach opportunity Support from NFWF helps fund Journey North Providing interactive, curriculum based lesson plans for 1.6 million students annually

6. Lessons Learned In 2010, we determined that black flies were causing nest abandonment at Necedah NWR, resulting in low productivity For the 2011 field season, we relocated to a new release site out of the range of black flies New facilities were constructed in an isolated marsh including a roosting pen and a runway So far three generations of Whooping cranes have been reintroduced at White River

7. Looking Forward Over the last 18 months, WCEP used Population Viability Analysis and a Structure Decision Making process to develop a 5 year strategic plan Releases will continue in the black fly free area of White River until that flock reaches breeding age. Additional research will include nest management studies at Necedah to mitigate the black fly issue and collecting eggs from Wood Buffalo National Park to compare the survival and breeding success of wild stock verses birds raised in captivity for multiple generations. Since this project began, 14 Whooping cranes have been illegally shot. Vandal shooting was the cause of death of 6 WCEP birds and it was the suspected cause of 4 others.