The nine juvenile whooping cranes led by ultralight aircraft on their fall migration south have been taken to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Morgan County, Ala.

The whooping cranes were placed in travel enclosures, loaded onto vehicles and driven about 70 miles from Winston County, Ala., to Wheeler NWR. The cranes were temporarily housed in a secure pen, and fitted with identification bands and tracking transmitters. The young birds were then released near other whooping cranes wintering at the refuge.

As of Feb. 12, the nine young whoopers were staying together and mingling with the thousands of Sandhill cranes present on the refuge. The nine juvenile cranes are the 11th group to be guided south from Wisconsin by ultralight aircraft.

The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP) is an international coalition of public and private organizations conducting the reintroduction project, in an effort to restore the endangered species to part of its historic range in eastern North America. There are now approximately 111 whooping cranes in the population using this migration corridor, thanks to WCEP’s efforts.

The cranes were intended to spend the winter at St. Marks and Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuges along Florida’s Gulf Coast. The migration had been delayed for more than a month due to weather and an issue involving FAA flying policies. The FAA granted a waiver for the flight, but the cranes apparently decided Alabama was far enough, refusing to follow the ultralight aircraft any further.

“We are fortunate to be in a position to help by standing in for our sister refuges at Chassahowitzka and St. Marks in Florida,” said Dwight Cooley, refuge manager for Wheeler NWR. “While we hope the cranes will visit us again in coming winters, where they eventually winter is not nearly as important as their survival, and the hope they will complete many more migrations in years to come.

“Their continued safety is our highest concern. We’ve got great habitat and conditions, as evidenced by the number of cranes wintering on the refuge – more than 11,000 Sandhill cranes and seven whooping cranes.”

In addition to the nine birds led south by project partner Operation Migration’s ultralight aircraft, eight juvenile cranes made their first southward migration this fall as part of WCEP’s Direct Autumn Release program. Biologists from the International Crane Foundation released the cranes in the company of older cranes at Horicon NWR in Dodge County, Wis. The young birds learned the migration route by following the older cranes.

Young whooping cranes involved 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 whooping crane-like costumes designed to mask the handlers’ human form.

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

In the spring and fall, project staff from the International Crane Foundation and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 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.

Whooping cranes were on the verge of extinction in the 1940s. Today, there are still only about 600 birds in existence, with approximately 450 of them in the wild. Aside from the 111 WCEP birds, the only other migrating population of whooping cranes nests at Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Alberta, Canada, and winters at Aransas NWR on the Texas Gulf Coast.

A non-migrating flock of approximately 20 birds lives year-round in the central Florida Kissimmee region, and an additional 19 non-migratory cranes live in southern Louisiana.

WCEP asks anyone who encounters whooping cranes 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; and do not approach in a vehicle within 100 yards. Also, please remain concealed and do not speak loudly enough for the birds to hear you. Finally, do not trespass on private property in an attempt to view or photograph whooping cranes.

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.

Updates on the young whoopers can be found online at http://operation migration.org/Field_Journal.html

The Indiana DNR Law Enforcement and Outdoor Recreation divisions are partnering to offer an online ATV safety course.

ATVs and other off-road vehicles have increased in popularity over the past decade, and so have accidents. According to DNR Law Enforcement records, ATV accidents have increased nearly 40 percent over the past four years, from 153 in 2008 to 214 last year.

“The online safety course will educate people on the safety rules of riding, using and operating an ATV,” said Lt. Larry Morrison, head of DNR Law Enforcement’s outdoor education program.

The course presents a wide variety of information on the basics of ATVs, safe operation of ATVs, responsibilities of riders to others and the environment and general information on preparing for the unexpected.

The online course may be found at www.offroad-ed.com/in and can be studied at a personal pace. A $30 fee is assessed prior to beginning the certification test. Individuals who successfully complete the test are issued a lifetime certification card.

“The certification ensures the operator is well educated and has learned how to safely operate an ATV, which is the first step in reducing the number of ATV accidents in Indiana,” said Dale Brier, chief of DNR Outdoor Recreation’s streams and trails section.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Jack Spaulding may contact him by e-mail at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication.