I encountered my first Sandhill Crane in the spring of 1973. As a first-year graduate student and an ornithology teaching assistant, I was weak at the knees with my inexperience, yet loving every minute. Drs. George Archibald and Ron Sauey, recently of Cornell University, were just establishing the International Crane Foundation on the northern outskirts of Baraboo, Wis.

The International Crane Foundation today officially opened its Nairobi office, marking an important milestone in strengthening science-driven conservation, wetlands protection, and community-led environmental initiatives across East Africa.

Hosted by the International Crane Foundation, Uganda’s crane festival brought together Uganda government officials, conservation scientists, traditional clan leaders, and local communities to highlight the role of science, culture, and accountability in conserving wetlands.

Agencies say the annual cost to operate the proposed hunt far outweighs revenues by $1.6 million and would completely overwhelm current farmer assistance programs.

The two populations of North America’s migrating Whooping Cranes exhibit vastly different behaviors on their journey south. The remnant Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population (AWBP) migrates about 2,500 miles along the Central Flyway to reach their historic wintering grounds in coastal Texas. The Eastern Migratory Population (EMP), a reintroduced population established in 2001, was originally taught to fly to coastal Florida to salt marshes that mimic the conditions of the wintering habitat in Texas.

During January, most of the Whooping Cranes in the Eastern Migratory Population were still on their wintering grounds and doing well.

If you ask the Crane Conservation Department—our aviculture team responsible for the daily care of our flock—what’s going on with our cranes during the winter months, you will likely hear us talk about “socialization.”

The International Crane Foundation in Africa calls for governments, organisations, and individuals to work alongside traditional custodians to restore wetlands for a secure future of cranes and people ahead of World Wetlands Day to be celebrated on 2nd February under the theme “Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage.”

More than 90,000 hectares (222,600 acres) of irreplaceable Drakensberg Grasslands will now be conserved as part of South Africa’s first large-scale, verified soil carbon project.