Media Contact: Betsy Didrickson, Information Services Manager, 608-356-9462 x124
Editor’s note: photos available by emailing Betsy
BARABOO, Wis. – George Archibald, Ph.D., co-founder of the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wis., is one of five finalists for the inaugural Award for Conservation Excellence (ACE) presented by the Banovich Wildscapes Foundation and sponsored by Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, the Cabela Family Foundation, and Bass Pro Shops.
The habitat that first comes to mind when we refer to cranes is wetlands. We immediately think of an expansive amount of water dotted with lilies and lotus, bordered by swaying reeds in which a heron or two skulks, accompanied by the symphony of frogs.
For the Sarus Crane, the imagery is more diverse. In South Asia, these cranes live and nest amid flooded rice paddies, never far from the humdrum of a north Indian village, its farmers and their cattle. They also use the community-owned wetlands on the riverine floodplains, where they are joined by a multitude of waterbird species, alongside cattle, pigs and farmers.
Hooded Crane chick, Opal, on exhibit with her parents at the International Crane Foundation.
This story begins several years ago with a Hooded Crane egg, produced at the International Crane Foundation, and its whirlwind journey across the country to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. The egg was originally intended to hatch at the Denver Zoo, and in fact, a Denver Zoo aviculturist was accompanying the egg when the flight plan was re-routed after a late-breaking update that the Woodland Park Zoo had a pair of Hooded Cranes incubating. That well-travelled egg produced in Baraboo, Wisconsin ended up in the care of a different pair of Hooded Cranes across the country in Seattle!
Although people said the vast Zhalong Marsh in northeast China could never be crossed on foot, biologist Su Liying devised a transect route across the widest and most crane-rich portion. Every year since 2007, Liying has led a team for three arduous days of walking across Zhalong Marsh. Ten years of data trace the results of wetland restoration and recovery.
Media contact: Andy Bingle, Interpretive Programs Manager, 608-356-9462 est. 108
BARABOO, WI – The International Crane Foundation will celebrate its annual Cranes of the World Festival Saturday, August 5, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at its global headquarters in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
For many years a single Siberian Crane has returned to its wintering grounds in Fereydunkenar, Iran, a small town near the Caspian Sea. The locals call him “Omid,” meaning “Hope” in Farsi. This lonely Siberian Crane has indeed become the symbol of hope for Fereydunkenar and its wetlands. The presence of the Siberian Crane each winter has helped protect habitat for millions of other migratory birds, while benefiting local rice farmers, who supplement their winter income with traditional duck trapping.
Finally, the Stories of our Co-founder George Archibald in Print!
