Most Florida vacations are taken by choice. Others are taken out of necessity. ??
Whooping cranes, one of the world's most publicized endangered species, have seen a healthy comeback in recent years, due to coordinated effort and some unusual human intervention. Perhaps the most notable of these is the current ultralight-led migration of 17 whooping cranes from their Wisconsin home to winter nesting grounds in Florida.??
The tallest bird in North America, hunting and habitat loss caused whooping crane numbers to dwindle from a worldwide 1860 population of 1,400 to 15 by 1940. Today, there are close to 200, thanks largely to the reintroduction efforts by groups such as the International Crane Foundation, Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership and Operation Migration.??
A main goal of these groups and others is to help reintroduce hatched whooping cranes to their natural habitat, culminating with their annual flight south to sunny Florida.
Cranes are hatched in captivity and taken to the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in northern Wisconsin. There, crane handlers wear crane costumes, simulating real parents and begin their training in somewhat of a boot camp for whooping cranes.
The handlers teach the young cranes necessary survival skills and help acclimatize them to their natural habitat. Finally, they are conditioned to follow an ultra-light aircraft, which will lead them through the entire 1,200-mile journey to Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge in Florida, where they will spend the winter.
Heather Ray, a member of Operation Migration, which has developed some of the novel training techniques, said the precautions are designed to keep the birds in a people-free environment.
\We are trying to condition and train these birds with as little human impact as possible,"" Ray said. ""In the springtime, their paths will be monitored using satellite and radar equipment as they make the return trip, this time unassisted.""
Bob Manwell of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, who is also involved in the project, said this unique project is blazing new trails for working with other migratory species.
""This is a ground breaking experiment to re-establish a migrating population. No one has worked with a species like this in such a way before.,"" Manwell said. ""By using some of the knowledge and technology to give back to nature, this will definitely open new horizons and great potential to lead to many other significant achievements.""
This year's flight departed on Oct. 13, with a flock of 17 juvenile cranes, but did not get far as bad weather moved in. Poor conditions make travel hazardous, and forces the group into a standstill.
""We can have everything under control, from the aircrafts to the birds,"" Ray said.""But if the weather doesn't cooperate, we can't go anywhere.""
Despite the challenges, Ray believes it is well worth the effort.
""It's the beginning of a new life for the birds,"" Ray said. ""Hopefully we've prepared them so that they can continue on with the rest of their lives to be the wild birds that they should be.""
Manwell said he knows he is making a difference in helping a fellow species survive.
""Someday, I'll be able to stand here in my home in Wisconsin and look up and see this bird, one that's been absent from our state for 24 years, and know I had a part in reintroducing it to its ancestral habitat,"" Manwell said.
