Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
News Release
February 16, 2006 Judd Howell 301-497-5503 jhowell@xxxxxxxx
John French 301-497-5702 jbfrench@xxxxxxxx
Winter Storm Damage Could Affect Whooping
Crane Breeding Season
The USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel,
Md. suffered major damage to its endangered species captive propagation
complex due to the weekend rain and snowstorm. Biologists are concerned
that the nearly total destruction to flight pens could impact the current
breeding season for the endangered birds at the Center, which reopened
only today due to the loss of power and damage from the storm. Closure
of the Center has also resulted in the cancellation of the biennial science
meeting that was to take place this week.
Patuxent has the largest captive flock of whooping cranes
in the world, and also houses an extensive population of sandhill cranes.
Because the sandhill cranes are used as surrogate parents to the
whooping cranes, both species are critical to the propagation of the endangered
whooping crane. The breeding program provides two-thirds of the birds used
to restore whooping cranes in North America, a species that was nearly
extinct when the breeding program began.
Rains that fell on Saturday, Feb. 11, saturated the fields
and overhead netting that keeps breeding whooping cranes and sandhill cranes
in their pens. The rain changed to a heavy wet snow after 6 pm, collecting
on the already saturated overhead nets. Technicians working through the
night struggled to keep the nets free of snow, but the storm moved too
fast for staff to mitigate damage. By 3am, many of the nets had collapsed,
causing additional damage to the pens and allowing whooping cranes and
sandhill cranes to escape.
During the night, the Center lost power, forcing the staff
to struggle with the storm in the dark. Snow continued to fall until 10
am Sunday morning; the final tally at the Center was 18 inches. One-hundred-five
of 110 flight-netted pens were damaged, and nine whooping cranes and nine
sandhill cranes had escaped. All of the whoopers were recaptured by Monday
afternoon, but the sandhills remain loose.
Ultimately, the loss of the flight netted pens will have
the largest impact on the whooping crane breeding flock. Breeding season
has already begun and any disruption of their regular activities, and especially
to their familiar environment, can have a serious impact on their egg production
for the year. Patuxent’s whooping crane production is critical to the
annual release programs focused on reintroducing the whooper, one of the
most endangered animals in the world. The extent of the disruption to the
breeding season will not be fully known until later in the spring.
In the late 1940’s, the population of whooping cranes
was reduced to only 16 breeding birds. Today, more than 400 whooping cranes
are alive; about half are in the wild and half in captivity. Patuxent has
been at the forefront of whooping crane research and propagation since
1966 and has been a leader in restoring this species in the wild.
The Center is a founding member of the Whooping Crane
Eastern Partnership, a consortium of government and private organizations
working together to train whooping cranes to fly behind ultra light aircraft
to establish a new migratory flock of whooping cranes in the United States.
The USGS serves the nation by providing
reliable scientific information to: describe and understand the Earth;
minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water,
biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our
quality of life.
*** USGS ***
Diane Noserale
Media Relations, Eastern Region
U.S. Geological Survey
150 National Center
Reston, VA 20192
phone: 703-648-4333
fax: 703-648-4588
