Do you give a whoop?

The following was provided by Lizzie Condon, Keeping Whooping Cranes Safe Coordinator of the International Crane Foundation

The International Crane Foundation, along with organizations involved in the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership, has a new program designed to increase awareness and pride in Whooping Cranes in local communities. We have started this program with a pilot project in northern Alabama, centered on Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, a very important wintering site for Whooping Cranes in the eastern migratory population. Our outreach plan includes working with 27 Alabama partner organizations on K-12 education, television and radio PSAs, billboards, social and traditional media campaigns, art and photo contests, presence at gun and hunting shows, hunter education, and the promotion and support of Wheeler NWR’s Festival of the Cranes.

What can you do to support us? Join craniacs across the country who are stepping up to protect Whooping Cranes. Together, we are committing to do what it takes to make sure Whoopers are safe. We are committing to:

Be able to accurately identify a Whooping Crane.
Click here to immediately report any suspicious activity that appears to harm or disturb a Whooping Crane.
Tell your friends, family, and networks, about the plight of the Whooping Crane.

Please take the time to share your support for Whooping Cranes with you friends, family and social media connections. In addition, we welcome you to join in celebrating both Sandhill Cranes and Whooping Cranes at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge’s Festival of the Cranes, now in its fourth year. The festival will take place on January 9^th and 10^th, and it is free and open to the public. In addition to phenomenal viewing of thousands of Sandhill Cranes along with the rare Whooping Crane, the festival also includes children’s activities, a raptor show put on by the Southeastern Raptor Center, a Teddy Roosevelt impersonator and a keynote speech from Dr. George Archibald, co-founder of the International Crane Foundation. We hope to see you there!

Thank you for your support of crane conservation. Thanks especially to the Tennessee Ornithological Society, who recently donated $10,000 to the International Crane Foundation in support of our Whooping Crane outreach programs. To learn more about the International Crane Foundation and to become a member, please visit our website at www.savingcranes.org.