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Current Status:

Reduced flows in the Platte River due to upstream water diversion for human and agricultural uses have destroyed much of the formerly suitable feeding and roosting habitat for the cranes. Avian tuberculosis and cholera are potential threats in Nebraska if continued riverine habitat degradation pushes the birds into less favorable habitats where these diseases are more abundant.

Achievements:

In the fall of 1992, the Cooperative Whooping Crane Tracking Project monitored whooping cranes from Canada, through Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, to the wintering habitat at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas coast. Cooperators in the project include the Fish and Wildlife Service, the State Fish and Game Department of each State in the Flyway, Canadian Wildlife Service, National Audubon Society and other conservation organizations, and private individuals. The estimated migratory count was 136 birds, compared to 132 the previous year. A record 53 cranes also were confirmed stopping in Nebraska during the spring 1992 migration. During fall and spring migrations, Tracking Project staff alert cooperators to disease outbreaks, making it possible to monitor or direct cranes away from hazardous areas.

Current Recovery Needs:

At a minimum, the Wood Buffalo-Aransas population needs to grow to 40 nesting pairs, and 2 other self-sustaining populations need to be created, with 25 nesting pairs each, for reclassification from endangered to threatened status to occur. Priority has been given to identifying and solving problems connected with bird loss on the wintering and nesting grounds as well as during migration. Maintaining suitable river flows at appropriate times to provide roosting and feeding sites along the Platte River is another recovery need.

Partnerships

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: The Commission monitors migrant whooping cranes and evaluates stopover sites.

The Platte River Whooping Crane Habitat Maintenance Trust, Inc.: As mitigation for the Grayrocks Dam construction on a North Platte tributary, the Trust was established to protect the physical, hydrological, and biological integrity of the Platte River as a life-support system for the whooping crane and other migratory species. The Trust has purchased more than 8,000 acres, including 16½ miles of river frontage, during the past 10 years. It has restored about 9 miles of crane roosting habitat and 200 acres of grassland.

National Audubon Society: The Society manages a sanctuary for cranes, educates the public about cranes, and provides opportunities for viewing cranes.

Recovery Plan Status:

Original plan approved 4/12/85; revised 12/23/86.