Whooping Cranes on the Texas Coast – An Important Key to Their Recovery
Thursday, Dec. 10, at 11 a.m. Central Time
Sponsored by Karen and Loren Thompson in memory of Sylvia Mueller, who loved birds and instilled that love in all who surrounded her.

Join Director of North America Programs Liz Smith and Land and Water Conservation Director Terry Turney for our webinar on Thursday, Dec. 10, at 11 a.m. Central Time!

The International Crane Foundation has been conducting education and outreach activities in coastal Texas for almost 20 years. These activities increase public awareness and promote advocacy for the endangered Whooping Crane and the coastal habitats they need to survive. We are committed to continuing this role until the Whooping Crane species is fully recovered.

In 2011, we established a Texas Program office and hired a full-time employee, Dr. Liz Smith, to develop habitat conservation and restoration initiatives and achieve our program goals. In 2017, we garnered multi-year funding to increase the program staff, increasing our ability to bring science-based information into conservation planning for Whooping Crane recovery. In September, Mr. Terry Turney joined our Texas team as Director of Land and Water Conservation.

As the next phase of our Texas Program Strategic Plan, our program area will encompass a project area from Corpus Christi Bay System to Sabine Lake Bay System, which includes 18 counties (12,707 sq. mi.). Five counties encompass the current winter home for the Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population of Whooping Cranes in and around the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. This year we begin our work in the additional 13 counties as future expansion of the winter range as the population increases.

The International Crane Foundation plays a unique and important role in leading conservation efforts for endangered Whooping Cranes on private lands owned and managed by heritage ranching and farming families. We are introducing landowners to diverse opportunities provided by a variety of partner programs to offset the cost of maintaining these working landscapes, including conservation easement purchases, wetland/grassland restoration, improved water availability, ecotourism and carbon exchange programs.

To mitigate for future anticipated sea-level rise, we aim to conserve 125,000 acres of coastal marsh and 375,000 acres of coastal prairie, now and in the future. These protections will ensure the recovery of the Whooping Crane, as well as help, maintain the traditional livelihoods of an agricultural community.