If you are like me, on those occasions when you see cranes, you find yourself staring at them in a state where time seems to stand still. Cranes are among the planet's most stunning birds, with their beautiful plumage and elegant grace. They have been the subject of prehistoric cave paintings, revealing that they have enthralled humankind for thousands of years. The International Crane Foundation, located in Baraboo, Wisconsin, fittingly only a few miles from the place where Aldo Leopold worked on his environmental classic A Sand County Almanac, is working to save these beautiful birds.
George Archibald and Ron Sauey started the foundation in 1973 after they met at Cornell University. It is located in Baraboo because Sauey's family is from there and they offered the two space in a horse barn on their property for their work. Since then, the foundation has moved to a larger nearby 95 acre area.
The foundation's facility, the only place in the world where all 15 species of cranes found on Planet Earth can be seen, allows visitors a thrilling up close view of these magnificent birds.
The Crane Foundation is also home to some of the world's foremost crane experts. These are the people who, in the 35 years of the foundations existence have learned to breed cranes using techniques such as using crane puppets to feed chicks to prevent them from becoming too attached to humans. They have also learned that to use ultralight aircraft to show the young cranes the migration routes south. Amazing! This work is key to efforts to save the birds, which are found on every continent except South America and Antarctica, and are imperiled in many places.
Ron Sauey died suddenly in 1987, but his legacy lives on in the efforts of this wonderful foundation in Baraboo, working to save these beautiful birds and to educate people and governments around the world about them.
Thanks are in order to this dedicated bunch for their efforts.
More Information:
International Crane Foundation
September 17, 2013 Update on Whooping Cranes: A weekend for watching and celebrating Whooping Cranes
September 17, 2013 Update on Whooping Cranes: A weekend for watching and celebrating Whooping Cranes
Now enjoy some beautiful photographs of these magnificent birds:
Sandhill Crane in Flight, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, USA
Charles Sleicher
Buy This Allposters.com
Three Japanese Red-Crowned Cranes (Grus Japonensis) in Snowy Flight
Roy Toft
Buy This Allposters.com
Common Crane Group Dancing Before Sunrise, Hornborga Lake, Sweden, Europe
Bernard ...
Buy This Allposters.com
Four Blue Cranes Cross a Flooded Pan on the Edge of the Etosha National Park
Nigel Pavitt
Buy This Allposters.com
Sandhill Cranes in Flight and Lenticular Cloud Formation over Mt. Shasta, California
Tom Haseltine
Buy This Allposters.com
No comments:
Post a Comment