The Aransas Project

Whooping cranes may return to Louisiana

brandt — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 19:33:51 +0000

NEW ORLEANS — The whooping crane — one of the world’s most endangered birds and one of the first animals on the U.S. endangered list — could be back in Louisiana’s wetlands as early as February under a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal.

The long-legged birds with the distinctive call haven’t lived in the wild in Louisiana since 1950.

Under the plan, young birds would be released into a pen about 125 miles west of New Orleans in Louisiana’s bayou country after they are raised by people wearing shapeless white “crane suits.”

It’s an area where whooping cranes once lived and raised young.

The birds will eventually be able to fly out, but likely will remain in the area because whooping cranes must be taught to migrate, Bill Brooks, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said Wednesday.

“I’m excited. You can’t imagine,” said Mary Lynch Courville, whose federal biologist father, John J. Lynch, captured the last wild whooping crane alive in Louisiana and took it to join a Texas flock in 1950. She has been campaigning for a quarter-century to return whooping cranes to the wild in Louisiana.

Standing about 5 feet high, whooping cranes are the tallest birds in North America.

They once ranged from the Arctic to central Mexico’s high plateau, and from Utah east to New Jersey, South Carolina and Florida, according to the proposal published Thursday in the Federal Register. Never abundant, they were hunted for plumage and taxidermy, and their habitats were converted to hayfields, pastures and grain farms. Their numbers plummeted from an estimated 500 to 700 in 1870 to 16 migrating birds in 1941.

Nearly 550 whooping cranes are now alive: just under 400 in the wild and nearly 150 at breeding and rearing facilities including the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species just outside New Orleans. All of them are descended from 15 birds.

The only self-sustaining wild flock of whooping cranes migrates between Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories of Canada and Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. One smaller flock migrates between Wisconsin and Florida, and a second lives in Florida year-round.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is “doing all the legwork” such as figuring out the best spot for the pen and building it, Brooks said.

He said the proposed site is remote from people, away from trees and shrubs so the cranes can see far into the distance, and has lots of shallow water for the cranes to roost. They sleep standing in the water, he said.

“If they’re roosting in water there’s a much better chance of hearing a predator such as a bobcat or coyote coming through the water,” Brooks said.

Brooks said biologists hope to release eight young birds next year and up to 30 a year for 10 more years.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is asking for public comment on the proposal. Read the entire article »

USFWS Proposes Reintroduction of Whooping Cranes into Louisiana

brandt — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 19:25:10 +0000

Washington, DC –(Ammoland.com)- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today in the Federal Register it is seeking public comment on a proposed rule to reintroduce the endangered whooping crane into habitat in its historic range on the state-owned White Lake Wetland Conservation Area in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana.

The Service and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) will attempt to establish a non-migratory flock that lives and breeds in the wetlands, marshes and prairies of southwestern Louisiana. If this proposal is approved, the reintroduction effort could begin during early 2011.

“With just under 400 birds in the wild, the vast majority of which winter along the Texas coast, whooping cranes are among our nation’s most threatened species. Our proposal to reintroduce a population in Louisiana would not only help protect this iconic species from extinction but would also help us take another big step in our campaign to restore the Gulf Coast’s wildlife, marshes, and coasts to health,” said Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior.

The reintroduction is being proposed as part of an ongoing recovery effort for this highly imperiled species, which was on the verge of extinction in the 1940s and even today has only about 395 individuals in the wild (550 worldwide); none in Louisiana. The only self-sustaining wild population of whooping cranes migrates between Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories of Canada and Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas and, like those in the eastern populations, remains vulnerable to extinction from continued loss of habitat or natural or man-made catastrophes. Multiple efforts are underway to reduce this risk by increasing populations in the wild, including ongoing efforts to establish a migratory population in the eastern United States.

The Service proposes the new, reintroduced, non-migratory population of whooping cranes be designated as a non-essential, experimental population (NEP) under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act. This proposed designation and its implementing regulation are developed to be more compatible with routine human activities in the reintroduction area. The designation allows for take of whooping cranes when such take is accidental and incidental to an otherwise lawful activity, including agriculture practices, recreation, and hunting. The intentional take (including killing or harm) of any NEP-designated whooping crane would still be a violation of federal law punishable under the Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

There are approximately 1.3 million acres of marsh, open water, and Chenier habitat in southwestern coastal Louisiana. The cranes would be reintroduced to the White Lake area and are not expected to be affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Whooping cranes historically occurred in Louisiana in both a resident, non-migratory flock and a migratory flock that wintered in Louisiana. The proposed release area is the location where whooping cranes were historically documented raising young in Louisiana.

LDWF Secretary Robert Barham praised this lofty proposal to reintroduce whooping cranes back into the wetlands of the Chenier coastal plain. “Crane species around the world depend on coastal wetlands, and the proposed efforts would reunite this indigenous species back into some of the most productive and expansive coastal freshwater wetlands left in America,” he said.

Today’s Federal Register announcement includes the proposed rule. The Service has drafted an environmental assessment (EA), which evaluates several alternatives for establishing a new non-migratory population of whooping cranes. The Service is seeking comments on both documents, and also specifically the following: (1) the geographic boundary for the NEP; and, (2) effects of the reintroduction on other native species and the ecosystem.

To allow adequate time to conduct this review, the Service requests that information be received on or before October 18, 2010. You may submit written information on the proposed rule by one of the following methods:

Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R4-ES-2010-0057; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222; Arlington, VA 22203. E-mails or faxes will not be accepted. All comments will be posted on http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that any personal information provided will be posted.

You may submit comments on the draft environmental assessment (EA) by one of the following methods:

E-mail to: LouisianaCranesEA@fws.gov. U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Lafayette Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 646 Cajundome Boulevard, Suite 400, Lafayette, LA 70506.

The Service and the LDWF will hold public hearing at the following locations: Gueydan, Louisiana, on September 15, 2010, at the Gueydan Civic Center, 901 Wilkinson St., Gueydan, LA 70542; and in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on September 16, 2010, at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, 2000 Quail Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808. Each public hearing will last from 7:00-9:00 p.m. Before each hearing, an open house will be held to provide an additional opportunity for the public to gain information and ask questions about the proposed rule. All comments we receive at a public hearing, both verbal and written, will be considered in making a final decision.

Visit the southeast regional website to learn more at http://www.fws.gov/southeast.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov. Read the entire article »

Judge denies dismissal of ESA lawsuit

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 21:07:25 +0000

In the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) litigation brought by The Aransas Project (TAP) against officials of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), United States District Judge Janis Jack denied all motions to dismiss the litigation.

Proceeding issue-by-issue, Jack entertained arguments from all parties before ruling from the bench to deny each of the motions brought by the defendants and interveners urging the court to dismiss the case or abstain from hearing it. The ruling clears the path for the litigation to proceed on the fate of the Whooping Crane, an internationally-recognized endangered species.

TAP legal counsel Jim Blackburn said, “TAP’s litigation overcame a major hurdle in surviving motions brought by TCEQ and various interveners.”

This significant development in the case followed an approximate 90-minute hearing before the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Corpus Christi Division, Wednesday, July 28.
Over the course of the hearing, the Office of the Attorney General, flanked by lawyers for interveners Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) and the Texas Chemical Council (TCC), advanced various arguments seeking to secure the dismissal of TAP’s case as well as urging the court to abstain from hearing the case on grounds it would interfere with the state’s regulation of its’ water resources.

After the hearing Blackburn said, “We are pleased the Court agreed our case should move forward. In a case with international implications, this is a significant step in TAP’s efforts to protect this magnificent endangered species.”

He continued, “We are now looking forward to commencing discovery, and digging deeply into the scientific merits which will be central to this case.”

The case is currently set for trial on March 2, 2011.

The Aransas Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on water management of the Guadalupe River Basin and bays that represents all interests throughout the basin, all the way to the bay. TAP is an alliance of municipalities, businesses, organizations, and citizens working to ensure freshwater flows to the bays and estuaries that protect the winter habitat of the endangered whooping crane.

In March 2010, TAP filed a federal lawsuit against several officials of TCEQ in their official capacities for illegal harm and harassment of Whooping Cranes at and adjacent to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in violation of the Endangered Species Act. TAP seeks a process to ensure the Crane’s habitat and food sources in the bays and estuaries are protected during times of low flows. Read the entire article »

Judge green-lights water lawsuit

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:35:59 +0000

A federal judge in Corpus Christi ruled Wednesday that a lawsuit attempting to re-allocate the waters of the Guadalupe River could continue to trial.
The lawsuit, filed by a coastal group known as the Aransas Project, seeks to ensure adequate water supplies for the endangered whooping crane by creating a federal management plan for Guadalupe River water supplies.

Environmental attorney Jim Blackburn of Houston, who represents the Aransas Project, said Wednesday’s ruling keeps the suit alive. “We’re elated,” Blackburn said.

U.S. District Court Judge Janis Graham Jack conducted oral hearings to consider motions to dismiss the suit. The motions to dismiss were filed by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, a major water supplier for the city of New Braunfels, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and others. “She basically ruled that there was no basis to dismiss,” Blackburn said. “Motions to dismiss are a major initial hurdle that all cases like this have to get past, so we’ve gotten a green light to proceed.”

GBRA spokeswoman LaMarriol Smith said the river authority now plans to “just proceed accordingly, going on the presumption that at this point we will go to trial.” The trial has been scheduled for March 2011.

Blackburn said Judge Jack “thinks we’ve got a legitimate claim. It’s up to us to prove it now. She wasn’t convinced that any state process could protect the whopping crane.”

In local discussions recently, both Comal County and the city of New Braunfels joined in support of GBRA and others fighting the suit, saying the suit, if successful, could result in a loss of water rights for the area, harm endangered species in Comal Springs and cause severe economic and social hardship locally. According to New Braunfels Utilities, 30 percent of the city’s total water supply could be at risk with the changes in the water-allocation process being sought by the Aransas Project. City Attorney Alan Wayland has said the city’s opposition to the suit is based on the proposition that the TCEQ already attempts to ensure the adequate flow of fresh water into the coastal bays and estuaries to sustain the habitat of the whooping crane.

GBRA General Manager Bill West has said the suit puts at risk the 90,000 acre-feet of Canyon Lake water supplies controlled by the river authority. Comal County Commissioner Donna Eccleston and County Judge Danny Scheel have said they don’t feel comfortable with a federal judge deciding how Texas should distribute its water supplies.

West also has said he believes the real reason behind the suit is not to protect the endangered whooping crane, but to choke off water supplies to the proposed Excelon nuclear plant in Victoria County. Read the entire article »

Federal Suit Against the TCEQ Proceeding

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:25:27 +0000

The Endangered Species Act lawsuit over the last remaining naturally migrating flock of whooping cranes will move forward, a federal district judge ruled Wednesday.

The Aransas Project, a nonprofit organization formed to protect water resources in the Aransas Bay region, filed the lawsuit against the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in March after an unprecedented 23 birds died during the 2008-2009 winter. The organization believes the TCEQ’s over-allocation of fresh water upstream from the Aransas Bay marshland, where the birds winter, caused the fatalities. That constitutes an illegal “taking,” that is, harm or harassment, of the bird under federal law, The Aransas Project contends.

At Wednesday’s hearing, the defendants in the suit — including the TCEQ and the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority and the Texas Chemical Counsel, which have both intervened in the suit — asked Judge Janis Jack of the Southern District to dismiss the suit over the Aransas Bay flock, questioning whether the plaintiffs could prove that the birds’ deaths were directly connected to the lack of freshwater in the marsh. She denied their request and set the trial date for March 2, 2011.

If successful, the suit could change the state’s water permitting process and threaten property owners’ existing water rights, as The Texas Tribune explained in this March story.

A spokesperson for the TCEQ said the agency would not comment on any ongoing litigation. Read the entire article »

Whooping Crane book shows ‘Moore’ to story

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:18:58 +0000

Leading Whooping Crane tours over the last few years sparked an idea in Capt. Tommy Moore’s mind, but he didn’t put pen to paper until last year when the project finally came to fruition. That project is the release of his first book The Lobstick Prince – A Whooping Crane Story, which is illustrated by local artist Evelyn Atkinson.

Moore explained the book is based on a true story about a family of Whooping Cranes who spend the winter at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Complex and spring at Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada. The father was born in 1978, and later met his mate in 1981. They were called the “Lobstick Pair.”

The two had a son, the Lobstick Prince, born in 2004, who made a miraculous recovery from a snake bite.

Whooping Cranes, an endangered species, have made an amazing comeback since 1941 when there were only 15. Now there are more than 150.

Moore has been leading Whooping Crane tours since 2003 and has the unique opportunity to observe them every day. Hearing the story about the Lobstick Pair and their offspring, Moore said he thought it was a great story.

He talked about writing it in a book form. He explained he has many people who come aboard his vessel for a Whooping Crane tour who enjoy hearing the story and that inspired him.

However that inspiration and the final act of working on the book took a few years. Moore said he worked with Atkinson to design a t-shirt for his business, Rockport Adventures, and the idea came to him to have her illustrate the book.

Atkinson joked, “I said, ‘sure,’ knowing it would never happen.”

Moore said she did a few illustrations as he finished the book, then they got together and discussed which ones would be best to use.

He admitted, “She knocked out the paintings quicker than I knocked out the book.”

Moore quickly added, “It’s been fun.”

Since the book’s release in November, they have sold more than 1,000 copies. Moore is especially proud $1 of each sale goes to the San Marcos River Foundation whose mission is to preserve and protect the flow, natural beauty and purity of the San Marcos River, which flows into Aransas County and is important to the survival of the whoopers.

Another $1 from each book goes to the Rockport Center for the Arts.

The book is not specially geared toward children, but is more for anyone interested in the outdoors, and particularly birding or wildlife. It could, however, be considered student literature and used to teach youngsters and teens about Whooping Cranes. Moore said he has not talked to local schools about using the book, but could do so in the future.

The book is available at the Art Center, Rockport Birding and Kayak Adventures office, Crane House, TG’s, and For the Birds. Read the entire article »

Whooping crane lawsuit to move forward

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:05:10 +0000

CORPUS CHRISTI — A lawsuit contending that the state endangered whooping cranes that winter in Aransas County will move forward after rulings Wednesday from U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack. The Aransas Project, an alliance of residents, organizations, businesses and governmental entities, sued the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in March. The suit claims the state agency allowed too much water to be drained from the Guadalupe River, reducing inflows into area bay systems that some biologists contend are critical to the birds’ survival.

Assistant Attorney General Brian Berwick and Thomas Watkins, who represents the Texas Chemical Council, argued Wednesday that Jack should dismiss the suit or step down from it. Jack denied both motions.

The flock of whooping cranes that winters at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is the only naturally occurring group of the tall, white-plumed birds. Their population increased from 16 birds in the early 1940s to a high of 270 in spring 2008.

From April 2008 to April 2009, 57 whooping cranes died, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Of those, 23 died in South Texas during a record drought. The Aransas Project contends that low river flow resulted in high salinity levels that depleted the population of blue crabs, a whooping crane dietary staple. Watkins and Berwick argued that the TCEQ does not have the authority to alleviate issues with inflows. Such authority is granted by the legislature, Berwick said. “We are not the environmental actor, we are the regulator,” Berwick said.

Aransas Project attorney Jim Blackburn argued that the TCEQ can seek a Habitat Conservation Plan that would limit habitat modifications along the river, caused by entities subject to the regulators’ supervision. Berwick and Watkins said that historic Texas water rights laws, and hundreds of existing water access permits along the river that benefit agriculture, livestock and commerce, cannot be pushed aside by the TCEQ or the federal court. Such permits cannot be amended without legislation, Watkins said.

Jack said it was too early in the process to dismiss the lawsuit, indicating that she wants to hear more from both sides before making a decision.

The matter is set for trial in Jack’s court in March. Read the entire article »

Texas judge sets trial for whooping crane deaths

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:03:17 +0000

HOUSTON (AP) – A federal judge in south Texas has set a trial date for a lawsuit that alleges poor Texas environmental regulations caused record die-offs among endangered whooping cranes.

The case has been brought by a nonprofit conservation group, The Aransas Project.

U.S. District Judge Janis Jack of Corpus Christi set the trial for March 2 on Wednesday.

The case accuses the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality of not restricting the amount of water taken from rivers that feed the crane’s coastal nesting grounds. It says the commission has approved too many water-use permits for rapidly growing areas in south Texas.

In the winter of 2008, 23 whooping cranes died. In an average winter, only one dies.

TCEQ has said it diverts river flows based on conditions. Read the entire article »

The Aransas Project Passes Critical Stage In Endangered Species Act Litigation To Protect Whooping Crane

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:12:02 +0000

(Corpus Christi, TX — July 28, 2010)—Today, in the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) litigation brought by The Aransas Project (TAP) against officials of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), United States District Judge Janis Jack ruled from the bench to deny all motions to dismiss the litigation.

Proceeding issue-by-issue, Judge Jack entertained arguments from all parties before ruling from the bench to deny each of the motions brought by the defendants and intervenors urging the court to dismiss the case or abstain from hearing it. The ruling clears the path for the litigation to proceed on the fate of the whooping crane, an internationally-recognized endangered species.

TAP legal counsel Jim Blackburn explains, “TAP’s litigation overcame a major hurdle in surviving motions brought by TCEQ and various intervenors.”
This significant development in the case followed an approximately 90-minute hearing before the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Corpus Christi Division. Over the course of the hearing, the Office of the Attorney General, flanked by lawyers for intervenors Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) and the Texas Chemical Council (TCC), advanced various arguments seeking to secure the dismissal of TAP’s case as well as urging the court to abstain from hearing the case on grounds that it would interfere with the state’s regulation of its’ water resources.

Following the hearing, TAP legal counsel Jim Blackburn commented, “We are pleased that the Court agreed that our case should move forward. In a case with international implications, this is a significant step in TAP’s efforts to protect this magnificent endangered species.” Blackburn continued, “We are now looking forward to commencing discovery, and digging deeply into the scientific merits which will be central to this case.”

The case is currently set for trial on March 2, 2011.

Download the PDF

Gulf oil spill crisis may take toll on endangered whooping cranes

admin — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:54:31 +0000

CALGARY – The already endangered population of whooping cranes may be in further jeopardy if the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico affects the birds’ winter habitat and food systems, says an expert with the Calgary Zoo.

As BP works to stem the oil leaking from the ruptured well, the flock manager for the zoo’s whooping crane breeding program says there is growing concern that what has already been spilled will wash up on crane habitat. It’s also possible the oil will contaminate the shellfish, frogs and fish the birds feast on after migrating south for the winter.

“Right now, we can only wait and see how much longer this is going to be flowing and leaking and how far it goes,” said Dwight Knapik, zookeeper at the Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre. “Everything like this is a concern.”

Experts have spent 65 years trying to rebuild the whooping crane population from the 21 birds left at the end of the Second World War to the 550 wild and captive birds alive today.

The cranes, which lay only two eggs per year and typically raise one chick, can’t recover quickly from a dip in the population.

“It takes a long time for them to come back,” Knapik said.

The only wild flock left in the world spends its summers in Wood Buffalo National Park and migrates south to the Aransas Wildlife Refuge in Texas. Birds raised through breeding programs — including those through the Calgary Zoo program — migrate between central Wisconsin and the northwest coast of Florida.

Aransas in Texas is at less risk for contamination because the prevailing water currents appear to be pushing the water east to Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, which will take the brunt of it, Knapik said.

But that could have an effect on the wintering grounds of the flock that has been trained to follow ultralight aircraft from Necedah National Wildlife Refuge to the northwest coast of Florida.

Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen has said it will take years to restore environments and habitats affected by the spill. Hundreds of oiled birds have been picked up by wildlife rescue workers in five states, including Texas.

Nearly 700 endangered brown pelicans have died.

Knapik said one of the reasons experts are trying to establish more than one population of cranes by spreading out their summer and winter habitats is so one catastrophic event, such as a hurricane or an oil leak, won’t devastate the entire population.

“You can’t have all your cranes in one basket,” he said. Read the entire article »