Sandhill Cranes: Success Story – Pulse of the Planet

Cranes have inhabited the earth for millions of years and have an almost mystical importance in many cultures. Some species, like whooping cranes, are now endangered. But sandhill cranes are thriving — a true environmental success story. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by DuPont. Back in the 1940’s, there were only twenty pairs of sandhill cranes recorded in all of Wisconsin. Now, thanks to a determined effort to restore wetlands in the state, there are more than ten thousand Wisconsin sandhill cranes. We know this because folks like Dennis Lammert , one of our Pulse of the Planet listeners, has made the annual crane count a family affair.

“We gotta listen for calls, we gotta look for birds, we gotta listen for the guard call and for the unison call.”

Dennis and his three young daughters, April, Holly and Dawn, are out in the field before sunrise to listen and look for cranes. They’re part of a volunteer effort to count the sandhill cranes that have returned to Wisconsin from their winter homes in Florida.

The crane count helps determine where in the state the sandhill cranes are settling. But it’s a learning experience for the people who participate.

“A unison call is gonna be something like (sound) there’s gonna be two parts to it. If we hear that it’ll probably come from this brush over here.”

The Lammert girls have learned how to distinguish sandhill crane calls from the sounds of other birds.

“Sometimes it’s loud and sometimes soft, so you just keep an ear out for something that sounds like a clattering or something knocking against something.”

To learn about participating in the sandhill crane count, please visit our web site at www.pulseplanet.com. Pulse of the Planet is presented by DuPont, bringing you the miracles of science, with additional support provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. I’m Jim Metzner.

Sandhill Cranes: Success Story

The Sandhill crane population in Wisconsin is thriving, thanks to restoration of their wetland habitat.

Air Date:04/28/2000

Scientist:

Transcript:

Cranes have inhabited the earth for millions of years and have an almost mystical importance in many cultures. Some species, like whooping cranes, are now endangered. But sandhill cranes are thriving -- a true environmental success story. I'm Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by DuPont. Back in the 1940's, there were only twenty pairs of sandhill cranes recorded in all of Wisconsin. Now, thanks to a determined effort to restore wetlands in the state, there are more than ten thousand Wisconsin sandhill cranes. We know this because folks like Dennis Lammert , one of our Pulse of the Planet listeners, has made the annual crane count a family affair.

"We gotta listen for calls, we gotta look for birds, we gotta listen for the guard call and for the unison call."

Dennis and his three young daughters, April, Holly and Dawn, are out in the field before sunrise to listen and look for cranes. They're part of a volunteer effort to count the sandhill cranes that have returned to Wisconsin from their winter homes in Florida.

The crane count helps determine where in the state the sandhill cranes are settling. But it's a learning experience for the people who participate.

"A unison call is gonna be something like (sound) there's gonna be two parts to it. If we hear that it'll probably come from this brush over here."

The Lammert girls have learned how to distinguish sandhill crane calls from the sounds of other birds.

"Sometimes it's loud and sometimes soft, so you just keep an ear out for something that sounds like a clattering or something knocking against something."