Dozens of Operation Migration volunteers have been on the road since September 28, assisting in the migration of five whooping crane chicks on their maiden voyage to their new winter home in St. Mark’s Florida. The crew has followed the cranes for 850 miles and are now in Lowndes County, Alabama waiting for the weather to improve so they can make the final push (about 300 miles) to the Florida coast. Except for the loss of crane # 10-12, who died as a result of a troubled landing, the migration has been a fairly easy one. In years past, the migration reached well into the New Year, resulting in volunteers being away from their families for the holidays. With finger crossed, let’s hope this year’s adventure can be completed by Thanksgiving or at least by Christmas.
In the meantime, you can show your support by logging on to the Operation Migration website and becoming a Mile Marker sponsor.
You can also contribute to the cause by purchasing The Man Who Saved the Whooping Cranes: The Robert Porter Allen Story. I’m donating my royalties to the whooping crane cause. The book has been nominated for the George Perkins Marsh Award for environmental history.
They are home: Date November 23. More later.