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ee -- nll om I OO ray ~r vA Tv oy "WEEKEND STAR" WQATD MAL TNTINY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2000 - Ultralights to lead Sandhill Cranes south Port Perry's Joe Duff and Bill Lisham will take the lead in the first phase of an ambitious effort to re-establish a migratory popu- lation of endangered whooping cranes in the east. A Canadian team from "Operation Migration," piloting three ultralight aircraft took off from a national wildlife refuge in Wisconsin on Tuesday, Oct. 3 leading a flock of sandhill cranes on an experimental migration that could pave the way for simi- lar flights with whooping cranes in the near future. The 13 sandhill crane chicks have been exposed to aircraft noise by researchers since hatch- ing and reared in extreme isola- tion from humans at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin. After undergoing months of specialized handling designed to condition them to following the ultralight aircraft, the birds began a journey through seven states that will take them to their wintering grounds at Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. If the migration study is suc- cessful and the birds complete the journey to Florida and return on their own to Wisconsin in the spring of 2001, the same training procedures and route will be used with whooping crane chicks as part of the second phase of the study. If all goes as pl od ES and 'necessary approvals obtained from the Flyway Councils, States and other involved agencies, the study could eventually lead to the re- establishment of a migratory population of whooping cranes in the eastern United States. "With just over 400 whooping cranes in existence, and with only one migratory flock in the wild, the establishment of a second migratory flock is vitally impor- tant to the survival and recovery' of one of North America's most endangered species and the world's most endangered crane. The migration will follow the established eastern sandhill crane migration route, passing through Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia before arriving in central Florida. The migration will cover from 50 to 70 miles per day on days when weather conditions permit flight, reaching Chassahowitzka NWR in approxi- mately 32 days. Reliance on humans jeopard- izes the ability of any wild animal to survive on its own, and whoop- ~ ing cranes are especially vulnera- ble because of their small popu- lation. In order to test and estab- lish methods that can be used with whooping cranes, every effort has been made to restrict the sandhill cranes' contact with 'humans in order to prevent the birds from becoming too tame and relying. on human care for their survival: no; / SE Bill Lishman and Joe Duff at the opening of the movie "Fly Away Home in September 1996. The sandhill cranes have been raised by humans in cos- tumes that disguise the human form, using mechanical hand puppets designed to look like adult sandhill cranes. The birds have never seen the pilots of the ultralights out of costume. These restrictions on human contact will continue during the birds' migra- tion and with the whooping cranes in the near future. Whooping cranes were proba- bly always rare, with a population estimated at 500 to 700 individu- als in 1870. As a consequence of unregulated hunting and speci- men collection, human distur- bance, and conversion of their primary nesting habitat to hay, yroduc- spopula- pastureland, and grain tion, the whooping crant PLEASURE VALLEY 2499 Brock Road Uxbridge, Ontario L9P 1R4 Phone: 905-649-3334 Fax: 905-649-3335 E-mail: sales@pleasurevalley.on.ca Web Site: www. pleasurevalley.on,ca TAKE A JOURNEY BACK IN TIME, COME AND EXPERIENCE NATIVE VISIONS NATIVE VISIONS is an entertaining and educa- "tional presentation on horseback by Linda Little Wolf, featuring the life of the Plains Indians includ- ing subjects such as: > "Visions of the Buffalo People" > "The Plains Indian Acquisition of the Horse" > "Blood Brothers" + "The Women's Way" 2 "The Final Days of the Buffalo Hunters" MEET LINDA LITTLE WOLF Linda Little Wolf resides in Ocala, Florida. She has been an enthusiastic collector of Native American art and artifacts for the past two decades. Her knowledge of her heritage, Cherokee and Lakota Sioux, has helped educate audiences of all ages. Little Wolf has become very well known for her lectures on Plains Indian history, culture, folklore, art and horsemanship. You will see Linda mounted on horseback dressed in elaborate regalia describing the physical and spiritual roles the horse played in the lives of North America's nomadic tribes and the unique horsemanship skills. $7.00 PER PERSON $6.00 PER PERSON (Group sizes of 30 personss+) CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION: (905) 649-3334 * Tinted glass upport warranty car. tion faced extinction by 1941, with only 21 birds remaining. Today, after decades of cap- tive breeding and the 1993 rein- troduction of a nonmigratory population in central Florida, there are 411 whooping cranes in North America, with 266 of those birds in the wild. Of these, there is only one remaining migratory flock of 187 whooping cranes in the wild, migrating between Wood Buffalo National Park, Northwest Territories, Canada and Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in south Texas. The team at Operation Migration was asked in the spring of last year to spearhead this reintroduction attempt based on their past experience working with three species of birds in ¢ Dual front airbags and driver's knee airbag * Theft-deterrent system o Drivers adjustable lumbar o Fully boxed ladder frame * 24-hour roadside assistance * 3-year/60,000 km limited ® 5-year/100,000 km limited powertrain warranty It's about time everyone had a well-made nine separate studies. The team this year will be directed by Joseph Duff from Port Perry, with air assistance given by Bill Lishman of Blackstock and Deke Clark, an OM volunteer/board director from Maryland, U.S. Duff will act as "lead pilot" during the 1250 mile flight to Florida, with Lishman and Clark covering the "scout" and "chase" positions. Both Duff and Clark have been in Wisconsin training the cranes since late May, along with biologist, Dan Sprague from the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Centre in Laurel, Maryland. This strange entourage will consist of not only three OM ultralights but also a Cessna 182 piloted by fellow Ontario pilots, Paula and Don Lounsbury who have flown "top cover" for OM on three past migrations, volunteer- ing their aircraft and their time. Additionally, there are eight vehicles that make up the groundcrew portion of the team, including- a mobile veterinary clinic, four motorhomes and sev- eral trucks pulling the OM trail- ers. Daily updates, news releases, graphics migration tracking and partnership links are available online at the Operation Migration web site at http://www.operation- migrartion.org If you'd like to send well wish- es to the crew, you can email them to: opmig@durham. net: «= The new Sephia. Starting at *13,845> ® Dual airbags © 1.8 litre, a-cylinder DOHC engine * Tinted glass * Rear window defroster * Steel side-door impact beams ® 24-hour roadside assistance * 3-year/60,000 km limited warranty * 5-year/100,000 km limited powertrain warranty The new Sportage. Starting at °20, 995.* ¢ Standard power windows, locks, mirrors © 16 valve, 130-hp DOHC engine Introducing Kia. ela dels] | \VAATLI RT] To Te AY, can afford one. Or both. Hwy. 35 south of Hwy #7 (Beside Dynasty Restaurant) Lindsay Ph: 705.324.5565 Fx. 705.324.1127 "Starting MSRP of a base Sephia is $13 845 (model number SES412). Starting MSRP of a base Sportage is $20,995 (model number SP5412). 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