“When we hear his call, we hear no mere bird. We hear the trumpet in the orchestra of evolution.”
-Aldo Leopold
Sandhill Cranes have a strong cultural and spiritual connection for many in WI and around the world. Leopold considered cranes to be a symbol of Wisconsin’s untamable past, and detailed in his writings the deep connection between cranes and Earth’s geologic history.
At the time of his observations, Sandhill Cranes were close to extinction. The recovery of the Sandhill Crane is considered to be one of the greatest conservation success stories of our time. Through habitat restoration and hunting reform (The 1916 Migratory Bird Treaty Act) the cranes were ultimately saved.
Sandhill Cranes are among the oldest living birds on the planet, with the earliest crane fossils estimated to be 2.5 million years old.
Other interesting facts about Sandhill Cranes:
- Wingspan of 6-7 feet
- Lifespan of 20-40 years
- Flight speed of 25-35 miles per hour
- Travel distance of up to 300 miles per day during migration
- Their bugling or rattling calls are haunting and beautiful, similar to prehistoric pterodactyls
- Contribute to a healthy environment by eating many harmful insects
Some of the things that make cranes unique from typical migratory birds:
- They are long-lived, living up to 40 years
- They are monogamous and mate for life
- They are slow to reproduce. Don’t reach sexual maturity for 3-5 years, only lay 1-2 egg clutches, and often fledging only 1 young per year
Cranes unique link to Wisconsin:
- Breeding: WI is home to the largest breeding population of the Eastern crane population
- Geology: Marshlands. WI has a notable # of areas where the Sandhills converge to rest and eat
- Ecotourism: These large staging areas provide public viewing that support ecotourism opportunities
With the increasing numbers of Sandhill Cranes in Wisconsin, there have been increased conflicts with crops. The Wisconsin Legislative Council Study Committee on Sandhill Cranes has proposed legislation that would allow for a hunt of the birds, claiming it will help reduce crop damage for farmers. There isn’t a current compensation program for farmers to address crop loss caused by Sandhill Cranes. Instead of proposing a separate bill to address this, the committee has proposed only giving compensation to farmers for crop loss if a Sandhill Crane hunt is authorized as well. If the bill does not pass, farmers would be left without any financial assistance to mitigate crop damage. No scientific study has shown that hunting has reduced crane-caused crop damage in North America's hunted populations.
The Sierra Club has many concerns over how the bill that would create a hunt is written:
- The proposed hunt will not help farmers, as intended. According to retired Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) Migratory Game Bird Specialist Kent Van Horn, creating a fall Sandhill Crane hunting season is NOT a solution for population control to reduce crop damage that occurs in the spring. The proposed hunt is based on a United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) management plan which was drafted in 2009 and needs updating. There needs to be a wildlife management plan that is separate from the agricultural plan.
- This is a costly and time-intensive process for our WDNR, which is already operating at a structural deficit.
- The creation and administering of a new Sandhill Crane hunt would only further burden the Fish & Wildlife account of the WDNR, which is facing a $16 million deficit by 2026.
- Simply creating the Sandhill Crane hunt, according to WDNR projections, would cost around $110,000.
- The fees raised by an annual Sandhill Crane hunt alone would not provide enough funds to pay farmers' crop damage claims. A surcharge would need to be added to ALL hunting licenses in order to accomplish this, putting an added fee on other hunters who are not taking part in a Sandhill Crane hunt.
- The proposal does not offer protections for other vulnerable species. Juvenile Whooping Cranes (an endangered species on the brink of extinction in Wisconsin) are very similar in size and coloration to Sandhill Cranes, increasing the risk of their being misidentified and accidentally shot. The proposal does not offer increased protections for Whooping Cranes in the form of additional training, age restrictions, increased fees for killing a Whooping Crane, and additional protections. A lot of resources have gone into helping Whooping Cranes rebound and it is irresponsible to allow a Sandhill Crane hunt to create a setback for whooping cranes.
- There are no protections to prevent overharvesting. The overharvest of breeding birds could significantly decrease the population due to their slow reproductive rate, making recovery lengthy. It took decades for Sandhill Cranes to be restored after the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
- There is no consideration of a hunt's economic impacts or lack of public support. There is no analysis of the impact of a hunt on ecotourism in Wisconsin, which should have been quantified in the USFWS management plan but was not. Additionally, there was no effort with the current proposal to address the public concerns about a hunt. The UW Survey Center WisconSays survey results indicate that only 18% of respondents said they would support a hunt, and only 5% of those would be likely to hunt Sandhill Cranes and only willing to pay $3 per tag.
In summary, the proposed Sandhill Crane hunt poses a high risk to our state’s ecosystems; it will not solve the problem of crop damage for farmers, and most Wisconsinites do not want it.
Before moving forward with the proposed hunt, the following should be investigated and adopted, to see if it can mitigate the crop loss farmers are facing:
- Supporting funds to subsidize farmers' costs for seed treatments. An example is Avipel, a seed treatment that was developed by the International Crane Foundation in partnership with Arkion LLC. The seed treatment is a harmless, non-toxic substance, originally derived from plants, that is applied to corn seeds before they are planted. This has been proven to be effective at repelling cranes and other birds. Cranes then avoid feeding on the seeds but remain in the fields to feed on worms, harmful insects, and waste grains.
- Creating a fund to compensate farmers, regardless of whether there is a Sandhill Crane hunt.
- An update to the USFWS management plan and the creation of an agricultural plan.
“ A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.”
The Land Ethic, A Sand County Almanac.
Written by Dianne Yeske, Sierra Club Wisconsin Chapter Wildlife Team Member