Carter Crouch has been fascinated by the whooping crane’s conservation story for decades, and on Thursday he described why a new sanctuary in southeast Texas matters for the birds’ survival. The International Crane Foundation, The Conservation Fund and the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program announced the acquisition of more than 3,300 acres of winter habitat for the endangered whooping crane, a species conservationists say has made a recovery but still depends on protection of vulnerable coastal landscapes.
The whooping crane is named for its distinctive “whooping” call and is among the rarest birds in North America. Organizers said that more than 550 whooping cranes migrate from Canada to Texas in winter and that the whooping crane’s flock is the last self-sustaining wild flock in the world. The birds breed and nest in wetlands around Canada’s Wood Buffalo National Park before beginning a winter migration of about 2,500 miles to forage and roost near Texas’ Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.
The new sanctuary project focuses on the critical winter season habitat. Organizers said the region supports whooping cranes along with other species, including a federally endangered aplomado falcon and a threatened black rail. The announcement also tied the effort to long-term gains in conservation: the project description says only 16 whooping cranes existed in Texas in the early 1940s, and conservation work has since helped the population rebound.
Crouch, director of Gulf Coast programs for the International Crane Foundation, said the crane conservation story includes both successes and setbacks, but that conservationists have “come a long way.” He said conservation work is ongoing and that there is “a long way to go still,” adding, “so there’s a lot of story to be written, and I’m super excited to be a small part of that.”
The sanctuary includes two properties purchased for just over $8.4 million, funded through grants, fundraising and hundreds of donations, according to the announcement. The International Crane Foundation will own and manage the property named the Wolfberry Whooping Crane Sanctuary, while The Conservation Fund will own the second property until the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program buys it and ultimately takes ownership, organizers said.
The sanctuary’s name comes from the Carolina wolfberry, a shrub whose small red berries whooping cranes eat. Organizers said the birds feed on wolfberries and on coastal food sources such as blue crabs, mollusks and fish, and that the sanctuary’s coastal habitat is designed to support those needs. They also said conservationists plan to manage the landscape: much of the prairie has been overtaken by shrubs, and they expect to use prescribed burns and other methods to restore grassland.
In addition to restoring habitat, organizers said they plan to plant smooth cordgrass to improve marshes and help protect shorelines from erosion, which they said can also act as storm buffers for nearby residents. They also said volunteers will assist with annual Christmas bird counts, and that once the sanctuary is operating, organizers hope to add guided tours and other educational events.
Beyond the sanctuary acreage, supporters said the protected lands near Aransas National Wildlife Refuge are among the only places in the United States where people can reliably see whooping cranes. Julie Shackelford, Texas director for The Conservation Fund, said winter visitors spend time outdoors to find the birds, and she described the effort as “super gratifying” because it helps protect land for future generations.
Mike Forsberg, a conservation photographer who has worked on whooping cranes for years, said the key to keeping conservation work going is making it personal. He said, “The heart of keeping anything on the Earth … has to do with making it personal to you, and cranes are just a great doorway in,” and he added that the challenge ultimately is whether people will protect the habitats cranes need.
Forsberg pointed to the birds’ resilience, saying, “Of course they can,” referring to whether whooping cranes can survive in a “21st century world.” He said, “They’re resilient. But it’s up to us,” describing habitat protection now as “critical,” including work by the International Crane Foundation and by land managers who follow a shared conservation ethos.
Behind the sanctuary’s purpose is a broader warning about habitat loss and climate change pressures. The announcement cited research and estimates that since the 1970s, 35% of the world’s wetlands have been lost due to human activities, according to the United Nations, and that the U.S. has lost at least 80% of its grasslands, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Organizers said sea level rise can wipe out low-lying coastal wetlands in Texas and that warming in Canada threatens habitats linked to permafrost loss, while changing rainfall patterns can reduce wetland availability in the Great Plains and other regions.