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<br />.,;.... <br /> <br />28 <br /> <br />Experimentation with sandhill cranes began in 1961. Immature lesser and greater sandhill <br />cranes were captured on the wintering grounds in 1961 and 1962, respectively, and greater <br />sandhill crane eggs and downy chicks were collected in southeastern Oregon in 1962, <br />Theile initial studies indicated that egg collecting was the safest and most convenient <br />method of obtaining and transporting wild stock. O'nly eggs were taken from the wild in <br />subsequent years at Malheur NWR, Oregon and Grays l.ake NWR, Idaho, several locations in <br />peninsular Florida, and Jackson County, Mississippi, <br /> <br />The experimental flock was initially quartered in temporary facilities at Monte Vista NWR, <br />Colorado. However, in 1966 Senator Karl E. Mundt'sponsored a supplemental appropriation <br />to Elstablish the Endangered Wildlife Research Progr~m and to develop permanent facilities at <br />the PWRC in Laurel, Maryland, The Whooping Cran'e Conservation Association was <br />influential in acquiring the first project funding at P\~JRC. The advantagas of this location, <br />organizational arrangement of this program, and species receiving initial attention were <br />summarized by Erickson (1968). The single whoopihg crane and sandhill cranes were <br />transferred from Colorado to Maryland in the spring ,of 1966. This bird, a male eventually <br />named CAN-US, was captured as a chick in WBNP in 1964 after it was observed that his <br />wing was severely injured (Novakowski 1965). <br /> <br />Egg-taking experiments with sandhill cranes indicated that nest desertion was negligible and <br />population productivity was relatively unaffected wl1len single eggs were removed from <br />two-egg clutches. It had previously been noted that cranes normally lay two eggs but rarely <br />fledge two chicks. Observations on the breeding grpunds by Novakowski (1966) confirmed <br />that whooping cranes generally follow this pattern. ; It appeared that a Single egg could be <br />removed from each two-egg clutch with the same favorable results experienced with <br />sandhill cranes. <br /> <br />CWS and the Service obtained eggs from nests in \l\(BNP in 1967 to 1971, and 1974 to <br />further augment the PWRC population, and in 1975 :through 1988 to provide eggs for the <br />Grays l.ake cross-fostering experiment (Table 2), Eqg transfers to PWRC were resumed in <br />1982 and initiated at ICF in 1990 to increase the si2:e and genetic diversity of the captive <br />floo~ I <br /> <br />Between 1967 and 1993,181 eggs were taken from the wild to the captive sites (Table 2). <br />Chicks raised from these eggs currently form the nucleus of the breeding flocks being <br />maintained at PWRC and ICF. Egg collections and s!Jbsequent propagation efforts have <br />been described elsewhere (Carpenter et al. 1976, C~lrpenter and Derrickson 1981, <br />Derrickson and Carpenter 1981, Erickson 1975, 19~6, Erickson and Derrickson 1981, <br />Kepler 1976, 1978, Kuyt 1976j1, 1976.!:!). <br /> <br />Erickson (1976) and Kuyt (1976j1, 1981.i!, 1981.12) nQted that egg removals have not <br />adversely affected the productivity of the wild population, Between 1967 and 1992, the <br />AWP increased from 48 to 136, and the number of breeding pairs increased from 9 to 40, <br />Although some propagation techniques developed fdr sandhill cranes can be appliecl to <br />whooping cranes, the latter have required certain pr9cedural modifications, Whooping <br />cranes have been more difficult to raise than sandhills, and most mortality has occurred <br />within one month of hatching as a result of bacterial infections, coccidiosis, congenital <br />