If you want to get outdoors on a what's forecast to be a beautiful spring morning, the International Crane Foundation could use some help with it's annual Midwest Crane Count. The count is this Saturday morning.
The Oneida county coordinators are Bob and Jan Dall of Rhinelander. He says volunteers go out from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m.and look and listen for cranes.
He says it's a citizen-science project that has key impacts on populations of birds that Dall says are stressed.....
"....and this is the longest single species survey of its kind in the world. The information is very valuable in managing other species. There are only 15 species of cranes in the world and nearly all of them are in trouble in one way or another in terms of declining populations or loss of habitat....."
This is the 41st year for the Midwest Crane count that started as a high school project in 1976. He says the count has been taking place in Oneida county for 26 years.
Sandhill Cranes once nearly disappeared from Wisconsin, but the species has successfully recovered and is slowly expanding into neighboring states. Dall says more volunteers and needed and to call him at 715-401-3214 for more information go online atcranecount. org
