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Reintroductions & Whooping Cranes Phone: 608-565-2551 Visitor Center Hours: |
Management & Research
Two of Leopold's graduate students, Franklin Schmidt and Frederick Hamerstrom, were actually publishing scholarly wildlife papers (Schmidt 1936, Hamerstrom 1939) before there was a Department of Wildlife Management or wildlife profession. The refuge has seen a great number of other accomplished scholars perform studies here as well as pioneering wildlife firsts.
Hundreds of plant specimens collected and mounted by Fassett and his students are still found in the University of Wisconsin's Herbarium. Additionally, one of Fassett's graduate students, John Thomson, generated several publications (Thomson 1937, 1939, 1940 & 1943) that not only documented rare plant communities in the area but also set the benchmark for the study of successional effects on plant communities.
Impoundment Studies and Demonstrations
Necedah National Wildlife Refuge’s water impoundment management received national attention again in the 1980s. Starting in 1980, Refuge Biologist Dick Nord began a program of moist soil management on the refuge main water impoundments. This program involved draining the impoundments by early June to encourage the growth of smartweed and millet. These plants were then flooded in the fall to give waterfowl access to mature seeds, which fell to the ground. During the early 1980s a workshop was held at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge to demonstrate moist soil management techniques. The workshop was attended by biologist/managers from throughout the country and included eminent waterfowl biologist, Frank Bellrose (Bellrose 1980). A study of the refuge's water budget indicates that 85% of the water entering the property comes in the form of precipitation and while evaporation (62%) and surface water outflows (36%) account for almost all of the water leaving the property.
Wildlife Disease and Toxicology Studies
This work was revisited about a decade later and resulted in another publication (Vickers and Hanson 1982). During the 1970s diseases and parasites in sandhill crane became a major research focus (Windingstad et al. 1977, Windingstad 1978). This work showed that wild cranes have a variety of diseases and parasites but in most cases show no ill effects. Wildlife toxicology was also a major research focus on the Refuge during the 1970s. One study demonstrated that a previously banned pesticide (DDT) persisted on the Refuge. Results from this study (White and Cromartie 1977) showed that DDT levels in hooded merganser (duck) eggs collected on Necedah National Wildlife Refuge were higher than levels from any other study site, which included national wildlife refuges in seventeen states. One recent study investigated the role of trematodes (type of flatworm) in amphibian (frog and toad) declines. Results of this study (Schotthoefer et al. 2003) indicate that tadpoles exposed to trematodes via snails (intermediate host) can experience high mortality rates. Corticosterone (steroid hormone) levels in cranes (both sandhill and whooping) as an indicator of health has been the subject of recent studies (Hartup et al. 2004, Hartup et al. 2005). The use of prescribed fire alone to restore savanna habitats has also been studied at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. This research resulted in two publications (King 1995, King 2000) and the general conclusion that prescribed fire alone can not be used to restore savannas because the hot, dry conditions needed to restore the habitat simultaneously preclude its use.
Wetland Restoration and EcologyPlant material from throughout the core will be combined with radio carbon data to determine which plant communities dominated area sedge meadows from the time Glacial Lake Wisconsin drained until the present. Studying the current plant communities of area sedge meadows, A.J. Czlapinski (University of Wisconsin) found that sedge meadows on the refuge are most closely related to meadows in northern Wisconsin. Studying bird life, Refuge Biologist Richard King found that sedge meadow birds are among the most unique on the refuge and include Henslow's sparrows (state threatened), golden-winged warblers (species of concern), and bobolinks (King 1999).
Karner Blue Butterfly
The refuge has been a leader in recovery of this species and much research in the areas of sampling techniques (King 2000, Brown and Boyce 2004), habitat management (King 2003), genetics (Packer et al. 1998), and dispersal (King 1998) related to the Karner blue butterfly has been conducted at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. The benefits of the refuge's savanna restorations where quickly realized when Karner blue butterfly surveys were initiated in 1993. All but two of the refuge's Karner blue butterfly populations occur within the restoration that occurred in the 1960s. The other two occur within areas that were burned by wildfires; one in the 1950s the other in the 1960s.
Prairie Chickens
In 1930 eminent zoologist, Alfred Gross, was asked to study and preserve central Wisconsin's already dwindling prairie chicken population. Gross had resin to national prominence because he was trying to preserve and nearly extinct species of bird known as the Heath Hen (close relative of the Prairie Chicken), which had dwindled to just one population on Martha's Vineyard (Massachusetts). Gross worked on the Wisconsin Prairie Chicken study from 1930 until 1933. To assist in this effort, Gross enlisted the help of recent University of Wisconsin graduate Franklin Schmidt in 1930. Gross generated just one report (Gross 1930) before leaving the project in 1933. Filling the void left by Gross was a professor from the University of Wisconsin named Aldo Leopold. Leopold and Schmidt worked together on the prairie chicken project until Schmidt's untimely death in a house fire in August 1935. Only one paper resulted from Schmidt's years of study (Schmidt 1936) because all of his papers and data were also lost in the fire (Leopold 1936). Filling in the void left by Schmidt was Frederick Hamerstrom. Hamerstrom worked with Leopold on the prairie chicken project until its conclusion in 1940. Hamerstrom would generate many papers from his time spent on Necedah National Wildlife Refuge (Hamerstrom 1939, 1941, 1951) and along with his wife, Fran, become a prominent figure in the annals of Wisconsin conservation history.
Restoring Canada Geese
Reintroducing Turkey
The reintroduction had some setbacks including a disease (blackhead disease) outbreak in 1958 and die-offs from sever winters in the late 1950s and late 1960s. This population rebounded from the setbacks to the point that hunting seasons were held in 1966, 1967, and 1968. During the mid-1960s birds from this population were used for unsuccessful reintroductions in eight other Wisconsin counties. The central Wisconsin turkey population persisted in isolation through the 1970s and 1980s. In 1974 wild-caught turkeys from Missouri were released in Vernon County. This reintroduction was very successful and turkeys from this population quickly expanded across the state. The expanding population reached the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in the late 1980s. It is unclear if the "Missouri" turkeys mixed with our out competed the "Pennsylvania" birds. Regardless, the turkey population moved through central Wisconsin and continuous its northward expansion to the present.
Mallard Release
Bird Banding
Samson found that Canada geese banded during migration (fall) migrated down the Mississippi Flyway while the resident, Utah birds banded during the summer exhibited a southwesterly migration much like their ancestors. Although they had been removed from their western homeland for several generations, Samson surmised that "Utah" geese were using celestial clues to guide their odd migration. Bird banding is a unique technique for studying the movement, survival and behavior of birds. To learn more about this fascinating program and or to report a bird band please visit the Bird Banding Laboratory.
Sandhill Crane Studies
Another graduate student, Thomas Howard, was able to picked-up where Ernest Gluesing left off and determine the migratory patterns of sandhill cranes because he not only had his banded birds but also those of Gluesing. Howard was able to determine that sandhill cranes banded in the fall at Necedah winter in Florida and that most return to Wisconsin the following spring and that some don't return to Wisconsin, choosing to summer in lower Michigan (Howard 1977).
Costume-Rearing
This project was not only successful it laid the foundation for all future wildlife reintroduction involving costume rearing. Examples include three subsequent reintroductions (trumpeter swans, sandhill cranes, and whooping cranes) on the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. This project resulted in one publication (Horawich 1989).
Trumpeter Swan Reintroduction
During 1994, cygnets (young swans) were imprinted on decoys painted to look like adult swans. Cygnets were then transported to three release locations on the refuge. During the day, the cygnets followed the imprint decoy that was towed by a handler in a camouflaged, mobile muskrat hut. The handler's job was to teach the cygnets where to eat and how to avoid predators. From 1995 to 1997, hard-releases of 1 ½ year old swans occurred on the refuge. These birds were raised in isolation at the Milwaukee County Zoo, transported to the refuge, and released. The state-wide population of trumpeter swans continues to increase and descendents of released swans nest on Necedah National Wildlife Refuge to this day. This project resulted in one publication (White 1994).
Songbird Surveys
Results from this study (King 1999) indicate that among the refuge's many habitats, sedge meadows and savannas have the most unique birdlife including sedge wrens, bobolinks, red-headed woodpeckers, wood thrushes, golden-winged warblers, and Henslow's sparrows. Songbird data from the refuge are available through the U.S. Geological Survey's Bird Point Count Database.
Marsh Birds
Costume-rearing Migratory Sandhill CranesThe refuge participated in an innovative restoration project in 2000 involving the use of costume-rearing of sandhill cranes.. Following in the foot-steps of Rob Horawich's work decades earlier, costume-reared sandhill cranes were raised at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in 2000 and lead to Florida by their handlers. To accomplish this, the handlers flew ultra-light aircraft while in costume. This project demonstrated that sandhill cranes could be costume-reared and taught to migrate. This project involved a consortium of government, nonprofit organizations, and private individuals and is known as the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP). The project was a success in that it demonstrated that sandhill cranes could be migrated to Florida and that they would return on their own the following spring.
Costume-rearing Whooping Cranes
Red-headed Woodpeckers
Mammals
In the decade following Hamerstrom and Blake's studies, young aspen stands became established on most of the Refuge and resulted in an eruption in the deer heard. Deer densities on Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in the 1950s reached 80 deer per square mile. This deer density was documented by Refuge Manager Frank Martin (Martin and Krefting 1953). High deer densities attracted large number of hunters from throughout the Midwest. Conservationist and father of modern bowhunting Fred Bear, was among those hunters who flocked to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in the 1950s & 1960s. As it relates to deer management today, Necedah National Wildlife Refuge does not set deer population or harvest goals or issue harvest permits. Nor do we estimate deer densities or benefit from deer hunting license sales as management of all National Wildlife Refuges is funded with federal income tax. Please direct your concerns regarding deer management and harvest to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The Wisconsin DNR has several venues for hunters to share their views throughout the year. The spring hearings, held in each county, are perhaps the most well attended.
Prescribed Fire
Forest Ecology
The refuge partnered with the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point to study the effects of oak wilt, which is a disease affecting oak trees. Results of this research resulted in two publications (Collada 1998; Collada and Haney 1998) and indicated that oak wilt increase plant diversity on the refuge. This research expanded on research that had been conducted on the refuge by the National Forest Service (North Central Forest Experiment Station).
Adaptive ManagementAdaptive management is the policy used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in developing Habitat Management Plans. The Service defines it as "A process that uses feedback from refuge research and monitoring and evaluation of management actions to support or modify objectives and strategies at all planning levels." Although it was first proposed in the 1970s, adaptive management lacked examples from upland systems until the 1990s. Necedah National Wildlife Refuge served as an example of adaptive management in practice (Haney and Power 1996). Refuge Forest Ecologist Rebecca Power and her coauthor, Alan Haney used the Refuge's savanna restoration program to illustrate how adaptive management should be applied to a restoration program. Necedah National Wildlife Refuge is directed by law to manage for biological diversity and integrity. This law is known as the Refuge Improvement Act of 1997. Necedah National Wildlife Refuge have plants and animals that have nearly vanished from the State. This is illustrated by the fact that Necedah Refuge contains two State Natural Areas, harbors seven state listed birds, three state listed plants, and one state listed turtle. The Refuge's contributions to bird conservation were recognized by the National Audubon Society, which designated the Refuge as Important Bird Area. The Refuge is also listed as a recovery site in the Karner Blue Butterfly Recovery Plan and the Whooping Crane Recovery Team selected Necedah Refuge as a reintroduction site. Necedah Refuge has reintroduced other birds including Canada geese (1939), wild turkey (1952-1956), and trumpeter swan (1994-1997). At Necedah Refuge, you can view plants and birds with affinities to the tropics, Atlantic Coast, Rocky Mountains, and tundra. In short, the diversity at Necedah Refuge is amazing. Regarding restoration, Necedah Refuge is a national leader. Refuge staff have restored more oak savanna than anywhere and restoring vast acreage of sedge meadows. Not only is the scale of restoration at Necedah second to none, the quality is unmatched. Through the Refuge's plant propagation program, they have brought species back that have been missing from the property since the 1930s. Managing a refuge demands long-range planning that reflects vision, science and people. The Necedah National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) describes how we will provide for migratory species without our boundaries, support endangered species on the refuge, work with partners to improve habitats beyond our boundaries, expand opportunities for wildlife viewing and fishing, and develop environmental education and outreach programs to increase appreciation of fish and wildlife. The entire CCP is available at: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/planning/Necedah/index.html#Approved.
Waterfowl and Crane PopulationsNecedah National Wildlife Refuge tracks production of waterfowl and cranes on the property by conducting an annual breeding pair count. The breeding pair count is conducted in the beginning of May. While conducting this survey, refuge staff count waterfowl and crane pairs (male and female) on the refuge and then determine the number of young this pairs should produce. The refuge also tracks the number of waterfowl and cranes that use the refuge in the fall. While conducting these weekly counts, refuge staff begin by counting the number of birds that fly off of the refuge at dawn. This "fly out" count is followed with a ground count and involves counting the number of birds remaining on impoundments and ditches. View the 2010 Fall Results.
ReferencesBellrose, F. 1980. Ducks, Geese & Swans of North America. Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, PA. Blewett, T.G., Lewin, D.C., and R.Q. Landers Jr. 1978. Prairie and savanna restoration in the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. Proceedings Midwest Prairie Conference 5:154-157. Brown, J.A. and M.S. Boyce. 2004. Line transect sampling of Karner blue butterflies (Lycaeides Melissa samuelis). Environmental and Ecological Statistics 5(1):81-91. Collada, A.E. 1998. Impact of oak wilt on vegetation and structure of a degraded barrens. Masters Thesis University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Collada, A.E. and A. Haney. 1998. Vegetation changes associated with oak wilt in a Wisconsin sand savanna. Transactions of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters 86:35-46. Gluesing, E.A. 1974. Distribution and status of the greater sandhill crane in Wisconsin. Masters Thesis University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Graetz, J.L., S.W. Matteson, J. Skoloda, and C. Ribic. 1997. Status and distribution of marsh and sedge meadow birds at Horicon, Necedah, and Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuges in 1995. Passenger Pigeon 59(2):119-130. Hamerstrom, F.N. 1939. A study of Wisconsin prairie chicken and sharp-tailed grouse. Wilson Bulletin 51:105-119. Hamerstrom, F.N. 1941. A study of Wisconsin prairie grouse: (breeding habits, winter foods, endoparasites, and movements). PhD Dissertation University of Wisconsin. Hamerstrom, F.N. and J. Blake Jr. 1939a. Winter movements and winter foods of white-tailed deer in central Wisconsin. Journal of Mammalogy 20(2):206-215. Hamerstrom, F.N. and J. Blake Jr. 1939b. Central Wisconsin muskrat study. American Midland Naturalist 21(2):514-520. Hamerstrom, F.N. and F. Hamerstrom. 1951. Mobility of the sharp-tailed grouse in relation to its ecology and distribution. American Midland Naturalist 46(1):174-226. Haney, A. and R.L. Power. 1996. Adaptive management for sound ecosystem management. Environmental Management 20(6):879-886. Hartup, B.K., G.H. Olsen, N.M. Czekala, J. Paul-Murphy, and J.A. Langenberg. 2004. Levels of fecal corticosterone in sandhill cranes during a human-led migration. Hartup, B.K., G.H. Olsen, and N.M. Czekala. 2005. Fecal coricoid monitoring in whooping cranes (Grus Americana) undergoing reintroduction. Zoo Biology 24(1):15-28. Howard, T.J. 1977. Ecology of the greater sandhill crane in central Wisconsin. Masters Thesis University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Horwich, R.H. 1989. Use of surrogate parental models and age periods in a successful release of hand-reared sandhill crane. Zoo Biology 8(4):379-390. Kadlec, J.A. 1956. The effects of water level management on two central Wisconsin marshes 1950-1954. Masters Thesis University of Michigan. Kadlec, J.A. 1958. An analysis of a woolgrass (Scirpus cyperinus) community in Wisconsin. Ecology 39(2):327-332. Kadlec, J.A., 1961. A further comment on the ecology of woolgrass (Scirpus cyperinus). Ecology 42(3):591-592. Kadlec, J.A. 1962. Effects of a drawdown on a waterfowl impoundment. Ecology 43:267-281. King, R.S. 1995. Plant and songbird responses to fire in degraded oak barrens in Central Wisconsin. Masters Thesis University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. King, R.S. 1998. Dispersal of Karner blue butterflies (Lycaeides Melissa samuelis Nabokov) at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. Transactions of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters 86:101-110. King, R.S. 1999. Avian communities of the Necedah Wildlife Management Area and Yellow River. Passenger Pigeon 61(3):337-346. King, R.S. 2000a. Effects of single burn events in degraded oak savanna. Ecological Restoration 18(4):228-233. King, R.S. 2000b. Evaluation of survey methods for the Karner blue butterfly on the Necedah Wildlife Management Area. Transactions of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters 88:67-75. King, R.S. 2003. Habitat management for the Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides Melissa samuelis): Evaluating the short-term consequences. Ecological Restoration 21(2):101-106. King, R.S., K.E. Brashear, and M. Reiman. 2007. Red-headed woodpecker nest-habitat thresholds in restored savannas. Journal of Wildlife Management 71(1):30-35. Martin, F.R. and L.W. Krefting. 1953. The Necedah Refuge deer irruption. Journal of Wildlife Management 17(2):166-176. Nielsen, S.E., C. Kirschbaum, and A. Haney. 2003. Restoration of Midwest oak barrens: structural manipulation or process-only. Conservation Ecology 72(2). Packer, L. J.S. Taylor, D.A. Savignana, C.A. Bleser, C.P. Lane, and L.A. Sommers. 1998. Population biology of an endangered butterfly, Lycaeides Melissa samuelis (Lepidoptera; Lycaenidae): genetic variation, gene flow, and taxonomic status. Canadian Journal of Zoology 76:320-329. Palmer, S.F. and D.O. Trainer. 1970. Seroligic evidence of Newcastle disease virus in Canada geese. Avian Diseases 14(3):494-502. Ribic, C.A. 1999. Rails in Wisconsin, with a focus on sora and Virginia rail. Passenger Pigeon 61(3):277-289. Samson, F.B. 1971. Migration of resident and migrant Canada geese banded at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. Bird Banding 42(2):115-118. Schmidt, F.J.W. 1936. Winter food of the sharp-tailed grouse and pinnated grouse in Wisconsin. Schotthoefer, A. M., R.A. Cole, and V.R. Beasley. 2003. Relationship of tadpole stage to location of echinostome cercariae encystement and the consequences for tadpole survival. Journal of Parasitology 89(3):475-482. Smith, L.M. and J. A. Kadlec. 1983. Seed banks and their role during drawdown of a North American Marsh. Journal of Applied Ecology 20:673-684. Thomson, J.W. 1937. Dynamics of some prairie plants in Juneau County, Wisconsin. Masters Thesis University of Wisconsin. Thomson, J.W. 1939. Dynamics of some prairie plants in Juneau County, Wisconsin. PhD Dissertation University of Wisconsin. Thomson, J.W. 1940. Relic prairie areas in central Wisconsin. Ecological Monographs 10(4):685-717. Thomson, J.W. 1943. Plant succession on abandoned fields in the central Wisconsin sand plain area. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 70(1):34-41. Vickers, M.L. and R.P. Hanson. 1982. Newcastle disease virus in waterfowl in Wisconsin. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 18(2):149-158. White, D.H. and E. Cromartie. 1977. Residues of environmental pollutants and shell thinning in merganser eggs. The Wilson Bulletin 89(4):532-542. White, J.D. 1994. Time-activity budgets of trumpeter swan cygnets while being reintroduced to the wild. Passenger Pigeon 56(2):151-155. Windingstad, R.M., D.O. Trainer, and R. Duncan. 1977. Salmonella enteritidis and Arizona hinshawii isolated from wild sandhill cranes. Avian Diseases 21(4):704-707. Windingstad, R.M. 1978. Diseases and parasites of the greater sandhill crane. Masters Thesis University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
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