Three years after proposing to reintroduce whooping cranes (Grus americana) into historic habitat and establish a migratory flock of birds in eastern North America, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service confirms the arrival of 5 whooping cranes in South Carolina.
There are now 35 migratory whooping cranes in the wild in eastern North America, thanks to the efforts of the in Wisconsin to Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. The chicks that take part in the reintroduction project are hatched at the , , the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Surveys Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and , the.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
