Kentucky Sandhill Crane Hunt Proposal---Act Now!

Kentucky has initiated a proposal to hunt sandhill cranes that will be voted on by the Kentucky Wildlife Resources Commission this spring.  If passed, the hunting of sandhill cranes could start as soon as December of 2011.  

Unfinished sandhill crane watercolor by Vickie Henderson

If you responded to Tennessee's proposal, pull out your letter to the Tennessee Commissioners and send a similar letter to Kentucky Commissioners.  This is the same Eastern population of sandhill cranes that we protected from the Tennessee hunt proposal earlier this year.  The issues are the same!

Below I've included email addresses for two Kentucky Commissioners.  A link with contact information for all the commissioners is found at the end of the post, including phone numbers.

Commissioner Jon Gassett
jon.gassett@ky.gov

Commissioner Stuart Ray
stu@ray4kdfwr.com

I am also including my letter here.  Feel free to use any of the points I've included in your letter.  Act now!

March 14, 2011

Commissioner Jon Gassett
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
#1 Sportsman’s Lane 
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601

As a writer, artist, and naturalist with a ten-year history of supporting crane conservation, I am writing to ask the Kentucky Wildlife Resources Commission to deny the proposed sandhill crane hunt in Kentucky.   

As you know, earlier this year the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission deferred the hunting of sandhill cranes in Tennessee for another two years.  One important reason is the wide discrepancy in mid-winter count survey numbers—in Tennessee those figures were 48,000 counted in 2010 versus only 12,000 counted in 2011. 

Unlike the sandhill cranes in other parts of the country, the Eastern Population of Greater Sandhill cranes is a separate and distinct population that has slowly recovered from near extirpation in the past 70 years.  According to the authors of the Mississippi and Atlantic Flyway Council’s joint management plan, there are many problems with the current survey count methods and further studies are needed. 

Additionally, sandhill cranes reproduce very slowly.  They reach breeding maturity at four to seven years of age, produce only one chick per nesting season, and only one in three offspring survive to fledging age.  This slow reproduction rate is unlike any other avian game species currently hunted.  Additionally, there have been no studies of the occurrence of fledgling offspring on wintering grounds.

Ohio has tracked two families of their state-endangered breeding sandhill cranes and found them to have wintered over in Tennessee in 2010.  Initiating a hunting season at this point can destroy the restoration of some eastern state’s breeding populations.

While crop depredation is identified as a reason to hunt sandhill cranes, there are no studies that show that hunting reduces crop depredation by sandhill cranes.  On the other hand, there are non-lethal remedies that are successfully deterring crop depredation.

As a resource, large numbers of sandhill cranes migrating through Kentucky have more value to the state of Kentucky as a wildlife attraction.  Only a small number of people in Kentucky would benefit from establishing a hunting season for sandhill cranes.  On the other hand, the negative public relations created by establishing this season would far out weigh any benefit. 

Nebraska sees the migration of more than 500,000 staging sandhill cranes in the spring, does not permit hunting, and reaps the benefit of more than $10 million dollars a year in tourism dollars. 

A five-year study of the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail recently reported that the trail attracts more than 640,000 visitors annually, infusing more than $8.6 million into the state economy each year.   95% of these visitors plan to visit the Trail again. 

The numbers of wildlife watchers spending dollars nationwide are steadily rising and staging sandhill cranes create a conservation spectacle that everyone loves to celebrate.  Take advantage of this opportunity and please say “no” to hunting the Eastern Population of sandhill cranes. 

Sincerely, 

Vickie Henderson

The beautiful sandhill crane image above was taken by Charlie Corbeil.  Visit his gallery at Charlie Corbeil Photography.

Links and resources:

Click here for the names and phone numbers of all Kentucky Commissioners.  If you don't like writing letters, please let the Commissioners here from you by phone.  It is always a good idea to send your letter to each Commissioner.  They are all individuals with different ideas about the issue.  I found the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commissioners very receptive to the information they received from interested individuals.

Visit the Kentucky Coalition for Sandhill Cranes for more information about Kentucky's proposal.

Julie Zickefoose's blog post at 10,000 birds, including her letter to the commissioners:  Sandhill Crane Hunt in Kentucky?!  You can also read her comments at her blog:  The Crane Battle Moves to KY

Linked to Bird Photography Weekly #133 to promote the conservation of our world's birds.