International Cranes Foundation: Wisconsin Legislative Council Study Committee on Sandhill Cranes to hold its first meeting next week 

July 25, 2024 – Baraboo, Wis. – The Wisconsin Legislative Council Study Committee on  Sandhill Cranes is scheduled to hold its first meeting on Thursday, August 1, 2024,  beginning at 10:00 a.m. at Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center (N7725 Highway  28, Horicon, WI), according to an agenda released today by the Legislative Council. The  meeting is open to the public, and the International Crane Foundation urges those  interested in the conservation of Sandhill and Whooping Crane to attend. 

Anne Lacy, Director of Eastern Flyway Programs – North America, has been appointed to the  Legislative Council Study Committee on Sandhill Cranes in the Wisconsin Legislature. 

The committee, which is one of five study committees this year, is charged “to review and  recommend options for legislation relating to the management of Wisconsin’s sandhill  crane population,” according to the committee scope published by the Legislative Council. 

Established in 1947, the Joint Legislative Council’s primary responsibility is to establish  study committees to look at major issues and problems identified by the Legislature. Study  committees do most of their work in the interim of even-numbered years. Members of the  public with specific knowledge regarding the study topic may nominate themselves and  others to serve on the committees. 

“We are pleased to have been appointed to this committee and are hopeful for a serious discussion about how we can support the livelihoods of Wisconsin’s farmers with real solutions to solve crop damage by cranes, rather than hash out a plan for a crane hunt that  won’t help farmers,” said Dr. Rich Beilfuss, President and CEO of the International Crane  Foundation. 

Committee members were approved Thursday with a 20-2 vote of the Wisconsin Joint  Legislative Council and include representatives from the International Crane Foundation,  Wisconsin Green Fire, and University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, along with members of  the farming community and hunting organizations.

“We are disappointed that fellow bird conservation organizations, including Southern  Wisconsin Bird Alliance and Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, were not included,” said  Beilfuss. 

ICF leads research on crop damage solutions 

The International Crane Foundation has worked in Wisconsin’s agricultural communities  for three decades to resolve the issue of crop damage by cranes. In partnership with Arkion  LLC, the Foundation helped develop Avipel seed treatment, which has been available to  farmers since 2006. The seed treatment is a harmless, non-toxic substance, originally  derived from plants, and that is applied to corn seeds before they are planted. Cranes avoid  feeding on the treated, planted seed but remain in the field to feed on worms, insects, waste  grains, and other food items. 

“We know this product is effective at protecting both crops and crane habitat,” said Beilfuss.  “I am hopeful that the Study Committee will offer a route for legislators to join us in making  real solutions like Avipel easy and affordable for Wisconsin’s farmers.” 

Hunting season is not a solution to crop damage 

The Committee is to be led by Chair Rep. Paul Tittl (R-Manitowoc) and Vice Chair Sen. Romaine Quinn (R-Cameron). In 2021, Rep. Tittl sponsored a bill to authorize the hunting  of Sandhill Cranes. The bill was ultimately not approved. 

“Advocates for a hunting season on Sandhill Cranes have long promoted it as the solution to  crop damage, but we know a hunting season is not going to help farmers,” Beilfuss said. 

“We have three or more separate issues to address: crop damage by cranes, hunting cranes  for recreational purposes, and crane-based tourism in Wisconsin. I hope we can look  holistically at how best to support farmers and cranes,” he added. 

The suggestion that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) establish a  hunting season for Sandhill Cranes has come up before the Wisconsin legislature several  times in recent years. The most recently introduced bill set forth a $2 surcharge earmarked  for the agricultural damage program. A fiscal estimate of the bill conducted by the DNR  outlined that as many as 200 claims for crane-caused agriculture damage—totaling as  much as $1.6 million—could be filed annually. Even with the issuance of several thousand crane hunting permits, this earmark would provide a mere fraction of the necessary  support required to alleviate the cost of abatement or compensation. 

Furthermore, a study led by Wisconsin researchers reveals that only 17.4 percent of  Wisconsin residents support a crane hunting season, and less than five percent of  Wisconsinites reported that they were very likely to participate in a crane hunt. The study  also found that nearly half (47.6%) of Wisconsinites oppose a crane hunt, and nearly a third  (29.6%) of Wisconsinites strongly oppose a crane hunt. The study was conducted using the  University of Wisconsin Survey Center online panel WisconSays, which was scientifically  developed to be representative of the state as a whole.

The International Crane Foundation (ICF) works worldwide to conserve cranes and the  ecosystems, watersheds, and flyways on which they depend. We provide knowledge,  leadership, and inspiration to engage people in resolving threats to cranes and their  diverse landscapes. From its nearly 300-acre headquarters in Baraboo, Wisconsin, the ICF  reach extends across the globe, with offices and staff in China, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia and  South Africa, as well as Texas. It works through strong partnerships with local  organizations, governments, universities, businesses and others in these regions. More  than 125 ICF staff and associates work with a network of hundreds of specialists in 50  countries on five continents. The Foundation is committed to a future where all 15 of the world’s crane species are  secure. Through the charisma of cranes, ICF envisions a future where people work together  for wild crane populations and the landscapes they depend on – and by doing so, find new  pathways to sustain our water, land, and livelihoods. Visit www.savingcranes.org for more  information and to support the work of ICF.