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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 1963)
o 2 g SUNDAY. OCTOBER 13.13fi3 .MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDKOIID. OREGON Season Starts to Coy oft Whooping Cranes By GAYLORD P. GODWIN United Press International WASHINGTON (UPI) -The season for adding up the few whooping cranes left in the world's last flock is now at hand. The annual migration of the big, graceful birds to winter quarters at the Aransas Wildlife refuge on the Texas Gulf coast is due to start next week. The birds will come to the refuee from Wood Buffalo Si- tional park near Canada's Great Slave lake. They are expected to follow a 2.500-mile aerial path over Darts of the Canadian prov. inces of Alberta and Saskatche wan and across the Dakotas, Ne braska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas to the 47,000-acre refuge on Blackjack peninsula. Interest In Number Primary interest in the whoop ers will be the number remain ing. Almost as important will be the number of young the world's last flock brings from the summer nesting grounds in Canada. . Last spring 28 whoopers lifted their brilliant white bodies with red-crowned heads and seven' foot black-tipped wing-spreads into the air for the long trek north. This was four less than the number which made the southward migration in the fall of 1962 and 10 fewer than the 38 3,1 adults and five young which started north in the spring of 1062. The whoopers, whose trumpet like calls can be heard at great distances, began to get scarce around the middle of the 10th Century. Never very numerous, they began showing up with greater infrequency on their range on the Arctic coast to central Mex ico and from Utah to South Car olina. Settlement of the country, expansion of agriculture, and re lated activities, including drain age of wetlands and coastal marshes, reduced their range. Population Diminishes As the range shrank and some of the birds were shot, the popu lation diminished until by the early 1920's, when the last ob served nest was reported in Saskatchewan, fewer than 50 birds were left to find their way to remote spots on the wintering grounds. People became concerned. What they once had in profusion was dribbling away. So, in 1937 the government spent $463,532 to buy the land which became the Aransas Wildlife refuge, a home which also is a sanctuary for the snowy egret, long-billed cur lew, wild turkey, Canada goose, and pintail, widgeon, and gad wall duck. While-tailed deer, peccaries, armadillos, rabbits, opossums, raccoons, and squir rels also inhabit the area. In 1938 the U. S. Fish and Wildlife service made its first count of the cranes. There were 14, of which four were young. The next year 22 cranes made the long flight from Canada. A one knows. In 25 years, when year later there were 26. But in the count began, the flock grew the fall of 1941, the total dropped only from 14 to 28, hardly a to 15. safe margin for a species fight- The number fluctuated until ing for survival, in 1962 a peak of 38 was reached, j The government apparently Then 10 disappeared. Where, no , has spent relatively little on the I i i 1 1 ii jin m m ' 'y I' m WATCHES OFFSPRING World-famed Whoop- in this picture taken in 12. Naturalists this ing Crane Josephine flaps a wing as she wit- year will watch the small flock as it migrates ncsses her offspring's emergence from its shell to its winter grounds in Texas. ( UPI ) cranes. The cost of the wildlife refuge was considerable, but it is home for many species other than the cranes. In the winter of 1962-63, the cost of aerial surveys to count the birds and the cost of grain scattered through the refuge was about $2,000. The normal upkeep of the refuge itself also is a cost item, but it's difficult to allocate a specific cost item to a crane. Behavior Unpredictable Officials of the Fish and Wild life service describe the behav ior of the cranes during the win ter as erratic and unpredictable. Over the years it has been their habit to spend most of their time on the east shore flats of the refuge and in similar habitat on Matagorda and St. Joseph Is lands, near the Blackjack pen insula. Blue crabs and other marine life comprise the major portion of the whoopcr diet. These foods usually are plentiful in the shore areas. Sometimes, though, the cranes wander and have been known to frequent wheat fields about 25 miles from the normal feeding area. In addition to the flock of wild cranes, there .ire seven in cap tivitysix at the Audubon Park zoo in New Orleans, and one in the San Antonio, Tex. zoo. The most noted pair of cranes is .Josephine and Crip in the Audubon Park zoo. .Josephine is the sole survivor of non-migratory groups which formerly oc cupied coastal marshes in South ern Louisiana. She was shot in 1940 and brought to the zoo. Josephine's First Mate Josephine's first mate was Pete. Pete had been injured on the Platte river near Gothen burg, Neb., in 1936. Josephine and Pete got together in 1948. After a single nesting effort yielding two eggs which did not hatch, Pete died during the au tumn of 1949. Another crane. Crip, wing-injured and unable to migrate, took Pete's place. He was ac cepted by Josephine to the ex tent that more than 30 eggs were laid. Nine cranes hatched, of which four survived. The Fish and Wildlife Service constantly appeals to people to spare the whoopers in every way possible. Its latest appeal reads: "Wanted: Safe Passage for the Whooping Cranes, Amer ica's Largest and Rarest Birds." Deputies Return Man After Portland Arrest The Jackson county sheriff's office Thursday returned Ray mond Lavern Meadows, 40, from Portland where he had been arrested on a Jackson county warrant charging burg lary not in a dwelling. Meadows has admitted t h burglary of a cafe near Rnguq River Sept. 1, and the attempt- University Head Speaks Out For Student Fees in Athletics EUGENE 'UPI) University i However, the preamhle to the i In 1934-35. the late Richard of Oregon President Arthur, motion of referral put the facul- j Ncuberger, then an Oregon stu Flemming has spoken o u t ty on record as believing "the I dent and later a U.S. Senator, against a move by members of collection of compulsory fees j refused to pay his fees and suc his faculty to keep compulsory : for intercollegiate athletics is ceeded in referring to the voters student fees from being used to I imnrooer." ' a law which allowed the State : support intercollegiate athletics. .. do not j,, wj,h (nat , System of Higher Education to ed burglary of a market in the In a strong defense of ath- reference." Flemming said co"ec' ,ne money, uregon voi- same area. letics at a meeting of the Lu-1 Thursday. gene thamuer ot commerce s University Relations committee, Dr. Flemming said, "I have given and will continue to give all the support I can" to the Oregon athletic program. Oregon residents attending the university now pay $110 tuition per term, of which $6.50 goes to the athletic department. The Faculty Senate has recommended that support be abolished. After a lively debate, the faculty referred the motion to a committee which would in vestigate the whole issue of compulsory fees. "Some faculty members who supported the statement ... are opposed to our present program of intercollegiate athletics. I am sure that this is true of some faculty members over every in stitution of higher learning in the country. I can respect such views, but I cannot ageee with them." ! However, Flemming said he ers killed the bill However, in 1945, the legisla ture again passed an act enabl ing the State System to pre scribe fees "necessary for the cultural and physical develop ment of the students." That was interpreted to mean such things as the health serv ice. Student Union activities, gym suit supplies, and athletics. It is this area the faculty com- Rogue River Will Observe Week ROGUE RIVER - Parents in the Rogue River school dis trict are invited In eat lunch in the school cafeteria during National School Lunch week, Mrs. Dorothy Green, head cook, announced Friday. The invitation is being ex tended to parents to sample the lunch menu to give them an opportunity to observe in action the program to which the public gives support. There will be arts and crafts projects and "good health through good food" posters on displav throughout the week, Oct. 14-18. In order to help parents de cide which day to eat lunch at school the menus for the week have been released by Mrs. Green, who is assisted by Mrs. Lillian llargitt and Mrs. Beat rice Fuller. Monday's main dish will be spaghetti with meat: Tuesday's pork casserole; Wednesday's hamburgers; Thursday's chili wilh meat, and Friday's noodle and tuna casserole. was "delinhted" that the faculty mittee now proposes to study committee was going to study! In his defense of intercolle the entire issue of compulsory ; giate sports, Flemming said: fees. "I believe that we should The committee will he ap- maintain the same standards in pointed by Flemming ac. will report to the faculty by its De cember meeting. Controversy Old The present controversy is not the first time the issue of compulsory support of athletics at Oregon has come up. this field that prevail in major universities on the West Coast." i "At the same time, constant scrutiny is needed to make cer tain that it strengthens rather than weakens the ability ot the university to perform its pri mary mission." (3niaj CBDJjpffllHD Frank Price . . . Wishes to announce a new plumbing service for the Medford area. This service will necessarily be limited to repairs and replacements to enable him to give each customer his per sonal attention and the benefit of 28 years experience in this type work. For prompt courteous attention to your plumbing problems call Frank at . . MEDFORD PLUMBING SERVICE PHONE 779-2622 2101 WEST MAIN ST. G330EB . V m fc t '- '-41 - if i vis If ' J 'LITTLE GIANT" Modtl 4308 Iquipptd with Famoui Quaktr "Smoktttii" lumtr. Built-in "H.ot Jovir" aHI nducM chlnv ny htat loii. 100 Alr-Tlghl All Wdflad Conitructlon. 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