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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."
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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
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To) W
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