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The C.A.S.H. Courier Newsletter
Winter 2012 Issue
The Sandhill Cranes of Kentucky
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) has
created a hunting season for Sandhill Cranes, a bird not formerly hunted
legally in Kentucky. They are already hunted legally in 12 other states, all
of which are in the West. Kentucky is the first of the eastern states to
take this step, although others are considering it.
In common with other states’ departments of natural resources and
“conservation” agencies, the KDFWR claims that their mission is to manage
wildlife for all citizens. This claim is belied by their precipitate
decision to allow the killing of inoffensive Sandhill Cranes, a much-loved
migratory visitor to Kentucky. The process to open this new hunting season
began in 2010, and was mostly carried out “under the radar,” unbeknownst to
most citizens.
The eight men on the governing commission of KDFWR are nominated by
hunters and fishermen; thus, they represent only a tiny percentage of the
population of Kentucky. Members need only have held a hunting or fishing
license in the state for two years. When the suggestion to open a season on
Sandhill Cranes was made, only one public meeting was held to discuss it,
thereby showing little inclination to hear the full range of public opinion.
Even though the KDFWR earns revenue from the sale of license plates with
pretty pictures of wildlife and the slogan “Nature’s Finest,” implying that
they celebrate nature, the department is clearly more interested in
promoting hunting – including finding ways to increase violence towards
wildlife, e.g., adding Sandhill Cranes to the list of animals legally
available for slaughter.
Regional Flyway Councils set migratory bird policy in the U.S. They have
created a “management” plan for Sandhill Cranes over a number of years, one
of the objectives of which is to provide more hunting opportunities. Other
objectives are increased options for wildlife watching, and management of
flocks to avoid crop depredations. The latter is an issue in some Midwestern
states, but not in Kentucky, as the birds are not residents there.
Sandhill
Cranes only migrate through Kentucky at various points, dependent upon the
weather. The Eastern Flyway Council allowed each state to make their own
proposal regarding the cranes. In Kentucky, the state legislature was not
involved in the decision, as hunting regulations do not have to be approved
or voted on by them. They are sent to the Administrative and Regulation
Review Subcommittee, but it basically functions as a rubber stamp on
whatever measures the KDFWR asks for.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency developed a Sandhill Crane
hunting proposal for the state at the behest of a petition from local
hunters, but a strong response from the TN Ornithological Society and other
groups persuaded them to postpone approval of the hunting season until more
research could be done. In Kentucky, however, the KDFWR Commissioner pushed
it through, insisting there was great hunter demand. Despite this assertion,
only 330 permits were applied for statewide; as of end of hunting season, 50
birds were reported killed.
Carol Besse, President of the Kentucky Ornithological Society, said that
a broad coalition of environmental, conservation, and birding groups worked
indefatigably to be heard in time for the August 1st public input deadline,
but without success. In her Louisville Courier-Journal op-ed piece, Besse
wrote that the International Crane Foundation, “the foremost authority on
cranes and an organization that neither endorses nor opposes hunting cranes,
was refused the opportunity to present scientific research on crane
populations prior to the commission’s vote on the hunt proposal.” Besse
further pointed out that the ICF’s painstaking research was callously
dismissed as mere “magical numbers” by the KDFWR commissioners “in their
headlong rush to be the first state in the Eastern United States to hunt
Sandhill Cranes in almost 100 years.”
The Sandhill Crane is an impressive bird, with a distinctive long neck
and legs. They can be from 3 to 5 feet tall and weigh from 6.5 to 14 lbs.
Their broad wingspan – typically 5 to over 6 feet – makes them a very
skilled soaring bird, similar to hawks and eagles. Using thermal winds to
lift them up, Sandhill Cranes can stay aloft for many hours with only
occasional flapping of their wings.
Plumage is generally in various shades of gray. Forehead and crown have
reddish skin, and the face, chin, upper throat, and nape range from white to
pale gray. A white cheek patch is present on the adult birds. Juvenile
plumage develops from cinnamon brown to gray during the first year. The
cranes have long black beaks, and black legs and feet.
Sandhill Cranes inhabit open grasslands, meadows, and fresh water
wetlands; their nests are usually constructed in low mounds made of
vegetation found in the nesting area. They congregate in huge numbers during
migration.
Although their scientific name is “Grus canadensis,” the appellation
“Sandhill” was added because of their annual use of Nebraska’s sand hills
region, an important stopover on their migratory route. Hundreds of
thousands of birds arrive there annually as they fly south for the winter.
Eastern Sandhill Cranes were hunted almost to extinction just a century
ago. When the Migratory Bird Treaty Act was passed, they began to make a
comeback. Now, according to the USGS, the leading threat to the Sandhill
Cranes, which include six sub-species, is the loss and degradation of
wetland habitats. Excessive water withdrawals and potential dam construction
projects are another serious survival issue. Human-caused loss of roosting
habitats has led to increased concentration of migrating crane flocks, which
adds to the risk of more disease and other threats. In the prairie regions,
the USGS states that “Over-hunting poses a potential threat to certain
segments......of the Sandhill Crane populations. Lead and mycotoxin
poisoning, abnormal predation pressures, and collisions with fences,
vehicles, and utility lines are of local concern for various populations.”
One cogent argument against hunting Sandhill Cranes in Kentucky is that
no study has been done of the potential impact on the local population. It
is unknown as to whether it can sustain a hunt. On behalf of Sandhill
Cranes, 17 organizations enlisted, signing a letter opposing the hunt – from
Kentucky Coalition for Sandhill Cranes and Louisville Beckham Bird Club to
local Audubon chapters and the Sierra Club; individuals from other states,
including Ohio and Tennessee, also joined in.
As is usual with animal advocacy versus the hunting lobby, the
pro-hunting faction erroneously portrayed all crane supporters as being
generally anti-hunting. They brought in the Kentucky League of Sportsmen and
the NRA, both groups possessed of huge e-mail lists. People who wanted to
save the cranes wrote lengthy, thoughtful letters about why hunting cranes
is wrong, but their adversaries mainly replied to a mass robo-e-mailing.
A major advocate for Sandhill Cranes is the Kentucky Coalition for
Sandhill Cranes, founded in 2010 to make the public aware of the proposed
crane hunt. Mary W. Yandell, Co-Founder of KCSC, told us:
“The Kentucky Coalition for Sandhill Cranes, which has both hunting and
non-hunting members, gathered thousands of signatures and spoke at every
public opportunity to express opposition to the proposed Kentucky Sandhill
season. Despite a general lack of interest in hunting cranes and obvious
support for maintaining the status of the cranes in the state, KDFWR did
exactly what it set out to do. Worse, the Department’s approach was hostile
to opposing views, belittling and misrepresenting those attempting to bring
a broader perspective into the process. As in most states, the general
public has literally no vote – zero – on what happens to wildlife in the
state. As un-American as it seems, what we have is conservation without
representation.”
 As Carol Besse put it:
“There is simply no good reason to hunt Sandhill Cranes, and there are
many reasons not to. Kentuckians are currently able to hunt deer, elk, bear,
squirrel, rabbit, turkey, quail, grouse, dove, woodcock, snipe, crow, and
dozens of species of waterfowl including ducks, geese, coots, mergansers,
moorhens, gallinules and rails. The hunters of Kentucky were not vocal on
the issue of hunting cranes until several groups closely aligned with the
KDFWR stirred them up by falsely claiming that opposition was against all
hunting and if this proposal was stopped, the next step would be to end all
hunting and to come and take their guns away. It was easy to gin up support
for the hunt by using lies and scare tactics such as these, and the agency
should be ashamed at having done so.”
Nationwide, state conservation agencies receive most of their support
from only a small proportion of the populace: basically, the hunting and gun
lobbies. Unfortunately, not enough non-hunting, wildlife-friendly citizens
are aware that wildlife management agencies only feel accountable to hunters
– which is why they promote the unfettered massacre of wildlife that
supposedly “belongs” to all the residents of a state. In Kentucky and
elsewhere, the majority of people who could help protect vulnerable animals
are simply not well-enough informed nor actively taking a hand in preserving
their state’s precious wildlife. And agencies like the KDFWR are colluding
in keeping the citizenry ignorant when they refuse to hold sufficient open
meetings on topics like the Sandhill Crane hunts.
As we have told our readers in these pages before, hunting numbers are
ever declining, while wildlife watching is growing in popularity. Again,
quoting Besse: “Developing opportunities to watch the Sandhill Cranes as
they migrate through Kentucky would be a far smarter, more fiscally
responsible and strategic use of the [KDFWR’s] resources than pursuing an
unpopular hunt that will raise no revenue and will alienate many.”
Another salient point from Ceci Mitchell, of the Frankfort chapter of the
National Audubon Society:
“One overriding issue with the KY crane hunt is that it does not seem
wise economically. When KY Fish and Wildlife Resources only charges $3 for a
permit to kill two Sandhill Cranes, but a KY state park charges $30 per
person to take an afternoon van ride to sit and watch the cranes - how can
KY afford to cater to the wildlife hunters for so little income than to
capitalize on the wildlife watchers paying ten times the fee? It does not
compute!”
The Sandhill Crane hunting begun this winter is considered
experimental for 3 years and will be evaluated after that. If enough
Sandhill Crane advocates keep up the pressure against the hunt, there is a
chance we could curtail it in future. Otherwise, with Kentucky’s precedent,
other eastern states may follow, and that would be a crime against these
magnificent birds.
With thanks to the Kentucky Coalition for Sandhill
Cranes http://kyc4sandhillcranes.com/ , the Kentucky Ornithological Society,
www.biology.eku.edu/kos/default.htm and the International Crane Foundation:
http://www.savingcranes.org. Learn how you can help these non-profit groups
save the majestic crane by visiting their websites. And read about the TN
Sandhill Crane Festival that was held in January on Vickie Henderson’s site
at:
http://vickiehenderson.blogspot.com/
Carol Besse, President of the Kentucky Ornithological Society, and Mary
W. Yandell, Co-Founder of Kentucky Coalition for Sandhill Cranes were
interviewed for this article.
--------------------------
E.M. Fay is
Associate Editor of the Wildlife Watch Binocular and C.A.S.H. Courier.
Go on to
Hillsborough, New Jersey, Fear Hunters
Will Kill A Child
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