[TN-Bird] Action Alert - Sandhill Crane Hunting Proposal
- From: "Dick Preston" <dickpreston@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2011 03:58:59 -0600
January 2, 2011
On January 20th, 201,1 the Wildlife Committee of the Tennessee Wildlife
Resources Commission (TWRC) will vote on their recommendation as to whether or
not Tennessee should initiate a hunting season on Sandhill Cranes in the winter
of 2011/12.
The recommendation of the TWRC Wildlife Committee is most likely to determine
the outcome of the full Commission vote on January 21st.
The Tennessee Ornithological Society (TOS) does not support making the
Sandhill Crane a game species and initiating a hunting season on this bird in
Tennessee. TOS has taken the position that â??the fall arrival and
over-wintering of tens of thousands of Sandhill Cranes in Tennessee should be
celebrated as a wildlife spectacle and a Watchable Wildlife viewing
opportunity.â??
EXPRESS YOUR OPINION ON A HUNTING SEASON ON SANDHILL CRANES IN TENNESSEE:
1) Attend the TWRC Wildlife Committee meeting at 1 PM in Nashville on Thursday,
January 20th at the Ray Bell Office Building, 5105 Edmonton Pike. A large
number of crane hunt supporters are expected and attendance at these meetings
has been very influential in the past.
2) Send a letter to your TWRC Commissioner, or better, to all of the
Commissioners, expressing your opinion on the proposal to start hunting
Sandhill Cranes in Tennessee. A list of all the Commissioners can be found at:
http://www.state.tn.us/twra/comnames.html. Your letter need not be elaborate,
but should politely explain why you hold the opinion that you do. Below is some
of the reasoning expressed by TOS in a letter to the TWRC. Additional
information can be found on the TOS website:
http://www.tnbirds.org/ConsPolCom/Proposed Crane Hunt.html.
3) Send a copy of your comments to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
(TWRA) comment address: http://www.twra.comments@xxxxxx with â??Sandhill Crane
Proposalâ?? in the subject line.
Background
The eastern population of Sandhill Cranes is distinct from other sandhill crane
populations because the cranes in the east have never been legally hunted, and
this population is still recovering from overharvesting and habitat loss in the
1800s.
Only since the early 1990â??s have Sandhill Cranes begun to stop in Tennessee
during migration and to spend the winter. Currently a few hundred cranes
over-winter at the TWRA Hop-In Refuge in Obion County in NW Tennessee, and tens
of thousands of cranes regularly use the TWRA Hiwassee Refuge in Meigs County
in SE Tennessee.
Cranes were originally attracted to both of these locations because of the corn
planted by TWRA for waterfowl.
In the spring of 2010, the Mississippi and Atlantic Flyway Councils approved a
Management Plan for the Eastern Population (EP) of Sandhill Cranes, paving the
way for states to propose opening a hunting season on these birds. At the
request of the Tennessee Wildlife Foundation, TWRA developed a proposal to
start hunting cranes in southeastern Tennessee, based on the guidelines in the
EP Management Plan.
TOS and TWRA share a long history of partnering to accomplish many wildlife
population and habitat restoration goals. While TOS finds flaws in some of the
assumptions used in the EP Management Plan, and believes that TWRA used an
overly liberal interpretation of the guidelines when formulating their hunt
plan, TOS also opposes a hunting season on Sandhill Cranes because we strongly
believe it will damage the reputation of the Agency.
TWRA has promoted the Sandhill Crane for itâ??s watchable wildlife attributes,
and though inadvertently, induced these cranes to stop and over-winter in the
state by planting corn for waterfowl. Initiating a hunting season on these
birds would be inconsistent with the agencyâ??s mission to â??preserve,
conserve, protect, and enhance the fish and wildlife of the state and their
habitats for the use, benefit, and enjoyment of the citizens of Tennessee and
itâ??s visitors.â??
Tennessee Ornithological Society
Conservation Policy Committee
January 2, 2011
For more information contact:
TOS President, Dick Preston
dickpreston@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Munford, Tn
For Sandhill Crane life history information, go to the excellent TWRA Watchable
Wildlife website: http://www.tnwatchablewildlife.org.
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Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
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Cleveland, OH
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Clarksville, TN
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