02 FIELD WORK: WHOOPING CRANES
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The whooping crane has become one of the most well-known endangered species in North America - a symbol of human interference with nature. This multi-year project explores complex saltmarsh ecosystems along the Texas Gulf Coast to study how variable hydrology and other environmental changes affect this endangered species.
As a volunteer researcher, I conducted multiple daily observations of the cranes, recording their locations, behavior, access to food, defense of coastal territories, and the frequency with which they leave their territory. I also collected water, soil, and plant samples and conducted abundance surveys of the cranes’ favorite food resources, crabs and wolfberries, in coastal wetlands.
Whooping cranes and their coastal habitats remain threatened by a wide range of natural and human-induced influences, including drought and sea-level rise caused by climate change, variable freshwater inflows, and urban expansion.
As a volunteer researcher, I conducted multiple daily observations of the cranes, recording their locations, behavior, access to food, defense of coastal territories, and the frequency with which they leave their territory. I also collected water, soil, and plant samples and conducted abundance surveys of the cranes’ favorite food resources, crabs and wolfberries, in coastal wetlands.
Whooping cranes and their coastal habitats remain threatened by a wide range of natural and human-induced influences, including drought and sea-level rise caused by climate change, variable freshwater inflows, and urban expansion.