NORTH AMERICAN CRANE WORKING GROUP
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~ About the NACWG ~  

The North American Crane Working Group met for the first time in May 1987 at the International Crane Workshop in Qiqihar, China. Prior to this, an informal group, chaired by Dr. James C. Lewis, had been active in North America since the early 1970's. This group produced a book chapter about Sandhill Cranes and organized North American crane workshops in 1975, 1978, 1981, 1985, and 1988. The Proceedings were published by the hosting agencies. The role of the informal group was to improve communication and interaction among individuals researching or managing cranes in North America, to stimulate further research, to help identify research and management needs, and to provide ease of access to a large amount of crane literature.

As interest in cranes continued to grow, so to did the complexities surrounding conservation issues, propagation techniques, and research impetus. The group felt that it was time to officially incorporate and become a bona fide organization. NACWG was founded in February 1988 at the Fifth North American Crane Workshop on the Kissimmee Prairie, Florida, as an organization of professional biologists, aviculturists, land managers, and other interested individuals dedicated to the conservation of cranes and their habitats in North America. A Board of seven Directors was elected including Gary Lingle of Nebraska as Chief Executive Officer. The North American Crane Working Group, Inc., was officially incorporated as a non-profit corporation with its registered office in Grand Island, Nebraska, on 28 October 1988. The registration office for the corporation was moved to Baraboo, Wisconsin, in 2012.

Current board members (2023-2026):

President: Hillary Thompson, International Crane Foundation, Baraboo, Wisconsin
Vice president: Andy Caven, International Crane Foundation, Baraboo, Wisconsin
Treasurer: Stephanie Schmidt, International Crane Foundation, Baraboo, Wisconsin
Secretary: Rebecca Grieser, Freeport McMoran Audubon Species Survival Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
At Large:
David Aborn, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
Megan Brown, Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Silver Spring, Maryland
Antonio Cantú, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
Glenn Olsen, USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center, Laurel, Maryland
Eva Szyszkoski, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Gueydan, Louisiana
Jeannie van Vianen, Madison, Wisconsin

WHOOPING CRANESANDHILL CRANES AT SUNSET
  Whooping crane (Grus americana)              Sandhill cranes at dusk, Nebraska
     Michael Forsberg                                      Dr. Richard Reading
 
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