The North American Crane Working Group hosted the Eighth North American Crane Workshop, January 11-14, 2000, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Daytime technical sessions on January 12 and 14 included 40 papers covering population dynamics, migration and wintering biology, management techniques, captive propagation, disease, mortality, genetics, breeding biology, and reintroduction. The evening of the 12th included an open meeting of the Whooping Crane Recovery Team. On the 13th, workshop participants made an all-day field trip down the Middle Rio Grande Valley culminating at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, widely recognized as one of the jewels of the national wildlife refuge system. Impressive concentrations of waterfowl and sandhill cranes, plus two whooping cranes from the attempted Rocky Mountain reintroduction, were seen. Topping the day was an unforgettable viewing experience as thousands of sandhill cranes returned to evening roosts at Bosque del Apache.

The workshop was capped on the evening of January 14 with a dinner and awards banquet. Dr. Jim Lewis received the L. H. Walkinshaw Crane Conservation Award for his three decades of leadership in crane research and conservation.