EFFECT OF RACCOON (PROCYON LOTOR) REDUCTION ON BLANDING’S TURTLE (EMYDOIDEA BLANDINGII) NEST SUCCESS

The Lake County Forest Preserve District has monitored a state-endangered Blanding’s Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) population at two adjoining nature preserves along the Illinois–Wisconsin border since 2004. Prior to predator management, 92.3% of documented and unprotected natural Blanding’s Turtle nests (12 of 13) and 88% of monitored artificial nests have been at least partially depredated. The goal of this study was to determine the efficacy of subsidized Raccoon (Procyon lotor) removal efforts in increasing the nest success of Blanding’s Turtles. During April–May 2013 and 2014, we captured and euthanized 78 Raccoons from our 2 km2 study area. We estimated pre-removal abundance estimates using the Leslie depletion method; it appeared that we removed 83–89% of the Raccoons from the study area each year and pre-removal density estimates were 37.5% lower in 2014 than 2013. During the study period, we monitored 22 Blanding’s Turtle in situ unprotected nests. In 2013, one of seven (14%) Blanding’s Turtle nests was partially depredated and no nests were completely depredated, indicative of a successful impact of Raccoon removal on Blanding’s Turtle nest success. However in 2014, nine of 15 (60%) Blanding’s Turtle nests were depredated. Our results provide some evidence that removal of Raccoons may have increased Blanding’s Turtle nest success but other factors, such as a functional response of surviving Raccoons or depredation by other subsidized predators may be contributing to decreased nest success

Unfolding Quantum Computer Readout Noise

In the current era of noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) computers, noisy qubits can result in biased results for early quantum algorithm applications. This is a significant challenge for interpreting results from quantum computer simulations for quantum chemistry, nuclear physics, high energy physics, and other emerging scientific applications. An important class of qubit errors are readout errors. The most basic method to correct readout errors is matrix inversion, using a response matrix built from simple operations to probe the rate of transitions from known initial quantum states to readout outcomes. One challenge with inverting matrices with large off-diagonal components is that the results are sensitive to statistical fluctuations. This challenge is familiar to high energy physics, where prior-independent regularized matrix inversion techniques (`unfolding') have been developed for years to correct for acceptance and detector effects when performing differential cross section measurements. We study various unfolding methods in the context of universal gate-based quantum computers with the goal of connecting the fields of quantum information science and high energy physics and providing a reference for future work. The method known as iterative Bayesian unfolding is shown to avoid pathologies from commonly used matrix inversion and least squares methods.Comment: 13 pages, 16 figures; v2 has a typo fixed in Eq. 3 and a series of minor modification

Chemistry on quantum computers with virtual quantum subspace expansion

Several novel methods for performing calculations relevant to quantum chemistry on quantum computers have been proposed but not yet explored experimentally. Virtual quantum subspace expansion [T. Takeshita et al., Phys. Rev. X 10, 011004 (2020)] is one such algorithm developed for modeling complex molecules using their full orbital space and without the need for additional quantum resources. We implement this method on the IBM Q platform and calculate the potential energy curves of the hydrogen and lithium dimers using only two qubits and simple classical post-processing. A comparable level of accuracy would require twenty qubits with previous approaches. We also develop an approach to minimize the impact of experimental noise on the stability of a generalized eigenvalue problem that is a crucial component of the algorithm. Our results demonstrate that virtual quantum subspace expansion works well in practice

Proceedings of the Twelfth North American Crane Workshop

CONTENTS PREFACE iii RESEARCH PAPERS DISTRIBUTION, ABUNDANCE, AND MIGRATION TIMING OF GREATER AND LESSER SANDHILL CRANES WINTERING IN THE SACRAMENTO-SAN JOAQUIN RIVER DELTA REGION OF CALIFORNIA - . Gary L. Ivey, Bruce D. Dugger, Caroline P. Herziger, Michael L. Casazza, and Joseph P. Fleskes 1 CHARACTERISTICS OF SANDHILL CRANE ROOSTS IN THE SACRAMENTO-SAN JOAQUIN DELTA OF CALIFORNIA - . Gary L. Ivey, Bruce D. Dugger, Caroline P. Herziger, Michael L. Casazza, and Joseph P. Fleskes 12 EFFECTS OF WIND FARMS ON SANDHILL CRANE PLAYA OCCUPANCY ON THE TEXAS HIGH PLAINS - Laura Navarrete and Kerry L. Griffis-Kyle 20 EVALUATION OF A NUTRACEUTICAL JOINT SUPPLEMENT IN CRANES. Kendra L. Bauer, Ellen S. Dierenfeld, and Barry K. Hartup 27 TEN-YEAR STATUS OF THE EASTERN MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANE REINTRODUCTION - Richard P. Urbanek, Sara E. Zimorski, Eva K. Szyszkoski, and Marianne M. Wellington 33 AN UPDATE ON MORTALITY OF FLEDGED WHOOPING CRANES IN THE ARANSAS/WOOD BUFFALO POPULATION Thomas V. Stehn and Carey L. Haralson-Strobel 43 DISTRIBUTION, DENSITIES, AND ECOLOGY OF SIBERIAN CRANES IN THE KHROMA RIVER REGION OF NORTHERN YAKUTIA IN NORTHEASTERN RUSSIA - Inga P. Bysykatova, Gary L. Krapu, Nicolai I. Germogenov, and Deborah A. Buhl 51 BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS SANDHILL CRANE COLLISIONS WITH WIND TURBINES IN TEXAS Laura Navarrete and Kerry L. Griffis-Kyle 65 CHROMIC AND IRON OXIDES AS FECAL MARKERS TO IDENTIFY INDIVIDUAL WHOOPING CRANES - Megan E. Brown, Robert C. Doyle, Jane N. Chandler, Glenn H. Olsen, John B. French, Jr., David E. Wildt, Sarah J. Converse, Carol L. Keefer, and Nucharin Songsasen 68 TYLOSIN TARTRATE PROMOTES RESOLUTION OF INSECT BITE HYPERSENSITIVITY REACTIONS IN CAPTIVE CRANES. Alina Kelman and Barry K. Hartup 73 OBSERVATIONS OF MOLT IN REINTRODUCED WHOOPING CRANES Anne Lacy and Dan McElwee 75 THE HISTORY AND REINTRODUCTION OF WHOOPING CRANES AT WHITE LAKE WETLANDS CONSERVATION AREA, LOUISIANA. Gay M. Gomez 76 Abstracts ASSESSMENT OF THE EASTERN POPULATION GREATER SANDHILL CRANE FALL SURVEY, 1979-2009 Courtney Amundson, Douglas Johnson, Sean Kelly, and Tom Cooper 80 FACTORS INFLUENCING GREATER SANDHILL CRANE NEST SUCCESS IN NEVADA .Chad August, James Sedinger, and Chris Nicolai 80 INFLUENCE OF FOOD AND PREDATOR ABUNDANCE ON STRESS LEVELS OF SANDHILL CRANES WINTERING IN NORTHERN MEXICO Ingrid Barcelo and Felipe Chavez-Ramirez 81 A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION FOR CROP DAMAGE BY CRANES AND OTHER BIRD SPECIES TO PLANTED SEED Jeb Barzen and Anne Lacy 81 MODELLING THE EFFECT OF LANDSCAPE AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON SANDHILL CRANE DISTRIBUTION IN THE CENTRAL PLATTE RIVER VALLEY OF NEBRASKA Todd J. Buckley, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, Larkin A. Powell, and Andrew J. Tyre 82 DIFFERENCES IN HABITAT USE BY WHOOPING CRANES OBSERVED IN NATURAL AND URBAN AREAS OF TEXAS DURING WINTER 2009-2010 . Mery Casady and Letitia M. Reichart 82 MEASURING FECAL CORTICOSTERONE IN WILD WHOOPING CRANES Mery Casady, Letitia M. Reichart, Andrew K. Birnie, and Jeffrey A. French 83 POTENTIAL IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE SCENARIOS ON WHOOPING CRANES . Felipe Chavez-Ramirez 83 WHOOPING CRANE MIGRATION THROUGH THE GREAT PLAINS: CONSERVATION ISSUES .Felipe Chavez-Ramirez 84 VIDEO SURVEILLANCE OF NESTING WHOOPING CRANES . Timothy Dellinger, Martin Folk, Stephen Baynes, and Kathleen Chappell 84 COPULATION OF NON-MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANES IN FLORIDA Timothy Dellinger, Martin Folk, Stephen Baynes, Kathleen Chappell, and Marilyn Spalding 85 USING ECOREGIONS TO QUANTIFY CHANGES IN BREEDING SANDHILL CRANE DENSITIES FOR WISCONSIN .Forrest East and Anne Lacy 85 STATUS OF THE FLORIDA RESIDENT FLOCK OF WHOOPING CRANES . Martin Folk, Timothy Dellinger, Stephen Baynes, Kathleen Chappell, and Marilyn Spalding 86 HISTORICAL BREEDING, STOPOVER AND WINTERING DISTRIBUTIONS OF A WHOOPING CRANE FAMILY Karine Gil-Weir, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, Brian W. Johns, Lea Craig-Moore, Thomas Stehn, and Robin Silva 87 GIS DATABASE DESIGN FOR ANALYSIS OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN CRANE RESEARCH . Amy Richert Goodall, Kerryn Morrison, and Nathan Stinnette 88 THE EFFECT OF WEATHER ON PRODUCTIVITY IN A GREATER SANDHILL CRANE POPULATION IN SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN Andrew Gossens, Jeb Barzen, and Matt Hayes 88 EFFECTS OF WIND FARMS ON WINTERING SANDHILL CRANES IN THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS OF TEXAS Laura Navarrete, Kerry L. Griffis-Kyle, and David Haukos 98 TERRITORY HISTORIES OF FLORIDA SANDHILL CRANES: 1980-2006 .Stephen Nesbitt and Stephen Schwikert 98 UPDATED EASTERN SANDHILL CRANE RANGE MAPS Kristin Norris and Anne Lacy 99 HEMATOLOGY AND SERUM CHEMISTRY RESULTS FROM EXPERIMENTAL EXPOSURE OF SANDHILL CRANES TO WEST NILE VIRUS . Glenn Olsen 99 PHOTOPERIOD AND NESTING PHENOLOGY OF WHOOPING CRANES AT TWO CAPTIVE FACILITIES . Glenn Olsen 100 PROTOCOL AND RESULTS FROM THE FIRST SEASON OF CAPTIVE REARING WHOOPING CRANES FOR A NON-MIGRATORY RELEASE IN LOUISIANA Glenn H. Olsen and Jane N. Chandler 100 COMPARISON OF BEHAVIORS OF CRANE CHICKS THAT WERE PARENT-REARED AND REARED BY COSTUMED HUMANS Glenn Olsen, Lani Matthews, and Sarah Converse 101 MIGRATION ECOLOGY OF THE ARANSAS-WOOD BUFFALO POPULATION OF WHOOPING CRANES Aaron Pearse, Dave Brandt, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, and Walter Wehtje 101 ASSESSING BREEDING WHOOPING CRANE HABITAT USE TO CHOOSE ALTERNATIVE RELEASE SITES IN WISCONSIN . Nathan Schmidt, Jeb Barzen, Anne Lacy, and J. Michael Engels 102 WHOOPING CRANES IN FLORIDA: WEATHER OR NOT CLIMATE MATTERS? . Marilyn Spalding, Martin Folk, and Stephen Nesbitt 102 CHANGING RAINFALL PATTERNS VERSUS WETLAND ATTRITION: WHAT AFFECTS LARGE WATERBIRD BREEDING SUCCESS MORE IN THE GANGETIC FLOODPLAINS, INDIA? . K. S. Gopi Sundar 103 CRANES AND CLIMATE CHANGE: A FACT SHEET . Zsolt Végvári and Miriam Hansbauer 103 MOVEMENTS AND HABITAT USE OF THE BROLGA IN SOUTH WEST VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA . Inka Veltheim, Simon Cook, Richard Hill, and Michael McCarthy 104 AERIAL CENSUS OF BROLGA NEST SITES IN SOUTH WEST VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA . Inka Veltheim, Mark Venosta, Richard Hill, Simon Cook, and Michael McCarthy 104 MICROBIAL WATER QUALITY EFFECTS OF MIGRATORY BIRDS IN THE PLATTE RIVER, NEBRASKA 2009-2010 Jason Vogel and Matt Moser 105 AN UPDATE ON THE DIRECT AUTUMN RELEASE OF WHOOPING CRANES INTO THE EASTERN MIGRATORY POPULATION . Marianne Wellington and Richard P. Urbanek 10

Frontmatter for PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRTEENTH NORTH AMERICAN CRANE WORKSHOP

List of previous Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshops Suggested citation formats PREFACE: The North American Crane Working Group (NACWG) is an organization of professional biologists, aviculturists, land managers, non-professional crane enthusiasts, and others interested in and dedicated to the conservation of cranes and crane habitats in North America. Our group meets approximately every 3 years to exchange information pertaining to sandhill cranes and whooping cranes and occasionally reports about some of the other cranes species. Our meeting in Lafayette, Louisiana, 14-17 April 2014, celebrated the return of whooping cranes to Louisiana for the first time in 60 years. The workshop was organized by Sammy King and Gay Gomez, and we thank them for their efforts. The field trips to see the release site for the whooping cranes, as well as learning about Louisiana’s crawfish and rice industry, were enlightening and enjoyable. The NACWG Board of Directors consisted of President Jane Austin, Vice-President Richard Urbanek, Treasurer Daryl Henderson, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, David Aborn, Barry Hartup, and Sammy King. The scientific program consisted of 39 scientific talks and 13 posters. The papers in this volume include some of those presented at the workshop as well as others submitted later. Papers submitted for publication in the Proceedings are peer-reviewed according to scientific journal standards. We thank the following referees for their contribution to the quality of this volume: Nicholas J. Aebischer, Jeb A. Barzen, Andrew W. Cantrell, Michael D. Culbreth, Martin J. Folk, Matthew A. Hayes, Scott G. Hereford, Jerome J. Howard, Anne E. Lacy, Julia A. Langenberg, and Sara E. Zimorski. Barry K. Hartup, Daryl S. Henderson, and Tommy C. Michot were instrumental in final editing and proofing. Memorials: THOMAS J. “TOM” HESS, JR. 1950-2014; SCOTT M. MELVIN 1953-2014; TERRY J. KOHLER 1934-2016 USE OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES IN PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRTEENTH NORTH AMERICAN CRANE WORKSHOP CONTENTS Front & back cover

Frontmatter for PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRTEENTH NORTH AMERICAN CRANE WORKSHOP

List of previous Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshops Suggested citation formats PREFACE: The North American Crane Working Group (NACWG) is an organization of professional biologists, aviculturists, land managers, non-professional crane enthusiasts, and others interested in and dedicated to the conservation of cranes and crane habitats in North America. Our group meets approximately every 3 years to exchange information pertaining to sandhill cranes and whooping cranes and occasionally reports about some of the other cranes species. Our meeting in Lafayette, Louisiana, 14-17 April 2014, celebrated the return of whooping cranes to Louisiana for the first time in 60 years. The workshop was organized by Sammy King and Gay Gomez, and we thank them for their efforts. The field trips to see the release site for the whooping cranes, as well as learning about Louisiana’s crawfish and rice industry, were enlightening and enjoyable. The NACWG Board of Directors consisted of President Jane Austin, Vice-President Richard Urbanek, Treasurer Daryl Henderson, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, David Aborn, Barry Hartup, and Sammy King. The scientific program consisted of 39 scientific talks and 13 posters. The papers in this volume include some of those presented at the workshop as well as others submitted later. Papers submitted for publication in the Proceedings are peer-reviewed according to scientific journal standards. We thank the following referees for their contribution to the quality of this volume: Nicholas J. Aebischer, Jeb A. Barzen, Andrew W. Cantrell, Michael D. Culbreth, Martin J. Folk, Matthew A. Hayes, Scott G. Hereford, Jerome J. Howard, Anne E. Lacy, Julia A. Langenberg, and Sara E. Zimorski. Barry K. Hartup, Daryl S. Henderson, and Tommy C. Michot were instrumental in final editing and proofing. Memorials: THOMAS J. “TOM” HESS, JR. 1950-2014; SCOTT M. MELVIN 1953-2014; TERRY J. KOHLER 1934-2016 USE OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES IN PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRTEENTH NORTH AMERICAN CRANE WORKSHOP CONTENTS Front & back cover

PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRTEENTH NORTH AMERICAN CRANE WORKSHOP--Abstracts

AGE-SPECIFIC SURVIVAL OF GREATER SANDHILL CRANE COLTS IN NEVADA. Chad August, Jim Sedinger, and Chris Nicolai 111 WHOOPING CRANE DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT USE: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE? Jane Austin, Matthew Hayes, and Jeb Barzen 111 BEHAVIORAL MOVEMENTS OF ARANSAS-WOOD BUFFALO WHOOPING CRANES: ANOMALIES OR INDICATIONS OF WAYS TO FURTHER ENHANCE SPECIES RECOVERY. David Baasch, Mark Bidwell, Wade Harrell, Kris Metzger, Aaron Pearse, and Mary Harner 112 INFLUENCES ON NEST SUCCESS IN A REINTRODUCED POPULATION OF WHOOPING CRANES. Jeb Barzen, Sarah Converse, Peter Adler, Elmer Gray, Anne Lacy, Eva Szyszkoski, and Andrew Gossens 113 DETERMINING DIET COMPOSITION AND INGESTION RATE OF CRANES THROUGH FIELD MEASUREMENT. Jeb Barzen, Ted Thousand, Julia Welch, Megan Fitzpatrick, Eloise Lachance, and Triet Tran 114 HABITAT USE AND MOVEMENT PATTERNS OF WHOOPING CRANES IN THE OIL SANDS MINING REGION. Mark Bidwell, David Baasch, Dave Brandt, John Conkin, Mary Harner, Wade Harrell, Kris Metzger, Aaron Pearse, and Richard Wiacek 115 CAPTURE AND DEPLOYING GPS PTTS ON ARANSAS-WOOD BUFFALO WHOOPING CRANES: LESSONS LEARNED WITH NEW TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES. David Brandt, Aaron Pearse, Barry Hartup, Mark Bidwell, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, and Bradley Strobel 116 CAN HORMONE METABOLITES PREDICT THE TIMING OF REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIORS IN THE CAPTIVE WHOOPING CRANE?. Megan Brown, Sarah Converse, Jane Chandler, Carol Keefer, and Nucharin Songssasen 117 BREEDING DISTRIBUTION OF SANDHILL CRANES IN RUSSIA. Inga Bysykatova, Gary Krapu, and David Brandt 117 A REVIEW OF PARENT-REARING WHOOPING CRANES AT PATUXENT WILDLIFE RESEARCH CENTER, 1988-2003.Jane Chandler, Brian Clauss, and Glenn Olsen 118 PREDICTING OUTCOMES OF REINTRODUCTION STRATEGIES IN A DECISION-ANALYTIC SETTING.Sarah Converse, Sabrina Servanty, Patricia Heglund, and Michael Runge 118 MOVEMENT STRATEGIES OF SUBADULT INDIVIDUALS ON WINTER HABITAT INFLUENCE WINTER RANGE EXPANSION OF A MIGRATORY BIRD. Nicole Davis and Elizabeth Smith 119 PEOPLE OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER: A GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO ADDRESS CRANE AND POWER LINE INTERACTIONS.Megan Diamond, Jim Harris, Claire Mirande, and Jane Austin 120 EVALUATION OF LONGEVITY AND WEAR OF COLORED PLASTIC LEG-BANDS DEPLOYED ON SANDHILL CRANES IN WISCONSIN Katherine Dickerson and Matthew Hayes 120 SURVIVAL OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SANDHILL CRANE. Roderick Drewien, William Kendall, Wendy Brown, and Brian Gerber 121 THE USE OF SATELLITE TELEMETRY TO EVALUATE MIGRATION CHRONOLOGY AND DISTRIBUTION OF EASTERN POPULATION SANDHILL CRANES. David Fronczak and David Andersen 121 NATIONAL WHOOPING CRANE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM. Joan Garland and Erica Cochrane 122 THE ROLE OF POPULATIONS AND SUBSPECIES IN SANDHILL CRANE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT. Brian Gerber and James Dwyer 122 ANNUAL VARIATION OF YOUNG OF THE YEAR IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN POPULATION OF SANDHILL CRANES.Brian Gerber, William Kendall, James Dubovsky, Roderick Drewien, and Mevin Hooten 123 AGE-SPECIFIC MIGRATORY AND FORAGING ECOLOGY OF EASTERN POPULATION GREATER SANDHILL CRANESEverett Hanna and Scott Petrie 124 EVALUATION OF A VACUUM TECHNIQUE TO ESTIMATE ABUNDANCE OF AGRICULTURAL GRAIN. Everett Hanna, Michael Schummer, and Scott Petrie 125 CHARACTERIZATION OF STOPOVER SITES USED BY WHOOPING CRANES AS DETERMINED FROM TELEMETRY-MARKED BIRDS. Mary Harner, Greg Wright, Aaron Pearse, David Baasch, Kris Metzger, Mark Bidwell, and Wade Harrell 126 MESHING NEW INFORMATION FROM THE WHOOPING CRANE TRACKING PARTNERSHIP WITH SPECIES RECOVERY GOALS—NEXT STEPS. Wade Harrell, Mark Bidwell, Aaron Pearse, Kris Metzger, Mary Harner, and David Baasch 127 HEALTH ASSESSMENT OF JUVENILE WHOOPING CRANES IN WOOD BUFFALO NATIONAL PARK. Barry Hartup 127 TERRITORY AVAILABILITY BEST EXPLAINS FIDELITY IN SANDHILL CRANES. Matthew Hayes and Jeb Barzen 128 MISSISSIPPI SANDHILL CRANE CONSERVATION UPDATE 2011-13. Scott Hereford and Angela Dedrickson 128 MIGRATION ROUTES AND WINTERING AREAS OF PACIFIC FLYWAY LESSER SANDHILL CRANES. Gary Ivey 129 A MODEL FOR MITIGATING LOSS OF CRANES FROM POWER LINE COLLISIONS. Gary Ivey 129 SPACE USE OF WINTERING WHOOPING CRANES Kris Metzger, Mary Harner, Greg Wright, Wade Harrell, Aaron Pearse, Mark Bidwell, and David Baasch 130 SOCIAL LEARNING OF MIGRATORY PERFORMANCE. . Thomas Mueller, Sarah Converse, Robert O’Hara, Richard Urbanek, and William Fagan 130 PARENT-REARING AND RELEASING WHOOPING CRANES IN WISCONSIN. Glenn Olsen and Sarah Converse 131 BEHAVIORAL COMPARISON OF COSTUME AND PARENT-REARED WHOOPING CRANE CHICKS. Glenn Olsen, Anne Harshbarger, Anna Jiang, and Sarah Converse 131 A TECHNIQUE FOR AGING CRANES Glenn Olsen and Scott Hereford 132 MIGRATION ECOLOGY OF ARANSAS-WOOD BUFFALO WHOOPING CRANES .Aaron Pearse, David Brandt, Mary Harner, Kris Metzger, Wade Harrell, Mark Bidwell, and David Baasch 132 THE SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL USE OF HABITATS BY A REINTRODUCED POPULATION OF WHOOPING CRANES IN LOUISIANATandi Perkins and Sammy King 133 BEHAVIOR ECOLOGY OF PEN-REARED, REINTRODUCED WHOOPING CRANES WITHIN THE LOUISIANA LANDSCAPETandi Perkins and Sammy King 133 CAPTURE OF SANDHILL CRANES USING ALPHA-CHLORALOSE. Lauren Schneider, Michael Engels, Matthew Hayes, Jeb Barzen, and Barry Hartup 134 A COMPREHENSIVE HABITAT TYPE DATASET FOR WHOOPING CRANE CONSERVATION PLANNING IN TEXAS, USA. Elizabeth Smith, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, and Luz Lumb 135 EGG PRODUCTION BY FIRST-TIME BREEDERS IN THE EASTERN MIGRATORY POPULATION OF WHOOPING CRANES. Eva Szyszkoski 135 NATAL DISPERSAL OF WHOOPING CRANES IN THE REINTRODUCED EASTERN MIGRATORY POPULATION: THE FIRST TEN YEARS Hillary Thompson and Anne Lacy 136 CHANGES IN WINTER DISTRIBUTION OF THE REINTRODUCED EASTERN MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANE POPULATION Richard Urbanek, Eva Szyszkoski, and Sara Zimorski 136 PAIR FORMATION IN THE REINTRODUCED EASTERN MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANE POPULATION.Richard Urbanek, Eva Szyszkoski, Sara Zimorski, and Lara Fondow 137 A PRELIMINARY LOOK AT THE DEVELOPMENT AND TIMING OF CUES INFLUENCING PHILOPATRY IN CAPTIVE-BRED WHOOPING CRANES RELEASED USING THE MODIFIED DIRECT AUTUMN RELEASE METHODMarianne Wellington and Eva Szyszkoski 137 EGG FERTILITY RATE OF THE REINTRODUCED EASTERN MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANE POPULATION 2005-2012. Amelia Whitear and Anne Lacy 138 REMOTE CAMERAS AID CRANE BEHAVIOR STUDIES: WET MEADOW UTILIZATION BY SANDHILL CRANES ALONG THE PLATTE RIVER, NEBRASKA.Greg Wright and Mary Harner 138 RECOVERY AND MANAGEMENT IN A FIELD ENVIRONMENT OF A JUVENILE WHOOPING CRANE FOLLOWING SURGERY TO REPAIR A FRACTURED LEFT CORACOID Sara Zimorski, James Lacour, Javier Nevarez, Katrin Saile, Jamie Wignall, João Brandão, Abbi Granger, and Patricia Queiroz-Williams 139 WHOOPING CRANES RETURN TO LOUISIANA: THE FIRST THREE YEARS. Sara Zimorski, Tandi Perkins, Vladimir Dinets, and Sammy King 14

NESTING OF GREATER SANDHILL CRANES ON SENEY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

During 1987, 59 nests of 57 pairs of greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) were located, mainly from the air, on or near the Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Michigan, and 52 nests were ground-checked. Nests were in available palustrine classes without tree canopies. Only 19% were in Sphagnum bogs, in which most nests from other areas of the Upper Peninsula have been found. Cattail (Typha latifolia) marshes, most prevalent in the managed area of the refuge, contabed 44% of the nests, and sedge (Carex spp.) marshes accounted for 37%. Important co-dominant plant species were leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata), especially in bogs and sedge marshes, and willows (Salix ssp. Carex) in cattail and sedge marshes, sometimes forming shrub swamps. An estimated 33 of 52 clutches (63%) successfully hatched at least one chick. Thirteen clutches (25%) were believed destroyed by predators. Predation rate was least in sedge marshes, but differences in water depth, concealment, shrub cover, and distance from nearest upland were not statistically significant between sites of depredated and non-depredated nests. Nests of 30 pairs were found in an 11,600-ha intensively studied area in the eastern part of the refuge. An estimated 50 breeding pairs occur in this area, a density of 0.43 pairs/km2. The population has increased in recent history, and available nesting habitat is not a limiting factor to a larger nesting population

Survival, Movements, Social Structure, and Reproductive Behavior During Development of a Population of Reintroduced, Migratory Whooping Cranes

An effort to reintroduce a migratory population of whooping cranes (Grus americana) into eastern North America began in 2001. During 2001-2004, 53 juveniles were released. All chicks were hatched at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Maryland, and transferred to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Wisconsin. Chicks were costume/isolation-reared and, with few exceptions, trained to follow ultralight aircraft, which led them to Chassahowitzka NWR, Central Gulf Coast of Florida. All individuals successfully returned to Central Wisconsin during their first spring migration except for the following: 5 individuals that were unable to navigate around Lake Michigan after taking an easterly migration route that terminated in Lower Michigan, and 1 female that did not return to Central Wisconsin until her second spring migration. A spring wandering period, in which yearlings typically explored and settled for several weeks in areas outside Central Wisconsin, followed spring migration. This temporary dispersal was more pronounced in females. Males summered in the core reintroduction area, while females not associated with males were more dispersed. In addition to the Michigan group noted, distant movements included 3 yearling females that summered in South Dakota, 1 female that summered as a yearling in Minnesota and then as a 2-year-old in Michigan, and 3 yearling males that staged in Minnesota in autumn. Many whooping cranes associated with sandhill cranes (G. canadensis). Many older whooping cranes returned to the Chassahowitzka pensite in subsequent fall migrations and then moved inland to winter in freshwater Florida habitats. The 2004-2005 winter was characterized by much greater dispersal than previous winters, with 14 of 34 returning birds wintering in South Carolina, North Carolina, or Tennessee. There were 12 mortalities during 2001-2005. These were associated with predation (7), gunshot (2), powerline strike (1), trauma of unknown source (1), and capture myopathy (1, euthanized). Mortalities due to predation resulted from bobcats (Lynx rufus) in southeastern U.S. (5), an undetermined predator in Wisconsin (1), and predation in Wisconsin of an adult that was roosting on land because of a fractured tarsus. A protective protocol was effective in reducing potential predation by bobcats at the Chassahowitzka release site after the first winter. During spring 2005, 7 breeding pairs were apparent on or near Necedah NWR. At least 5 of these pairs built nests, and 2 pairs each laid 1 egg. The young, inexperienced pairs did not adequately attend their nests, and neither egg survived. Four other potential pairs were also evident by summer 2005, and prospects were good for increased future reproductive activity

Intense myocyte formation from cardiac stem cells in human cardiac hypertrophy

It is generally believed that increase in adult contractile cardiac mass can be accomplished only by hypertrophy of existing myocytes. Documentation of myocardial regeneration in acute stress has challenged this dogma and led to the proposition that myocyte renewal is fundamental to cardiac homeostasis. Here we report that in human aortic stenosis, increased cardiac mass results from a combination of myocyte hypertrophy and hyperplasia. Intense new myocyte formation results from the differentiation of stem-like cells committed to the myocyte lineage. These cells express stem cell markers and telomerase. Their number increased >13-fold in aortic stenosis. The finding of cell clusters with stem cells making the transition to cardiogenic and myocyte precursors, as well as very primitive myocytes that turn into terminally differentiated myocytes, provides a link between cardiac stem cells and myocyte differentiation. Growth and differentiation of these primitive cells was markedly enhanced in hypertrophy, consistent with activation of a restricted number of stem cells that, through symmetrical cell division, generate asynchronously differentiating progeny. These clusters strongly support the existence of cardiac stem cells that amplify and commit to the myocyte lineage in response to increased workload. Their presence is consistent with the notion that myocyte hyperplasia significantly contributes to cardiac hypertrophy and accounts for the subpopulation of cycling myocytes