James King –

Pioneer Alaskan Biologist-Pilot and Trumpeter Swan expert.  Designed and flew the initial Alaska Trumpeter survey in 1968.  TTSS Director, 1989-2011 and President, 1989-93 (photo, right).

Harry Lumsden (left) and Jim King (right)

Harry Lumsden –

Architect of the Ontario Trumpeter Swan restoration program and longtime advocate for Trumpeter restoration in theMississippi and Atlantic Flyways.  TTSS Director, 1982-2011 (photo, left).

Harold Burgess –

Longtime advocate and supporter of mid-continent Trumpeter restoration throughout the species’ historic range from nesting in Elk Island National Park, Alberta, to wintering on the Gulf Coast in Texas and Tamaulipas.   TTSS Director, 1976-89 and two-term President, 1981-82 and 1984-86.

Harold Burgess (middle), daughter (Mary Bote) and colleague Larry Ditto, presenting the award

Trumpeter Swan with Fish by Larry Jernigan

NEW FEATURE ADDED TO PHOTO-OF-THE-MONTH

SEE BELOW!!!

Professional Photographer and TTSS Photo-of-the-Month host Greg Smith says:

Larry’s image of this hatching year Trumpeter Swan with a fish in its bill gives us an opportunity to talk about close-up photography or cropping a photograph to create a close-up appearance.  It also kicks off the theme of our 2012 Photo-of-the-Month selections – The Natural History Moment!

This is a wonderfully crisp shot!   There is plenty of detail in the feathers, the bill and the eye is tack sharp.  To create a photograph with these attributes, you have three primary options as a photographer:  You can be physically close; you can be further away with a longer lens or you can closely crop (like drawing a box around the area you want to feature in your photograph and removing the extraneous material) the photograph after shooting with any size lens.

I see one, possibly two of the elements I mentioned above in Larry’s photograph: A longer lens and potentially some cropping.  One of the benefits of using a longer lens (in this case maybe 100mm – 400mm zoom) is that you usually have a very short depth-of-field (DOF is the area from front to back that is in focus).  We can see the DOF (in focus) drops in the water behind the second swan, which indicates a longer lens.

The potential cropping is indicated is by the position of the bird in the overall photograph (centered).  Cropping is the photographer’s choice and in this photograph Larry has put the subject (the fish in the swan’s bill) he was trying to capture in the appropriate alignment.

And it is the fish that brings us to a new feature in the Photo-of –the-Month:

The Life History Moment (our NEW theme for 2012)

Most swans, but especially the Trumpeter Swan, forage on vegetation that grows on terrestrial habits and underwater in the water column (hence their long necks for getting to vegetation that dabbling ducks and geese can’t reach).  There may be incidences  of where a swan swallows invertebrates of fish trapped in the vegetation, but it is uncommon to find a fish in a swan’s bill as a matter of purpose.  In other words, swans do not normally seek out and pursue fish as a prey item.  This juvenile swan’s behavior, caught in a series of shots by Larry, is quite a capture!  His reflections of the moment:

How it all happened!

On January 20, 2011, while at work as a 4-H Assistant Coordinator for the University of Arkansas, I spent the greater part of the day meeting with fourth and fifth grade classes from Heber Springs Elementary School at Magness Lake. The purpose of the outing was to introduce the young students to the one hundred or more Trumpeter Swans that had arrived from places north of us. As always when visiting the swans, I brought my camera and set it up on a tripod just in case of a chance of a good photo presented itself. The students were listening as I told them various facts about our visitors. As I talked with the students I noticed that one of the juvenile swans had something in its beak and seemed to be “chewing” on it. I took a quick look through my camera and saw that the swan had a fish about four inches long, a shad, in its mouth and was trying to swallow it. It was having trouble because the fish seemed to be too large. This went on for about five or six minutes until it had chewed it enough that the fish could be swallowed. The students not only had the opportunity to see the swans but also something that I have never seen or heard of before. They witnessed a swan eating a fish. In watching these swans over the past twelve years I have never observed anything like this before.

Editor’s note: in the photo below, see how the Trumpeter Swan gets a grip with the lamellae of its bill!

Featured Photographer for January, 2012 – Larry Jernigan, Arkansas

www.LarryJernigan.com

About Larry Jernigan:

From Larry:  “ I was born in Tennessee and moved to Arkansas in the 7th grade, received a B.A. Degree in biology at Arkansas College. I did graduate work at the University of Oklahoma where I was fortunate enough to study under the internationally-known ornithologist George M. Sutton. I was drafted into the army before I could finish my Master’s degree. While in the army I did medical photography during the time I was stationed in Japan. When I left the army I taught school for three years before opening a photography studio and running it for ten years. At the age of forty I went back to school and got a Doctor of Chiropractic degree. I came back to my home town, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where I had a chiropractic practice for twenty years. In 2000 my wife and I decided to build our retirement home in Heber Springs, Arkansas. We moved here in July of 2000 and I commuted back to Pine Bluff until 2005 when I retired from my practice. I began some part time work with the U. of A. as 4-H Assistant Coordinator working with the youth of Cleburne County. I have had an obsession with photography ever since I began taking pictures in undergraduate school 50 years ago.”

We are pleased that Larry was willing to share this “keeper” shot in support of Trumpeter Swans and The Trumpeter Swan Society. 

Bob Blohm has had a longstanding interest in waterfowl and waterfowl ecology after growing up along Saginaw Bay in the State of Michigan.  He graduated from Michigan State University with a B.S. Degree in Fisheries and Wildlife in 1968.  He then began his graduate work at the University of Wisconsin, Department of Wildlife Ecology, where he received his M.S. Degree in 1977 and Ph.D. Degree in 1979, studying the breeding ecology of the Gadwall in southern Manitoba under Dr. Robert A. McCabe.  His field work was conducted through the auspices of the Delta Waterfowl Research Station. His graduate studies were interrupted by military service, where he served as an artillery officer in Alaska and Vietnam.  Following graduate work, he was hired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a staff biologist in the Office of Migratory Bird Management, in Laurel, Maryland.  Bob remained in the Office (now Division) of Migratory Bird Management for his entire career, where he became Chief of the Division in 2007.  He retired on December 31, 2010, after working nearly 32 years in the field of migratory bird management.  Bob and his wife, Shari, have two sons, Andy and Matt, now grown.  The entire Blohm family continues to enjoy a wide variety of outdoor pursuits.

THE TRUMPETER SWAN SOCIETY!

If you are reading this, you are already probably a supporter of Trumpeter Swan conservation. Some of you may be longtime members of The Trumpeter Swan Society. Some of you may have just discovered these majestic birds and are learning more about them through our communications.

You can help Trumpeter Swans by joining The Trumpeter Swan Society. These lean economic times have been hard on all of us, but the work of conservation organizations does not decrease when the purse strings tighten. If anything, the work of nonprofits such as TTSS becomes increasingly critical as agency conservation budgets shrink. Recognizing this, a generous Board member has offered a CHALLENGE to help increase support for the important work of The Trumpeter Swan Society.

Our benefactor has agreed to match, dollar for dollar all NEW and INCREASING donations to The Trumpeter Swan Society.

Not yet a TTSS member? Now is the time to join!

Your full donation will be matched 1:1.

Are you currently a member but able to give a little extra this year? Any donation over that of last year will be matched, dollar for dollar.

Looking for something meaningful to give to the bird lover on your list? Your gift membership to The Trumpeter Swan Society will be matched 1:1.

Please help us raise and increase support for Trumpeter Swan conservation. All of you may know others who share your interest in swans and the wetland and upland habitats upon which they depend. Pass this message on to them – they can double their contribution today.

To learn more about membership benefits of The Trumpeter Swan Society and to make a donation so timely with this CHALLENGE for matching funds, visit our Website, www.trumpeterswansociety.org.

Or, simply mail your contribution to:

The Trumpeter Swan Society

12615 County Road 9

Plymouth, MN 55441-1248

Photograph by John VanOrman  www.vanormanphotography.com

Prior to joining the staff of TTSS, Becky served for eight years as Executive Director of the Wisconsin Wetlands Association, which grew in size, influence and profile and earned statewide and international awards under her leadership. Before that, she worked for seven years in various roles for The Nature Conservancy, the most recent position as Conservation Planner for their Migratory Bird Program (formerly Wings of the Americas.) Becky led conservation planning efforts at scales that range from the site level to large-scale planning for birds that spanned three countries and involved multiple partners.

Becky holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Wildlife Ecology from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her graduate work involved designing a successful technique for reintroducing Trumpeter Swans to Wisconsin that involved imprinting cygnets on a life-sized swan decoy and rearing them in the wild. Trumpeter Swans released using this technique showed high survival and strong site fidelity and established migratory traditions. (Wisconsin’s decoy-reared birds were the first Trumpeter Swans to pioneer wintering at the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, now possibly the second largest wintering area for Trumpeter Swans in the lower 48.)

Becky served on the Board of The Trumpeter Swan Society from 2007 until she stepped down in November 2011 to accept the Associate Director position. Since 2006, she has also been on the board executive committee of Community Shares of Wisconsin, a social change organization that supports 50 environmental and social justice organizations through workplace giving campaigns, training, and technical assistance. She has served on the steering committee of the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative and was the 2008 North American representative for the World Wetlands Network, a network of worldwide NGOs dedicated to wetland conservation.

Becky is based in Madison, Wisconsin. In her free time, she enjoys reading, camping, paddling, horseback riding, and sharing her love of the outdoors with her kids.

Lone Trumpeter Swan Landing, by Gail Miller, Arkansas

Trumpeter Watch is a Citizen Science program of The Trumpeter Swan Society (TTSS), currently embarking on its third winter season. The goal of this program is to involve members of TTSS, birders, and wildlife enthusiasts in accurately describing the winter distribution of Trumpeter Swans. One focus of Trumpeter Watch is the expanding Interior Population, where – after the success of restoration programs in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario and other northern states and provinces – swans are pioneering into new areas south of the 40^th parallel.

To better understand the wintering needs of Trumpeters, TTSS requested the help of The Audubon Center at Riverlands, the St. Louis Audubon Society, and the Audubon Society of Missouri to partner this year in an effort to monitor the Great Rivers area.  If successful, the program will be the first of several regional efforts; each with its own geographic focus.  These partners bring local expertise and access to an extensive network of observers.  The Audubon Center at Riverlands, newly opened this October at the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, is the perfect place for Outreach and Education. 

From 1990-2010, Missouri observers have recorded the highest number of Trumpeter Swans wintering in states south of the 40th parallel with sightings in 41 of 114 counties. Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary (RMBS) is the single most important wintering site of the southern states with counts of 500+individuals in the past few years. Other public and private land areas of this confluence area of the Mississippiand Missouri Rivers are seeing increasing numbers of swans as well.

The goal of the Great Rivers Trumpeter Watch is to coordinate a Citizen Science effort to accurately count the number of swans using a variety of habitats, wild and cultivated, in the Great Rivers area. There will be bi-monthly counts at various locations where volunteers will report the number of swans and their activities. Counts will be conducted at the same time to achieve a more accurate total count.  Trained volunteers will be assigned to these areas and will complete a simple reporting form on-line after their observation period.  Seven proposed areas to be covered in this pilot project are: RMBS, Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge (Swan & Gilbert Lake), Confluence State Park, Portage Des Sioux, Cora Island (Big Muddy), Fields around RMBS & Cora Island, and the Columbia Bottoms State Conservation Area.

Local project coordinators will host an orientation and training session for volunteer observers on Tuesday, December 6 at 9:00 am at theAudubonCenterat Riverlands. The first monitoring date will be Tuesday, December 13th at 8:00 am.  Additional dates will be chosen in the near future and January dates will coincide with a national count conducted for the Interior Trumpeter Swan Population by the Mississippi Flyway Swan Committee chaired by Joe Johnson of The Trumpeter Swan Society. 

 For additional information, please visit the web sites for The Trumpeter Swan Society and the Audubon Center at Riverlands.

http://riverlands.audubon.org/   www.trumpeterswansociety.org

Trumpeter Swan 7H2 Family by David Hoffman

Professional Photographer and TTSS Photo-of-the-Month host Greg Smith says:

David’s image of this Trumpeter Swan family (and the cob with an easily identifiable neck collar band) brings up a challenge all photographers face, do you do post-processing and if so, how much?

This is a wonderful shot!   The pool of water holds the family together, as the pen and cob create “bookends” of protection for the cygnets.  The consistency of the green vegetated background just adds to the formation of the “family” setting.  It appears it was an overcast day as there are no hard shadows and that adds to the fine detail in bird’s feathers.

Given the shape and size of pixels (as opposed to film grain), there is one step in post processing that should be considered, and that is a slight sharpening of the focus of the photo.  It is just an intrinsic part of digital photography.  Beyond that, altering the photograph with additional processing is up to the photographer.

One individual might want to remove the grass seed stalk in front of the cygnets so there is no distraction, while another views the stalk with no inherent thought of distraction.  Still another photographer might want to remove the neck collar band to lend a more natural setting to the cob.  All of these can be achieved by using post-processing software (Adobe Photoshop or Elements, ArcSoft Photo Studio, Apple iLife etc.)

But in the end it is the photographer’s decision and for this photograph David said: “I would kind of prefer to have swan 7H2 with collar showing, mainly to encourage people to report marked swans and promote TTSS Trumpeter watch.”

And with every photo there is always the story of the photographer, and as David explains below, he had a very personal involvement with one of the adult birds.  And it is that involvement that gives it a personal touch and a story to share beyond the photograph.

Featured Photographer for October, 2011 – David Hoffman, State of Iowa

David Hoffman is a wildlife research technician with the Iowa DNR.  He has been involved with the Iowa DNR’s Trumpeter Swan Restoration Program since 1995.

David had provided this link to report any Trumpeter Swan sightings in the State of Iowa.  http://www.iowadnr.gov/Education/IowasWildlife/TrumpeterSwanReporting.aspx

About the Photo:

From David: “Trumpeter 7H2 is male hatched at Steve Nelson’s farm pond near Cherokee, IA in June 2004.  His mother died shortly after his hatch.  I cared for 7H2 and his siblings at my house for ~a week in 2004.  Del Huebner of Clinton, IA cared for him till Sept. 2004.  He spent the winter of 2004 at Laurie & Tony Severe’s Pond near Nora Springs, IA. and flew from their pond the following summer.

The female is originally out of THE LIVINGSTON RIPLEY 
WATERFOWL SANCTUARY (Litchfield CT) http://www.lrws.org/ and she was hatched in ~1984.  She nested from 1994-2003 at Von Maur Clothing Corp. office in Davenport.  She also nested at the Lemke Funeral Home pond at Clinton, IA.  She has only hatched successfully ~3 times since 1994, no more than 2-3 cygnets at one time.

This pair is the first wild nesting pair in Winneshiek County Iowa since the late 1880’s!!!  I heard the news that this pair had hatched cygnets. I stopped by to visit with the landowner (Langreck) and answer any questions about the Trumpeters and their care.  I had my camera with, and was able to snap a few quick shots.

We are pleased that David was willing to share this “keeper” shot in support of Trumpeter Swans and The Trumpeter Swan Society.

See Our Preliminary Results Online Photo: Peg Abbott

Trumpeter Watch, a Citizen Science program of The Trumpeter Swan Society, encourages observers to help the Society document the changing distribution of wintering Trumpeter Swans in states south of the 40th parallel.

In recent decades wild nesting populations of Trumpeter Swans have been successfully restored across the Interior northern states and Ontario. As populations grow, we see evidence that more and more swans are pioneering southward to areas where they may establish more southerly wintering sites.  Little is known about these southward moving swans; the duration that they use various sites, the location and characteristic of prime feeding and resting areas, or what problems they may be encountering.  Observers are needed primarily in states south of the 40^th parallel, during the winter season, to help chart trends in this new winter distribution.  You can help!

The largest wintering concentrations south of the 40^th parallel to date occur in and around Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary in the state of Missouri (along with adjacent southern Illinois) close to the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.  At the peak of winter, over 500 Trumpeters may be present.  Of note is that marked and collared Trumpeters from all the northern states have been sighted here, indicating a certain, but unknown degree of mixing.  

Observers have tallied Trumpeters in 41 of 114 counties in Missouri, two of which have recorded winter counts of swans over 100 in number.  A dozen additional sites note groups of 10 or more.  The Heber Springs area of Arkansas is an important wintering site, and observers throughout the southern states are asked to be especially vigilant looking for collared birds marked during an experimental winter release program conducted in cooperation between the Arkansas Game and Fish Department and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.  Kansas birders have recorded Trumpeters in 57 of 105 counties, and Oklahoma observers note them in 17 of 77 counties. We expect the lists to grow.  Be the first to add your county!

We are compiling records throughout the southern states, and with increased participation, we are starting to look at winter distribution in the western states as well. You’ll find preliminary results of Trumpeter Watch, learn about tools of the trade, and find a chart you can download to help you find the origins of marked, collared, wing-tagged and banded Trumpeter Swans on our website. This is an exciting program that needs YOUR support!  We ask that you get involved with sightings, and that you make a donation – however large or small – to support our efforts, through membership or a direct project donation. All of our work is aimed at fulfilling our mission, to assure the security and vitality of wild Trumpeter Swans.

Trumpeter Swans at Sunset by Stu Davidson

Professional Photographer and TTSS Photo-of-the-Month host Greg Smith says:

Stu’s image of the two Trumpeter Swans in flight with the sunset-tinged snow on Mt. Baker in the background shows how a very effective use of the camera’s ISO (the international standard measurement of sensitivity at which your camera’s sensor reacts to light when the shutter is open) can enhance the lighting on a photograph.  The position of the swans in the photograph also gives a feel for some of the hardships these birds face in the wild!

As Stu mentions below, the light was fading fast in the last few minutes prior to the sun slipping below the horizon for the day.  We all know this light as the “sweet” light, but there are challenges photographing your subject in these low light situations, especially if you want some detail.

Stu’s knowledge of ISO allowed him to adjust his camera’s sensor to accept more light, thereby creating a more realistic lighting of the birds.  If shot at the “usual” 100 ISO (my standard ISO setting is 200), your camera would probably take the photo at 1/15 second, thereby creating a blurred, or out-of-focus photograph.  Bumping the ISO up to 2000 allowed Stu to increase his camera’s sensitivity to light and have a sharper image.  (One thing to remember about bumping up the ISO, the higher the ISO, the granier the pixels can look on most cameras – more on that in future articles).

Stu was already aware of the lighting on Mt. Baker, which allowed him to concentrate on positioning the swans.  Stu used the darkened ridge in the foreground and the two trees silhouetted in the sky to create a frame for the birds.  The trees and the ridge effectively bring the viewer’s eye right to the swans in front of Mt. Baker!

Even without Stu’s comments about time of year, we know these birds are surviving in a winter (the deciduous trees) scenario that involves lots of snow (Mt. Baker).  This is a harsh environment for sure.

All of this points to Stu’s knowledge of his camera’s mechanical limitations, the potential views of one of his favorite photographic sites, and his own capabilities to create an outstanding photograph on the spur of the moment!

Featured Photographer for October, 2011 – Stu Davidson, State of Washington

Stu Davidson is a lifelong native of the Pacific Northwest and now resides in just outside of Snohomish, Washington.  He is a retired software Engineer of thirty years, is currently pursuing his lifetime passion of photographing nature and wildlife.

You can view more of his wildlife and Trumpeter Swan photography at:  www.StuDavidsonPhotography.com

About the Photo:

From Stu: “Each winter I spend a good deal of time driving north from Snohomish to the Skagit Valley area of our state.  The Skagit Valley, just south of Mount Vernon Washington, is an incredibly pristine area to see and observe large numbers of migratory birds.  The birds that draw me to the area to photograph include: Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, Hawks, Snow Geese, Canada Geese, Blue Herons, Tundra Swans, and Trumpeter Swans.

This particular shot happened at the end of another great day of photographing wildlife in the Skagit Valley.  Being winter, and getting late in the day, I was losing light quick!  I began packing up my equipment to head home when I noticed the last of the day’s light lit Mount Baker in a nice soft hue, I thought “one last photo” before driving home.  Because of the low light, I adjusted my camera’s ISO to 2000.  As I began to position for a shot of Mount Baker, I caught a glimpse out the side of my eye of some large birds coming into “position”..   I recall feeling that my lucky day was continuing!  A pair of Trumpeters on a landing approach graced my viewfinder!!

Photo facts:

Photo taken: January 1, 2011 @ approximately 4:30pm

Equipment – Nikon D300s – Nikon 200-400 F/4.0 VR zoomed to 400mm

Aperture Priority – f/4.0, ISO – 2000”

We are pleased that Stu was willing to share this “keeper” shot in support of Trumpeter Swans and The Trumpeter Swan Society.

Trumpeter Swan experts and enthusiasts from all regions of North America will soon convene in Montana. The final agenda for The Trumpeter Swan Society’s upcoming October 10-14, 2012 conference, in Polson is replete with experts on topics ranging from lead poisoning issues to genetic viability to recent results of the 5-Year 2010 Trumpeter Swan Survey. Find a list of speakers and topics on the Society’s website.

Dale Becker, TTSS Board President and biologist with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), and Steve Lozar, CSKT Tribal Council Member will lead off with opening remarks, and a welcome to the Flathead Indian Reservation, co-sponsors of the Conference. Speakers scheduled for the October 11th,  Tuesday morning session will provide an overview of Trumpeter Swan population and issues, including an update on the 2010 North American Trumpeter Swan Survey. John Cornely, Executive Director, will describe the Society’s past, present and future, before kicking off an in-depth session on the pressing issue of conservation of Greater Yellowstone’s flocks. Susan Patla will speak Trumpeter status in Wyoming; Adonia Henry and Ruth Shea will discuss strategies for long term viability of Idaho’s Trumpeters. Gary Ivey, Board Vice President, will then chair a dynamic panel of experts including William Smith (USFWS), Rob Cavallaro (IDFG), J. Michael Scott (Univ. of Idaho), Jim Roscoe (Centennial Valley Assn.), and Kyle Cutting (USFWS).

After lunch, the agenda focus will be on Trumpeter Swan restoration efforts and genetic implications of programs, past and present. Several Montana projects will be featured by Janene Lichtenberg and Dale Becker (CSKT) and Clair Gower (MFWP), as well as an update of the Oregon program by Gary Ivey, and an overview of the situation for Trumpeters in Yellowstone, presented by Douglas W. Smith (NPS). Capping this session will be a talk by genetics expert Sara J. Oyler-McCance (USGS).

The afternoon will conclude with a session on managing for long-term viability, bringing in lessons learned from Greater Sage Grouse management, presented by Edward O. Garton (Univ. of Idaho). Effective use of partnerships to accomplish goals for viablity will be discussed by Dan Casey (American Bird Conservancy), with the afternoon session concluding with a panel and group discussion on a long term conservation vision for Greater Yellowstone.

Wednesday, October 12th is slated for an all day field trip to highlight Trumpeter Swan Restoration on the Flathead Indian Reservation, with visits to Pablo NWR, Ninepipe NWR and the Blackfoot River Valley to hear more on northern Montana’s efforts. That evening, filmmakers Steve and Char Harryman seek input from conference participants as they begin a five-year project to tell the remarkable story of the Trumpeter Swan.

Thursday, October 13 promises to be a full and exciting day. The morning sessions will feature updates on the Pacific Coast Population in Alaska and Canada. Board member Jim Hawkings will chair reports from Deborah J. Groves and John I. Hodges (USFWS), William Quirk (Anchorage), Karen S. Bollinger (USFWS), and Board member Jim King. After a break, Board member Joe Johnson chairs a session on Trumpeter Swan research; speakers include: Jim Hawkings (CWS), Harry Lumsden (TTSS Board, Ontario), Kyle Cutting (USFWS), and Mike Smith (Univ. of WA), who will address issues of lead shot poisoning in swans.

Topics after lunch hone in on the remarkable restoration of Interior populations, chaired by Ron Andrews, TTSS Board member recently retired from Iowa DNR. Speakers include Joe Johnson (TTSS Board, Michigan State Univ. Kellog Bird Sanctuary), Larry Gillette (Three Rivers Park District, MN), Wayne Brininger (USFWS), Dave Hoffman (IDNR), and Harry Lumsden.

The final session prior to the Thursday evening banquet is chaired by Becky Abel, TTSS Board member, wrapping up the conference with a focus on managing Interior and Pacific Coast populations. Shilo Comeau (USFWS) will speak on the High Plains flock, Roger Grosse (USFWS) will discuss landscape-level habitat use in the Sandhills of Nebraska and South Dakota, and Martha Jordan (Washington Swan Stewards) concludes with an update on Washington State Swan Stewards. All speakers and participants have a special treat in store, learning about George Melendez Wright, a pioneer for Trumpeter Swan Conservation, in the key note address given by Jerry Emory of the California Parks Foundation. Mr. Wright’s great influence on science-based wildlife management in our National Parks was prominently featured in the Ken Burns historical series on our nation’s parks. Participants staying on through the 14th are invited to join informal field trips to wildlife-rich areas in and around Polson.

Registration remains open and can be done online, or by contacting the Society’s Executive Director, John Cornely (303) 933-9861 johncornely@msn.com.

Details on the conference hotel and specifics can be found on the Society’s website.  Photo by TTSS member, A. Frederickson.