Cranes by the numbers: Efforts to restore North America’s crane populations are ongoing

Cranes by the numbers: Efforts to restore North America’s crane populations are ongoing

Sandhill and whooping cranes, the only species of cranes in North America, have faced extinction. Sandhill crane numbers declined in the 1930s due to hunting and habitat loss, according to George Archibald, co-founder and senior conservationist at the International Crane Foundation. Wisconsin was down to 25-30 pairs. Now, approximately 1.25 million sandhill cranes make an annual spring migration stop on a narrow stretch in Nebraska’s Big Bend re…