Ecology and Management of Sandhill Cranes in the Western United States

Invited speaker Dr. Blake Grisham will share a summary of research findings on sandhill cranes that he and his team have generated. According to Dr. Grisham, sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) are among the most recognizable and beloved birds in North America, given their size, stature and striking red crowns.

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service recognizes 6 migratory populations of sandhill cranes, four of which occur in or west of the Rocky Mountains.

In 2013, Dr. Grisham and his colleagues initiated a series of research projects on the Lower Colorado River Valley cranes. Ten years later, his team expanded their research to include ALL migratory populations in the Western United States. The major findings from these combined projects are based on data captured by more than 120 global positioning system transmitters deployed on sandhill cranes in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Oregon.

Dr. Grisham is an Associate Professor of Wildlife Management at Texas Tech University in the Department of Natural Resources Management. He received his Ph.D. from Texas Tech University in Wildlife, Aquatic, and Wildlands Science. His program of research centers on incorporating weather and climate data into ecological field studies, with emphasis on ground-nesting birds, and more recently, disease ecology of upland game birds and ungulates (hoofed mammals). Dr. Grisham also serves as President of the Texas Chapter of Wildlife Society. Under his leadership, this chapter was named the “National Chapter of the Year” by TWS.

Doors to the meeting will open at 9:30 a.m. for social time and light refreshments. The business portion of the meeting will start at 10:00 a.m. and the invited speaker will begin immediately afterwards. Weather permitting, there will be a pre-meeting bird walk at Haley Nelson Park off Hwy. 29 in Burnet.