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21TuesdayJune102014HONOURTHETREATIESDENELANDJune17400pmCommemorativeCeremony115-yearsofTreaty8Ft.FitzgeraldABJune17530pmSLFNCommunityFeastFt.FitzgeraldABJune17630pmMensTraditionalHandgamesDay2Ft.FitzgeraldABDrumDancetofollow.JoinusinthecelebrationThepublicisinvitedtoattendedtheseeventsinFitzgeraldChiefSquirrelChiefAbrahamByDALICARMICHAELAnannualsurveytallyingnestsofendangeredwhoop-ingcranesinandaroundWoodBuffaloNationalParkWBNPhasbeencom-pletedandthenalresultsarerecord-breaking.Thisyear82whoopingcranenestswerecountedupfrom74discoveredthistimelastyear.Thisnumbersurpassesapreviousrecordof76nestssetafterasurveyconductedinspring2011.Thegeneraltrendisforthenumberofneststobein-creasingyearafteryearasthepopulationgrowssaidMarkBidwellaspeciesatriskbiologistwiththeCana-dianWildlifeService.WhileBidwellandhiscol-leaguesatEnvironmentCan-adaandParksCanadaweredelightedwiththeincreaseinnestsdiscoveredtheywerentsurprisedbytheresults.Onthesamesurveylastyearweobservedalargenum-berofpairsofwhoopingcraneswithoutnestsBidwellsaid.Itislikelythatsomeofthepairsweretooyoungtobreedlastyear...andsomeofthosepairsthatdidnthaveanesthavecomeintothebreedingpopulationthisyear.Asidefromtherecord-breakingnumberofnestslo-catedsurveyorsalsonotedanincreaseinnestsfoundout-sideWBNP.AtotalofsevennestswereseenoutsidetheparksborderwithvetothenorthandtwoonSaltRiverFirstNationreserveland.AccordingtoBidwelloneofthenestsfoundnorthoftheparkisinalocationhis-toricallyunvisitedbywhoop-ingcranes.Thisisactuallyquiteanexcitingresultbecauseithighlightstherangeexpan-sionthatwehaveobservedinrecentyearsBidwellsaid.Craneshavebeenexpand-ingtheirterritoriesintonewareaswithintheparkbutalsooutsidethepark.Thatrangeexpansionmeansweresee-ingcranesusingbiggerareasandmoreextensiveareasthanwehaveseenbefore.AsuccessstoryforconservationistsAccordingtoBidwellthesenestsurveyshavebeencon-ductedoverfourdecades.Inthattimebirdenthusiastsandconservationistshavewatchedthewildwhoopingcranepopu-lationsoartoover300basedonstudiescompletedbytheUSFishandWildlifeService.Attheirlowestpointintheearly1940stherewereasfewas16whoopingcranesintotal.Thebirdswereof-ciallydeclaredanendan-geredspeciesin2000.Thepopulationofwhoop-ingcranesthatvisitsWBNPistheonlyself-sustaininggroupofwhoopingcranesintheworld.AfterwaitingoutthewintersatawildlifereserveinAransasTexasthecranesytotheirnestinggroundsinthenortheasternsectionofWBNPwestofFortSmithforthesummer.NextsurveytobedoneinlatesummerWithinthenextfewweekswhoopingcranechickswillbehatchingfromtheirnests.SometimeduringlateJulyandearlyAugustsurveyorsfromallthepartneringorga-nizationswillreturntotheparktoconductaproductiv-ityorchicksurvey.Thegoalistomeasurehowmanychickshavesurvivedtobecomeedglingsanagewheretheycanyandcouldconceivablysurvivetheen-tiremigrationtotheirwin-terhome.AbanneryearforwhoopingcranenestsRecord-breakingnumberofnestscountedEnvironmentWildlifePhotoKlausNiggeArecord82whoopingcranenestswerecountedinanannualsurveyaroundtheWoodBuffaloNationalParkregion.Therecordmarksavictoryforanumberofconservationistgroupsghtingtosavetheendangeredspecies.