ATLANTA, Oct. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Through its Power
of Flight program, Southern Company is partnering with the National
Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) for the eighth consecutive year
to sponsor Operation Migration's efforts to reintroduce the
endangered whooping crane.
As the presenting sponsor, Southern Company supports
Operation Migration's EarlyBird e-bulletin newsletter, which
provides progress reports and other information about the migration
each morning (sign up here: operationmigration.org/inthefield). The
website also features a migration map, live crane cam and other
information.
"Operation Migration's long-standing dedication and unique
approach to whooping crane recovery continues to inspire followers
across the globe," said Southern Company Chief Environmental
Officer Dr. Larry S. Monroe.
"Southern Company remains committed to the important work Operation
Migration is doing every day to protect and foster high-priority
and endangered bird populations through the Power of Flight
program."
Southern Company's EarlyBird sponsorship supports the
annual migration, now in its 15th year, that guides young cranes on
a more than 1,200-mile journey
from Wisconsin to Florida. The captive-hatched birds
are led on the migratory route by ultralight aircraft guided by
Operation Migration pilots who act as "surrogate parents." The
flight teaches the cranes the migration route so they can return on
their own the following spring.
"Southern Company has been instrumental in helping us return the
whooping crane to the skies of eastern North America," said CEO and co-founder of
Operation Migration Joe Duff. "We're very excited about this
upcoming migration - in particular because the group of whooping
cranes we have been working with this year is incredibly dedicated
to the aircraft. We're hoping if the weather cooperates, it will be
a quick journey south."
There are six whooping cranes in this year's flock – five
females and one male. Their migration began on Sept. 30 and
will conclude at St. Mark's National Wildlife Refuge, south
of Tallahassee, Florida.
Although the route is mapped with stopovers prior to each
migration, weather plays a pivotal role in the duration of the
migration.
"The whooping crane ranks as one of the world's most majestic
birds, and also one of its most imperiled," said NFWF Executive
Director and CEO Jeff Trandahl.
"Operation Migration's use of ultralight aircraft to teach young
cranes how to migrate serves as an inspiring conservation success
story. All of us at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation are
proud to support this program."
Since 2001, Operation Migration has played a lead role in the
reintroduction of endangered whooping cranes into
eastern North America. During the 1940s, because of hunting
and habitat loss, only 15 birds remained, although the species was
not declared endangered until 1971. Because of conservation
efforts, nearly 500 whooping cranes survive today in wild
populations and in captive breeding centers.
Launched in 2003, Southern Company's Power of Flight program
strives to restore and revive the populations and habitats of
southern birds through habitat restoration and environmental
education. The program is the largest public/private funding effort
for bird conservation in the south United
States.
Southern Company has awarded $3.4 million to
85 Power of Flight projects. Combined with $4
million in partner matching funds and $14.3
million in grantee matching funds, this has resulted in a
total investment of over $21.8 million to benefit more
than 476,000 acres of southern bird habitat and to protect and
restore many iconic bird species such as the whooping crane.
In addition to Operation Migration, which received a continuing
grant in 2013, the Power of Flight program also funded seven new
grants in 2015, awarded to the following organizations:
Through the Gulf Coast Conservation Grants Program:
- Alabama Wildlife Federation will use capacity
building, expanded partnerships, technical assistance and outreach
to increase landowner engagement and on-the-ground stewardship
implementation on private lands in Alabama Gulf Coast counties to
expand habitats for shorebirds, waterbirds and waterfowl, as well
as terrestrial birds and wildlife.
- Conservian will continue to work with partners at
sites in Alabama and Mississippi to monitor and restore
beach-nesting bird populations and habitats. The project will use
standardized monitoring methods and best management practices and
will supervise local volunteer site stewards to implement
comprehensive shorebird management.
- Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences will
create a Florida shorebird
recovery business plan built upon the work of the Atlantic Flyway
Shorebird Conservation Business Strategy and the American
Oystercatcher Recovery Business Plan. The project will strive to
recover four imperiled species in the state: the American
oystercatcher, snowy plover, black skimmer and least tern.
- The Nature Conservancy will support two new
conservation corps and a veterans conservation corps pilot
demonstration to undertake projects that restore and protect
natural resources. The project will improve long-term habitat
health for native plants and animals and train young people to
participate in the expanding Gulf restoration.
- State University of New York College of
Environmental Science and Forestry will implement
experimental vehicle speed reduction measures and provide shelters
for snowy plover chicks in order to increase the population of
beach-nesting birds on Gulf Islands National Seashore, which is
currently limited by poor reproductive success related to predators
and mortality from vehicular collisions.
Through the Longleaf Stewardship Fund:
- The Alabama Forest Resources Center and partners will
continue habitat management benefitting the red-cockaded woodpecker
(RCW) on Enon and Sehoy plantations and adjacent properties.
Management through this project will help the RCWs maintain 30 or
more self-sustaining groups.
- The Longleaf Alliance and partners will monitor
approximately 110 groups of RCWs for breeding activity, band
nestlings of successful breeding pairs and translocate
approximately 30 subadults from the pool of successful fledglings
on the Apalachicola National Forest (ANF) in Florida.
With more than 4.5 million customers and approximately 46,000
megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern
Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the
Southeast through its subsidiaries. A leading U.S. producer of
clean, safe, reliable and affordable electricity, Southern Company
owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive
generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless
communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent
customer service, high reliability and affordable prices that are
below the national average. Through an industry-leading commitment
to innovation, Southern Company and its subsidiaries are inventing
America's energy future by developing the full portfolio of energy
resources, including nuclear, 21st century coal, natural gas,
renewables and energy efficiency, and creating new products and
services for the benefit of customers. Southern Company has
been named by the U.S. Department of Defense and G.I.
Jobs magazine as a top military employer, listed by Black
Enterprise magazine as one of the 40 Best Companies for Diversity
and designated a 2014 Top Employer for Hispanics by Hispanic
Network. The company earned the 2014 National Award of Nuclear
Science and History from the National Atomic Museum Foundation for
its leadership and commitment to nuclear development, and is
continually ranked among the top utilities in Fortune's
annual World's Most Admired Electric and Gas
Utility rankings. Visit our website
at www.southerncompany.com.
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