According to an article in today's Journal Sentinel, The ultralight-led migration of endangered whooping cranes from Wisconsin to Florida is stalled in Alabama over the failure of a group to comply with federal regulations involving their use of the small aircraft.
The article says an attorney representing Operation Migration - the group that leads whooping cranes to Florida each fall and winter - confirmed on Tuesday that the aircraft-led migration was voluntarily halted in December.
Attorney Charles R. Barnett III, an aviation attorney, reportedly said that he hoped to resolve the issue quickly.
Meanwhile, the birds and their handlers are grounded in Franklin County, in northwestern Alabama. The cranes' final destinations are two national wildlife refuges in Florida. The group has landed in the Franklin County area now for the last three years at Christmas time.
-Operation Migration Facebook image-
Operation Migration posts developments almost daily, but has made no mention of standing down because of regulatory problems.
The issue: Pilots of ultralight aircraft are prohibited by Federal Aviation Administration from flying on a paid basis, but Operation Migration pilots are compensated for their work says the article.
According to the article, Barnett filed a petition with authorities on Dec. 27 that would exempt Operation Migration from the regulations, even though this year's migration was well underway.
Nine juvenile cranes, led by ultralights, left Wisconsin this fall for Florida.
The annual trips began in 2001 as a way to encourage whooping cranes to migrate. Biologists had believed that the migration would imprint on them, allowing the birds to return to Wisconsin on their own.
There are currently 103 whooping cranes in the eastern U.S., according to the International Crane Foundation, based in Baraboo. SOURCE: Journal Sentinel by Lee Bergquist, FMI: follow on FaceBook