Nine juvenile whooping cranes on their first ultralight-led migration south will now be taken to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in northern Alabama in the next few days.

The nine whooping cranes will be loaded up in travel enclosures onto vehicles as soon as possible, driven about 70 miles from Winston County, Ala., to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge.  They will be placed in a secure pen, equipped with identification bands and tracking transmitters, then later released in the company of other whooping cranes that have been wintering there.

“We are fortunate to be in a position to help by standing in for our sister refuges at Chassahowitzka and St. Marks in Florida,”  said Dwight Cooley, refuge manager for Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, on the outskirts of Decatur, Alabama, which lies on border of Tennessee.  “While we hope they will visit us again in coming winters, where they eventually winter is not nearly as important as their survival, and the hope they will complete many more migrations in years to come.  Their continued safety is our highest concern.  ”

He went on to say the refuge hosted more than 11,000 sandhill cranes at the refuge this winter, as well as seven whooping cranes.

“We also have fantastic observation facilities and viewing platforms that allow great views and don’t disturb the wildlife,” said Cooley.  “We’ve got great habitat and conditions, as evidenced by the number of cranes wintering on the refuge.”

The original plan was to have the Operation Migration pilots use ultralight aircraft to guide the birds further south to St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge and Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge in Florida – their originally planned wintering sites.  The migration had been sidelined for over a month by an issue involving FAA flying policies.  FAA granted a waiver for the flight, but the cranes apparently decided Alabama was far enough, refusing to follow the ultralights.  The cranes had been imprinted to follow the pilots of the ultralights who are dressed in whooping crane costumes.  The warm winter may also have had an impact on the cranes refusal to fly further south.

The nine whooping cranes are part of an effort to establish an Eastern Migratory population for one of the most endangered birds in the world. Cranes have been taught variations of the eastern migratory route for the past decade.  There are now about 104 cranes in the eastern population. One crane that had dropped out of the migration in the first few days ended up joining migrating sandhill cranes, ultimately wintering in Florida.

The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) is sending two members of its national education staff to the 2012 Delaware Wildlife Management Workshop and Expo at the Delaware State Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall on Saturday.

The Delaware Wildlife Management Workshop will feature a group of experts who will present strategies for successful hunting and explain the benefits of Quality Deer Management (QDM). The event is sponsored by the Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA), the Fish and Wildlife Division of the Department of Natural Resource and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the Delaware State Chapter of QDMA.

Speaking at the Workshop on behalf of QDMA will be founder Joe Hamilton and Director of Education and Outreach Kip Adams. Hamilton will provide an introduction to the QDM philosophy and the QDMA while Adams will discuss antler growth and development as well as aging bucks on the hoof.

Hamilton is a certified wildlife biologist and the founder of QDMA. He currently serves as QDMA’s Director of Development. During his nearly 20 years with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Hamilton helped implement QDM practices on more than two million acres. In 2000, he was awarded the Deer Management Career Achievement Award from The Wildlife Society, and in 2011 he was named Budweiser Conservationist of the Year.

Adams, a native of Pennsylvania, is a certified wildlife biologist and QDMA’s Director of Education and Outreach. He has a Bachelor’s degree in wildlife and fisheries science from Penn State and Master’s in wildlife from the University of New Hampshire. He’s also a certified taxidermist. Before joining QDMA, Adams was the deer and bear biologist for the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department.

Additional speakers at the Workshop include: Mark Buxton, Owner of Southeastern Wildlife Habitat Services; Dr. Mark Connor, Manager of Chesapeake Farms in Chestertown, Md.; Joe Rogerson, Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife Big Game and Furbearer Biologist; Larry Walton, Vice President of Vision Forestry, LLC; Eric Burkentine, Regional Forester, Delaware Forest Service.

Admission is free and no reservations are needed for the 2012 Delaware Wildlife Management Workshop and Expo. Doors will open at 8 a.m. ET, and programs will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

European travel company Pure Adventures (http://pure-adventures.com/), a division of Discover France Adventures (http://www.discoverfrance.com), announces new “4 Corners of Central Europe” 8-day self-guided cycling tours revealing Old Europe that was once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire of the Hapsburg dynasty.

Cyclists exploring at their own pace the intersections of Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic are armed with maps, lodging, breakfast daily, luggage transfers, local emergency support, cell phone rental (for local calls only), orientation, riding routes and cue sheets, suggestions for visitation and dining, bike delivery, pickup, fitting, and fully equipped bicycle rental for the duration with GPS device for navigation (one per group or couple).

The self-guided per person double occupancy rate is 1290 Euros; a single supplement is 350 Euros. For those more comfortable with a guide, special escorted tour departures are July 15-20 and Aug. 26-Sept. 2, 2012. Custom guided tours can be arranged for a minimum of four guests. The price is slightly higher per person at 1940 Euros based on double occupancy, inclusive of everything on the self-guided program plus a guide, support van, and some guided visits at selected sites. See: http://pure-adventures.com/tours/central-europe-cycling.php

“These four countries represent some of the best historic cycling in Central Europe,” said Loren Siekman, Discover France director, who added that mornings may reveal a UNESCO heritage site with time in the afternoon for a castle visit or winery.

Accommodations are three-star guest houses and small hotels.  Some meals are taken in the hotel or just a short walk away. Accommodations include a private bathroom and a variety of other amenities. Local guides and experts are available by phone to assist during a self-guided trip with any kind of emergency and breakdown (except flats). Maps provided are accurate, topographical maps by national map publishers such as the Czech Tourist Club (Czech Republic) and VKU Harmanec (Slovakia). The scales of all maps are 1:50 000 or 1:75 000.

Travel includes the Lednice-Valtice area, a composed landscape created by the Liechtenstein family, dotted with follies, ponds and chateaux. The powerful Esterhazy family settled in Austria’s Eisenstadt and Hungary’s Fertöd where they employed the famous composer Joseph Haydn. Lake Neusiedl is a highlight in the lowlands of Burgenland, ideal for leisurely biking, birdwatching and refreshing swims. This tour, with the exquisite wines of Burgenland and the hearty cuisine of Hungary, blends easy cycling with a mix of architecture and nature preserves.

Phoenix, AZ— The Arizona Game and Fish Commission will hold a telephonic meeting beginning at 1 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3, at the Game and Fish Department headquarters at 5000 W. Carefree Highway in Phoenix (1.5 miles west of I-17). Members of the commission will attend either in person or by telephone conference call. The public is invited to attend the meeting.

The commission will be briefed on the status of state and federal legislation, including HB 2728 (firearms, sound suppressors, hunting); HB 2640 (hunting, firearm magazine capacity); HB 2457 (possession of weapons while hunting); SCM 1009 (rotenone, EPA, deregistration); SB 1453 (applying aquatic poisons); SB 1300 (AGFD & AGFC continuation); and SB 1305 (Game and Fish omnibus act). The commission may vote to take a position or provide direction to the department for coordination, action, or proposed changes to legislation.

The meeting will be webcast at www.azgfd.gov/commissioncam. However, those wishing to submit “blue slips” to present oral comment during the meeting must do so either in person at the Phoenix meeting or at any of the six regional Game and Fish offices where the webcast will be streamed (Pinetop, Flagstaff, Kingman, Yuma, Tucson, Mesa). For a list of office locations, visit www.azgfd.gov/offices.

For a complete meeting agenda, visit www.azgfd.gov/commission.

Macy L. Brooks, co-founder of Buck Nekkid BBQ in Fayetteville, Ark., signed a Chapter Charter with the Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) last week. A fundraising banquet will be held in April at the restaurant, which can seat upwards of 400 people.

At 21 years of age, Brooks is the youngest-ever Chapter Chair for the organization. This is also the first-ever MDF chapter in the Razorback state.

Why Arkansas? Why MDF? Why now? A number of factors figured into Brooks’ decision to come on board with MDF. First of all, she shares an acquaintance and mutual respect with MDF Regional Director Charlie Stockstill, who joined MDF last year and is charged with expanding the organization in the south. Brooks’ family also owns some mule deer habitat in New Mexico, and she knows numerous Arkansas hunters who travel to both Texas and New Mexico in pursuit of muleys.

Brooks said, “I have been hunting since I was able to walk. My dad took me out, and we would hunt with my uncle and his family in New Mexico. There are no mule deer in Arkansas.” She continued, “In recent years, I’ve made special trips to New Mexico to work on improving the habitat there.”

By joining forces with the Mule Deer Foundation, Brooks intends to raise funds for additional projects in New Mexico. She also wants to help facilitate local wildlife education programs, as well as contribute to the University of Arkansas Shooting Team, of which she is a member.

Stockstill said, “With young people like Macy, I think the future of conservation is in good hands!” MDF is expecting a real shot in the arm with the addition of this Ozark Mountain chapter.

Last year, Fayetteville was honored as a Volunteer Community of the Year at the Annual Municipal League Conference. According to the League, there were some 30,000 active volunteers in Fayetteville who contributed more than 600,000 hours of volunteer work in the community.

Add to that volunteerism spirit the fact that Fayetteville is considered by many business publications to be one of the best places for starting a new business and for doing business, and the Mule Deer Foundation cannot help but emit a “Wooo, Pig, Sooie” hog call of hopeful anticipation that deer and habitat will benefit greatly from this Razorback association!

For more information about the new chapter in northwest Arkansas, visit www.muledeer.org or contact Regional Director Charlie Stockstill.

Wildlife Habitat Canada is thrilled to congratulate 14 year old Carson Visser from Burlington, Ontario for being selected as the winning artist for the third annual Canadian Youth Wildlife Habitat Conservation Stamp. The Youth Stamp has been created in partnership with the Robert Bateman Get to Know Contest, which is a program designed to encourage youth to get outside and ‘get to know’ their wild neighbors.

Carson Visser’s entry, entitled “Curious Visitor”, depicts a Barred Owl in its native habitat. In addition to having his artwork featured on the stamp, Carson’s painting is also featured on the cover of the 2012 Robert Bateman Get to Know Contest Calendar.

Carson had this to say about his painting and the owl:

“Seeing a Barred Owl while hiking in its natural habitat was very special for me. I’ve often heard owls in the distance but this was the first time I’ve seen and heard one up close in the wild. My family and I hushed at the sound of the owl’s hoot. Everything was quiet – even the songbirds were silent. We stopped, our eyes captivated by the owl’s dark, mysterious eyes that seemed to be sizing us up. The owl didn’t seem bothered by our presence as it let out a haunting “Who-Cooks-For-You!” song that rang through the forest. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that moment and I knew I just had to try and capture it in a painting. I was so intrigued by the owl’s call and dark eyes that I wanted to make the forest foliage reflect the same mystery.”

Wildlife Habitat Canada is continuing its partnership with Robert Bateman’s Get to Know Program to create this stamp that is being sold across Canada. Proceeds from the sale of the stamp will support youth-driven wildlife conservation projects.

By purchasing the Canadian Youth Wildlife Habitat Conservation Stamp you will help youth to understand the importance of the natural world to all of us, while ensuring that this exquisite resource is conserved for years to come.

Boating around your favorite lake or river searching for bass, panfish or walleyes, your eyes never leave the screen. The things this fish finder reveals are simply amazing—forests of flowing underwater vegetation; fields of craggy boulders that house all kinds of critters; vast schools of shad, sunfish and the occasional marauding crayfish. Soon, you spot a big walleye; its unmistakable flag-white tail gives a friendly wave as it glides past the lens of your MarCum underwater camera.

While continuing to drift along the rock and weed point, the camera reveals over a dozen deep-bellied bass, seemingly waiting for you to drop a jig in front of their hungry eyeballs. A look at your sonar shows a few mysterious lines and arches, but those could be anything—carp, bullheads, logs, who knows? Only your MarCum shows exactly what’s below your boat. It’s why more and more anglers consider their MarCum to be their true fish finder.

As an increasing number of tournament anglers attest, cameras aren’t just fun, they’re the best way to find and identify bass or walleyes before competition begins. From tournament pros to weekend warriors, MarCum cameras such as the new vs625sd and vs825sd have become reliable fish finders. See something on sonar that doesn’t make sense? Drop the MarCum down and discover the answer. Searching for crappies in a weedbed? Drop the MarCum. Prefishing a tournament, but don’t want to hook your bass before competition begins, or show other anglers the big fish on your line?

You know what to do. Catch ‘em with your MarCum first.

FLW Bass Pro Troy Morrow relies on his MarCum camera to gain a tournament winning edge. In 2010, Morrow notched two major wins and a $50,000 payday at the Forest L Wood Cup on Lake Lanier, Georgia. “I used the camera at Lanier to identify bottom composition around brush, brush thickness, and to see how much bait (bream) was using the brush, and what other species of fish were using the piles,” Morrow said. “Some of my sonar returns around the brush looked promising, but they were all crappies, stripers or catfish. Others were chock-full of only small bream and spotted bass. Knowing this gave me a tremendous amount of confidence that I was fishing in the right piles that held big bass.”

Thanks to recent MarCum advancements, underwater “fish finding” has never been easier. New Solar-Intelligent LCD monitors project dazzlingly clear, bright video in all conditions, even in bright sun. And with the highest resolution optics and display screen available, you’ll be viewing underwater in near HD-quality, right in your boat. In addition, on-screen displays of depth, water temp and camera direction provide valuable clues that help locate fish and identify key patterns.

“For tournament practice when you want to find, but don’t want to hook any of your fish, there’s probably no better tool than my MarCum vs625sd,” Morrow asserts. “I can locate and get right over deep structures with sonar, such as timber or brush. Then I can drop the camera on ‘em to see exactly what it looks like down there—how the cover is positioned, what’s living in it, how big the bass are, and you never burn the spot by hooking a fish before the tournament starts. People talk a lot about confidence, but to me, true confidence comes from actually seeing two 5-pounders swimming around a brushpile on the screen of my MarCum.”

Winters everywhere are about to get just a bit easier, thanks to GoLite Footwear’s plans to bring their groundbreaking trail running technology to a collection of waterproof Trekkers for men and women.

“We know winter,” explains GoLite Footwear CEO Doug Clark. “Here in northern New England, the conditions are as challenging as they get. Trails turn to hard-packed ice, unpredictable mid-winter thaws turn the ice into slush and then everything freezes solid again until spring. Our new boots let people ignore all that and just get out there.”

To be sure, these are no ordinary winter boots. All styles feature GoLite Footwear’s zero drop outsole, where the sole is the same thickness from heel to toe. “This promotes a natural midfoot strike,” explains GoLite Footwear President Scott Briggs. “The sole on trekking boots is traditionally thicker at the heel and thinner at the toe, which causes the heel to strike the ground first. This constant pounding against the ground is transferred to the body. We brought our trail running engineering to the trekking boot, greatly reducing the shock from each step.”

When it comes to traction, GoLite Footwear knows what works. “We put literally hundreds of tiny lugs on our Gecko outsole,” says Clark. “Every edge bites into the ice and snow for exceptional traction. And because there are bound to be rocks and roots under the snow, we leveraged our Rock Absorber technology that puts the soft part of the sole against the ground where it gives to the terrain. This means better traction—and also better stability.”

Of course, warmth is the other challenge when taking on the outdoors in frigid temperatures. For this, the GoLite Footwear team has responded with luxuriously thick genuine shearling for the collection. “It’ll keep you warm, and wick away moisture as you go,” says Briggs. “When you combine our seam-sealed waterproof technologies to keep the snow out and the wicking technologies to keep the moisture away, you end up with dry, comfortable feet—no matter what nature puts in your path.”

GoLite Footwear and the new Trekking collection featuring the Trac Lite for men and Snow Lite for women can be found at premium outdoor specialty stores across the country and prominent online retailers.