The historic ultralight-led migration project and Direct Autumn Releases ended in Fall 2015. Beginning in Fall 2016, we feature each year's fall migration highlights.
Every fall from 2001-2015, Operation Migration pilots led captive-bred Whooping crane chicks on their first fall migration from Wisconsin to Florida. The goal was to reintroduce a new wild migratory Whooping crane flock to the eastern U.S. by establishing 25 breeding pairs from 125 birds by 2020. For more about why the effort was discontinued see, Why No More Costumes or Aircraft-led Migrations? This migration archive documents the 15-year effort.
Inspire students to think and act like scientists by creating journals as they follow the fall migration. Page by page, the journal becomes a workplace where students explore ever-changing events, record compelling questions, formulate hypotheses, document discoveries, and chronicle the challenges of survival and species recovery.