Walter
Sturgeon has raised
cranes for more than 30 years and has 50 birds in his private collection — including
seven species. He is REALLY experienced at handling cranes!
The 2011 migration will be Walter's
eighth
year as a welcome volunteer and leader of
the ground crew. Walt is retired Assistant Director of the
North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences. He was a
nuclear scientist for 38 years before that! He also leads
winter excursions for birders to places as far as the Arctic and Patagonia.
Only 21 Whooping cranes were left on Earth in the year Walt was born (1941).
His dedication has helped to bring them back from the brink of extinction!
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