Welcome
to the only continent-wide non-profit organization
dedicated to the vitality and welfare of wild Trumpeter Swans.
Wintering Trumpeter Swans on the Mississippi River, Monticello, Minnesota. Photo by Greg Gerjets, Rice, Minnesota.
WHY A TRUMPETER SWAN SOCIETY?
The Trumpeter Swan is North America's largest waterfowl and one of its rarest native birds. To many people, it is the embodiment of grace, beauty, and unspoiled wildness. It is also an inspiring reminder that we can save some species that have been reduced to near extinction.
Trumpeters once flourished over much of the continent, but by the early 1900s they had been brought to the brink of extinction by market and subsistence hunting. In recent decades, Trumpeters have begun a wonderful comeback and now have the potential to reoccupy much of their former range. However, in many areas these swans face new problems such as lead poisoning, habitat loss, power line collisions, and the loss of their traditional migration patterns to southern wintering areas. They still remain absent from large portions of their historic range.
As we have recently learned, even our largest population, which nests in Alaska and contains 75% of the world's Trumpeters, faces severe threats to its continued health from lead contamination. Humans once nearly destroyed this magnificent species, but others have worked hard to save the last remnants and start them on the path to recovery. It is now up to people like you to help nurture that recovery and help ensure that Trumpeter Swans will be secure in our modern world. The Trumpeter Swan Society (TTSS) is a means for those who cherish these swans to work together and support their continued restoration.
JOIN US!
Support The Trumpeter Swan Society's vital work and keep informed by becoming a member. It's a bargain, and you'll get the Society's newsletter Trumpetings, and our Bulletin North American Swans. We've made it easy to join either on line or with our mail-in membership form.
WHAT'S NEW? (Updated January 24, 2008)
>TRUMPETER SWAN RELEASE IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS - A MIGRATION EXPERIMENT - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, The National Park Service, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Trumpeter Swan Society (TTSS) have all teamed up in an effort to expand where restored Midwest Trumpeter Swans winter. One of TTSS' goals has been to encourage southward migration of Trumpeter Swans under the approval of the Mississippi Flyway. The Trumpeter Swan has been successfully established as a breeding species in the Midwest, but limited winter migration has been a major concern. The Iowa DNR recently captured 9-month old free-flying trumpeters from ponds of private Iowa swan propagators who have been partnering with the Iowa DNR to restore the species to Iowa since 1995. The hope is that the young swans will imprint on the Arkansas locations so that they will establish a migratory tradition. The National Park Service's Buffalo River and the Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge are the sites of releases of the Iowa swans January 23rd & 24th. To read more about the experiment, visit Northwest Arkansas Morning News , Illinois' Outdoors News in prairie state outdoors, or the Desmoines Register. The swans are banded with green collars with white codes (1P0 - 0P0) and the public is asked to keep an eye out for the swans. Trumpeter Swans typically begin moving north to breeding marshes by early March. Please contact TTSS for more information.
21st TRUMPETER SWAN SOCIETY CONFERENCE: CALL FOR PAPERS - TTSS' 21st Conference and 40th Anniversary celebration will be held in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, April 17-19, 2008. Presenters, please click above for details. The Conference will focus on the history of TTSS and Trumpeter Swan conservation, especially in western Canada and Alaska. The conference will occur during the Yukon Territory's Annual Celebration of Swans. You will be able to view thousands of Tundra and Trumpeter Swans and other waterfowl as they return to the far North. Air Canada has been registered as the official airline for travel to the Conference and will offer a 10% discount if a minimum sign-up is reached. More information.
>HELP US MEET THE CHALLENGE! Earth Friends Wildlife Foundation has renewed their partnership with TTSS by offering a substantial challenge grant. Please help us meet our goal of raising $50,000 by November 1, 2008, through our Trumpeter Swan Conservation Campaign. Learn about Earth Friends and their efforts to help wildlife. Trumpeter Swans are on the Road to Recovery - You Can Help!
You can contribute now, on-line, using Visa, Discover, or Mastercard - it is secured by Clickandpledge.com by using the form below:
> TRUMPETER SWANS ARE dying in Washington State and British Columbia - Over the past 8 winters, an average of 300 swans annually have died in this region from lead poisoning. Learn more about this very serious crisis with the just-published lead poisoning information sheet about the most recent winter swan mortality in northwestern Washington and southwestern British Columbia. This is a progress report prepared by Environment Canada's Canadian Wildlife Service, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Trumpeter Swan Society, the University of Washington, and other organizations that have been working hard to locate the sources of lead shot and to stop the death of the swans. Click here to read the entire 2007-2008 Progress Report. See below about joining the Adopt-A-Swan program to help in the funding of this important work.
>NEWS RELEASE (11/19/07) - Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife - Hotline set up to report dead or ill swans in the State of Washington. Citizens can call 360-466-4345, ext. 266 to leave a message. The hotline is available 24 hours/day through the end of February. For the full press release, click here.
>JOIN THE Adopt a Swan Program. Click here to sponsor a collared swan. Your contribution will help us find the solution to stop the lead poisoning deaths in the Pacific Northwest. Read about how Second Graders at Montclair Elementary School in Quincy, Massachusetts, held a fundraiser to help with solving the lead poisoning crisis.
>MEET OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - The TTSS Board of Directors is very pleased to announce that it has selected John Cornely, of Littleton, Colorado, to serve as the Executive Director of TTSS. John will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of our first Executive Director, Ruth Shea. To read more about John's career background and his 29 years of work on behalf of Trumpeter Swans, click here.
TTSS IS NOW A BENEFICIARY OF THE NONPROFIT ARTISTS FOR CONSERVATION FOUNDATION (AFC) - We are pleased to announce that TTSS is now listed as one of the conservation organizations to which member artists of AFC may make pledges of financial support. AFC's mission is to support wildlife and habitat conservation through art that celebrates our natural heritage. Click on the above link to learn more about AFC's programs and view available art work. You will be very impressed by the many artists and their great variety of wildlife subjects.
>THE U. S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE'S 2005 Trumpeter Swan Survey Report. This is a cooperative North American Survey, and was compiled April 2006 by T. J. Moser, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Migratory Bird Management. The report is posted on the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service website in pdf format and includes 4 tables and 6 figures.
> 20th TRUMPETER SWAN SOCIETY CONFERENCE. Our 20th biennial conference was held in Council Bluffs, Iowa, October 20-22nd, 2005, and was co-hosted by TTSS and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The focus was on the restoration successes and challenges of the Interior Population of Trumpeter Swans. Posters and papers on all Trumpeter populations, as well as on Tundra and Mute Swans, were presented. We were pleased to see so many Trumpeter enthusiasts in Council Bluffs! The Proceedings was published in March 2007 as a special edition of North American Swans. Printed copies may be purchased for $20 (US), but are free to current TTSS members. So, join TTSS today and request your copy! Or, you may purchase the Proceedings in CD Rom format for $5 (US) plus postage.
Click here to review the Conference program agenda.
>CHECK OUT THE FIRST EVER SATELLITE TRACKING of western Canadian Trumpeter Swans! The Trumpeter Swan Migration Project has revealed new information about their migrations, winter range, and the population's vulnerability.
> A GREAT DEALl!! Join TTSS now (annual individual membership is only $25 US) and receive a free copy of the recently published Selected Papers of the 20th Trumpeter Swan Society Conference. Non-members may purchase a copy for $20 (US), postage included. However, by becoming a member of TTSS, you will also receive our newsletter Trumpetings and be helping to support our efforts to strengthen Trumpeter Swan conservation and management throughout North America. We look forward to hearing from you!
MISSION
AND OVERVIEW
A brief statement of our mission, history, and how we operate.
CONTACT
US
Who
runs the Society?
Where
is our office?
Want
to send us email?
YOUR
SOCIETY AT WORK
Details of The Trumpeter Swan Society's efforts and accomplishments throughout
North America, including your local area!
WASHINGTON
STATE SWAN WORKING GROUP
Learn more about all the swan happenings in the Pacific Northwest.
PUBLICATIONS
Read back issues of Trumpetings online!
Learn about TTSS publications, the latest Trumpeter Swan news, and coming
events across the continent. See information about previous conference proceedings.
SWAN
IDENTIFICATION
It's a swan...but what kind? Learn how to separate Trumpeter, Tundra,
and Mute Swans with ease. Swan Information: What do swans eat? How many
eggs does a swan lay? How many Trumpeter Swans are there and where do
they live? How much does a Trumpeter Swan weigh? If our site doesn't answer
your swan questions, we'll tell you where the answer is.
SWAN
GIFTS
Support your Society by purchasing our gifts of artwork, books, shirts,
and more. Look before you buy! Buy them for your friends...or buy them
for yourself! New! You can now order on line with Visa, Discover, and Mastercard through Click & Pledge.
SWAN
LINKS
The best swan links around! Where to go on the World Wide Web for information
about Trumpeters and other swans, as well as links to other organizations, including where to report a banded swan. We welcome your suggestions for Trumpeter-related links and will do our best to include them, if appropriate.