PROCEEDINGS AND PAPERS OF THE
SIXTEENTH TRUMPETER SWAN SOCIETY
CONFERENCE
Trumpeter Swans -- Restoration in the Heartland
| Published by The Trumpeter Swan Society with financial assistance
from The Wildlife Society. Paper copies may be purchased from The
Trumpeter Swan Society, 3800 County Road 24, Maple Plain, MN 55359. August 1999. ISBN 1-888377-01-1 PREFACE The Sixteenth Trumpeter Swan Society Conference was held in St. Louis, Missouri, to highlight restoration of Trumpeter Swans in the heartland. Through the collective efforts of The Trumpeter Swan Society, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state game and nongame wildlife programs, and private citizen groups, we have been successful in restoring the Trumpeter Swan as a breeding species in the Midwest. Presentations emphasized how Trumpeters have been returned to breed in marshes from South Dakota east to Ontario and Ohio. Speakers shared experiences and findings from older, more established restoration programs along with status reports from newer programs in Iowa and Ohio. Other presenters reminded us how much still needs to be done before we can consider these Trumpeter Swans as a restored, migratory population. Some birds, especially from the High Plains flock out of Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge, have been migrating to Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Illinois. Despite these limited successes, most of the restored Trumpeters continue to spend the winter in northern areas where they are dependent on supplemental food. Good winter habitat is in short supply in the South. Establishing migratory traditions to these limited areas will be the most difficult part of the program to complete. Imagination and perseverance will be essential for success in the future. Although we emphasized the Interior Population, we also heard speakers addressing the difficult problems facing the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Coast Populations of Trumpeters. Inadequate habitat within the existing winter range and the inability to get Trumpeters to migrate elsewhere have been major problems for the past decade, and it looks as though they will remain the major challenges confronting Trumpeters in these populations into the 21st century. Two other species of swans occur in North America. How they are managed has a direct impact on Trumpeter restoration and management. Hunting of Tundra Swans has reduced the options that are available for promoting southerly migration among Trumpeters in the Rocky Mountain Population and for restoration in the Midwest. Mute Swans already occupy many wetlands in the Midwest and the East, and there were discussions about how the widespread wild nesting of this exotic species may affect Trumpeter restoration. Sessions were included at the conference on both species to assess the impact of their presence on the management on Trumpeters. Trumpeters were once thought to be a wilderness species because they survived only in the remotest areas of the Rocky Mountains and Alaska for the first half of this century. Recent restoration efforts have shown that Trumpeters, like most species of wildlife, can adapt to living in close proximity with people if they are not harassed and adequate secure habitat is preserved. They nest on golf courses and small private farm ponds and winter on rivers within city limits. The Trumpeter's ability to live near people and our ability to use this adaptation may be critical in resolving the winter habitat problems for all three populations of Trumpeter Swans. Larry Gillette Program Chair ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The heart of any conference is information sharing, whether it be formally through the papers presented and during field trips or informally during coffee breaks, hospitality sessions, and dinner. The sharing of information allows our understanding of the resource to evolve, and, ultimately, allows us to do a better job of helping that resource. It is also during these conferences that new working relationships are formed and old ones are strengthened. Only if you have been involved in the planning and organizing of a conference can you appreciate the effort required to conduct one. The Sixteenth Trumpeter Swan Society Conference was a success thanks to a team effort by a number of committed individuals. Larry Gillette, as Program Chair, put together a stimulating program that was particularly pertinent to current Trumpeter Swan restoration issues in the Midwest. Larry also provided guidance throughout the planning period. Madeleine Linck was always available to take care of the many details that came up unexpectedly. Missouri Department of Conservation staff, who volunteered to host and plan the logistics of the meeting, included Jim D. Wilson, Mike Arduser, Laurie Dohm, and Troy Gordon. Jim made arrangements for lunch at Raccoon Ranch and for the raptor show at the evening social. Mike Arduser arranged for the audio/video equipment, coordinated volunteers to help with registration details, solicited items for the raffle, and arranged for the field trip bus. Laurie Dohm registered attendees, worked audio/video equipment during the program sessions, and solicited items for the raffle. Sara Lenoe, a volunteer from the St. Louis Children's Zoo, and Troy Gordon also helped with the registration table and the audio/video equipment. The Conservation Employees Credit Union of Jefferson City, Missouri, allowed us to set up an operating account from which to conduct the business of the conference. Ducks Unlimited, Inc. sponsored the evening social, a relaxing get-together after the first day of paper presentations. The World Bird Sanctuary provided an up-close and educational raptor show during the social. Martha Jordan organized and ran a very successful fund-raiser raffle during the banquet. Thanks to the many folks who donated wonderful art and wildlife-related items. Beverly and Ray Kingdon, owners of Kitchen Ontario, arranged with Tom Harting, of Mrs. Allison's Cookies in St. Louis, to donate a variety of delicious cookies for coffee breaks. Claire Hager hosted the field trip lunch at Raccoon Ranch and a tour of the amazing natural history displays in the family lodge. Julie Ziino, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, graciously guided the field trip at the Riverlands Refuge in St. Charles County, and she arranged for use of the Corps of Engineers facility. The effort given by the above people was in addition to their normal responsibilities. The conference could not have happened without their willingness to give generously of their time and talents. The Wildlife Society generously provided partial funding for publication of this proceedings. The Sixteenth Conference was sponsored by The Trumpeter Swan Society, the Missouri Department of Conservation, Ducks Unlimited, Inc., and The Wildlife Society. David Graber and Donna Compton Conference Co-chairs (Webmaster's note: The electronic documents below contains slight differences in format compared to the original hardcopy Proceedings. Page numbers indicated below refer to the original hardcopy Proceedings. Please use these to cite any material.) TABLE OF CONTENTS INTERIOR POPULATION
PACIFIC COAST POPULATION
TUNDRA SWANS AND TUNDRA SWAN HUNTING
SWAN POTPOURRI
MUTE SWANS
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