TRUMPETINGS ONLINE Voice of The Trumpeter Swan Society 3800 County Road 24 Maple Plain, Minnesota 55359 Phone 612-476-4663 email: ttss@hennepinparks.org

FROM PAST PRESIDENT JIM KING - It is time again to raise funds for the work of the coming year. As your Society becomes more active, and programs to restore Trumpeters expand from coast to coast, the cost of doing business goes up. TTSS is working diligently to build a secure future for Trumpeter Swans. In addition to our own programs, we are also the catalyst for many agency efforts. We cannot remain effective without your help.

In 1999, we will continue our daily efforts to educate the public about Trumpeters and their restoration. We will continue to serve as the international clearing house for information on Trumpeters and coordination of management efforts among federal, state, provincial and private efforts. In September, we will hold our 17th biennial Conference, focusing on the problems of the Rocky Mountain Trumpeters, as well as other challenges and opportunities in the U. S. and Canada. We will also continue to expand and preserve knowledge of Trumpeters and their management through our publications Trumpetings and North American Swans.

Through our efforts, we are making Trumpeter Swan conservation happen. We will continue participating in Flyway Council meetings, reviewing and commenting on decisions that affect Trumpeters. In addition, in 1999 we will work diligently for adoption of a sound plan for restoring Trumpeters in the Atlantic Flyway, explore ways to help Trumpeters learn to use secure wintering sites in the Midwest and western states, work to protect nest sites in the Yellowstone region and prevent the further decline of the Yellowstone resident flocks. We are also striving to build up our North American Swan Fund so we can stimulate research needed to better understand Trumpeters and help them adapt to our rapidly changing continent.

Of special note, we must repay almost $10,000 in unanticipated costs incurred to repair damage to the wetland we maintain for wintering swans on Washington's Long Beach Peninsula. Last winter vandals breached the dune/dam that regulated essential water levels. We have restored this fine wetland, but the unexpected damage to our operating funds still requires repair.

Needless to say, your positive response to our annual appeal goes a long way in helping the Society remain effective. Perhaps you might also consider a gift membership to a friend or relative, or purchasing a life membership (which goes directly into the North American Swan Fund). I speak for your Trumpeter constituency when I say,

Thank You,

Jim King

17TH TRUMPETER SWAN SOCIETY CONFERENCE - - Mark your calendars and come to Yellowstone Country! The 17th Trumpeter Swan Society Conference will be held in Idaho Falls, Idaho, September 15 -18, 1999. Plan to join us as we celebrate the progress of restoration efforts, learn from the setbacks, and address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Spend some extra time in the area - September in the Yellowstone Region is fabulous! We'll provide interesting field trips with local biologists and information on other recreational activities available in the Yellowstone and Grand Teton region. Watch for Conference details and registration information in upcoming issues of Trumpetings and North American Swans.

TRUMPETERS BACK IN MONTANA'S FLATHEAD VALLEY - - The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, in cooperation with Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Canadian Wildlife Service are working enthusiastically to restore nesting Trumpeters in the Flathead Valley of northwest Montana. On 9 September 1998, 10 cygnets were captured in Grande Prairie, Alberta. After a truck-ride south to Montana, all 10 birds were released successfully at Pablo National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). Managers hope these cygnets will fledge from the Flathead Valley, find suitable wintering sites in western Montana, northern Idaho, or Oregon, and return to Pablo next spring. Plans call for releasing additional cygnets in future years if all goes well. The translocation and monitoring are supported by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation and the Summerlee Foundation.

SOUTHEAST IDAHO REFUGE COMPLEX CYGNET PRODUCTION - As efforts to expand the distribution of the Tristate flocks continue, the National Wildlife Refuges in southeast Idaho have become the cornerstone for cygnet production in Idaho. Although all four nests at Camas NWR failed this year for unknown reasons, Grays Lake and Bear Lake Refuges together fledged 50 percent of Idaho's 34 cygnets. Bear Lake NWR is beginning dike construction to improve the 1,900 acre Bloomington unit. When complete, this project will create additional high quality nesting habitat for Trumpeters and give the Refuge Complex the combined potential to fledge 30+ cygnets annually. Cygnet production on these refuges is crucial to the recovery and southward expansion of the Tristate flocks. These habitats will be featured at TTSS' 17th Conference [Ruth Shea].

NEWS FROM WASHINGTON STATE - Washington State Working Group (WWG) recently awarded TTSS Certificates of Appreciation to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife law enforcement officers Mike Cenci and Dan Bolton. TTSS Director and WWG Chair Martha Jordan praised the two officers for their very hard work in bringing to court those parties responsible for the vandalism to TTSS property on Long Beach Peninsula (see March 1998 Trumpetings for a complete report of the incident). They have done an outstanding job and deserve special recognition for their efforts.

Larry and Arlene Schinke were presented with a special award for their energy, enthusiasm and time in assisting the Washington State Working Group with a variety of issues, even when it wasn't always convenient, easy or pleasant. They are proof that volunteers can and do make a difference, not only in their community, but around the state. They received a framed 1988 Alaska Duck Stamp Print and stamp featuring Trumpeter Swans. Thanks for all your work!

The latest on the Long Beach Peninsula dune/dam vandalism is that an earlier plea agreement of guilty to several charges was withdrawn the day before the plea and restitution hearing scheduled for August. New trial dates have been set for November in both the Administrative Hearing regarding the backhoe confiscation and the criminal trial. An outcome will reported in the next issue of Trumpetings [Martha Jordan].

NEWS BRIEFS FROM VARIOUS INTERIOR POPULATION FLOCKS - Although the final figures of wild production in Ontario are not yet complete, Harry Lumsden reports that at least 10 pairs of wild Trumpeters nested successfully with 36 cygnets (average 3-6 per pair) produced. The captive breeding stock did not do quite as well this year as in 1997. Nineteen pairs out of 23 pairs of potential breeders produced 53 cygnets which will be released when 2 years old.

In Wisconsin, Sumner Matteson reports there were 18 nesting pairs of wild Trumpeters which hatched 66-68 cygnets. Fifty-one young were still alive as of 22 September 1998. Thirty-six of these are banded. Wisconsin estimates there are now 285 free-flying Trumpeters in the state. A recent statewide press release alerted waterfowl hunters to the presence of swans.

Dave Sherman is the new coordinator of the Ohio Trumpeter Swan Restoration Program. Two pairs of Trumpeters successfully nested on Magee Marsh, Ottawa County, for the second year in a row. One pair hatched three cygnets in late June. The other pair hatched four and lost only one cygnet even though the adult male died 2 weeks after the cgynets hatched. The Ohio Division of Wildlife released 18 Trumpeter Swans in Spring 1998, bringing the total to 56 birds released by the Division since 1996.

Editor's note: More complete restoration reports will follow in the Regional Reports of the next issue of North American Swans.

IN MEMORIAM - The Trumpeter Swan Society recently lost two long-time members.

Ruth Burgess, beloved wife of Harold Burgess, Past President of The Trumpeter Swan Society, passed away in Weslaco, Texas, on September 27, 1998. Ruth and Harold have been active members of TTSS since 1976. All who knew Ruth were impressed by her love of the Lord, her faithfulness to the missionary field, her support of Harold's work and her hospitality to all. Our sympathy goes out to Harold and their children in the loss of this remarkable life partner.

Ruth met Harold in Nigeria where Ruth was working as a missionary. Ruth was an ardent supporter of all of Harold's endeavors and accompanied him through more than 50 years of marriage and a myriad of wildlife-related escapades. She was an accomplished editor and fine-tuned many of Harold's field notes into highly readable manuscripts, several of which have appeared in TTSS publications. Although Ruth was in poor health during her later years, she continued to participate in Harold's activities as her strength permitted. The wildlife field is much poorer from the loss of this staunch advocate [Art Hughlett].

The Society has lost a long-time member and true friend. I recently received a note from Elsa Pedersen telling me that her husband Walt had passed away earlier in the year. Walt and Elsa hosted a number of us on their Sterling, Alaska, homestead during the 6th Trumpeter Swan Society Conference held in Anchorage in September 1978. Walt graciously toured us in his float plane over the Kenai National Moose Range to see nesting Trumpeters on many of the refuge lakes.

As a fitting eulogy, for the first time, a pair of Trumpeters nested on Walt's and Elsa's lake this past spring and hatched five cygnets. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to Elsa. We valued Walt's friendship, his support of the Society, and, of course, his keen interest in Trumpeter Swans [Dave Weaver].