The whooping crane 's (Grus americana) 2,600-mile migration from the wetlands and marshes of Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories to the Gulf coast of Texas is legendary—covering four Canadian provinces and eight states. Standing up to five feet, it is North America's tallest bird. Its wingspan can reach eight feet, second only to the great California condor. It mates for life and has been known to live as long as thirty years.
This majestic bird is a symbol of hope and the potential for conservation efforts to succeed in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. As a result of habitat lost to farmland, wild populations of this rare species dropped alarmingly to sixteen individuals in 1940.Thanks in part to captive breeding programs, habitat conservation, and intensive reintroduction efforts, the whooping crane's population has rebounded slowly. These efforts have spanned the bird's natural territory, irrespective of political boundaries and the limitations that go with them.
Despite many admirable efforts to restore the species to its former glory, the whooping crane's survival is not assured. Only around 180 survive in the wild. Embodied in this remnant population is the hope that we can make a difference and atone for our past mistakes.
 The drawing of a whooping crane in mid-flight gracing these pages is the work of wildlife artist and conservationist Lysa Leland.
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