A week away from the Crane Symposium at The Ridges Sanctuary in Baileys Harbor, Midwest Crane County Door County Coordinator Tony Kiszonas is unsure if hunting the bird is a good idea. Last month, twin bills in the Wisconsin Legislature proposed opening a sandhill crane hunting season. After being nearly eliminated from the state, sandhill cranes are being blamed for approximately $1.9 million in crop damage annually, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel found a low number of Wisconsinites are in favor of instituting a hunt. Kiszonas acknowledges that sandhill cranes have turned their population into a great conservation success story, with more than a million birds living in North America. He fears the hunting season for the sandhill crane, and the prevalence of the bird flu may accidentally wipe out the whooping crane population, which has not rebounded as well from its near extinction.

You can learn more about the birds when The Ridges Sanctuary hosts its annual Crane Symposium on April 12th and 13th. The weekend starts early Saturday morning with the Midwest Crane Count organized by the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, followed by breakfast inside the Cook-Albert Fuller Center. Photographer Len Villano will cap off the day with a keynote presentation. Sunday is kids-focused, with a story hour and birding hike among its activities. Click on this link to learn more about the free Crane Symposium and its crane nest site hikes.