2011 TTSS News Archive

In recent decades wild nesting populations of Trumpeter Swans have been successfully restored across the Interior northern states and Ontario. As populations grow, we see evidence that more and more swans are pioneering southward to areas where they may establish more southerly wintering sites. Little is known about these southward moving swans; the duration that they use various sites, the location and characteristic of prime feeding and resting areas, or what problems they may be encountering. Observers are needed primarily in states south of the 40th parallel, during the winter season, to help chart trends in this new winter distribution. You can help! Read more...

In case folks inquire, we had a new record Wisconsin high of 192 nesting pairs of Trumpeter Swans in 23 counties. Approximately 45 percent of nesting pairs occurred in two counties: Polk and Burnett in northwestern Wisconsin. Read more...

22ND TRUMPETER SWAN SOCIETY CONFERENCE
October 10-14, 2011 ~ Polson, Montana
Join us in Polson, Montana to confer on Trumpeter Swan conservation and help chart the Society's course for the future. The conference will put special emphasis on the status of swans in the Western United States, including updates about the status and management of the Pacific and Interior Populations of Trumpeter Swans. There will be progress reports on topics such as lead poisoning in British Columbia and Washington State and expansion of Trumpeter Swan populations elsewhere. Learn about Trumpeter Swan restoration efforts in western Montana, as well as challenging issues facing swans in the Pacific Northwest. Read more...

An important wetlands study in Wyoming recently received a financial boost from an Environmental Protection Agency grant. The grant awarded to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department will provide $98,000 for a wetlands study to be completed in partnership with The Nature Conservancy. Read more...

TTSS FEATURED IN JULY 2011 ALASKA AIRLINES MAGAZINE

TTSS was recently featured in the July 2011 Alaska Airlines, Horizon Edition magazine, in an article on Trumpeter Swans and Red Rock Lakes NWR, noting the Society's work to reduce the threats of lead to Trumpeters Swans.

"WHEN JOHN JAMES AUDUBON was studying and painting trump~terswans in the early 1800s, he wrote that bird-watchers who see these magnificent creatures "will feel, as I have felt, more happy and void of care than I can describe..."

Yellowstone National Park played a crucial role in the 1930s in preventing the extinction of Trumpeter Swans in the lower 48 states. At their peak in the 1970s, over 50 Trumpeters summered in the Park and there were about 20 nesting territories. Now, after a decline spanning over 30 years, only a handful of swans still summer in the Park and only one nesting pair remains. In an effort to examine all possible options for saving Yellowstone's swans, the National Park Service (NPS) convened about 30 swan, waterfowl, and wetland experts for a 2-day workshop, April 26-27, 2011 in Bozeman, Montana. Read More...

Minnesota's Trumpeters Exceed 5000 in Five-Year Survey This article features TTSS Board Member Larry Gillette and chronicles a remarkable chapter in the success of Trumpeter Swan restoration. Read more...

DUNGENESS, WA -- State Department of Fish and Wildlife agents are investigating the fatal shooting of a trumpeter swan, whose carcass was found Monday in a pond off Woodcock Road near Buttercup Lane. Read more...

At first glance, Crescent Lake, a shallow body abutting a cornfield in upper Snohomish County, Wash., would appear to be perfectly pristine. Mallard and pintail ducks skirt the edges of its banks on waters that in this contaminated age at least would seem to be as untouched as anyone could hope. Read more...

A recent decision by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) to expand a late winter Snow Goose hunt in southeast Idaho would jeopardize Trumpeter Swan use of important prebreeding habitat near Fort Hall at the north end of American Falls Reservoir. TTSS is asking IDFG and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to reverse this decision and protect Trumpeter Swans in this area. Read more...