RESOLUTIONS PASSED BY THE NORTH AMERICAN CRANE WORKING GROUP

Authors

Date of this Version

1997

Document Type

Article

Comments

Used by permission of the North American Crane Working Group.

Abstract

RECOGNITION OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF TOM TACHA TO CRANE RESEARCH

Participants of the Seventh North American Crane Workshop wish to recognize Tom Tacha's many contributions to the understanding of Mid-continent sandhill crane behavior, ecology, and taxonomy. Tom published 30 papers on cranes between 1979 and 1995 and was chief editor of Migratory Shore and Upland Game Bird Management in North America, published shortly before his death. Tom's Ph.D. work and other morphological and behavioral studies strongly influenced our notions of the boundaries among, and validity of. the 3 migratory sandhill crane subspecies. He set new standards for quantitative analysis of crane data on subjects ranging from time budgets and mate choices to body size and fat reserves. Tom's varied behavioral work included a Wildlife Monograph about crane social organization. Workshop participants mourn the loss of Tom and extend our sympathy to family and friends.

HOST RESOLUTION

Participants of the Seventh North American Crane Workshop hereby express their thanks and appreciation to the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge for hosting this workshop, to the staff of the Biloxi Beach Resort Inn, to the various sponsors (particularly the Office of Endangered Species, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Jackson, Mississippi), to the field trip leaders. and to the committees and individuals who made the workshop such a success. The paper sessions were excellent, and the spirit of friendship and dedication to crane conservation among the participants was revitalizing. Special thanks go to North American Crane Working Group Vice President Scott Hereford for his tireless efforts in planning and organizing the workshop, to the session leaders who edited the technical papers, to Wendy Brown for her contributions as NACWG President and newsletter editor from 1992 to 1996, to the 5 other board members for their efforts, and to Richard Urbanek and Dale Stahlecker for the gargantuan task of editing these proceedings.