Dr. Wade Harrell - Annual Whooping Crane Festival in Port Aransas, Texas

Dr. Wade Harrell, has recently been named the Whooping Crane Coordinator for the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. As a fifth generation Texan with a passion for conservation, his early years in South Texas afforded him his enthusiasm for wildlife, marine life and the ecosystem. He has degrees from Texas A&M-Kingsville and Oklahoma State University. After obtaining his PhD in rangeland ecology in 2004, he returned to Texas and served with The Nature Conservancy for six years. In 2009, Dr. Harrell began work at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service where he led a team of biologists in restoring and maintaining diverse wildlife habitats in the Edwards Plateau and Trans Pecos regions.

TOPIC: “Vision: Past, Present and Future of the Aransas/Wood Buffalo Natural Migrating Whooping Crane Flock”
Dr. Harrell will discuss the incredible progress in the recovery of the Whooping Crane over the last 70 years, their present condition, and future conservation plans for the only naturally migrating Aransas/Wood Buffalo flock.

SESSION: Friday, February 22 from 2 to 3 p.m.

LOCATION: The University of Texas Marine Science Institute