Presenter Stephanie Schmidt is the Whooping Crane Outreach Coordinator for the International Crane Foundation. She will be the featured speaker at Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center’s Dinner on the Bluff event on Saturday, March 16.
In her talk, “Whooping Cranes in the Eastern Migratory Population,” Stephanie Schmidt will discuss the work the International Crane Foundation and crane conservation partners are doing to safeguard their future.
In the 1940s, Whooping Cranes, once native across North America, faced near extinction as a result of increased threats from habitat loss, hunting, and more. It wasn’t until 2001 that Whooping Cranes returned to the eastern United States following a collaborative reintroduction program led by the International Crane Foundation. Today, around 76 Whooping Cranes make up this population, the majority of which breed in central Wisconsin each year.
“The reintroduction efforts of the Whooping Crane were effective because of collaboration between international agencies, organizations, and individuals.” Eagle Bluff’s Executive Director, Colleen Foehrenbacher said. “It’s a success story that needs to be shared but we also need to understand the current threats this species continues to face.”
We are continuing our exciting partnership with Juniper’s Restaurant of Lanesboro! Tyler Shipton, executive chef and owner of Juniper’s, will be preparing an exquisite four-course meal to accompany the talk by Schmidt. The full dinner menu (and optional wine-pairing add-on offered by the Libation Project of St. Paul) can be viewed on the event website.
Doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets for this event are $75 per person and include the presentation by Stephanie Schmidt as well as the four-course meal from chef Tyler Shipton. For more information and to register, visit eaglebluffmn.org/dinners or call (507) 467-2437. Ticket sales end March 8.
Dinner on the Bluff, now in its 20th year, is designed to give thought-leaders and experts in the environmental field the opportunity to discuss issues with the broader Eagle Bluff community.
Located in the scenic bluff country of southeast Minnesota, Eagle Bluff is a nonprofit, year-round residential environmental learning center providing education programs and outdoor adventures to more than 16,000 children and adults each year. Through transformative hands-on experiences they aim to increase environmental awareness and appreciation for the natural world, and empower people to care for the earth and each other.
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