THREE WHITE CRANES, TWO FLYWAYS, ONE WORLD

The International Crane Foundation, together with Beijing Brooks Education Center in China and the Institute for Biological Problems of the Cryolithozone in Russia, is implementing a multi-year education project targeting local communities along the eastern crane flyways in the United States and East Asia. The education activities focus on the importance of wetlands, wildlife, and other natural resources from the perspective of local communities and are designed to enhance local leadership for education efforts. In the U.S. project activities are integrated with education programs centering on the eastern migratory whooping crane (Grus americana) population, integrating classroom activities and field trips with online education activities focusing on cranes and wetland conservation. In East Asia, school curricula provide needed classroom resources for villages near wetland reserves, while training builds the capacity of local teachers and nature reserve educators. Project activities link educators and students in the U.S., China, and Russia through educator exchanges, student art exchanges, environmental education camps, and a project website. Through these activities, students along both flyways in North America and East Asia learn the importance of their personal actions in effecting change and their connection to global environmental issues