This article first appeared in INHF's Summer 2008 magazine.
Carole Reichardt |
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INHF surprised Chuck McLaughlin, a long-time board member, by releasing four trumpeter swans in honor of his 90th birthday. Heather Jobst of INHF’s staff, Chuck & a friendly swan pause just before its release into Meredith Marsh. |
How do you honor a devoted conservationist on his 90th birthday?
INHF staff and board presented Chuck McLaughlin with four trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator) at our June board meeting. The meeting then adjourned to Meredith Marsh, near Chuck’s home in Britt, where the birds were released.
Chuck is a longtime board member for the Foundation — and a lifetime farmer and soil conservationist. He was our board chair in the late 1980s when we helped the Iowa DNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service protect Meredith Marsh.
The release was arranged through the Iowa DNR’s Trumpeter Swan Restoration Program. Though common in pre-settlement days, this species’ population was destroyed by habitat loss and over-hunting, with no nesting birds occurring in Iowa for over a century (1883 to 1998).
Carole Reichardt |
 |
Four trumpeter swans were released into Meredith Marsh in honor of Chuck McLaughlin's 90th birthday, a long-time board member of INHF. |
Thanks to the Iowa DNR’s program, trumpeter swans are making a slow but steady comeback. Working under the slogan “Trumpeting the Cause for Wetlands,” the program obtains birds from zoos, private propagators or out-of-state programs and then releases them in appropriate wetland habitats. About 50 captive breeding pairs and 30 wild nesting pairs have been established to date. INHF contributed to the program in Chuck’s honor.
Each bird has a neck collar ID, and the Iowa DNR will keep Chuck updated on their progress and movements. For more on Iowa’s Trumpeter Swan Restoration Program, visit www.iowadnr.com/wildlife/files/swanrestor.html.
For more information, e-mail Cathy Engstrom, Communications Director, or call (515) 288-1846.