U.S. Geological Survey
Biological Resources Division
California Science Center
Davis, California
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 28, 1997
Contact: John Takekawa ([email protected]) 707/552-9880
FLY NORTH ON THE INTERNET WITH SNOW GEESE!
For the first time, USGS Biological Resources Division researchers are displaying the spring migration of satellite radio-marked snow geese on the internet (http://north.audubon.org) as it happens. The National Audubon Society and the BRD are leading a cooperative education project called Wild Wings, Heading North. The project highlights animal migration by tracking ten snow geese, captured in November and fitted with miniature satellite radios at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. The 3,100 mile spring migration from the desert to the tundra spans 5 months (February to June). The web site includes daily updates of maps and data on the bird's location, weather information, geographic and cultural areas along their route, a field journal of observations, and discussion forums where students can share messages and ask questions. Other sponsors include the Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Ford Motor Company. Additional educational materials are available from Audubon.
(John Takekawa, San Francisco Bay-Estuary Field Station, P. O. Box 2012 Vallejo, CA, 94592; Sandy Cheiten or Betsy Hax, National Audubon Society, 700 Broadway, NY, NY: 212/979-3000).
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