[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 108 (Thursday, August 1, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S7860]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS ARTICLE

  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise today to include in the Record 
today an inspiring and uplifting occurrence in my home State of New 
Mexico. Percent news from any Army Corps of Engineers publication, 
Engineer Update, provides a particular instance in which the Corps went 
the extra mile to successfully rescue sand hill cranes under uncommon 
circumstances.
  In the middle of repairs on Jemez Dam the cranes were foraging for 
food and getting trapped in the mud left over from having to drain the 
reservoir. The depth of the mud and the size and nature of the cranes 
made the situation extremely hazardous for anyone to get involved.
  After bringing in a special boat that could handle the mud they were 
able to capture the birds and get them to safety where they were 
cleaned and released. All the while, the Corps put forth the measures 
to prevent anymore birds from being trapped in the mud.
  This was an exceptional effort on the Corps of Engineers' part to 
handle both the job at hand and the surrounding effects of their labor. 
I commend them on their concern for the environment in the midst of 
their already tough labor.
  I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the article be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                     Trapped Birds Rescued From Mud

                             (By Joan Mier)


                          albuquerque district

       When Jemez reservoir was drained Nov. 1 to repair a 
     bulkhead guide on the dam, no one could have foreseen the 
     effect it would have on sand hill cranes, which were about to 
     begin their migration to the Bosque del Apache. Using Jemex, 
     about 30 miles from Albuquerque, N.M., as a stopover point on 
     their journey was common. What was not common was the 
     particular area they chose to land in when they began their 
     migration Nov. 6.
       ``These birds land between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. The sheen on 
     the mud left behind after the reservoir drained looked like 
     water to these birds, and some of them chose to land there,'' 
     said Susan Shampine, Chief of Operations of Division. About 
     58 birds became mired in the 30-foot deep mud of the drained 
     reservoir.
       Rescue efforts posed a couple of big challenges. First, 
     getting to the birds was problematic and risky. Second, the 
     five-foot-tall birds with long and very strong beaks can be 
     dangerous, according to biologist William DeRagon. ``The 
     beaks of sand hill cranes have been known to crack the skull 
     of a cow,'' he said.
       District personnel located a hovercraft operator, but the 
     craft could not operate on the reservoir because of the 
     pudding-like consistency of the mud.
       ``We also contacted the Army National guard because we were 
     thinking maybe we could use one its helicopters, but they 
     said the prop wash from the rotors would do more harm than 
     good,'' Shampine said.
       Meanwhile, as these efforts were underway, the district 
     immediately initiated deterrent activities to prevent any 
     more cranes from landing in the mud. Spotlights, horns and 
     firecrackers were largely successful in preventing more 
     cranes from landing in the area. However, a few more became 
     trapped there, according to Ron Kneebone, project manager.
       ``We think what happened was that cranes that landed 
     elsewhere at the reservoir would begin foraging for food at 
     dawn and wander over to the mud flats and become stuck,'' he 
     said. After that, deterrent methods were also initiated at 
     dawn.
       Although one bird was captured on Nov. 8 and treated and 
     released at the Bosque a couple of days later, personnel were 
     not having much luck reaching the other cranes. As news of 
     the trapped birds hit the media carloads of concerned 
     citizens began showing up at Jemez interested in saving the 
     cranes.
       ``Conditions at the reservoir were extremely dangerous,'' 
     Kneebone said. ``We certainly appreciated that people were 
     concerned, but we couldn't risk endangering human life.'' 
     Therefore, the road leading to the area was closed to the 
     public.
       A break came when personnel contacted New Orleans District 
     and learned about an engine that could enable a regular 
     motorboat to operate in mud. The 20-horse-power engine was 
     flown in overnight from Go-Devil Outboard Motors in Baton 
     Rouge, LA.
       ``We got it on Nov. 14 and began testing it the next day,'' 
     Kneebone said. ``That afternoon, we began recovery efforts 
     using trained volunteers and Corps personnel, and we were 
     successful in capturing nine cranes.''
       Rescue operation continued through the migration season, 
     and 15 cranes were rescued. Of those, three died and 12 were 
     successfully treated and released.
       Most of the rescued cranes were cleaned up and 
     rehabilitated at the Rio Grande Zoo in Albuquerque, N.M. Each 
     bird took 45 minutes just to clean because each feather had 
     to be cleaned separately, according to Melissa Stock, editor 
     of Zooscape Magazine.
       ``It was a three-person job,'' Stock said. ``One person had 
     to hold its feet, another its legs, and then another cleaned 
     the bird.''
       ``We received a lot of help and cooperation from other 
     agencies and organizations,'' said Kneebone. He credited the 
     Santa Ana Pueblo, which owns the land at the reservoir, U.S. 
     Air Force, and Hawks Aloft for assisting in efforts to both 
     rescue the cranes and prevent more from landing in the area.

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