LEE ANN'S WHOOPER CONNECTION: Waiting for whooping 
cranes ... details ahead on Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

[:05 whooping cranes calling"]

The call of the whooping crane may not be the most 
beautiful birdsong you'll ever hear, but it is music to Lee 
Ann Linam's ears. 

A wildlife biologist, Ms. Linam, has a shared history with 
North America's largest bird. Thanks to six decades of 
conservation, including efforts by one special family 
member, the species' worldwide population has grown 
from 16 individuals to more than 200 birds - something 
Lee Ann has waited a lifetime to witness.

:36 -- Well, I literally grew up with whooping cranes. My father 
worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and when we moved 
to Texas in 1973, the whooper numbers were still around fifty 
birds. At that time, they were still very, very endangered, and 
yet we saw the number progressing upward. And in fact, when 
he died in 1986, he thought, 'this might be the year they pass 
the one hundred bird mark', and they did. And so, I feel like 
whoopers are a part of my life. I think that their success kind of 
reflects something of our family's connection in history to the 
Texas coast and all the animals there. 

Learn more about Whooping cranes by logging onto 
passporttotexas.org.

That's our show ... made possible today by the Sport Fish 
and Wildlife Restoration Program ... working to increase 
fishing, hunting, shooting and boating opportunities in 
Texas. 

For Texas Parks and Wildlife ... I'm Cecilia Nasti. 






Total sound bite time:		 0:46.0
Maximum Script time:		 0:39.0	 Suggested show time: 86.0 = 1:26