The Homeland of the Crane project which is being carried out by the Druzhina for Nature Conservation of Moscow State University with the help of CCC, encompasses a variety of programs. These include, community education, and working with the Taldom District government to help them create new protected areas and to protect those already established.

The education program includes lectures, written materials and museum exhibits. The written materials thus far include booklets on endangered wetland plants and wetland ecosystems. A guidebook to the natural history of wetlands in the Taldom area is currently being completed in Russian and English.

Thus far, the most effective conservation aspect of the project involves working with the Taldom administration to provide guidelines for proper land use. The Druzhina has been researching areas and proposing them to the Taldom District for protection, and acting as volunteer wardens to make sure the general public is abiding by the established laws.

Currently, in Russia there are two common protected area designations, 1)zakazniks and 2)zapovedniks. The zapovednik is the most secure protective designation but it is also the hardest to create legislation for. Once designated, this federal protected area is guaranteed a large protective staff and facilities.

The zakaznik is an easier designation to create legislation for and it is primarily controlled by the district governments. These are protected areas in name only and they have no staff nor facilities. Thus, the Druzhina student volunteers in the Moscow Region have been working hard to move the government to create zakazniks and they have served as volunteer protectors, to aid the government in enforcing the local laws.

The Homeland of the Crane actually consists of a mosaic of zakazniks and public lands, some of which are cooperative farmlands. Currently Druzhina volunteers are aiding the District government in creating an overall management plan for this mosaic. Based on their research and the creation of GIS maps,they have been advising which lands are best for development and which are best for wildlife protection.

Recently the Taldom Adminstration has shown an interest to create a protective office for the Homeland of the Crane area. This is an important direction since it will add protective teeth to the zakaznik areas, which will continue under district control. This is advantageous to the district government which wants to maintain local jurisdiction over the areas.

The US government land in Wisconsin's Kickapoo Valley is a major step closer to resolution with $17 million federal funding appropriated. The project was initated by a CCC proposal for community management of the lands as a park with a rural Museum of Sustainability.

The next step will be the turning over of the 8569 acre federal land to the state Department of Administration to be managed by the Kickapoo Reserve Board which is composed of two thirds local members. This is dependent upon the Board reaching an agreement with the Ho Chunk Nation on specific sites of cultural significance being turned over to the Nation to be held by the Department of the Interior. No more than 1200 acres of culturally and religiously significant sites will go to the Ho Chunk.

The project was clarified by an informational meeting attended by Reserve Board members, U.S. Army Corps personnel, Congressman Steve Gunderson, representatives from the Washington offices of Senators Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl and state Senator Brian Rude. The $17 million, which still must be allocated for spending, will be used for upgrading of the existing highway running through the Reserve lands and for site restoration. Unfortunately, the building of the rural education center was not part of the appropriations because of the building limitations of the Corps.

Ho Chunk President Cloris Lowe, assured the community that the Ho Chunk policy would be sensitive to the environmental and community concerns of the Reserve Board. He compared the past plight of his people and the Kickapoo Valley residents who had both been historically displaced from their homes.

The representative of Sen. Feingold's office responded to CCC's concerns for the building of the Education Center. She stated that Feingold's office would continue to work for federal funding which would go directly to the Reserve Board for a center.

The CCC proposal was written once the Governor publically stated that the dam issue was dead. It was then presented by CCC Director, Horwich, to the Kickapoo Valley Association and then to an advisory committee headed by Alan Anderson, appointed by the Governor to help the economic condition of the valley. CCC worked with the committee to introduce the idea to the community at large who basically accepted it despite the many previous years of conflict over the lands.

A management board was appointed by the Governor which has 4 local members, 2 additional valley residents and 3 statewide experts. Under the direction of President, Ron Johnson, they have been functioning to deal with management problems for the last year This has been with the permission of the US Army Corps of Engineers who still have jurisdiction over the lands.

The Blue Mounds Project, initiated by Brian Pruka, began in July this year thanks to a Wisconsin Environmental Education Board grant to CCC. Additional funds have included donations from people in the region. With Brian Pruka functioning as an ecological extension agent for western Dane and eastern Iowa counties, the program has created a working Board to help steer the innovative project on a solid course.

The Blue Mounds Project initially focussed on broad based education through news columns in the Mt. Horeb Mail. Such columns included articles on prairie plants, bats, butterflies, fall colors and interviews with landowners.

The main thrust of the program is working directly with landowners on a one-to-one basis. During the first growing season Pruka has consulted with over 20 landowners. Each consultation includes walking the lands with their owners and pointing out specific plants, animals and natural communities which occur on the lands visited. Discussions include how a landowner can enhance some of these desired species or habitats.

Future plans include having field days on the lands and seminars and lectures about the natural resources on the lands. Future consultations will be made both with new landowners and followup visits with landowners previously visited. The main goal is to help private landowners to manage their lands in a way that will maximize their wishes for the land with an eye on enhancing biodiversity in the area.

CCC is providing staff to initiate the Kickapoo Community Water Monitoring Program in conjunction with watershed schools and the West Fork Sports Club. The primary goal is to learn about the Kickapoo River and its conservation which is central to life in the area.

The concept began in 1992 as an off-shoot of the original proposal by CCC staff and La Farge residents to create a reserve of the La Farge dam lands (see cover story). The additional CCC program is to work with landowners and schools along the river to generate a monitoring and stewardship program for valley residents.

Members of the West Fork Sports Club have worked closely with CCC staff to initiate the project. The program design has additionally been discussed with faculty of Wauzeka, North Crawford, Kickapoo, Westby, Viroqua and Cashton Schools. The West Fork Sports Club has developed a model program for improving and protecting the West Fork of the Kickapoo as a first class trout stream. They have done stream bank stabilization and habitat improvement to serve the needs of the trout. This, in turn, has enabled them to develop on-going relationships with trout enthusiasts, both local and nonlocal. They have also developed an easement program for landowners.

CCC staff member, Tina Hirsch, will serve as the Project Coordinator, working closely with faculty students and others to collect data on river quality. Such baseline information is crucial to an awareness of the condition of this valuable resource. Ms Hirsch will also assist teachers in the development of hands-on, multidiscipline curricula with a focus on the Kickapoo and its tributaries.

Dr. Jon Lyon, CCC Assistant Director, now on the faculty of Edgewood College in Madison, Wl, will work with the program to maintain consistency and continuity in data collection. He will be conducting research in the Kickapoo Valley for comparison with his research on other river systems in the U.S. and Central America.

The long term goal will be the creation of a grass roots organization to take responsibility for monitoring and protecting the Kickapoo River and adjacent lands. CCC expects to work closely with Trout Unlimited.

As part of a general community conservation and public education program for the Taldom District of the Moscow region, CCC has been working with the Druzhina for Nature Conservation, a student group from Moscow State University and the International Crane Foundation (ICF). CCC became involved through the Viroqua Area Taldom Friendship Association. The project has included Druzhina members conducting a number of field classes for students, from both Taldom and Sergei-Posad Districts, on wetlands and bogs of the area.

During early 1995 the Homeland of the Crane project under the leadership of Elena Smirnova created a four room exhibit on cranes and their conservation in the Klitchkov Museum just outside of Taldom. The Museum which is run under the auspices of the Taldom Administration, donated the bottom floor for the natural history exhibits.

The introductory room has some paintings of cranes and their relationship to Russia. The second room, features some aspects of the life of Klitchkov, a noted writer from the Taldom District, whose works included natural history and cranes. The Museum itself was originally the Klitchkov home. Klitchkov was killed during the Stalin Regime because of his political views.

The main room has a series of natural history exhibits centered on cranes and wetlands. Exhibits include: geologic history of bog formation, wetland ecosystems, a crane diorama, crane behavioral cycles, Russian folklore, scientists and natural historians and crane reintroductions.

The final room is dedicated to crane conservation and is a tea room for student visitors to have tea and sweets following the lectures given by Druzhina teacher volunteers. The tea room includes hand carved furniture by Russian craftsman and uses its wall space to display original art by students.

This year CCC Director, Dr. Rob Horwich will base himself in southern Belize to initiate some community projects in the Toledo District. He will base out of Punta Gorda and work with the Toledo Ecotourism Association.

An initial project will help to coordinate a seminar to begin a community association, made up of citizens from 5 villages, to manage the adjacent Sarstoon-Temash National Park. This project is a follow-up of an attempt to create a Biosphere Reserve encompassing the Temash River. The original proposal helped to highlight the area, and thus encouraged the Government of Belize to preserve it as a National Park.

The area encompasses about 17,000 hectares and Belize's finest mangrove forest which extends up the Temash River. The park is bounded by the Sarstoon River which is on Belize's southern border with Guatemala. The five villages surrounding the park include Barranco, Crique Sarco, Sunday woods, Midway and Conejo. Residents mainly include Garifuna and Ketchi Mayans.

Judy Lumb has facilitated the connections needed for the seminar which will be funded by a United Nations grant and is supported by the Government of Belize which has set a leading precedent of having local people manage some of their national parks.

A second project will work with the town of Punta Gorda to establish a protected area for howlers similar to the Community Baboon Sanctuary. The lands are privately owned but there seems to be major support from the townspeople. This potential howler sanctuary may make up part of a "greenbelt" surrounding Punta Gorda. This natural area has potential for a self guided tour for visitors to the area.

CCC has been growing slowly with the help of donations, sales and small grants. A number of recent events point to the continued expansion both locally and abroad.

Recently, CCC Assistant Director, Jon Lyon has taken a job as a teacher at Edgewood College in Madison, Wl. This has allowed him to expand and consolidate his CCC projects with his other professional interests. Dr. Lyon will be coordinating research efforts in the Kickapoo Stewardship Program.

Maura Otis, who was working as CCC's Office Manager resigned during the summer to take other work. Although her good work will be missed, the CCC Boaid decided to hire Kathy Fairchild, a longtime Board member, to expand the Office Manger duties to include a more generalized job. The new job of Projects Coordinator will include both office activities as well as general CCC duties and helping to coordinate details in all CCC projects. Kathy will specifically be involved with CCC's ongoing Wisconsin projects.

Two grants have allowed CCC to initiate two Wisconsin programs in community conservation and expand its parttime staff. Brian Pruka is heading the Blue Mounds project whose goal is to involve private landowners in Dane and Iowa Counties in enhancing their biodiversity. Tina Hirsch will be joining the CCC staff as the Education Coordinator in the Kickapoo Watershed Community Stewardship Program. She will work with area schools to help them include studies of the watershed in their curricula.