European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 7, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                On the win whooping Tonet wintering Al the Bot que Del Apache National wild who Refuge in new Mexico scientists flock to Aid the whoppers Nymat Twyatt associated press or More than a decade scientists have been trying to build up a lock of whooping cranes that commute Between Idaho and new Mexico by stealing eggs from a nesting ground in Canada. It s a tedious process with a lot of setbacks. At last count Only 10 of the Majestic Birds were wintering at new Mexico s s7.ooq.gcre Bosque Del Apache National wildlife Refuge Wilh 10 to 11 spotted elsewhere in the Middle Rio Grande Valley. Not to worry. A second flock of 11 whoppers appears to be thriving. That flock migrated 2,500 Miles from its summer nesting grounds at Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada s Northwest territory to the Arkansas National wildlife Refuge on the Gulf coast of Texas this is the first time they be exceeded 100 in a Erma Bombeck Winter since Early this Century or late last Century says James Lewis whooping Crane coordinator for the . Fish and wildlife service. In he last three years we have had excellent production in Canada due to very Good water and food conditions. We have had a substantial number o nesting pairs 28 or 29, in each of the last three years of 21 Young Birds that reached flight age in Canada last year 30 arrived for tha Winter at Arkansas and another was found with a group of Sandhill cranes in Western Oklahoma. It s real unusual to have this kind of survival rate among tha Canadian cranes Lewis says. The endangered whoppers great White Birds that stand about 5 feel tall with a wingspan of 7 a feet had a problem with a flotilla of noisy neighbors last Winter at the new Mexico Refuge. There just was no enough living space and food for them and thousands of geese. But Flomo fireworks and a noisy Al Boal look Caro of the pro Tom this year Robert Edena outdoor to creation planner at tha Bosque do Apache Refuge says Here wore As Many As 56.000 Goese at 1ho Reluga Las Winter while the area can handle Only about 20,000 to 25.000 food comp Lilion was a concern there because of the Large numbers of Birds Lewis says. A had three who pors Hal got Avian tuberculosis last Spring a possible source of the disease was the concentrations of the waterfowl at the  Edens said thai when about 37,500 geese alighted at the Refuge in november we had a 14 Day Marsh Hunt. We used an Al Boal on the Rio Grande. People in the held use pyrotechnics Shell crackers and whistle bombs. We tried no to get anywhere near the whoppers or near the Sandhill  apparently most of the geese fled South with about 13,000 remaining at the Refuge he said whooping cranes have rebounded from a Low om5 in tha wild in 1941 to 177 today in two wild flocks and a captive flock. Jillo 30 or 21 whoppers were counted in new Mexico s Middle Rio Grande Valley in Early february biologists suspect others from the Idaho flock of 26 May be in Northern Mexico. They usually show up Here about the first part of november and they can stay through around mid March Edens says. Tha new Mexico whoppers Are part of an experimental lock from the Grays Lake National wildlife Refuge in Southeastern Idaho. Since 1975, scientists have been stealing whooping Crane eggs from the great Birds Only nesting site in Canada and putting them in Sandhill Crane nests in the Idaho refuges. Since cranes Lay two eggs bul Only raise one Chick the existing Crane lock was not threatened. The adopted whoppers Are raised by their Sandhill parents and tha families travel 750 Miles to their wintering grounds in new Mexico. But the flock did not have a very Good Breeding season last year Lewis says. Of 21 Whooper eggs transferred to Grays Lake six were found to be bad. "01 the 15 remaining two were taken by predators Al the nest and two others failed to Hatch he said. Eleven hatched but they had a drought at Grays Lake and a lot of problems with predators. Two Chicks As far As we know Are still  Tom Smylie spokesman Lor the fish and wildlife service says there is concern that the flock has not increased. For the number of Birds we have introduced the flock should be growing but Here is no courtship tie says. A captive flock of 38 whoppers at the Patu enl wildlife research Center at Laurel my also had a disappointing Breeding season last year he says. Mew Breeding pens were built but in the Spring Breeding season the Birds did t Lay any eggs. They did raise two Chicks at patuxenl., but they were eggs from Canada and weren t Laid at the site Smylie said. Those two Chicks Are still  there Are two other captive whoppers one at the International Crane foundation at Baraboo wis and another at a zoo in san Antonio Texas. We re disappointed about the captive flock and we hops that it will jump Back this Spring Lewis says. We have five proven Breeding pairs. We have 10 other Breeding pairs forming and we Hope they Start Breeding in the next few  somehow it s comforting to know that even television takes its orders from a higher  of sure they can create a world of fantasy and make believe offer illusions and make impossible situations a reality but when nature favors a regular on a series Wilh a real life pregnancy it s enough to throw writers out of control and into overtime. It s not like a soap where you can create a pregnancy in 10 seconds have a gestation period of Thiee weeks and put the kid in a walk on Wilh lines two months later. This is the real inflatable stomach condition thai gives elastic waistbands new meaning. Calendars appear. Wardrobe designers Are summoned. And bios ass researched to see How old the Star really is and if he birth has to be classified As a bad dream sequence where she resumes her Shower and everyone just made it up. The Challenge is what do you do Wilh a pregnant woman television has done everything but throw her in a trunk and arrange an afghan Over her. Wilh Kate a single Parent living Wilh allele writers just put her in a Hospital bed and extended visiting hours every monday. Mrs. Huxtable who had enough children already on the Cosby show stood behind a Kitchen counter and made sandwiches Lor a couple of months. Stephanie on the new Harl show had to hide her pregnancy behind a bucket and mop. She also backed into rooms carrying trays. Or maybe the tray was Stephanie Diane on Owers spent her final months standing behind a bar. A lot of people do that including her Nemesis Carla who wore Lal aprons and walked around with a Pitcher of Beer. As someone who went into maternity clothes at six weeks i m awed by the disguises. I would have killed to look like Priscilla Presley who keeps saying she s saturday March 7. 1987 having a baby on Dallas but who i suspect is paying her stand in to carry it Lor her. As More and More stars work through their pregnancies there s no doubt in my mind the solution of How to explain a stomach that expands into a snack tray in front of them will take on new dimensions. Creativity is what writers get paid for. But they might consider one of the Best ploys i be Ever seen. A woman on a popular series became pregnant and viewers watched her grow week alter week month after Montri until we Felt we were a part other Lite. She had the baby he same time in real we As she had it on the series. She did t hide behind anything. She just walked Al an Angle and could t get out of chairs or see her feel. Did people watch of yes. More people watched Lucy s birth of Little Ricky than any other show in the history of television. I tried it. Pulled the Best ratings in my entire career. The stars and stripes Page 17