Special Seminar: George Archibald, "Ambassadors for Wetlands, Grasslands and Goodwill"

Archibald will capture how his visionary leadership in international conservation over the last 50 years has given flight to extraordinary grassroots recovery efforts for the 15 species of cranes surviving across the globe.

In 1973, when cranes were in a perilous situation and many such as the Siberian cranes and Whooping cranes were at the brink of extinction, Archibald, along with fellow graduate student Ron Sauey, established the International Crane Foundation as the world center for the study and preservation of cranes. Under his leadership, the Foundation grew into a highly respected organization, successfully promoting crane and habitat conservation around the world.

Archibald will talk about how he pioneered innovative breeding techniques that allowed many rare crane species to reproduce in captivity for the first time. He will also present the spatial distribution of the 15 cranes, many driving forces putting them at risk to survive and the efforts of the International Crane Foundation in saving them as flagship of ecological health and future generations.