I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3520 
To assist in the conservation of cranes by supporting and providing, through 
projects of persons and organizations with expertise in crane conserva-
tion, financial resources for the conservation programs of countries the 
activities of which directly or indirectly affect cranes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 28, 2005 
Ms. BALDWIN (for herself and Mr. SNYDER) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Resources 
A BILL 
To assist in the conservation of cranes by supporting and 
providing, through projects of persons and organizations 
with expertise in crane conservation, financial resources 
for the conservation programs of countries the activities 
of which directly or indirectly affect cranes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Crane Conservation 
Act of 2005’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that—
(1) crane populations in many countries have 
experienced serious decline in recent decades, a 
trend that, if continued at the current rate, threat-
ens the long-term survival of the species in the wild 
in Africa, Asia, and Europe; 
(2) 5 species of Asian crane are listed as endan-
gered species under section 4 of the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533) and appendix 
I of the Convention, which species are— 
(A) 
the 
Siberian 
crane 
(Grus 
leucogeranus); 
(B) 
the 
red-crowned 
crane 
(Grus 
japonensis); 
(C) the white-naped crane (Grus vipio); 
(D) 
the 
black-necked 
crane 
(Grus 
nigricollis); and 
(E) the hooded crane (Grus monacha); 
(3) the Crane Action Plan of the International 
Union for the Conservation of Nature considers 4 
species of cranes from Africa and 1 additional spe-
cies of crane from Asia to be seriously threatened, 
which species are— 
(A) 
the 
wattled 
crane 
(Bugeranus 
carunculatus);
(B) 
the 
blue 
crane 
(Anthropoides 
paradisea); 
(C) the grey-crowned crane (Balearica 
regulorum); 
(D) the black-crowned crane (Balearica 
pavonina); and 
(E) the sarus crane (Grus antigone); 
(4)(A) the whooping crane (Grus americana) 
and the Mississippi sandhill crane (Grus canadensis 
pulla) are listed as endangered species under section 
4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 
1533); and 
(B) with fewer than 200 whooping cranes in the 
only self-sustaining flock that migrates between Can-
ada and the United States, and approximately 100 
Mississippi sandhill cranes in the wild, both species 
remain vulnerable to extinction; 
(5) conservation resources have not been suffi-
cient to cope with the continued diminution of crane 
populations from causes that include hunting and 
the continued loss of habitat; 
(6)(A) cranes are flagship species for the con-
servation of wetland, grassland, and agricultural 
landscapes that border wetland and grassland; and
(B) the establishment of crane conservation 
programs would result in the provision of conserva-
tion benefits to numerous other species of plants and 
animals, including many endangered species; 
(7) other threats to cranes include— 
(A) the collection of eggs and juveniles; 
(B) poisoning from insecticides applied to 
crops; 
(C) collisions with power lines; 
(D) disturbance from warfare and human 
settlement; and 
(E) the trapping of live birds for sale; 
(8) to reduce, remove, and otherwise effectively 
address those threats to cranes in the wild, the joint 
commitment and effort of countries in Africa, Asia, 
and North America, other countries, and the private 
sector, are required; 
(9) cranes are excellent ambassadors to pro-
mote goodwill among countries because they are well 
known and migrate across continents; 
(10) because the threats facing cranes and 
habitats of cranes are similar on all 5 continents on 
which cranes occur, conservation successes and 
methods developed in 1 region have wide applica-
bility in other regions; and
(11) conservationists in the United States have 
much to teach and much to learn from colleagues 
working in other countries in which, as in the 
United States, government and private agencies co-
operate to conserve threatened cranes. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this Act are— 
(1) to perpetuate healthy populations of cranes; 
(2) to assist in the conservation and protection 
of cranes by supporting— 
(A) conservation programs in countries in 
which endangered and threatened cranes occur; 
and 
(B) the efforts of private organizations 
committed to helping cranes; and 
(3) to provide financial resources for those pro-
grams and efforts. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) CONSERVATION.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘‘conserva-
tion’’ means the use of any method or proce-
dure necessary to ensure that the population of 
a species of crane in the wild is sufficient to en-
sure that the species does not become extinct, 
as determined by the Secretary. 
(B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘conserva-
tion’’ includes the carrying out of any activity 
associated with scientific resource management, 
such as— 
(i) protection, restoration, acquisition, 
and management of habitat; 
(ii) research and monitoring of known 
populations; 
(iii) the provision of assistance in the 
development of management plans for 
managed crane ranges; 
(iv) enforcement of the Convention; 
(v) law enforcement and habitat pro-
tection through community participation; 
(vi) reintroduction of cranes to the 
wild; 
(vii) conflict resolution initiatives; and 
(viii) community outreach and edu-
cation. 
(2) CONVENTION.—The term ‘‘Convention’’ has 
the meaning given the term in section 3 of the En-
dangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1532).