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Have you ever heard what sounds like a prehistoric call on the air? It’s one of my favorite sounds that signals spring’s arrival in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

One of my favorite questions to ask friends, or just people I meet in general, is "What’s your favorite bird?" I’m usually met with a long groan at the impossible nature of the question. Many times, the answer I receive is a Sandhill crane.

Sandhill cranes are seasonal visitors to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. So, what is it about these lanky birds that draws us in? Is it their strange call that can be heard up to 2 ½ miles away? Is it their graceful nature as they wander wetlands and marshes? Maybe it's their fancy dance moves when they hope someone is watching.

Famed writer and father of wildlife ecology and modern conservation Aldo Leopold once said, “When we hear his call, we hear no mere bird. We hear the trumpet in the orchestra of evolution.”

Joining us today are Courtney Rudd and Rene Schell from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

*Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Migratory Game Bird and Wetland Biologist Courtney Rudd (Photo Courtney Rudd)*

Courtney Rudd is the Migratory Game Bird and Wetland Biologist for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Her position affords abundant opportunities to collaborate with a diverse set of partners to conserve migratory game birds and their habitats, domestically and internationally. While based out of the Lander Regional Office, her responsibilities take her to all reaches of Wyoming for data collection, monitoring, project reconnaissance and implementation, and engaging with the public. Courtney has been with the Department since 2006, initially as a Nongame Biologist working on a variety of statewide avian projects, including Peregrine Falcon, Mountain Plover, secretive marsh birds, and grassland raptors. She especially enjoys aerial surveys for any target bird species.

*Wyoming Game and Fish’s Information and Education Supervisor Rene Schell and Jupiter, a Great Horned Owl educational ambassador. (Photo Rene Schell)*

Rene Schell is the Information and Education Supervisor for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, where she has been a dedicated voice for conservation since 2005. Based in the Lander Regional Office, Rene leads a statewide team of specialists committed to the Department’s mission of "Conserving Wildlife, Serving People." With an M.S. in Biology and a B.S. in Psychology, Rene occupies a unique space in the agency, blending deep scientific knowledge with an understanding of human behavior. As a specialist in wildlife education and public participation, Rene is passionate about creating "gateway moments" for the public—using ambassadors like the Great Horned Owl to foster a lifelong appreciation for Wyoming’s wildlife. Whether she is facilitating complex public collaborative processes or teaching the next generation of conservationists, Rene’s work is driven by integrity and a commitment to ensuring Wyoming's wild legacy remains vibrant for years to come.

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is the land of 49+ Indigenous Tribes who maintain current and ancestral connections to the lands, waters, wildlife, plants, and more.

Voices of Greater Yellowstone was created by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, a conservation nonprofit dedicated to working with people to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, now and for future generations.

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Podcast Artwork > Rachel Dunlap Art

Music > Redwood Trail by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)

Banner Photo > Tom Koerner/USFWS

Sandhill Crane Call Audio > NPS

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