Carter Crouch and Keven McAbee 

Carter Crouch

Dr. Carter Crouch is the Director of the Gulf Coast Programs for the International Crane Foundation. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Oklahoma in 2011. He completed a Master's in Range and Wildlife Management and a Ph.D. in Wildlife Science from Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2014 and 2017. After graduate school, he worked for the Burns Paiute Tribe Natural Resources Department in eastern Oregon as the Wildlife Biologist and then as the Wildlife Program Manager. He started working with the International Crane Foundation in May 2022. Carter has done research on Northern Bobwhite, American Kestrels, habitat and invasive species management, and the rarest grass in Oregon, and has been involved in many different habitat restoration projects.  

Keven McAbee

Kevin McAbee is the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Whooping Crane Coordinator. In this role, he works with local, state, federal, tribal, and international partners to conserve one of our nation's most iconic species through the implementation of many diverse recovery actions such as habitat protection, water management, scientific research, community outreach, and reintroduction programs. He also works with FWS environmental review staff to ensure that impacts to the whooping crane are successfully avoided, minimized, and mitigated, while also ensuring that project development goals are maintained. Prior to his current position, he worked on native species recovery in the upper Colorado River basin for 15 years in the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and as an ESA biologist in Utah. Kevin's work focuses on fostering partnerships with diverse stakeholders to help conserve endangered species across political boundaries. He believes that partnership is critical to successful conservation because various perspectives and expertise enact stronger projects with more community buy-in. Kevin holds an MS in Natural Resources from the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forest Resources. 

Talk: “Give a Whoop: Education and Prosecutions to Save a Species” 

Whooping Cranes have a long and complicated history with humans and guns. The species was nearly driven to extinction from decades of unregulated harvest and collection. Although hunting of whooping crane has been illegal for almost a century, illegal shooting of whooping crane does still occur across the species’ range. In fact, between 2010 and 2020, almost 20 confirmed whooping crane shootings took place. ICF, along with state and federal partners, engage in a robust educational campaign to raise awareness about hunting near Whooping Cranes, in order to prevent accidental and intentional shootings. While this work is vitally important, it is not the only type of work being done to address the threat of poaching. Federal and State Law Enforcement agencies and the judicial system also play a vital role in making the world safer for Whooping Cranes by investigating and prosecuting those that illegally shoot whooping cranes. One high profile case recently closed in 2023 with 4 men pleading guilty to killing 4 whooping cranes. Large fines, firearm forfeiture, and loss of hunting privileges were levied on these men. This outcome was the result of agents’ tireless commitment, ingenuity, and ability to find new paths when leads proved to be a dead-end.