Linking Freshwater Inflows and Marsh Community Dynamics in San Antonio Bay to Whooping Cranes

From 2002 through 2009, faculty and students from the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences at Texas A&M University conducted field, laboratory, and modeling studies to investigate the diet, behavior, and habitat of the whooping crane (Grus americana) at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), Texas. During this period the research team also conducted complementary studies of environmental conditions in San Antonio Bay. The project was called the San Antonio Guadalupe Estuarine System (SAGES) project, and was funded primarily by the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority and the San Antonio River Authority, with additional support provided by the San Antonio Water System and the Texas Water Development Board. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided in-kind support through lodging, the use of boating facilities, and other logistics.