The 2006 class of 18 juvenile whooping cranes who followed ultra light planes from Wisconsin, arriving in FL in December were all killed in the storm that swept through the area on Friday morning. The cranes were penned at the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge near Crystal River.

I feel awful about this. My Dad and I went to the Dunnellon airport to watch the cranes fly over when they arrived and both of us were so excited to see them come in.

According to the operation migration website, they are not yet sure how the cranes died, but have vowed to continue their work despite this awful setback.