The Trumpeter Swan Society

Your Society at Work

Photograph by Dave Weaver

The Trumpeter Swan Society

The Trumpeter Swan Society unites the efforts of private citizens and public agencies to address the challenges facing Trumpeter Swans and to securely restore these magnificent birds. TTSS is at the forefront of Trumpeter Swan conservation and has been involved in every restoration effort in North America since 1968.

Trumpeter Swans once flourished across much of North America, but by 1900 were nearly extinct due to commercial and subsistence hunting. In recent decades, Trumpeters have begun a wonderful recovery due to the efforts of many people and agencies and now have the potential to securely reoccupy much of their former range. Our challenge is to help rebuild healthy and resilient populations that can remain secure amidst our rapidly changing landscape and increasing human impacts.

As Trumpeters return, the swans face major problems including climate change, new diseases, lead poisoning, habitat destruction, and the loss of their traditional migration patterns. Their secure restoration requires that we provide adequate long-term habitat, rebuild essential migrations, and create broader distributions that will reduce vulnerability to large-scale die-offs from disease or severe winter weather. Knowledge of the species and its needs, effective advocacy, vision, public involvement, and proper habitat management are essential to success.

TTSS' EFFORTS FOCUS IN FIVE MAJOR AREAS

Population security/range expansion
Advocacy/agency coordination
Habitat protection
Public information/education
Research/data management

Each population of Trumpeter Swans has specific issues that need to be addressed, and some issues are continent-wide.

Click on the sections below to learn more about the issues, and The Trumpeter Swan Society's efforts and accomplishments for each population:

Did you know?

Trumpeter Swans occur only in North America and are our largest native waterfowl. Although most populations are increasing, they are one of our least abundant native birds with about 35,000 Trumpeters on the entire continent.

About 70% of North America's Trumpeters summer in Alaska and winter in the Pacific NW, with a few moving as far south as California. In the Midwest, due to restoration efforts nesting Trumpeters now regularly occur in 8 states and 3 provinces.

The Greater Yellowstone region of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming was the only place in the lower 48 states where Trumpeters escaped extinction. Today this small flock is still the only viable nesting group in the western US and remains highly vulnerable.

TTSS has recently launched a 5-year Greater Yellowstone Trumpeter Swan Initiative to help increase nesting success and achieve the management plan goal of 540 adults and 117 nesting pairs. In 2008 there were only 379 adults and 44 nesting pairs in Greater Yellowstone. Our efforts will involve increased monitoring of nesting pairs, correcting problems at specific nest sites, improving nesting habitat, working with landowners to increase nesting, and efforts to broaden winter and breeding distribution.

Most of western Canada's nesting Trumpeters spend the winter in Greater Yellowstone together with the resident nesting swans. This aggregation of so many breeding flocks in such a harsh winter environment leaves them vulnerable to high mortality in a severe winter.