Our Target Species

The interior least tern (Sterna antillarum athalassos) is the smallest member of the gull and tern family, measuring 8-9 inches long and having a 20-inch wingspread. Males and females appear identical with a black crown, white forehead, gray back, gray wings above with white below, orange legs and a black-tipped yellow bill. 

The pallid sturgeon is one of the largest freshwater fish species in North America. They are generally between 30 and 60 inches in length and weigh as much as 85 pounds. Although visually similar, the shovelnose sturgeon is much smaller and usually weighs no more than 5 pounds. Pallid sturgeon are much paler in coloration with grayish white backs and sides, while shovelnose sturgeon are brown.

The piping plover (Charadrius melodus) is a sandy-gray, robin-sized (7 inch) shorebird with one dark breast band. It has a dark stripe across the crown during the breeding season. Other characteristics include a white wing stripe and a white rump that is visible in flight.

Whooping cranes (Grus americana) are the tallest North American bird and stand nearly five-feet tall and their wingspan measures between seven and eight feet. Males weigh about 16 pounds and females about 14 pounds. Whooping cranes are a long-lived species that have been observed in the wild at an age >25 years old.