Autumn Promise
There aren't many Whooping Cranes left alive in the world. That's why the work of scientists at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Maryland is so important. They're teaching baby cranes to migrate each autumn from Wisconsin to Florida - by following a small, ultralight airplane - in the long-term hope that the birds will breed and expand their numbers.

Out of the Woods
Black Bears and people have been running into each for a long time in Western Maryland. White pioneers who first settled the mountains feared the occasional bear because of the species' insatiable appetite for anything edible - including settlers' hard-earned crops. Back then, there were few people living in the mountains. Now, with more numbers of people vacationing and moving to mountain tourist destinations like Deep Creek Lake, encounters between people and bears are growing in number.

A Soaring Success
The fact that a Brown Pelican looks like a Pterydactl hasn't hurt its reputation or popularity with birdwatchers. People are fascinated by them, and Marylanders are especially lucky. Maryland Department of Natural Resources Ecologist Dave Brinker - who tracks the species' population along Maryland's Chesapeake Bay -- says that the number of pelicans has grown quite a bit over the last few years. The birds didn't even nest in Maryland until 1987, but now they are thriving and its comeback and expansion is considered a conservation success.