Previewing Dr. Temple's La Crosse visit on the Sandhill crane comeback in Wisconsin and the state of U.S. conservation

There’s nothing quite like learning about a conservation success story — and getting it straight from someone who lived it.

Dr. Stan Temple, a giant in the world of wildlife ecology and conservation, joins us to preview his visit to La Crosse on Sunday, where he’ll share the comeback story of the Greater Sandhill Crane — from near extinction to thriving populations in Wisconsin.

Temple also talks about being a steward of conservationist Aldo Leopold’s legacy, and we explore the federal rollbacks and reinterpretations of foundational environmental protections — like the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. He discusses the dangers these changes pose, leaving both wildlife and people vulnerable if conservation is not taken seriously.

Temple is a Beers-Bascom Professor Emeritus at UW–Madison, a Senior Fellow with the Aldo Leopold Foundation, and one of Wisconsin’s most respected voices in environmental science.

He will speak at 1 p.m. Sunday at Myrick Park about the Greater Sandhill Crane as part of a Badger Talk series, hosted by the La Crosse County Historical Society’s Community History Talks series.

Temple said the visit will cover both the crane's near-demise and remarkable comeback — including that they're apparently good to eat. The event will also include Q&A with the audience.

At the end of this interview, Temple reflects on broader conservation challenges amid federal policy rollbacks and, more generally, things like everyday threats to birds — from cats to building collisions to the actual impact of wind turbines — and what we can do to protect wildlife and our environment

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