Barbara Clauss
Barb began her career at Patuxent with the Endangered Whooping Crane Program back in the spring of 1997. Barb was a Biological Science Technician working with the Whooping Cranes and Sandhill Cranes for over 22 years. When the crane program ended in early 2019, she began working in the center’s Administrative Office.
Barb came to Patuxent in 1997 after receiving her B.S. in Wildlife & Fisheries Science from Penn State University. It was at Penn State where she first learned of Patuxent, and the remarkable efforts focused on saving the endangered Whooping Crane. Barb was a Biological Science Technician with the Crane Program for more than 22 years, working as a lead on projects with both endangered and non-endangered cranes, in particular, those efforts involving the Whooping Crane, their captive propagation, reintroduction, and eventual recovery. Barb provided technical support for projects and research which included the Louisiana Non-Migratory Release; Florida Non-Migratory Release; Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership Ultralight led migration; Parent Rearing Study; Haplotype Study; Telemetry Effects on Copulation; Semen Viability; Fecal Corticosterone Study; Fecal Hormone Study; Seed Repellents Study; Cryopreservation Techniques Study; Coccidia Study; Effect of individual Whooping Crane behavior on survival in the wild; Behavioral observations of adult whooping crane pairs on nesting territories.
During her career at Patuxent, she has also assisted with the care and research involving other colonies on center. Her work has included the American Kestrel, Eastern Screech owl, Japanese Quail, Northern Bobwhite Quail, American Black Ducks, Sea Ducks, White-Footed Mouse, Northern Short-Tailed Shrew and Daphnia.
Barb is thankful for the opportunities and experiences she has had while working so closely with the Whooping Cranes and Sandhill Cranes. She feels fortunate to have been a part of the recovery efforts for such a magnificent species. She values most those experiences she has had in seeing the milestones reached in the lives of the individual birds. She remained devoted to the crane program until it came to an end in the spring of 2019.
With the end of the crane program, Barb found herself in a very different position at the center. She now works in the Administrative Office where she helps with the administrative needs at Patuxent. She enjoys the people she works with and the people she has gotten to know while working in Admin. She is thankful for the patience of Patuxent’s people, as she is still learning her new role on the center.
