Due to their unique physical characteristics and features, the whooping crane is a popular attraction to many people. The earliest group to get involved was the ‘Whooper Club’ in the 1950’s, which comprised of a network of individuals along the Aransas–Wood Buffalo Park migration route who would get the word out to government officials urging them to do something to stop the whooping crane population decline (Dunlap, 1991). In 1986, Environment Canada established a Whooping Crane Hotline for volunteer observers to report their sightings in Western Canada. Farmers, hunters, bird watchers and others are now part of the monitoring program. An Internet-based program called Journey North is a free online educational service that communicates annual migration and phenology patterns, and keeps a chronicle of the two whooping crane migrations. Public awareness is also raised at the annual Whooping Crane Festival at Port Aransas, Texas, which provides a variety of educational programs and resources. Collectively, these measures increase public awareness and generate revenue that goes towards saving the crane population.