M.J. Electric crew assists injured bird

A care giver at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary carefully lifted the wounded sandhill crane from the box it arrived in.
While working on a wire pull along the North Appleton-Morgan transmission line project late Monday afternoon, M.J. Electric General Foreman Derrick Johnson noticed an injured sandhill crane in the right-of-way. The bird was unable to fly and not moving very well. Katie Unke, GEI environmental consultant on the project, contacted a local Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources conservation warden, who indicated it would probably be the following day before DNR personnel could get to the bird. Because the crew felt the bird might not make it through the night, Katie contacted Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary. The Sanctuary was willing to take the bird, but they said the facility would close at 6:30. Derrick and Construction Superintendent Dave Keller were able to safely capture the crane and place it in a box, drive 25 miles and deliver it to the sanctuary by 6 p.m.
American Transmission Co. would like to thank Derrick, Dave, Katie and our partner M.J. Electric for the extra care they took to rescue the bird.