We are indeed wild about our volunteers. They make it happen here on so many levels. Thank you!

Whooper Watch Training Session Offered

Crane Trust Monitors Endangered Whooping Cranes

Wood River, Nebraska—The Crane Trust has re-activated its Whooper Watch™ program to enlist the public's help in monitoring whooping cranes as they migrate through Nebraska to their nesting grounds in Canada.

The whooping crane is the tallest bird in North America, standing nearly 5 feet tall. With fewer than 300 whooping cranes in the last wild, migratory flock, it is also among the rarest, explains Dr. Mary Harner, Director of Science at the Crane Trust.

"The Whooper Watch™ program is a great opportunity for the public to get involved and help us spot, observe and learn more about these rare and magnificent birds during their migration," says Harner. "There are so few whooping cranes to be seen, the more eyes we have watching for them the better."

Unlike sandhill cranes, which typically spend 3-4 weeks staging in the Platte River Valley before continuing on to their nesting grounds in the north, the whooping crane uses the area as a brief stopover to feed and rest for a much shorter period of time, sometimes only for a day or two.

"The stopovers are short, but they're critical for the species' survival," says Harner. "Having the right habitat for them to feed and rest safely when they do stop is critical for them to breed successfully in Canada."

Whooping cranes spend the winter from November to March along the Gulf Coast of Texas at or near the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Each spring from late March to late April, the whoopers migrate through central Nebraska to their breeding grounds in northern Canada at Wood Buffalo National Park—an extraordinary 2,500-mile journey for a bird that weighs 14-17pounds and has a wingspan of approximately 7 feet.

The Whooper Watch™ program utilizes a toll free Whooper Watch™ number for watchers to call when a whooping crane has been spotted. Watchers are asked to report key information when they call, which launches a team of scientists to confirm the sighting and later document specific features of the stopover location. The program is strictly for spotting and recording locations of whooping cranes.
All sightings and locations are confidential and are not released to the public, so as not to risk disturbing the birds. It is vital, Harner adds, that watchers NOT disturb or influence the birds in any way.

The whooping crane is protected under the Endangered Species Act. Should someone be fortunate enough to spot a whooping crane, Harner stresses these important cautions:

1) Never approach a whooping crane
2) Stay in the vehicle or established viewing area while observing the bird(s)
3) Observe from a distance of at least 2,000 feet (approximately 0.4 miles)
4) Avoid flushing the birds or causing them to alter their normal behavior

IMPORTANT PROGRAMMING NOTE FOR THE PUBLIC
The public is invited to two important presentations on the whooping crane and other endangered migratory species immediately prior to the Whooper Watch™ training session on Saturday, March 31, at the Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center:

1) At 1:00 p.m., U.S. Fish & Wildlife Biologist Martha Tacha will give a public report on the status of whooping cranes and other endangered migratory species along the Platte River.

2) At 2:15 p.m., Crane Trust Director of Science Dr. Mary Harner will report on the first-of-its-kind telemetry study of whooping crane breeding, wintering and migratory ecology. For the telemetry study, the Crane Trust is working in partnership with the Canadian Wildlife Service, the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey.

3) Immediately following Dr. Harner's presentation, Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center Program Manager Dan Glomski will conduct a training session for people interested in being part of the Whooper Watch™ program.

The Crane Trust is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and maintenance of critical habitat for cranes and other migratory birds along the Platte River. The Crane Trust recently acquired the Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center, which serves as an important gateway for the world to this extraordinary ecosystem.

“Wild About Nebraska” Speaker & Event Series Celebrates Crane Season and Life on the Platte

Wood River, Neb–The Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center has announced the final schedule for its Wild About Nebraska Speaker & Event Series in March. The month-long series begins March 3 with a live art demonstration and concludes March 31 with a special Crane Trust report on the whooping crane telemetry project.

All events and presentations are open to the public and will be held at the Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center near Wood River in south central Nebraska, I-80 Alda Exit 305.

“With 19 different events scheduled for the month, this year’s program is bigger and more engaging than ever,” says Brad Mellema, director of the Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center. “Each of the events is truly unique in its connection to the Platte River Valley and the extraordinary life and diversity that depend on it to thrive.”

From live art demonstrations and book signings by award-winning authors to scientific updates, photo workshops and a multitude of historical narratives, the Wild About Nebraska series has something for everyone. The 2012 series will unveil a number of new features, including two open houses sponsored by Rockbrook Camera/Video and Nikon Sport Optics, with all the latest equipment and insights for outdoor enthusiasts. Nebraska wine tasting will also be featured on weekends, starting March 10.

Program highlights for the Crane Trust’s 2012 Wild About Nebraska series include:

Live Demonstrations:
Patricia Scarborough: Landscape Painting, Wings Over the Prairie Exhibit Featured Artist (March 3)
Blake Hatfield: Nebraska’s Birds of Prey, Raptor Recovery Program (March 11)

Book-signings and Presentations:
Jeff Kurrus: “Have You Seen Mary?” (March 10)
Jorn Olsen: “Across a Wide Horizon: Discovering the Uncommon Beauty of Nebraska’s Plains” (March 11)
Greg Miller: “The Big Year” (March 24)
Adam Jones: “Canon Explorers of Light” Speaker and Photographer (March 24)

Natural History and Conservation Presentations:
Dr. Will Locke: “Headwaters of the Platte” (March 4)
Dr. Paul Johnsgard: “Winter & Early Spring Birds of Nebraska” (March 17)
Dr. Bill Beachly: “A Crane’s Eye View of Central Nebraska” (March 18)
Dr. George Archibald: International Crane Foundation (March 25)
Dr. Jerry Kenny: Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (March 25)

Scientific Updates and Reports:
Martha Tacha: US Fish & Wildlife Division (March 31)
Dr. Mary Harner: The Crane Trust (March 31)

The 2012 series coincides with the spring crane migration, as more than 500,000 sandhill cranes converge on the area to feed, rest and store up energy reserves before moving on to their nesting grounds in the north. Visitors can experience this spectacular congregation as never before by signing up for a guided viewing blind at the Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center. Special overnight photo blinds and step-on bus tours are also available.

For more details and information, visitors can go to NebraskaNature.org or call 308-382-1820.

The Crane Trust is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of critical habitat for cranes and other migratory birds along the Platte River. The Crane Trust recently acquired the Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center, which serves as an important gateway for the world to this extraordinary ecosystem as part of the Crane Trust.

Photograph Nebraska will feature Crane Trust Wildlife tours.

Join us at the Hastings Photography Symposium this February. The Nature Center will be hosting photographic wildlife tours as an option during this event. Hope to see you there!




Hastings, NE - Amateur photographers are invited to learn more about their
craft, network with other photographers and listen to advice from seasoned
professionals at the Photograph Nebraska Symposium to be held on February 24
& 25 at the Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History.

Keynote presenters will include:
- National Geographic Photographer, Joel Sartore - After more than 20
year and 30 stories for the National Geographic Society, Joel has covered
everything from the remote Amazon rainforest to beer-drinking,
mountain-racing firefighters in the United Kingdom. Joel has completed
assignments for Audubon Magazine, Time, Life, Newsweek and Sports
Illustrated.
- Digital Photography Expert, Randy Hampton
- Omaha World Herald Photojournalist, Alyssa Schukar

This two-day event will also include workshops on: sports photography,
camera care, publishing, composition, severe storm photography, blended
photography, photo projects, wildlife photography and natural and
artificial lighting. Speakers will include: Bruce Thorson, Alan Mais, Jeff
Kurrus, John Brooks, Ryan McGinnis, Steve & Bobbi Olson, Rick Houchin and
Bob Grier

Professionals will be on hand to critique photographs throughout the event.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to photograph waterfowl and cranes
in a blind on the Platte River. This event is held in conjunction with the
"Life Up Close" Photography Exhibit which will be on display at the Hastings
Museum from Saturday, February 4 thru Sunday, March 25.

The event is hosted by the Adams County Convention & Visitors Bureau. Please
visit www.PhotographNebraska.com for the schedule and registration
information.

Getting Started by Looking Back.

Twenty-three years ago, a group of people got together to launch an idea. It came from a need for a place to connect people with the sandhill cranes. People were showing up in the area to see cranes in ever increasing numbers. People had written about the birds: Johnsgard, Lingle, and Archibald. When they wrote, the birders took note. Then the public took notice when people like Forsberg, Sartore, and Tebbel began to get it out there that this was something unique.

People that grew up around here knew about the cranes, they’re everywhere. Love them or hate them, they’re just part of being here as much as planting corn and the dicey weather each spring. For most, it never occurred that this was something unique or exotic. Who are these people and why are they coming to see these birds? But come they did, and the hospitality industry began to see an increase in an otherwise slow time of year.

The Big Year

"In 1998 I zigzagged across the continent to try to see as many species of birds in one calendar year as possible. It was an incredible experience passing the 700-species mark—an achievement many birders aspire to in an entire lifetime."

Thirteen years ago, Greg Miller (pictured above) decided to undertake a "Big Year" -- an exciting, arduous and often expensive venture designed to see more species of birds on U.S. soil during one year than ever before. In the midst of personal upheaval, Greg faces competition from two much wealthier birders also doing Big Years. From boreal forests to steamy southern swamps, from sun-baked deserts to a rat-infested bunker on an Aleutian island, he travels to as many "hotspots" as he can reach and breaks the 700-species mark.

What obstacles does Greg overcome during his Big Year? Does he out-bird his better-funded competition? Moreover, why put yourself through such an ordeal just to chase birds across the continent?

This March, Greg will be in the Grand Island area to tell his story though events sponsored by Central Community College - Grand Island, the Nebraska Bird Partnership, the Crane Trust Nature and Visitor Center and the Wild Bird Habitat Store in Lincoln. You'll not only hear about the adventure in '98, he'll also relate his experiences as a consultant for the recent motion picture "The Big Year", starring Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson. (Greg was the inspiration for Jack Black's character.)

With the opening of a new year, why not take your own Big Year adventure? Don't worry; we're not suggesting camping in a cottonmouth-infested swamp or shivering on a brutally cold January day in Duluth. Rather, try these:

1. Read Mark Obmascik's book "The Big Year", the basis for the motion picture. It's a quick read and provides an excellent backdrop to Greg's talks.

2. Check out the motion picture itself. CCC will offer a screening when Greg is in town.

3. Go out looking for birds! Report your sightings to our Big Year Facebook page. We especially invite birding beginners to participate. You might also keep a "life list" of what you see; a great way to do this is to input your sightings into ebird.com. This site will keep track of what you've seen when. Moreover, you'll be contributing valuable data to a huge database of tremendous value to scientists.

4. Participate in area birding events. The Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center has events throughout the year to help add to your species list. Central Community College in Grand Island will offer birding classes tailored to beginning birders. Here's a partial list of events planned:

Feb 18: Birds and Bagels, Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center

Feb 20: Backyard Bird Feeding, NBP staff-led course offered through CCC

Mar 14: The Big Year book discussion, Grand Island Public Library. Free and open to the public.

Mar 21: Beyond the Screen movie presentation of “The Big Year” and discussion with special guest Greg Miller

Mar 22: Q & A with The Big Year's Greg Miller, Grand Island Public Library. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask Greg questions about The Big Year book, his feelings about being a subject in the book, and any other questions that come to mind in a relaxed intimate session.

Mar 24: “The Big Morning” Birding Trip w/Greg Miller

Mar 24: Greg Miller afternoon presentation, “Swamps, Mountain Tops, and Cheap Motels: My Big Year Travelogue” - Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center

Mar 24: Greg Miller evening presentation, “The Big Year: The Triumph of Nature and the Human Spirit” - Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center

Apr 13-15: "Chicken and Stars" - Crane Trust Nature and Visitor Center staff-led Sandhills birding and stargazing trip. The highlight is viewing Greater Prairie-Chicken and Sharp-tailed Grouse courtship displays.

May 10-12: Beginning Birding Course, NBP staff-led course offered through CCC in partnership with the Prairie Plains Resource Institute

So grab your binoculars, and we'll see you in the field!

A "Q and A" About Crane Migration and Guided Tours

Nebraska's sandhill crane migration in March gets a lot of attention from birdwatchers and the general public alike. It truly is one of the world's grandest wildlife spectacles: once experienced, the sight and sounds of thousands of cranes together is never forgotten.

Not surprisingly, we at the nature center receive a lot of questions about the cranes and the migration. Here, we'll try to address some of more common. At the top of the list is this one: