Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center - Green Shoe Diaries Blog

Photograph Nebraska will feature Crane Trust Wildlife tours.

2012-01-26T12:14:00.003-06:00

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.

2012-01-03T16:43:00.009-06:00

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.

Grand Island found itself with a need, and Paul Currier from Whooping Crane Trust along with local leaders kicked off the idea by providing a place, a small building where tours and programs could be held. Education and information were recognized as beneficial to conservation because if things are happening, good or bad, and people don’t know about it and support it, it will go away.

The Nature Center grew and the Bosselman Family donated a former travel center with Interstate 80 frontage, where more then twenty thousand cars a day go by, to be used as a Nature Center. Grand Island got excited and footbridges were placed across the river opening up the native prairies to the public.

But, the main mission, over time, has remained; provide a place where people can connect to the Platte River and to the land. Running a non-profit in a for-profit world is a difficult thing to do. People fall in love with an idea hoping that finances will just work out. It makes for a rocky path, but through it all a culture endures that is solid, and the timeless tradition of the wildlife and the land endures, sometimes in spite of what we do.

A lot of good things have happened here; partnerships formed, ideas tried, and experiences gained. People come and go and the mission stays. People get that, it’s the tie that binds. I knew that good things were in store for this place all along, but also knew that they would never happen without partnerships. It takes a common vision to make things work in this world and when opportunities come, we cannot afford to let them pass by.

The Nature Center is now on a new path with a merger of operations as the Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust. We will now operate completely within the Trust; this is a partnership that makes sense. For those of you not familiar with the Trust, it is a land-based conservation organization created in the early 80’s as a result of the construction of the Grey Rocks Dam on the North Platte River in Wyoming. The Trust was created as mitigation for the newly implemented Endangered Species Act for the dam project.

The Trust has operated in south central Nebraska ever since, providing land and science based conservation solutions for the whooping crane and other migratory birds. The Trust has been described as the best thing most people have never heard of. It is truly and asset to Nebraska and those in the conservation and scientific community are well aware of the Trust’s activities. The Crane Trust’s work has been very much on the ground and in the river.

The Trust focus is in three areas: land, science and information/education. It's tied together like a three legged stool. This recipe for conservation is valuable and time tested and it is not unique to the Trust. Many organizations do this to some extent, but the Trust is unique in that it a protector of critical habitat effected by the Platte River’s water flows in the big bend region.

We are now a lot further downstream from where we started. Moving forward, there will most certainly be challenges to the ideas and activities, but the Trust, as it always has, will continue to provide a unique value to this region. Not everyone will agree with every activity, and that’s ok, but the starting point for any great idea is to change a few minds at first.

The Big Year

2011-12-28T09:50:00.009-06:00

"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 7: The Big Year book discussion group, first meeting

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

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

Feb 21: Discussion group, 2^nd meeting

Mar 6: Discussion group, final meeting

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

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

2011-12-07T13:32:00.018-06:00

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:

When is the best time to see the cranes? We dedicated an entire post to answering this query -- see here.

I see you offer tours to see cranes. Tell me about these. What happens? Our guided tours are designed to get you as close to the cranes as possible without disturbing them. Participants meet at the nature center; a staff member gives a 20-minute orientation before participants are divided into separate groups (if needed) for the viewing blind and weekend evening footbridge tours. Afterwards, we head out to our separate crane-viewing spots, where we view the cranes for approximately two hours.

What's the difference between the blind and footbridge tours? The viewing blind is an enclosed, unheated structure along the main channel of the Platte River. Reaching it requires caravaning in your own vehicles plus a walk of up to 1/2 mile over rough terrain. Blind tour participants come and go as a group so as to minimize disturbance. Blind tours are offered both morning and evening, corresponding to when the birds leave and enter the river, often in large groups.

The viewing location for the weekend evening footbridge tour is a footbridge crossing a smaller channel of the Platte just south of the center, about a 1/3 mile walk along a handicapped-accessible trail. The bridge is not enclosed, so you are exposed to the elements. Here, you can watch the cranes land onto the prairie just south of the bridge, then onto the sandbars within the channel for the night. Footbridge tour participants may leave whenever desired, but may not return after doing so. These tours are offered weekend evenings only.

Which tour gives a better look? Both are capable of excellent views, depending on the individual tour.

Do you guarantee I'll see lots of cranes if I take a tour? The vast majority of tours are loaded with great looks. But nature being what it is, things can and do happen. For example, sometimes an eagle makes a flyover and frightens the birds off the roost. A very cold winter can delay the migration, making early-season viewing somewhat risky. The river habitat itself changes from season to season, so a location that was great one year may be less so the next (and vice-versa). We do our best to find locations where cranes are roosting.

What about these photographic blinds? These are private blinds placed to give the ultimate crane experience -- you might find yourself literally amongst the cranes! Since an overnight stay is required, photographic blinds are for the hardcore crane viewer only. Contact us for more details.

Can't I see the cranes for free? You can drive back roads during the day, when the cranes are feeding in cornfields. Stop by the nature center and we'll let you know where to look and which roads to avoid (as many roads here are gravel, which can become muddy messes when snow melts or rain falls).

At least three public crane-viewing spots are located along the river to watch the birds come in during the evening. These can be good viewing locations, but since the birds can see you, they won't land as close compared to the viewing blind locations. Nonetheless, these are good options, particularly for families with young children.

Speaking of which, I see you don't allow children under 12 on guided tours. Why not? Experience has shown us that most small children cannot tolerate the outdoor conditions these tours encounter--cold, wind etc.--for extended periods. If you have an especially interested young birder in your family or group, take him/her to one of the public viewing spots.

Should I pre-register for tours, or just show up? Crane tours during the last two weeks of March can fill well in advance, especially on weekends. Outside of that, spots are often, but not always, available for walk-ins. We strongly recommend pre-registering to avoid disappointment. You can register online through our website (nebraskanature.org) or call us at 308-382-1820.

If I take a tour, what should I bring and how should I prepare? See this post for more details.

What's the weather like when the cranes are here? While anything from thunderstorms to snow to wind to warm weather is possible, it's typically chilly in March -- 30's or 40's F for highs and lows in the teens or 20's. Dress appropriately.

What else is there to see besides the cranes? Far from being "boring," Nebraska features a full gamut of natural wonders. Snow geese are prevalent early in crane season, sometimes in flocks that can turn the sky literally white. Fortunate viewers might spot a rare whooping crane, particularly as the sandhill cranes begin to leave in April. Around this same time, the greater prairie chickens and sharptail grouse begin their mating dances. Most habitat for these grassland grouse has fallen to the plow, but at least one chicken dancing ground can be seen -- albeit from a distance -- from a road NW of Grand Island. Grassland grouse remain abundant in the Nebraska Sandhills, where guided tours are available.

With only few small, widely-separated towns in the region, the Sandhills also offer an ideal location for stargazing. If you're in the area for grouse viewing and the night sky is clear and moonless, go outside and take a look up. You'll probably never see more stars at one time, especially if you give your eyes 20 minutes to adjust to the darkness.

Preparing for a Guided Crane Viewing Tour

2011-12-07T10:52:00.005-06:00

A guided crane tour gives you the chance of viewing the gathering of over 400,000 sandhill cranes along Nebraska's Platte River. This is an experience like no other on the planet. The experience is far more enjoyable -- for both you and your fellow crane-watchers -- if you prepare properly for your tour. The following brief article offers some general guidelines. Please note it applies to viewing tours (blind and footbridge), not to the private photographic blinds.

Clothing: March and early April in Nebraska is often cold, especially while sitting still in an unheated blind or standing on the footbridge for two hours. Bundle up accordingly: gloves, hats, thick socks, thermal undergarments are just a few items you should wear. Rule of thumb: Pretend the air temperature is at least 20 degrees colder than the thermometer reading, and dress for that temperature. A cold wind blowing -- a frequent occurrence here -- will give the air an additional bite. Rain gear is a plus in wet weather. We can't emphasize strongly enough: Please dress warmly and appropriately.

Binoculars and spotting scopes: Strongly recommended if you have them. Tripods for spotting scopes are permitted if space allows. Your guide may have a spotting scope for viewing, but this cannot be guaranteed.

Photo and video equipment: You may certainly take video and still images, but with some caveats. In particular, flash photography is not allowed under any circumstances; the cranes have been scared off their roosts on more than one occasion by a thoughtless flash. Even preview screens can cast enough light on a person's face to make a crane think twice about sticking around. Again, tripods are permitted if room allows, but please respect your fellow viewers and their space.

Reaching viewing locations: Viewing blinds and the footbridge require a walk of up to 1/2 mile to reach. In the case of blinds, this walk is over rough terrain. (The footbridge is wheelchair-accessible.) In addition, viewing blind tour participants caravan in their own vehicles to the blinds (though carpooling is possible).

Weather (and other) cancellations: March snowstorms make occasional visits to the Cornhusker State. Tours are cancelled only if any portion of Interstate 80 between North Platte (on the west) and Lincoln (east) is closed. We will do our best to inform participants when tours are cancelled. Otherwise, all tours are held as scheduled. Cancellations from participants require a minimum of 24 hours notice.

Not permitted on crane-viewing tours: Flashlights, children under 12, pets, cellphones and other electronic communication devices. In case of emergency, your guide will have a cellphone available.

Other considerations: Tours start promptly; please be on time, as we cannot wait for latecomers.

We're looking forward to leading you on a great viewing experience! If you have any questions about preparing for a crane-viewing tour, please contact us at info@nebraskanature.org or call 308-382-1820.

Things To Be Thankful For... and a Request

2011-12-05T16:49:00.002-06:00

Friends:

I’m thankful for all the people that help make this place work: volunteers, staff, partners, and people who care.

I’m thankful for my family, who put up with my somewhat busy schedule and the patience they show me while doing what needs to be done around here. I’m thankful for my Dad, who took me outside when I was young, and for my Mother, who did most of the real work on our many camping trips.

I’m thankful for Karen, Dan and Shirley, who make things happen around here and who in turn are thankful that I don’t often answer the phone and create more chaos in the process (most of the time.) Pursuant to this, I’m glad that the phone does ring and that the front doorbell chimes frequently here at the Center.

I’m thankful for the people who read this newsletter and blog, or who come to a class, take a tour, or attend a meeting at the Center. I think I’m thankful for Facebook, but I’m not sure if it really matters or not.

I’m thankful for Connie and Blake, who aren’t afraid to walk into my office and tell me I’m all messed up and should do things this way or that. I’m thankful for Dale, who is here when he says he will be. I’m thankful for Cal and the Board of Directors, who have stood by this place and made it happen at a deeper level that most folks might realize.

I’m thankful that when I walk outside, I can hear the sound of sandhill cranes, even though it’s fall.

I’m most thankful that there are a lot of people who work hard to keep a little water in the river, and that Nature continues to dazzle, every time and without fail. Amazing stuff.

The grassroots nature of this organization is evident in all we do and in the underlying passions that keep it going. If you would like to contribute to the annual fund or education fund, you may do so by contacting Karen in the office (308-382-1820) to make a contribution by credit card. If you prefer, you may send a check to 9325 S. Alda Road, Wood River, NE 68883

If you would like to designate your gift to honor a person or a business, we can do that as well.

It is all very exciting, and we’re glad to have you involved in all the excitement!

On behalf of the entire staff at the Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center, I wish you all the best in this holiday season.

Brad Mellema
Executive Director

Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center.

Q: When is the best time to see sandhill cranes in Nebraska?

2011-12-01T12:53:00.015-06:00

Prospective crane-viewers ask this question frequently. Here's the simple answer for those planning a trip to Nebraska: mid to late March gives you virtually a 100% chance of seeing plenty of sandhill cranes. Casual crane viewers need not read further.

If you continued on to this paragraph, perhaps you're a birder, or someone who simply wants to know a little more . . .

This brings us to our more nuanced answer: The entire month of March, plus early April, can be excellent for sandhill crane viewing in Nebraska. The time you choose will depend on you and your expectations. Are you looking to fill an empty check box or two on your life list? Are crowds OK, or are you the type who likes some space between you and your fellow birders? Willing to take a chance on getting "skunked" to view or photograph the cranes in circumstances not seen by most people?

Viewing prospects for the cranes -- and other area wildlife -- change noticeably through March and the first week of April. So we'll split this period into three smaller pieces -- early, middle and late -- and describe what you might see within each.

Early (first half of March): Although the first sandhill cranes can be seen as early as mid-February, large numbers often don't appear until the start of March. Timing of early arrivals can vary considerably from year to year, depending in part on the severity of the current winter. Long spells of exceptionally cold weather in the Platte River valley can delay the migration, making viewing in the first week of March a little dicey. Nonetheless, some of my fondest crane-viewing memories -- and more interesting photographs -- have come during this time. This image from early March 2010 shows cranes roosting on ice patches within the river:

Early March also sees large flocks of snow geese piling into ponds and wetlands, sometimes by the tens of thousands. While stunning to watch, these high concentations can result in outbreaks of avian cholera, which kill thousands of geese. Snows also fall as prey to bald eagles, a frequent sight at this time. Adult balds in flight make magnificent viewing, but are mixed blessings for crane watchers; cranes recognize eagles as predators and will sometimes bolt from a river roost before an eagle flyover. These sudden en masse takeoffs are spectacular but short-lived experiences, sometimes bringing a guided crane tour to an abrupt end.

Middle (latter half of March): As mentioned, this is the usual peak of the sandhill crane migration, with estimates ranging up to a half-million birds in the central Platte valley. However, this "peak" can be misleading. Research shows the first crane arrivals generally use the portion of the Platte south of Grand Island and Alda. As a certain portion of habitat can only hold so many birds, new crane arrivals begin fill in suitable portions of the river further west. So while more cranes may be in the region as a whole, you may not notice much difference in one particular spot on a day-to-day basis. Even so, this period is generally the best and safest crane-viewing bet, particularly if this is a once-only trip. Here's a typical view from one of our blinds:

Not surprisingly, this time also sees the peak of human visitation; those wishing to take guided viewing tours are encouraged to make reservations well in advance.

By this time, the snow geese and many of the bald eagles have usually left the region. A few species of waterfowl might be found on ponds, the river and particularly in the Rainwater Basin south of the Platte River.

Late (early April): While viewing occasionally peaks around this time, in most years sandhill cranes begin to leave as April opens, with many birds gone by mid-month. Also, the cranes' main source of food -- waste corn from the previous fall's harvest -- runs low in fields near the Platte River, forcing the birds to spread out as far as 12 miles either side of the river. Flocks at this time are often more dispersed.

Even so, this viewing time offers advantages. The evening gatherings along the river are still awe-inspiring, with longer, warmer days and later sunsets making for more comfortable conditions. Spots in guided tours are much easier to come by as visitation slows. With remaining cranes often full of corn and less in need of finding food, they'll sometimes linger in one place for longer stretches. They also seem to congregate nearer roadsides, allowing views such as this:

This time is also your best chance of catching a rare whooping crane. With about 300 or so in the wild flock, your odds of seeing this tallest of North American birds are slender at best. If you're lucky enough to spot one, please don't try to approach it. Enjoy this rare and magnificent sight -- even if it doesn't allow an award-winning photograph.

As the sandhill show winds down, the region's other major bird attraction -- the displays of the grassland grouse -- begins to hit high gear. While most habitat of the greater prairie chicken and sharptail grouse in this area has fallen to the plow, their mating dances can still be seen, particularly in the Sandhills region to the northwest. See here and here for more information on guided tours, which are well worth the time and effort to witness.

Keep in mind that, no matter when during the migration you look, day-to-day weather plays a major role in how the cranes behave. A warm, sunny day may keep them in the fields longer, where as a windy, snowy day often brings birds to the river well before sunset. If you're traveling here specifically for the sandhill show, allow for at least two days of viewing if possible, just in case inclement weather during one day doesn't spoil your entire trip.

Photographer Rick Rasmussen featured in Gallery.

2011-10-31T12:53:00.013-05:00

Nebraska wildlife photographer Rick Rasmussen will feature 38 of his wildlife and nature images images in the Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center's Hornaday Art Gallery through December 31, 2011. An open house will be held Saturday, November 19th - time TBA. Rick has traveled all over the world capturing images of nature. His images include sandhill cranes, ducks wolves, prairie chickens and a lot more. Rick is a long-time supporter of the Nature Center and we are delighted to have a more extensive body of his work in the gallery.

Rick's favorite place to photograph is in his lifetime residence of Central Nebraska where he has shared the diverse wildlife opportunities with many photographers from around the United States. Traveling to other locations to experience other fascinating wildlife and landscapes has been a dream come true. Some of these destinations include: Alaska, Yellowstone and Antarctica.

Some of Rick's photo credits include; Highly Honored Winner in Natures Best Magazine 2008 - Windland Rice International Awards Competition, Grand Prize Winner in Wyoming Wildlife Magazine 2008 photo competition, Best Of Show in Grand Island Art In The Park and Best Of Show 4 times at Stuhr Museum Wings Over The Platte Competition. He has also been published in several books and has many images in advertising campaigns.

Rick just returned from and Alaska photo excursion, and said it was awesome but was quick to point out that he's a prairie guy at heart. He is a member of Prairie Winds Art Gallery in Grand Island.

A Few Photos from the Trail

2011-10-14T16:54:00.008-05:00

I have not had a chance to post photos from the trail for a while. The Great Plains and prairie is a place that is best experienced on foot. The fall is one of my favorite times to get out there and do a little exploring. Not a lot of birds this afternoon. A few white crowned sparrows and a belted kingfisher were near the first bridge. I noticed a few fresh cut trees downed by beavers near the first bridge as well. I was going to go down and photograph them but smelled the unmistakable perfume of a skunk in the area so I'll leave that photo go for now.

The mixed grass prairie of Central Nebraska.

Belted kingfisher patiently waits for a fish to rise.

Platte River from the first footbridge.

Jorn Olsen - Across a Wide Horizon

2011-10-13T15:19:00.009-05:00

Hastings Nebraska photographer Jorn Olsen stopped by the Nature Center today to sign a few copies of his book for the gift shop. His book, "Across a Wide Horizon: Discovering the Uncommon Beauty of Nebraska’s Plains" is really a treat to look at. The book review posted below is by George Tuck, who is a professor emeritus, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he taught photojournalism in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications.

The book is very high quality, and printed in the U.S.A. which is saying something in this era of everything being outsourced to other countries. I hope you stop by and pick up a copy for yourself or to give as a gift.

Book Review
Across a Wide Horizon: Discovering the Uncommon Beauty of Nebraska’s Plains
Photography by Jorn C. Olsen
With Foreword by Christopher Amundson

WOW! Outstanding images, beautiful printing, clever titles, dramatic scenery, spectacular wildlife, electrifying weather, peaceful landscapes and, well, you get the idea.

Hit the jump to read on...

For many of us Jorn Olsen is an unknown. After this, his first book, he will join the ranks of Nebraskans whose photos about the state are legendary: Joel Sartore, Michael Forsberg, Bill Ganzel, Margaret MacKichan, Fr. Don Doll, Georg Joutras, and others.
From the spectacular dust jacket of “Sandhills Rising” to the last photo of “Autumn on the River,” the book is a visual treat and a testament to the diversity of scenery and wildlife that exists in Nebraska, should one take the time to “see” it.
Unfortunately there still exist in Nebraska those who refuse to venture off I-80 and discover the visual richness of the Sandhills. If Olsen’s book doesn’t make one hit Nebraska Hwy. 2 to see a cross-section of the state, including its famous frozen dunes in all their expansive color palette, then that just gives more viewing space for the rest of us.
The opening image is “Quiet Satisfaction” in Logan County, a very narrow double-truck landscape of rolling hills and a windmill at twilight. The serenity of the scene is so peaceful and beautiful it makes one want to sit and enjoy it for hours.
Four gate-folds (three-page spreads) further add to the drama of Olsen’s wide-view landscapes. These are particularly effective.
No book about Nebraska is complete without images of our diverse wildlife, so Olsen includes several very nice shots of Sandhill Cranes, as well as various ducks, eagles, deer and a huge flock of turkeys walking away.
For those who relate better to humans than wildlife, Olsen includes cowboys, a bronc rider, a farmer with draft horses and an elderly couple on a bench with a list of county fair sponsors behind them. But the book is largely about the gorgeous landscapes that await us over the next hill, in the next county or around that bend in the road over yonder.
Some of my favorites include “Round Barn Moon,” a cool moon balanced by warm light from a barn window; “Stable Conditions,” looking down the inside of a stable; “Feigning Interest,” two mules in a corral, “Romancing the Sky,” a gloriously subtle twilight double-truck of the Sandhills in Logan County; “Spinning Dreams,” variations of triple livestock watering tanks and a windmill, are on the dust cover and two inside spreads and I like them all.
One can practically hear the gentle swish of ice donuts rotating into each other in “Walk-In Cooler,” a 2006 winter sunset shot in Harlan County.
“Push Comes to Shove” gives the observer the sense of very different sounds coming from a farmer and a double pair of draft horses and mules working a hay field in Lincoln County.
Olsen not only does the reader a great service by giving the county and date where each photo was produced, but he also includes a Nebraska map showing all the counties. While placing a large red dot or other indicator showing which counties were photographed would be beneficial, it’s not a necessity. (An aside: I’ve lived in Nebraska for 41 years, have traveled over much of the state and I still don’t know all the counties or where each is located. As a result, maps are a great help to me.)
Included in the book are several black and white photos, which appear somewhat jarring after following pages of color. The black and whites are individually strong and indicate that an entire book could be quite successful sans color. A token color shot of the Nebraska State Capitol appearing quite red at twilight could easily be eliminated since no other representative of city life is included.
Also incongruous is “Head of the Class,” a 2007 photo in Box Butte County, of a field of sunflowers against a stark black background, including a black horizon. Such a manipulated photo seems out of place among an otherwise rather straightforward book of images.
Olsen, whose day job is directing a computer department for a large manufacturing firm, drove 34,000 miles over four years while creating the images in his book. He hints that another, or more, photo books might be in the offing. Now that is something for us to anticipate.
If he stopped with this book, heaven forbid, he still would leave us with a treasure-trove of memorable scenes. Since he spends about as much time on photography as he does on his day job, I think we’ll be safe in our anticipation.
One final observation: Across a Wide Horizon was printed in Omaha by Regal Press. Those who think great photo reproduction requires press work in Italy, Japan or Singapore need to take notice of Regal.
This is a highly recommended book that is worthy of anyone’s collection and would be a magnificent gift as well.

Across a Wide Horizon: Discovering the Uncommon Beauty of Nebraska’s Plains
Photography by Jorn C. Olsen
Foreword by Christopher Amundson, publisher & editor, “Nebraska Life” magazine
Dublduc Publishing, Ltd. © 2011
168 ppg., 12.25” x 9.75” $59.95
ISBN ¬ 13-9780983289506 and 10-0983289506
Printed in Nebraska by Regal Printing Co.
Jorn Olsen’s images are available for viewing or purchase at jornolsen.com or at his gallery at 726 W. 2nd, Hastings, NE 68901. 402-262-2811.

Rising from the Grave

2011-09-14T10:38:00.002-05:00

Next month sees the return of a cherished nature center tradition: the Halloween pumpkin walk, scheduled for October 28-29.

For those unfamiliar with this event, the Enchanted Halloween Trail involves guides taking small groups of people to different nature- or prairie-themed characters. Each actor performs a short skit describing his/her character. (For example, a "prairie chicken" might do his spring dance.) Eight characters are scheduled along a pumpkin-lined trail (impressive when lit up) a little over half-mile in length. (Anyone remember the Man in the Moon from years back? If a working telescope was nearby, that was likely yours truly!) This year's characters are provided by MiShMaSh productions of Hastings.

After completing the trail, visitors will be guided back to the center, where a bag of popcorn and hot chocolate or cider (your choice) await. Additional snacks may be available for sale in our snack bar, and the Crimson Crown gift shop will be open for early holiday shoppers. For more information, check out the flyer image above.

We'll need plenty of volunteers for this event: trail guides in particular, but also trail monitors, snack-bar attendants, pumpkin carvers and a host of others. Interested in volunteering? Additional questions? Please drop me a line at dan(at)nebraskanature.org.

Looking forward to seeing you in October!

Monarch Madness

2011-09-08T13:11:00.005-05:00

New adult monarch butterfly on NNVC grounds

On Saturday, September 17, the Nebraska Nature and Visitors Center (NNVC) and Dodge Elementary School in Grand Island team up to present “Monarch Madness.” This monarch butterfly tagging demonstration will begin 1 p.m. and end by 3 p.m. The program is offered free of charge to the public.

Hit the jump to read on...

Monarch butterflies are one of the few insects to migrate with the seasons. Four generations of monarchs are produced per year; three of those live out their entire life cycles in North America, while the fourth makes the fall journey southward. The monarchs in most of North America generally travel to cloud forests in Mexico, with the western population spending winters in coastal California. The migrating generation then makes its way northward in spring and the cycle repeats.

While the journey of the monarchs is justly famous, much remains to be learned about it. How do they find their wintering grounds? To help scientists, amateur entomologists tag monarchs as they migrate, recording when and where the monarch was captured. Tagged monarchs that are later recovered may offer clues as to what routes they use while traveling southward.

Integration Specialist Jan Tell will bring 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade students from Dodge Elementary; the students – seasoned monarch-tagging veterans – will show visitors how monarchs are tagged. Visitors are then welcome to try their hand at capturing and tagging. Tagging data will be recorded and sent to Monarch Watch, hosted by the University of Kansas.

NNVC Assistant Director Dan Glomski says, “I remember when clouds of monarchs were visible in the fall just looking from my backyard. Recent numbers are way down partly due to habitat loss, both here and in Mexico. Last year I hardly saw any. This year numbers here look a little better, but are still quite low compared to just a few years ago. It would be a shame to lose this great spectacle of nature. ”

“I'm hoping the data we collect will help bring the monarchs back.”

Located on Interstate 80 at the Alda Road exit #305, the Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center exists to provide a place where people of all ages can connect to nature along the Platte River.

Nice NTV Interview for the Center

2011-08-23T15:25:00.000-05:00

Weekend Wild Walk - River Explore

2011-08-18T11:46:00.002-05:00

In this summer's final Weekend Wild Walk, we'll take a stroll in the Platte River. Yes, in the river itself! We'll examine the many forms of life we can find along and in the water: amphibians, birds, plants and more. We may take a dip net or two along and see what we can capture. We'll walk from our sandbar between the footbridges to the Alda Road bridge.

The part of the river we'll be strolling is fairly shallow, generally a few inches deep, with occasional spots up to a foot in depth. Wear shorts and a shirt that can wet and dirty; same with footwear -- sandals or old tennis shoes are strongly recommended. (Flip-flops are easily lost and are not recommended.) A towel to dry off is optional.

The walk begins this Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and will end no later than 11 a.m. Admission is free, and all ages are invited. The walk will be cancelled if conditions are rainy or stormy. If weather is questionable, please call 308-382-1820 for an update.

Weekend Wild Walk - Dragonflies

2011-08-12T10:31:00.003-05:00

The warm summer months have brought dragonflies (and their relatives, the damselflies) out in droves.

North America is home to over 300 species of dragonflies. While dragonfly identification can be confusing, some -- like the female Widow Skimmer above -- are easy, particularly if you can get them to stand still! Dragonflies are indicators of an aquatic ecosystem's health, and they consume many insect pests such as mosquitoes.

In this walk, we'll take a dragonfly field guide, cameras and binoculars into the field and see what dragonflies we can find and ID. We'll take half of the Prairie Loop trail, stop by the pond (dragonfly central right now) and head back. The walk begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and will last no more than 90 minutes. (Walk distance will be approximately one mile.) The walk is free and all ages are invited to attend.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center now Certified by Greener Nebraska

2011-08-11T10:14:00.002-05:00

LINCOLN, NEB. (Aug. 8, 2011)—Eight Nebraska businesses recently earned certification from Greener Nebraska by meeting green performance standards.

The eight businesses qualifying for certification were:

Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center, Wood River
Western Nebraska Segway Experience Center, Scottsbluff
Lincoln Children's Museum, Lincoln
Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary, Gibbon
Green Acres Motel & RV Park, Red Cloud
Best Western Settle Inn, Omaha
Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center, Denton
Mom's Pantry, Ogallala

Greener Nebraska, developed by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development’s Travel and Tourism Division, strives to reduce the tourism industry’s impact on the environment and to attract travelers interested in visiting green destinations. Its certification process previously had been restricted to tourism-related businesses along Nebraska's nine Scenic Byways; the program expanded this year to help businesses across the state become more environmentally friendly.

Now that the program is open to businesses throughout the state, getting certified through Greener Nebraska is a simple and free way to promote your conservation efforts.

Visit our website, GreenerNebraska.org , to learn more about the program and to begin the certification process.

Weekend Wild Walk - Wildflowers

2011-07-21T17:10:00.003-05:00

Wildflowers are blooming all over our prairie and landscaping. From hoary vervain to black-eyed susans to purple prairie clover (above), we have a lot of beauty out there.

Join us for a look at these and other wildflowers on this Saturday's Weekend Wild Walk, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and wrapping up by 11 a.m. Bring a camera if you have one.

Weekend Wild Walks are free and open to the public. Hope to see you there!

Weekend Wild Walk - Prairie Seed Collecting

2011-07-06T16:08:00.003-05:00

This summer, the nature center has been offering our Weekend Wild Walks, held each Saturday morning from 9:30 to 11 a.m. These walks are designed to introduce people of all ages to the wonders of the prairie and the Platte River.

This coming Saturday, July 9, our wild walk takes us offsite, to the properties of the Nature Conservancy. We'll help the Conservancy collect seed of native prairie plants for use in their restorations. This is a great way to view the prairie up close and begin to learn the plant species that make up this beautiful but still overlooked ecosystem.

We'll meet at the nature center at 9:30 a.m. sharp and caravan or carpool from there. We'll need to leave on time. Please bring work gloves and scissors if you have them; otherwise we can provide these.

Weekend Wild Walks are free of charge and will be offered through August 20. For more information, call us at (308) 382-1820.

Weekend Wild Walk - Butterflies

2011-07-01T09:54:00.003-05:00

Butterflies are the subject of this Saturday's Weekend Wild Walk. And do we have them in abundance!

Undoubtedly the most conspicuous butterfly out there now -- and often sought-after by visitors from elsewhere -- is the regal fritillary. According to Butterflies of North America by Brock and Kaufman, "This well-named regal creature is one of North America's vanishing butterflies," having disappeared from much of their former range, particularly east of the Mississippi River. Fortunately for them -- and for us -- regal fritillaries are doing quite well in Nebraska.

While regals are quite obvious, closer looks reveal plenty of smaller butterflies too. I had to wait for these fulvia (?) checkerspots to calm down, but they finally stood still long enough for me to take their picture. [Butterfly experts can correct me on the ID if I'm wrong.]

So what about that most famous of butterflies, the monarch? Sadly, I've seen only one on the prairie all year, despite plenty of milkweed (their larval plant). Clearly, they are having trouble here as well as on their wintering grounds in Mexico.

The walk begins at the nature center at 9:30 Saturday morning and wraps up by 11. We encourage participants to bring cameras and binoculars (though these are not required). Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. Hope to see you there!

Dan talks about telescopes and stargazing.

2011-06-28T15:21:00.002-05:00

Dan had a chance to talk about telescopes this morning on NTV Good Life Program. Here's a post in case you missed it.

Weekend Wild Walk - Animal Tracks

2011-06-24T09:37:00.002-05:00

We know a lot of critters run around the nature center grounds, in our prairie and along the river. Deer and rabbits are quite commonly seen, and we've encountered the occasional skunk (luckily, not too close).

Yet, we know a lot more animal life exists here: fox, otter, coyote, bobcats and others are all possibilities. While we rarely if ever directly see these, we've know some of these are present -- partly through the "fingerprints" they leave behind in the form of tracks.

During this Saturday's Weekend Wild Walk, our good friend Blake Hatfield will take us on a search for those tracks. What will we find? Show up at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and let's find out!

Admission to the Weekend Wild Walks is free of charge, though donations are greatly appreciated. Visitors of all ages are invited to attend.

Looking forward to seeing you Saturday morning!

Weekend Wild Walks

2011-06-16T10:51:00.002-05:00

This Saturday, June 18th, the nature center offers our first Weekend Wild Walk. These Saturday morning walks begin 9:30a and end by 11a and are free of charge (though we won't turn down donations!). The theme for this walk is breeding birds at the nature center; we'll look for five or six species, such as this dickcissel.

One bird much sought-after by visitors is the bobolink. This year, we're hosting at least a couple, and we have a good chance of seeing them. They have a beautiful bubbly song.

Please bring binoculars and bird ID guides if you have them; if not, we'll have at least one pair of binoculars to borrow.

Weekend Wild Walks will be held every Saturday morning through August 20. We'll highlight a different aspect of the prairie and river each week.

Looking forward to seeing you!

Nature Center Offers Weekend Wild Walks for Summer

2011-06-07T14:00:00.004-05:00

Press release June 7, 2011

The Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center (NNVC) is pleased to offer summertime "Weekend Wild Walks" for families.

Every Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. beginning June 18 through August 20 visitors are invited to take in nature along our trails, within our woods and near or even in the Platte River! Each walk will have a theme: birds, butterflies, wildflowers, amphibians, the Platte River are all themes we will explore.

The center will announce the theme for each walk 2-3 days in advance, via the Green Shoe diaries blog, accessible from NNVC's website (www.nebraskanature.org ). Updates will also be available from Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center’s Facebook page. According to NNVC Assistant Director Dan Glomski, "This way we can keep an eye on the prairie and the river to see what's especially striking at a certain time, and offer visitors a chance to experience it firsthand. If we see lots of wildflowers blooming or regal fritillary butterflies out and about, we have a theme for that Saturday's walk. A drop in river levels would allow us to get in the river and look for frogs and toads that weekend."

"Speaking of the river, we could get a bit wet with some of these activities, and we'll let folks know if they need to dress accordingly."

Glomski emphasizes these walks are for families; children under the age of 13 must come with a parent or guardian.

Weekend Wild Walks start at 9:30 a.m. and end around 11:00 a.m. While admission to the walks is free, donations are greatly appreciated.

In addition to monitoring the center's blog and Facebook page, visitors may call (308) 382-1820 for more information.

Located on the I-80 Alda exit 305, the Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center exists to provide a place where people of all ages can connect to nature along the Platte River.

Butterfly Homes and Gardens

2011-05-19T11:32:00.009-05:00

After Crane Meadows Nature Center unveiled its new facility around 2003, staff and volunteers -- including the Family Campers and RVers (FCRV) -- planted a butterfly garden. The garden was designed to provide food sources (i.e. leaves and stems) desirable to butterfly larvae, while adults would probe flowers for nectar.

Sadly, between that time and the nature center's reopening and renaming in 2009, the garden had gone largely to weeds, with only a scattering of survivors remaining from the previous planting. Clearly, the garden was in a need of a renovation.

Butterfly garden before renovation. Weeds, particularly

smooth brome, had largely overtaken the area.

Sandy and Ken Kendall of FCRV informed me of a grant opportunity for wildlife, and encouraged me to apply. As the butterfly garden replanting seemed a perfect fit for the grant, I applied and, with Sandy and Ken's help, received $700.00 for new plants.

The nature center organized a garden committee in part to redesign the garden. After research, native prairie plants beneficial to butterflies were chosen and ordered from Bluebird Nursery in Clarkson, NE. Most of the existing garden was sprayed with Roundup, saving as many surviving desirable plants as possible.

By planting day on May 14, everything was in place: plants, mulch, and volunteers from FCRV and the garden committee. In three hours, the garden was in place, with new plants firmly tucked into new homes. Looks great!

FRCV volunteers comprised most of the planters on

a chilly, breezy May afternoon

Dr. Will Locke loves to garden

Special thanks go out to all the wonderful volunteers at FCRV for making this project happen, and to the nature center's garden committee for the planning and help. I can't wait to watch the butterflies show up as the plants grow and thrive. Here's hoping a few monarchs find it passing through this fall!

The friendly and helpful folks who volunteered

most of a Saturday afternoon to plant. Thank you!

Mountain Lions in Nebraska

2011-05-11T16:44:00.000-05:00

With the recent Mountain lion dispatch in Kearney, I thought it might be good to post the Game and Parks informational video on the topic.

Summer Day Camp Announced at the Center

2011-04-28T14:35:00.008-05:00

This summer, the Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center partners with Nebraska 4-H Camps and the Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) to bring an exciting and educational day camp for children ages 8-11. The four day camp runs from July 11 through July 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Click here to register for this camp.

The camps include a blend of nature activities with traditional 4-H offerings such as archery and team-building exercises. Add a dash of art and science and stir. The fee is just $115 per child!

"Last summer's day camp was an absolute blast," NNVC program coordinator Dan Glomski says. "Everyone -- kids, counselors, and adults alike -- had a lot of fun. We're already receiving calls from parents whose children participated last year. "

"The nature center is a perfect venue for 4-H activities. The river and prairie literally in our backyard offer limitless possibilities for teaching all kinds of topics. And the partnership with 4-H and MONA brings a lot of experience into our day camps."

Some snacks are included in the cost; parents/guardians must provide each child with a sack lunch for each day. Children should also wear clothing that can get dirty and/or wet. A signed release form is required for all participants.

Space in day camp is limited to 20 children, and parents are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible. For more information, call 308 382-1820 to register.

Located on the I-80 Alda exit 305, the Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center exists to provide a place where people of all ages can connect to nature along the Platte River. Go to www.nebraskanature.org for more information.

#######

Press Release from the Nebraska Environmental Trust

2011-04-27T15:35:00.004-05:00

Nebraska Nature Visitor Center Receives Grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust

Lincoln, NE – April 7, 2011 – Nebraska Nature Visitor Center announced today that it will receive $60,000 from the Nebraska Environmental Trust for “Educating a New Generation of Environmentally Committed Nebraskans”. The Trust Board announced funding for the project at its meeting on April 7, 2011 in Lincoln. This is the final year of award. The project is one of the 94 projects receiving $15,412,788 in grant awards from the Nebraska Environmental Trust this year.

Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center near Alda, Nebraska requested a $240,000 grant, payable over three years, as part of an overall plan to re-open the Visitor's Center, hire personnel and offer educational programming, resources, and exhibits for Nebraskans and visitors from throughout the world. Through public/private collaborations with schools, environmental organizations, and ecologically-minded corporations, the Center will inform and educate the public in potentially all five focus areas of the Nebraska Environmental Trust: habitat, surface and ground water, waste management, air quality, and soil management. Matching funds have been obtained from four partner organizations (Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Platte River Recovery Implementation Program, Hastings College, and Johnson Family Foundation) and have developed a sound and cost-effective business plan to ensure the Center's long-term sustainability.

The Nebraska Legislature created the Nebraska Environmental Trust in 1992. Using revenue from the Nebraska Lottery, the Trust has provided over $172 million in grants to 1,292 projects across the state. Anyone – citizens, organizations, communities, farmers and businesses – can apply for funding to protect habitat, improve water quality and establish recycling programs in Nebraska. The Nebraska Environmental Trust works to preserve, protect and restore our natural resources for future generations.

Report: Chicken & Stars 2011

2011-04-26T12:05:00.019-05:00

Our second annual Chicken & Stars tour is a wrap!

On Friday, ten participants gathered at Sandhills Motel in Mullen, then headed off to Cattleman's Restaurant in Seneca for a great meal. Dr. Paul Johnsgard gave a wonderful presentation on the greater prairie chicken.

During dinner, I took frequent peaks at the sky, wondering if we would see many -- or any -- stars that night. Forecasts earlier that week had not sounded promising. But the clouds did indeed part; in fact, the sky was almost perfectly clear by observing time! The stars were magnificent, with the zodiacal light (the "false dawn" created by dust in the plane of the Solar System scattering sunlight) easily visible in the west. I know a couple of us would have stayed out longer, but a cold wind and the excitement of prairie chickens next morning was too much to handle.

Created through sunlight-scattering dust,

the zodiacal light is visible only from dark locations

Early Saturday morning, we stumbled out to the bus that would take us to the prairie chicken booming ground. Here the males inflate their air sacs, stamp their feet, and defend their territory against other males -- all efforts to attract hens with which to mate. At least four hens visited, putting the boys into a frenzy. We saw several attempted matings -- attempted because every time a male would try to mate, he would be knocked off the female by other males. (Perhaps this is why the hens refused to leave, which they normally do after fertilization.) Eventually the chickens outlasted us, as that wind had put a big chill on just about every participant. But what a show!

Male prairie chickens battle for territory

After a hearty breakfast at a local coffee shop, a few folks had to head back home for Easter, while others explored the area. Four of us drove towards Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, viewing ducks, geese, cormorants, pelicans, teal, shrikes and many other birds. (And we can tell you which road NOT to take through the refuge!)

Cinnamon teal

Following dinner Saturday night, the remaining participants hopped on the bus Easter morning to witness the mating ritual of the sharptail grouse -- similar in purpose to the prairie chicken, but much different in form. On this cold and drizzly morning, no sharptail hens appeared on the dancing grounds; as a result, the male sharptails were not as active as they can be. Even so, it was a fine display.

Male sharptail grouse displaying

With minds full of memories and storage cards loaded with images, those who had remained for the sharptails headed home.

The nature center extends a big Thank You to those who took the trip. Special thanks go out to Mitch and Patti Glidden of Sandhills Motel for their wonderful hospitality, and Dr. Paul Johnsgard for his company and vast knowledge of grassland grouse.

Mitch Glidden

Dr. Paul Johnsgard

Next year's Chicken & Stars tour is scheduled for the weekend of April 14. Mark your calendars!

Nebraska Prairie Chicken Weekend Report April, 2011

2011-04-11T21:15:00.031-05:00

Click’n with Chickens wrap-up report:

We returned from our Click’n with Chickens weekend Sunday afternoon. It was a great outting and was enjoyed by all. The idea was to provide a great prairie chicken viewing opportunity while getting a photo workshop at the same time. I know that I learned a lot of great new information that will help me to be a better photographer. The event was held at the Switzer Ranch located eleven miles north of Burwell, Nebraska.

Our journey started on Saturday morning when Dan Glomski and I decided to check out the prairie chicken viewing at the Taylor Ranch, located northwest of Grand Island. We were joined by Blake Hatfield at about 7:30 a.m. on One R Road where we found a lot of booming activity. It was foggy, limiting visibility, but the booming sounds were very easily recognized. We could make out the ghost-like sillouettes of the birds as the male birds strutted around and did their best to impress and intimidate their fellow courters on the lek (booming ground).

While viewing the birds we stayed on the county road and it was important to keep and eye and ear pen for cars, as they do pass through at high speed. If you go, be sure to park safely off to the side so oncoming traffic can see you.

We ran into several other bird watchers that morning. Some were in the Nature Center the day before and the other car was none other than CPNRD biologist Mark Czaplewski, who was out with his family watching the birds. Mark said he has been watching birds at this location for more then twenty years.

Hit the more button to read further.

After Dannebrog, we made our way up Highway 11 to Burwell. Along the way, Blake pointed out various places where he had been during his many raptor recovery missions to recover various injured birds. Blake knows where all the eagles nests are located along the Loup River. We had planned to meet our group at the Sandstone Grill located on the town square in Burwell, but we arrived early so we took a short walk around the square. Dan spotted a copy of the Grand Island Independent that featured a photo on the front page of the hooded crane that has been seen around the Alda area in the previous weeks. I noticed that the photo was taken by photographer Tom Mangelsen. It was pretty cool to see crane viewing hit the front page of the local paper. We all agreed it was big news for sure.

After our walk, we still had time ot kill so we decide to head up the the Calamus Lake and see what we could see before meeting at the grill. We made our way up to the driveway of our hosts, the Calamus Outfitters, where an active eagles' nest is located. We quickly set up the spotting scope and saw a bald eagle sitting on the nest. It is amazing to me just how large those nests are. We were more then a ¼ mile away so photography was difficult, but I could easily see myself watching this nest, if time would allow, for hours or even days.

Bruce Switzer was in his pickup talking with a neighbor and came across the road to say hello. We were telling him we would be out after lunch when another car pulled up with Alan Bartels of Nebraska Life Magazine and photographer Tom Mangelsen. They had just been out viewing prairie chickens that morning and were headed back to Grand Island. I pointed out to Tom that his photo had made the front page. You just never know who you might see on a back road in the sandhills of Nebraska.

Our lunch at the grill was excellent and was the perfect launch point for a weekend of photography and bird watching with friends.

When we arrived at the Switzers, we checked into our rooms and then had a two hour photography training session on all things photography. Randy Hampton was our primary instructor. Randy has a great ability to relate complex concepts in such a way that they are understandable. We covered exposure and techniques that were all useable in the field. The next part of the plan was to put Randy's teaching into action.

A ranch tour by an open top Jeep is one of the offerings that we chose to get the group outside. It was a perfect way to spend the middle portion of the day. If you have never travelled through the sandhills portion of Nebraska, it is truly a magical place that is a wide open landscape, best experienced by riding out into the pastures.

The Click’n Chicken for me is a closing to the busy spring migration and tour season that occurs. I can not think of a better way to culminate the season than to sit on top of a dune in the sandhills with a 360 degree panarama that is punctuated with migrating sandhill cranes making their way to their nesting grounds. Though the sandhill cranes are not named for Nebraska’s sandhills, they are so at home there that they certainly could have been.

After the tour, we relaxed a bit on the porch of the bunkhouse and waited for dinner. I had a chance to catch up with John Murphy, a friend of mine who was at the ranch with a group of his friends. John is a fantastic birder with a real heart for sharing the beauty of birding with anyone willing to look through his venerable Leica spotting scope. He had that scope trained on that nesting bald eagle and was quick to let anyone take a glace before supper.

Supper at the Ranch included a healthy portion of beef brisket and a friendly dose of conversation followed by a short story by our host, Bruce. After supper it was back to the bunkhouse for a brief session on how to set our cameras for the morning bird watching.

We met for coffee at 6 a.m. and then were loaded into a school bus for a ten minute ride out to the prairie chicken lek to view the birds. We had a short walk up a hill that was lit by the headlights of our bus and we then found our way into the viewing blind. The blind was a modified school bus with blacked out windows on the back side and open windows on the bird viewing side of the bus.

We each found our way to a seat and then settled into the hurry up and wait mode of wildlife viewing. This reminded me of the many sandhill crane viewing tours I have been on. It wasn’t long before the sounds of the booming chickens began to fill the blind. I was able to make out the shapes of birds dancing in the pre-dawn darkness. A few photographers shot a frame or two in the dark, just because.

It wasn’t long before the sunrise came and the birds were active booming and strutting. I would have liked to see a little more light on the lek, but it was an overcast making the scene a bit dark for the camera and lens combination that I had. I did take some photos, but really enjoyed the show and the people more than making images that morning. It was good.

After the viewing, we made our way back to the ranch for a hearty breakfast. We wrapped it up with a look at the photos and some instruction on how to process the images and Randy answered questions as to why things looked the way they did.

As we left, we stopped by the Calamus reservoir and watched the thousands of white pelicans that have been staging there as they migrate north. What a sight! When we got back to the Nature Center, Dan and I then searched for the rare hooded crane that Mangelsen had photographed a few days earlier. We were fortunate to be able to see it before heading home.

We are now looking forward to our next trip to the hills to view chickens with author and ornithologist Dr. Paul Johnsgard. We will be going to the Sandhills Motel in Mullen Nebraska. We've dubbed it Chicken and Stars. I can’t wait.

Snapshots from the Past Week at the Center

2011-03-20T14:52:00.007-05:00

Wine tasting. Cedar Hills Vineyard.

Jane Goodall enjoys the cranes.

Tom Mangelsen, Jane Goodall and Brad Mellema enjoy the migration.

Alice and Karen work in the snack bar.

Dan keeps an eye on a busy front desk.

Shirley and Ginny in the gift shop.

Dan gives a crane talk to a weekend group.

Whooper Watch Training Session Offered

2011-03-19T11:29:00.006-05:00

18 March 2011

The Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center in partnership with The Crane Trust offers a Whooper Watch training session for volunteers to search for and observe highly endangered whooping cranes as they pass through Nebraska. The training session will take place at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 25th at the Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center. The session is free and open to the general public.

Around mid-April, small families of whooping cranes stop along the river and in the Rainwater Basin to feed and rest on their way from Arkansas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas to nesting grounds at Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Alberta and adjacent Northwest Territories. Once numbering perhaps a few thousand birds in pre-settlement times, whooping cranes were decimated by wetland loss and plumage hunters. Only 15 birds remained in the 1940's. Intensive recovery efforts have allowed this lone wild flock to grow slowly to an estimated 280 birds. If this recovery is to continue, biologists need to know more about their habits during migration. Why do they stop regularly at certain locations and not others? What do they eat while in Nebraska? Trained volunteers can help scientists answer these and other questions.

“Whooper Watch is a great example of citizen science, in which ordinary people can make valid scientific contributions,” according to NNVC Assistant Director Dan Glomski. “While seeing a whooper and reporting its behavior is obviously exciting, negative observations – that is to say, not seeing a bird – are valuable too.”

Those interested in becoming Whooper Watchers are encouraged to attend the training. For further information, please contact Dan Glomski at NNVC or Dr. Karine Gil at 308-384-4633 x 111.

Join Us This Weekend at the Center..

2011-03-10T20:08:00.010-06:00

We are now open every day 8a.m. to 6p.m.

The Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center is a must stop when your in the area for sandhill crane and outdoor activities. Our Wild About Nebraska Event Series kicks into high gear this week with the following events and happenings.

Guided crane viewing tours every day. Click here for more information.

Saturday March 12

We will be featuring Dr. Paul Johnsgard at 1 p.m. who will be speaking about his recently published book "Sandhill and Whooping Cranes: Ancient Voices over Americas Wetlands".

Brian “Fox” Ellis will perform “Animal Tales” program. 2 p.m.
Brian “Fox” Ellis is a performer and storyteller who will entertain the entire family. He has performed across the country in the character of John-James Audubon, Edgar Allen Poe and Charles Darwin.

Jorn Olsen will be signing his photo new book “Across a Wide Horizon”. 11 a.m.
Landscape Photographer Jorn Olsen will be signing his new book “Across a Wide Horizon”.

Cedar Hill Vineyard & Gardens wine tasting 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Check out these Nebraska Grown Wines from Cedar Hills Vineyard!
Brianna: Created from the sweet Brianna grape with flavors of pineapple and a finish of pumpkin spice.
Annevar Blush: This wine is flavorful and delicate, yet fruity in quality with a charming bouquet. Delightfully delicious!
Taste these and many more of Nebraska’s great wines!

Sunday, March 13

David Freeman will be speaking about his new book “Implementing the Endangered Species Act on the Platte Basin Water Commons” 1 p.m.
David Freeman has followed the formation of the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program and has written a book that chronicles the program from inception to implementation. He will be discussing the program and signing copies of his new book.

Joe Duff Operation Migration pilot . 2 p.m.
Joe Duff is the Chief Executive Officer for Operation Migration and over the past 10 years has led Whooping cranes in migration for a combined distance of more than 13,000 miles. In 2010, Duff’s personal aircraft went on permanent display beneath the nose of the Concord at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. Joe will be presenting a multi-media program about Operation Migration.

And looking ahead to March Saturday, March 26. Calling all wildlife photographers!

Artist Cynthia Duff and Tricia Moon-Beem reception Saturday March 5

2011-03-03T08:57:00.005-06:00

Artist Cynthia Duff dropped of some of her paintings yesterday. We have them displayed in our Hornady Art Gallery. Cynthia and writer Tricia Moon-Beem will be at an artist reception this Saturday at the Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center from 1-3p.m. With the backdrop of the spring sandhill crane migration it promises to be a great time. There is no charge and it open to the general public.

You Thought You Were Feeling Old...

2011-03-02T11:18:00.012-06:00

I made a visit to the Nebraska State Museum of Natural History to look at the remains of ancient cranes found in Nebraska. The fossil record for avian species is sketchy at best, due to the hollow bone structure of birds, they don't preserve very well. We do however, have some excellent examples thought to be from the Miocene epic at the Ashfall Fossil Bed State Historical Site.

Most of the Museum's collection is not at "Elephant Hall" located in the center of UNL's city campus, most of the collection is housed on the 4th floor of Nebraska Hall. I was led to a room filled with antiquities such as mammoth skulls and fossilized bones of all description. Very interesting place for sure.

Dr. George Corner from the Museum pulled out two examples of complete skeletal remains of the crowned crane (gruidae: balearica) that were exhumed from the Ashfall site. Alan Feduccia and Michael Voorhies wrote a paper about these remains. Feduccia and Voorhies believe that some 10 million years ago a volcano 100 times greater than Mt. St. Helens erupted in the area of New Mexico, covering Nebraska in ash of up to 3 meters.

The cranes that were found at the site were a smaller relative of the modern crowned crane that is found in Africa in modern times. The Nebraska bird is smaller than the African species.

We will continue to work with the museum to provide more information and interperative displays in the future.

Join us Saturday March 5 for Crane Essence

2011-02-28T15:33:00.005-06:00

Crane Essence is the journey of two artistic souls expressing their abiding affection for the Sandhill Cranes, endangered Whooping Cranes and the bountiful gifts of nature. Cynthia Duff’s brush strokes and Tricia Moon-Beem’s words capture the magical, spiritual and soulful essence of the cranes that so deeply touch the human heart and imagination around the world.

Fans of Duff’s work and those experiencing her artistic creativity for the first time will enjoy an exciting fresh new design. Several works for Crane Essence use wood as the canvas. Duff lets the wood’s natural beauty and grain, enrich the colors, as well as inspire the fragmented style that guides the eye through each painting. In Crane Essence Duff returns to her fascination and appreciation of the cranes, that first gained her regional and national acclaim with her contemporary expressionistic style and vibrant color.

Hit the more button to read further.

Moon-Beem’s poetry has a spiritual essence that emotionally connects and inspires readers. Her writings for Crane Essence send an uplifting message of hope and renewal that reflect her passion for the cranes and nature. Moon-Beem’s words and faith are interwoven with a call to action to “protect, preserve and conserve” God’s beautiful creations.

Crane Essence is the fourth collaboration by Duff and Moon-Beem, their others works include Prairie Mediations (2006), Kindred Spirits (2008) and Here’s To You – Cheers To Me (2010). Their works have exhibited at galleries and shows across Nebraska, Colorado, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. Their works reside in corporate and private collections around the U.S. and world. Duff and Moon-Beem have received numerous accolades including Moonshell Arts & Humanities Council Art Awards as well as appearing in regional and national publications.

This creative duo shines in Crane Essence, which proves to be another powerful collaboration. Crane Essence makes its Nebraska debut at Grand Island’s Prairie Winds Art Center (112 West Third Street). The public is invited to an opening artist reception and book signing on March 4, 5:30-8:30 p.m. The “Crane Essence” exhibition will remain through March.

Duff and Moon-Beem will present a program, Collaboration & Inspiration, at the Edith Abbott Memorial Library, March 5, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Also showing works from the 2010 Here’s To You-Cheers To Me collaboration through March. Public welcome.

Crane Essence artist reception and book signing March 5, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center (I-80 Exit 305). Selected works on display through March. Public welcome.

Sounds and Photos from the Weekend on the Platte

2011-02-28T09:52:00.010-06:00

Here are a few shots from the weekend at the Nature Center. We hosted a group of photographers form the Photograph Nebraska Symposium held in Hastings Nebraska. We took groups out early on Friday and Saturday. It was 7 degrees on Friday and a bit warmer on Saturday. The hoarfrost was just wonderful each day. We had a few participants that did not have proper cold weather foot wear and gloves. When it's cold and you're not properly dressed, you will not fully enjoy your experience. Layers are the best way to prepare for cold weather.

I went out with Hastings based photographer Jorn Olsen on Sunday morning to photograph the swarms of snow geese on some private land in the area. Wow... I have come to realize that my favorite viewing blind trip is always whatever trip I've been on most recently. They just seem to keep getting better.

Hit the more button to read further.

The sandhill crane viewing was interesting. We have good numbers of birds in the area. (est 20,000 birds) The largest portion of that flock roosted in the surrounding corn fields as opposed to the sandbars in the Platte. The river dynamic has changed this year from recent years in that we have a lot of water flowing. The cold weather creates ice chunks that freely bounce down the river not unlike a pin-ball does in a pinball machine. They would bounce against the legs of the roosting birds. I think that may be one reason they are roosting in the fields. The fields also have snow cover as of this writing. This provides the birds with line of sight to watch for predators, offering some sense of security.

The Nature Center will begin offering public sandhill crane viewing tours Friday, March 4. If you want to come out before that, just stop by the center or give us a call to get the latest information about the birds.

Photo Post

2011-02-26T22:48:00.002-06:00

Photo opportunity at the Nature Center. Beautiful morning to be sure.

So, what else is there to do around here?

2011-02-17T10:06:00.009-06:00

The following article highlights the area so people can find additional things to do while visiting the area. I hope you find it helpful.

LINCOLN, Neb. -- "So, what is there to do around here?" When visitors who have traveled perhaps hundreds of miles to watch birds ask that question, they probably aren't looking for the nearest water park or shopping mall. More likely, they'd welcome other wildlife viewing opportunities, walking and hiking, historical and rural sites.

The Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center and the University of Nebraska Rural Initiative set out to determine just what would appeal to the 70,000 or so people who flock to central Nebraska every spring to watch the sandhill cranes' migration. The idea is to build on the already significant economic impact by coaxing visitors to spend a little more time, and money, in the region.

That economic impact was estimated at $10.3 million in a recent University of Nebraska-Lincoln Bureau of Business Research study. The professors who conducted that study suggested their findings pointed to new economic prospects in the region.

To that end, the visitor center and Rural Initiative surveyed visitors at several locations during the 2010 crane migration. The survey was meant to gather information about what other activities and attractions might interest the 70,000 annual visitors who go to central Nebraska to observe the migration.

Hit the jump to read on...

"Visitors to central Nebraska during the crane migration are apparently true bird watchers, and this is reflected in the activities that they find most appealing," said Connie Francis, a rural tourism development educator with the University of Nebraska Rural Initiative.

The top five interests survey respondents mentioned:

-- Wildlife viewing, 86 percent

-- Hiking/walking, 69 percent

-- Historical sites, 67 percent

-- Rural sites, 64 percent

-- Guided tours of attractions, 43 percent

Sixty-one percent of the survey respondents said they were 56 to 70 years old, and 20 percent said one or more members of their party were over 70. Crane watchers also appear to be highly educated. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said they had a college degree, and more than one-third reported graduate or professional training. This educational level is reflected in the other activities they indicated interested them, including historical sites. Nearly two-thirds indicated a specific interest in rural sites.

Just over half the crane-migration observers come from outside Nebraska, and many may be interested in learning about central Nebraska's environment, culture and economy.

The Rural Initiative put together a list of more than 50 attractions in central Nebraska that might appeal to crane watchers, including historical sites, wildlife viewing, museums, art galleries, entertainment, wineries and microbreweries. The target audience is people 55 and over, and ideas are being promoted via the February issue of Prairie Fire, online at http://www.prairiefirenewspaper.com/2011/02.

The list ranges from the Dowse Sod House near Comstock and the historical Frank House in Kearney to sites celebrating literary giants Willa Cather and Wright Morris. Visitors taking their cue from the list could find themselves in everything from opera houses and art galleries to, quite literally, a rut (the Oregon Trail wagon train variety, that is).

Francis emphasized that the list is not intended to be all-encompassing. It's a starting point that the Rural Initiative hopes might spark communities in the region to get creative in coming up with their own ideas.

The list of suggested activities is available at http://ruralinitiative.nebraska.edu/tourism; click on the heading "Events and Activities in the Crane Viewing Area." The entire report also is available at that site; click on "Nebraska's Sandhill Crane Migration: Opportunities for Additional Economic Activity."

Money, Politics and Us

2011-02-13T20:51:00.016-06:00

A friend of mine posted a statement on his Facebook page a few weeks ago. John works for the Nature Conservancy and always has an interesting take on the days events, but this one really caught my eye:

A century of conservation 

1911: "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul." John Muir  

2011: " I'm going to need you to change the subcenter for your time to a match code, email me when you are finished and then doodle me for a meeting time to discuss a time to meet about the times we meet and time of meetings" John Heaston

A lot of people think working at a Nature Center involves walking the trail each morning and surrounding ones self with incredible beauty each day at work. Well we certainly do that from time to time, but the majority of the time we spend doing things not much different that any other office job. Conservation and education have to live in the present and the present way of doing things involves money. We live within that paradigm. John pointed that out all too well in the aforementioned quote.

Hit the jump to read on...

One of the major funders of the Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center is the Nebraska Environmental Trust. The Trust was established by a vote of the people in 1992. The Trust has functioned well distributing its share of the Nebraska Lottery proceeds over the years.

I decided to travel to Lincoln a few weeks ago to sit in on a legislative hearing for bill 229. I’ve sat in on county board meetings and even have done some things in Washington D.C., but this was my first foray into state level politics.

This was a public hearing of the state's Natural Resources Committee. Much of the meeting was, as you might imagine, conducted with the pleasantries and rules of order being followed. As I sat there, I watched person after person testify both for and against the proposal realizing that this is the way so many things get done. Politics. It’s not always the best idea that rises to the top, many times it is the best idea that someone thinks that can get through with the cooperation of this senator or that group. It can be frustrating or exciting depending on how you view the process.

I did testify in front of the committee as opposed to the bill. I found myself a bit frustrated because the bill appeared to pit like-minded organizations against each other. The projects that would benefit from the funding are generally good projects. I felt this was the wrong way to get them paid for. This was my own opinion, not an official position of the Nature Center.

What can you do? By all means contact your state senator and let them know your thoughts regarding the bill.

The bill is currently in committee and stands a good chance of going to the full legislative floor for debate. Issues such as this will come and go. I realize that people need to pick and choose what things they are willing to speak out for or against.

I'll try to keep readers posted regarding the progression of this bill and who knows, perhaps we will bump into each other in the halls of Nebraska's Unicameral.

Crimson Crown Gift Shop

2011-02-13T14:58:00.002-06:00

We have a lot going on in our Crimson Crown gift shop these days. Shirley is busy ordering all kinds of interesting merchandise to stock the shelves. It's a real treasure hunt for sure. I'll also leave you with a bit of a tease... think membership.

Volunteer Trainings at the Center

2011-02-09T21:46:00.001-06:00

Reminder you that we have a few volunteer training set up this weekend and next week at the Center. If you can’t make a training but still want to volunteer, just call Dan and he can set up individual training or an additional session if needed.

Saturday, February 12, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., and Tuesday, February 15 from 6 to 9 p.m. We have scheduled two volunteer training sessions. The training sessions are identical, so you need only attend one. We ask that all volunteers attend one of the sessions. To help us plan, please RSVP by calling us at (308) 382-1820 or sending a e-mail to info@nebraskanature.org.
If you cannot make either session, please let us know and we can arrange for personal, one-on-one training.

We also have a number of projects at the Center that we need to get done prior to the crowds and the birds arrival. We need painting, and cleaning and work out at the viewing blinds among other activities. Please call Brad or Dan and let us know if you want to help out.

Also, I’d like to announce that Karen Krull Robart will be joining us in the office helping out with the books. Karen worked at Crane Meadows about five years ago and we are delighted to have her back and helping us out. Be sure to say hello and give her a welcome next time you stop by the Center.

As always, give us a call if you have any questions.

Click'n with Chickens

2011-02-03T20:54:00.006-06:00

Join us in April for this or one of our travel tours. Give us a call if you're interested! Photography opportunities everywhere you look on this one. Join us for one of the finest wildlife viewing opportunities in Nebraska. I you have never watched grouse dance in the spring, you really do owe it to yourself. Spots are limited on this one so if your even thinking about going, give us a call. 308-382-1820

Photograph Nebraska Symposium in Hastings

2011-01-25T11:53:00.005-06:00

PHOTOGRAPHY SYMPOSIUM TO BE HELD IN HASTINGS

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 25 & 26 at Lochland Country Club in Hastings.

Keynote presenters will include author and photographer, Thom Hogan and Sports Illustrated Staff Photographer, Bill Frakes. Thom Hogan has written nineteen Complete Guides to Nikon Cameras and photographed the US wild lands as former lead editor of Backpacker magazine. Bill Frakes has clients including Nike, CocaCola, Champion, IBM, Nikon, Kodak and Reebok and his work has appeared in virtually every major general interest publication in the world.

Hit the jump to read on...

The two-day event will also include workshops on: Basic Video Production Techniques, Bird Watching/Photographing, Working with Publications, The Evolution of an Image, Using Social Media, Digital Basics: Flash Control and Exposure Control, Photo Printing Basics, Narrative Photography, Starting a Home Based Photo Business and Advanced Photo Printing.
Participants may have up to three pieces of their work critiqued during the symposium by professionals. They will also have the opportunity to photograph cranes in a blind on the Platte River at the Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center.

The event is hosted by the Adams County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Please visit www.PhotographNebraska.com for the schedule and registration information.

Contact: Kaleena Fong, 402‐461‐2370

Wild About Nebraska Speaker Series 2011

2011-01-24T11:22:00.016-06:00

Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center
www.nebraskanature.org
9325 S Alda Road, Wood River, NE 68883
308-382-1820

March 5:

Cynthia Duff and Tricia Moon-Beem artist reception and book signing. 1-3 p.m. Cynthia is an artist, painter and sculptor and will give a short presentation and host an artists reception. Cynthia enjoys a wide variety of subjects including wildlife, sandhill cranes, people, landscapes and abstracts. She has been published in Nebraska Life Magazine, Artist Magazine, Watercolor Magic and “Outdoor Life” Television. Her works reside in many corporate and private collections. She has partnered with Tricia Moon-Beem to produce a book that celebrates the cranes!

March 12:

Dr. Paul Johnsgard speaking and signing his new book “Crane Music, A Natural History of American Cranes”. 1p.m.
Paul Johnsgard has shown us the wonders of the natural world and our fellow inhabitants through his writing, photography and illustrations. He has literally written the book on Nebraska’s sandhill cranes and will be speaking and answering questions about cranes and Nebraska’s migration. He will also be signing his newly updated book.

Hit the jump to read on...

Brian “Fox” Ellis will perform “Animal Tales” program. 2 p.m.
Brian “Fox” Ellis is a performer and storyteller who will entertain the entire family. He has performed across the country in the character of John-James Audubon, Edgar Allen Poe and Charles Darwin.

Jorn Olsen will be signing his photo new book “Across a Wide Horizon”. 11 a.m.
Landscape Photographer Jorn Olsen will be signing his new book “Across a Wide Horizon”.

Cedar Hill Vineyard & Gardens wine tasting 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Check out these Nebraska Grown Wines from Cedar Hills Vineyard!
Brianna: Created from the sweet Brianna grape with flavors of pineapple and a finish of pumpkin spice.
Annevar Blush: This wine is flavorful and delicate, yet fruity in quality with a charming bouquet. Delightfully delicious!
Taste these and many more of Nebraska’s great wines!

March 13

David Freeman will be speaking about his new book “Implementing the Endangered Species Act on the Platte Basin Water Commons” 1 p.m.
David Freeman has followed the formation of the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program and has written a book that chronicles the program from inception to implementation. He will be discussing the program and signing copies of his new book.

Joe Duff Operation Migration pilot . 2 p.m.
Joe Duff is the Chief Executive Officer for Operation Migration and over the past 10 years has led Whooping cranes in migration for a combined distance of more than 13,000 miles. In 2010, Duff’s personal aircraft went on permanent display beneath the nose of the Concord at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. Joe will be presenting a multi-media program about Operation Migration.

March 19

Ryan McGinnis photographer and storm chaser to speak at 1 p.m.
Ryan is the official photographer following the Vortex 2 severe weather program across tornado alley. Ryan will give a multimedia program highlighting his amazing photos of tornados and severe weather. He will tell the stories behind making of these powerful images from across the Great Plaines.

March 20

Dr. Will Locke from Hastings College will be speaking about the Platte River at 1p.m.
Emeritus Professor of Teacher Education at Hastings College Dr. Locke has toured the Platte River from mouth to source. He will lead you on a journey of the natural history and heritage of this great river.

Dr. Karine Gil is an ecologist with the Crane Trust will perform a piano recital. 2p.m.
Dr Gil has studied ecology of various species of birds from around the world. Karine is also an accomplished concert pianist and she will be performing songs from her most recent CD “Migration”.

March 26

Randy Hampton wildlife photography workshop. (registration required) 1- 8 p.m.
Spend an afternoon with one of Nebraska’s finest photographers and teachers. Randy will teach wildlife and long lens technique and students will end the day in a crane viewing blind with Randy. Contact eh Center to register or get more information.

Wildlife Photography Open House with Nebraska photographers 11:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Photographers Rick Rasmussen, Jorn Olsen , Randy Hampton, and Brett Erickson will be on-site talking with the public about photography and highlighting their work. This is a great opportunity to speak with professional wildlife photographers about their work. We will also be featuring Rockbrook Camera and Video who will be on-site with cameras, equipment and tips.

March 27

Blake Hatfield with Raptor Recovery of Nebraska will be presenting with live birds. 1 p.m.
Blake will be highlighting Nebraska’s birds of prey. He is a volunteer with Nebraska’s Raptor Recovery Program and provides an entertaining and educational program for the entire family.

April 9-10

Clickin’ with Chickens Wildlife Photography experience. (Registration and fee required)
Nothing beckons to the heart of ancient Nebraska like the dance of the Prairie Chicken. Join us for a guided photographic experience in the heart of Nebraska’s sandhills. Professional photographer and teacher Randy Hampton and Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center Director Brad Mellema will be your hosts as you tour a working sandhills ranch and learn how to improve your photographic skills. Form more information or to register, go to http://nebraskanature.org/ or call the office.

April 22-23

Chicken and Stars Astronomy and prairie chicken experience. (Registration and fee required)
The night sky in the heart of Nebraska’s sandhills is like no place else. The timeless booming of the sharp tailed grouse and greater prairie chicken provide an unequaled wildlife show. Join Educator Dan Glomski and Director Brad Mellema for an outdoor experience that is sure to be a memory maker. Oh yes, Dr. Paul Johnsgard will be joining us as well!

Winter Images from the Platte

2011-01-21T12:39:00.013-06:00

We have had a fair number of people out on the trail with camera in hand the last day or two. Brett Erickson from Hastings College brought his J-Term photography class out and they were out for several hours in single digit temps. They are making a blog with images of the west and I'll post it whenever I get the link.

Another Photographer from Kearney (Dean) was glad to see what he thought to be several hundred meadowlarks in our trail area just south of the bridge. I wonder if they wish they were farther south!

The photos posted below were shot Thursday evening near the Alda viewing area just one mile south of the main building here at the Center. I know we get a lot of sunsets in Nebraska. I never really get tired of photographing them. When my son Ben was a young boy and we say a particularly brilliant sunset in the western sky he said: "It's like God's painting". I'll go along with that.

Hit the jump to read on...

Both of the photos were shot when it was about 8 degrees outside. The vapor was rising out from the few places on the Platte where water was showing. The rest of the Platte was iced over with a cover of snow. When I see this it makes me thing the river will melt until July!

Eagles on the Platte

2011-01-17T11:29:00.008-06:00

Here's an eagle report from this last weekend as written by Blake Hatfield...

We got to J2 (Lexington Power station) about 9am and the most we could count at one time there was 26. That is one of the better counts at j2 for a long time for me. We left j2 around 10am and started following the Platte river on the on the south side (of the Platte) till we got to Kearney. This is were we stopped counting. Here is a list of what we kept track of. Bald Eagles= 53 Rough-legged Hawks = 17 American Kestrels = 5 Red-tail Hawks = 3 Northern Harriers = 3 Great Horned Owls = 2 Great Blue Herons = 2 and about 300 Turkeys. We didn't keep track of the other birds, but several different species were seen. It was a pretty fun day.

Hit the jump to read on...

For more info on Eagles in the area, you can click to this previous post on the Green Shoe Diaries. Volunteer Connie McCartney led another eagle viewing group with similar success. Connie did mention that they were slowed up a bit by a big breakfast that they stopped for in Kearney!

The video is Director Brad Mellema (thats me) on the NTV morning program talking about the same.

Part 1

Part 2

Sub- Zero Hiking and Photography on the Trail

2011-01-12T14:27:00.018-06:00

There are two kinds of people in this world. When the mercury dives below zero there are the types wear footie pajamas, drink large amounts of hot chocolate bundle up on the couch under grandma’s afghan, and there’s the type who says, great day for a walk!

You know who you are! I have to admit, the older I get, the less spontaneous I am about launching out into the cold, but I still enjoy doing it when I get the chance.

They key to enjoying yourself in extreme cold is preparation. Things are amplified when the temps drop below zero. Equipment seems to be tested to the limit and this includes things such as your camera, cell phone, clothing, foot ware, and automobile.

Hit the jump to read on...

Cold weather gear always reminds me of the character Randy, the little brother in the “Christmas Story” movie. He’s the kid who was dressed so heavy with winter cloths that he could hardly move or get up when he fell down. When I was his age, we wore those galoshes over our tennis shoes and froze our toes to the point of real pain! It doesn’t have to be that way these days.

As far a bringing your camera goes, when it’s cold, there can be a lot of great photographic opportunities. Your camera is likely up to the task, but here are a few things to consider before you head out.

The amount of cold a camera can take is directly dependent on how much you can take…. For me personally, I give up after about an hour at -10 depending on the wind. (As an aside, I’m a non-believer in wind chill. Chill factor is just a PR agent to make crummy weather sound worse then it really is.) When the temp drops below in that -20 and below, your camera will only last so long. If your gear is in good shape - your battery will last about 30 minutes, depending on the model of camera you have.

Another big problem people have is bringing your camera into a warm place too quickly allowing condensation to form on the camera. But more important it forms inside the camera. Then when you go back out the moisture inside the camera freezes and you are out of luck if you think you will have a unit that will work in the cold.

One thing you can do to combat this problem is Carry a "Zip-lock" bag with you and before you go inside, put your camera into it, seal the bag and your camera will work much better the next time you head out.

The larger question often is not your gear, but you! This is why proper gear and clothing can be essential to a successful outing.

Here is a checklist of things to remember:

Dress in layers, wool and gore-tex coats work well.

Eye protection if it’s windy. I use polarized fishing glasses from the discount store.

Gloves that fit well. - I use a rubber covered glove called "Glacier Gloves". They allow me to grip equipment well and have a hole for me to remove my index finger for working with dials and smaller parts.

Boots – I like the Sorel brand with a good liner.

Socks – I’ve found Cabela’s Ultimax to be comfortable and very warm. They also fit my big feet!

Bib overalls – Carhart from the local farm store. Ski bibs will do the trick as well.

Wool hat or balaclava.

Chemical pocket warmers - These work well to keep you camera battery warm as well.

Bring a cell phone. Remember to keep inside your coat to help keep the battery warm. Also be sure it is fully charged.

Be sure to tell someone where you are going and when you will return.

Keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of water as well.

Rural roads can be difficult to navigate in the winter. Have a tow rope in your trunk and avoid unplowed roads. It may not hurt to have a map and a compass along as well.

High energy chocolate bar or granola in your pocket.

Stay well away from the icy river. It is unpredictable and can be very dangerous. With the recent flooding, it has made it hard to tell where the trail ends and the river starts. Remember, the same trail that is easy to navigate in the summer can be very treacherous. It is a lot more strenuous and takes a bit longer to cover the same amount of ground. This depends on the amount of snow cover.

It takes more energy for you, so be sure to take it easy and rest when needed. You can also use a sled if you need to pull a larger amount of gear such as tripods to a remote part of the field.

The wildlife you may see is well adapted to the weather, and it is very important for them to conserve energy during the extreme cold. You will also see evidence of birds and mammals through tracks and signs.

If you want, I’ll be headed out on the path tomorrow to shoot some sunsets around the river. Can’t wait!

White Pelican Watch & Homecoming Celebration to be held at Harlan Co. Reservoir

2011-01-12T10:09:00.010-06:00

Last spring I was at the Sacramento State Wildlife management area with my camera in hand. (Sacramento is in south central Nebraska a short drive north of the Harlan Co. Reservoir) Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a formation of large white birds gliding in from the south. This was in April so it was possible that they could be whooping cranes so it really grabbed my attention! I put my binoculars up to see a flock of georgeous white pelicans i decent to one of the flooded areas at WMA. They reminded me of a jumbo jet making its way in for a landing! They are a sight to see and the folks from Harlan County are inviting you down for a front row seat!

Hit the jump to read on...

Each spring, American White Pelicans by the thousands return from their winter hunting grounds along the Gulf of Mexico and other tropical areas to take up temporary residence at the Harlan County Reservoir in south-central Nebraska, usually throughout March and early April, and sometimes as early as late February. Indeed, local residents have long looked to the arrival of the White Pelicans as a cheering symbol indicating winter is almost over, and that sandals, boats and beach chairs can soon come out of storage.
The Pelicans arrive in photogenic, follow-the-leader flight lines and land on the surface of the reservoir to feed. Unlike Brown Pelicans, which dive individually for their prey, White Pelicans typically hunt in groups, working together to herd fish into a circle and then chasing them to each other. They often sit single file on rocks and boat-dock pilings in shallow water, and on rare occasions they are bold enough to land in residential areas, swaggering through front yards and along the streets of Alma and Republican City.
Currently protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, American White Pelican populations have recovered significantly since the mid-20th century when environmental regulations regarding pesticide use came into effect, and they are considered to be stable or slightly increasing today. An estimated 100,000 or more adults exist in the wild.
Beginning in 2011, the Harlan County community is for the first time formally inviting wildlife enthusiasts and the general public to join in observing the spring White Pelican migration in south-central Nebraska. The Harlan White Pelican Watch will run from the first of March through early April, and a White Pelican Homecoming Celebration will be held in Alma from March 20-26, with a "Spring Fling" on the evening of March 25. The public is invited to all of these events to help welcome this stunning harbinger of spring back to the local community and the state.
The American White Pelican is one of North America's largest birds, weighing 10-20 pounds. They have wingspans of up to nine feet, and a mature adult's beak can be 13-14 inches long. The plumage is almost entirely white except the black wingtips visible primarily only in flight.

The Pelicans can be easily observed from many shoreline locations around the Harlan County Reservoir, including marinas, camping areas and walking trails. There is no fee to enter any of these areas and no state park permits are required, as the lake is a federal project managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Harlan County Dam and Reservoir are primary early spring stopovers not only for American White Pelicans, but also for migrating ducks and geese including Ross' and Snow Geese. Over 300 bird species have been observed in the area. In winter months, hundreds of Bald Eagles can be seen roosting and hunting around the edges of the reservoir and near the spillway east of the dam.
Visitors to the migration viewing areas are asked to observe posted regulatory and safety information, to refrain from attempting to approach the birds, and to be courteous of other birdwatchers in the area. Harlan County Reservoir is approximately 70 miles southwest of Kearney.
For more information on the Harlan White Pelican Watch, the 2011 White Pelican Homecoming Celebration, and the 2011 Spring Fling, contact the Harlan County Tourism office at 800-762-5498, harlancountytourism@yahoo.com, or the Alma Chamber of Commerce at 308-928-2992.

How to sign up for your sandhill crane viewing tour

2011-01-11T17:01:00.007-06:00

N E W S R E L E A S E

Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center
9325 South Alda Road
Wood River, NE 68883
info@nebraskanature.org
www.nebraskanature.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center Opens Online Registration for Guided Sandhill Crane Tours

January 11, 2011

The Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center (NNVC) is pleased to offer online registration for 2011 sandhill crane viewing tours to the public. Each tour includes a 15-minute presentation before trained guides lead participants to observation sites along the Platte River to watch the cranes depart the river in the morning or return to river roosts in the evening. Guided tours begin the afternoon of Friday, March 4 and end Wednesday, April 6.

Two different types of viewing experiences are available, including a guided footbridge evening tour for $10.00 per person and an enclosed viewing blind tours for $25.00/person. (Tax is charged for tours.) The tours typically require a 10-minute walk, sometimes over rough terrain, to reach viewing sites. Each tour lasts about two hours and children under the age of twelve are not allowed.

Hit the jump to read on...

To register, start with the nature center's home page: http://nebraskanature.org. Look for the link at the top of the page labeled "Plan Your Visit." This takes you to an information page describing our tours. Clicking either "Buy Now" button links you to the registration page, where visitors can select their tour, see which dates are available for that tour, choose the desired date and pay by Visa or Mastercard. Tours can be cancelled with at least 72 hours notice and rebooked online if desired.

The Nature Center offers discounts for groups of ten or more. The Center offers programs and speakers throughout the migration season. Contact the Center for details and availability.

Center Director Brad Mellema says "We had visitors from over forty countries and all fifty states last year. The experience of seeing the sandhill cranes never gets old. This is an event that all Nebraskans can be very proud of."

Those who prefer registration by phone can call the center at (308) 382-1820. Mellema encourages making early reservations, as tours will book early, especially with online registration now available.

Located on the I-80 Alda exit 305, the Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center exists to provide a place where people of all ages can connect to nature along the Platte River. Go to www.nebraskanature.org http://www.nebraskanature.org for more information.

Snapshot of the Platte

2011-01-06T19:18:00.005-06:00

The flooding from a few weeks ago has worked its way upstream a few bridge segments to the Buffalo/Kearney county area closer to Kearney. The river has pushed a lot more water into the north channel that runs south of the Nature Center building. The water flow and ice mixture most certainly will scour the riverbed. I also noticed that there were places in the ice there the water would boil up through the ice from the flows below.

If you happen to get out and take a look at the river for yourself, do not try to venture out on the ice! It is very unstable and a person could fall through without warning.

Ice and Water - a walk to the Platte

2011-01-03T16:13:00.008-06:00

I took a short walk down the Nature trail this afternoon to check on the river and see what was new down there. We still have a blanket of snow on the ground. That is good for showing tracks and signs of the prairie residents who live out there. I was able to watch a rather loud red-tailed hawk over the river, a northern harrier, turkeys, white tailed deer and a northern shrike. I also saw tracks and signs of all kinds of mice and smaller birds in the snow.

We have a lot of water flowing in the northern channel of the Platte right now. This is the result of ice jams to the west in the main (south) channel causing more then the usual amount of water to spill into the north channel. It's a relief valve of sorts. The water flow is as high as I've seen it. This is good for the riverbed where the ice acts like a bulldozer cleaning and scouring the sandy bottom as it moves along. I also noticed that the main channel has shifted from one side to the other. This is a natural process that helps to shape the platte as we know it. The geomorphology of the platte is based on sand constantly shifting due to various forces of ice and water. When the flows move elsewhere, the trees and prairie grasses begin to sprout up quickly filling the area with vegetation.

Hit the jump to read on...

When the vegetation goes unchecked, it can quickly impede water flows forcing the water out of its banks. This is one of the ongoing battles that conservation efforts are dealing with. The work that the ice is doing right now is mechanically replicated with heavy equipment to open up the channels providing the wide-open habitat that area wildlife need for their survival, including the famous sandhill cranes of Nebraska.

As I continued my walk on the river trail through the riparian area, I found that much of the footpath is now under shallow water. This forms a sheet of ice and would collapse a few inches with each footstep making a thud sound. I wasn't going to be sneaking up on any wildlife with all that noise I was making! This also managed to fill my boots with water. All of this water had made its way down our trail and no doubt was washing away some of the work that our volunteers has done earlier in the fall! Time will tell if the water will rise any further. My best guess is that the ice will stay around for some time.

Chicken and Stars

2010-12-31T13:28:00.008-06:00

While cranes are the area's main avian attraction, the greater prairie chicken puts on a great show of its own. Check out this video:

(Video by Bob Fagan, courtesy of Don Fagan)

Last April, Brad and I led a field trip to the Sandhills to view chickens in the morning and the stars during the evening -- both put on a great show, and participants really enjoyed the experience. So we're doing it again in 2011, and you're invited!

Our 2nd annual "Chicken and Stars" tour takes place April 22-24, 2011. We'll meet at Sandhills Motel in Mullen late Friday afternoon, eat and, if weather allows, stargaze that evening. The next morning we'll be driven to a dancing ground or "lek," where male prairie chickens defend territories in the hopes of attracting hens to mate. (The "master cock" near the center of the lek gets most of the matings.)

This time, we're extremely honored to have Dr. Paul Johnsgard as a guest on the trip. Between dinner and night sky viewing Friday, Dr. Johnsgard will present a program on grassland grouse (including the greater prairie chicken).

Cost for "Chicken and Stars" is $150/person (double occupancy), including Friday night lodging, Saturday a.m. chicken viewing, and stargazing both Friday and Saturday nights. For further details, send us a message at info@nebraskanature.org.

Eagles at J2 and Christmas Bird counting

2010-12-24T09:21:00.006-06:00

I went over to the J2 power plant near Lexington, NE last year to view eagles. It really is a great thing to see. Be sure to bring binoculars. Press release below:

Date: Dec. 14, 2010
Contact: Jeff Buettner, Communications Officer
Phone: (308) 995-8601

Central's Eagle-viewing Facilities to Open for Season on Dec. 26

(HOLDREGE, Neb.) -- The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District will once again provide eagle-watching opportunities to the public this winter.

Central's eagle-viewing facilities at the Johnson No. 2 (J-2) hydroelectric plant near Lexington and in a freestanding building below Kingsley Dam will be open on Sunday, Dec. 26 and Sunday, Jan. 2. Thereafter, the facilities will be open each weekend through mid-February.

Hit the jump to read on...

J-2 will be open on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., CST. The hydroplant is located south of Lexington near the intersection of county roads 749 and 750. The Kingsley Dam facility at Lake McConaughy will be open on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., MST.

A limited number of binoculars are available at the facilities, but visitors are encouraged to bring their own viewing equipment.

Central has been providing eagle-viewing opportunities at J-2 since 1988 and at Kingsley Dam since 1990. The eagles are attracted to feed on fish in the open water below the plants, particularly when rivers and lakes in the area are covered with ice.

Several factors influence the number of eagles seen from the facilities on any given day, including climatic conditions, ice coverage on area bodies of water, how many eagles are wintering in the area, and whether the hydroplants are on-line. The best viewing time is normally earlier in the day. There is no charge to visit the facilities.

For more information about eagles and viewing opportunities, visit Central's Web page at www.cnppid.com or call (308) 995-8601.

(###)

Each year Audubon sponsors a Christmas bird count. Here's a link to find one near you.

The Platte reminds us that it is still a real river!

2010-12-23T12:48:00.009-06:00

This winter has brought on higher then normal river flows, at least when measured against the past 7-10 years. This mixed with the cold has brought on ice that has formed a natural dam causing water to flow out of the established stream bed flooding mostly farm ground and pasture. The stretch of river just south of our Nature Center between the Alda road and Highway 281 is flatter then other stretches of the river causing it to shallow up and flow wider. This gives the ice a place to run aground causing the flood.

The ice has an important impact on the stream bed acting like an earth scraper that removes vegetation opening up the sandbars. This is important to the water-flow and the wildlife component of the river. A lot of work has been done through mechanical and chemical methods to keep the river channel free, but this really cleans her out the old fashioned way!

Hit the jump to read on...

At this point, the property damage seems limited to a few structure and duck blinds on the river along with one family who was evacuated from their home mostly because of access issues.

I decided to rent a plane and get an arial view of the area. It clearly shows how the water fans out into the surrounding fields. I was told by Milt Moravek, Projects manager at the Central Platte Natural Resource District of Grand Island, that this has happened six times in the last forty years on this stretch of the Platte. There are ways to help funnel the water through more efficiently, but those ideas take time and money.

I'll be back out in the river whenever the ice melts away and look at the stream-bed to see just what the result the ice has.

Season's Greetings!

2010-12-22T21:10:00.002-06:00

2011 sandhill crane viewing tours are open

2010-12-22T15:39:00.005-06:00

What do people from Michigan, Nebraska, California, Kansas, Colorado and Ohio have in common?

They all have people who have already signed up for guided sandhill crane viewing tours through the Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center!

What a great last minute Christmas Gift idea!

Before we know it, sandhill cranes will begin their famed stopover along the banks of the Platte River. The nature center is ready! We are pleased to open reservations for 2011 guided crane tours. Readers of the Green Shoe Diaries get the first shot at early registration.

Guided tours begin the afternoon of March 4. We offer the choice of a viewing blind tour – where visitors view the birds from within an enclosed blind along the Platte River – and the footbridge tour, during which visitors watch cranes from our footbridge spanning the Platte's north channel. Both tours begin with a 15-minute introduction to the sandhill cranes and their migratory journey. Cost for the viewing blind tour is $25/person; while the footbridge tour costs $10 per person. (Tax is charged for crane tours.)

Crane season at the nature center wraps up April 6. Tours can fill quickly, particularly during the peak of the season (late March), so early registration is strongly recommended. You can register online at nebraskanature.org, call us at 308-382-1820, or e-mail us at info@nebraskanature.org for further information.

30 Second Radio Public Service Announcement (PSA)

2010-12-22T14:36:00.004-06:00

This is one of four radio public service announcements that were produced as a class project by senior communications student Nick Blasnitz from Hastings College. We will distribute these to local radio stations for broadcast this spring. Let me know what you think! Also, if you recognize the music, be the first to correctly ID the artist and I will send you one their cd's as a gift! Drop an email to brad@nebraskanature.org with your name and address.

Update: Michael from Aurora, Ne knew that the pianist was Dr. Karine Gil. We will be sending Michael Karine's newest CD from our gift shop!

Dan on NTV

2010-12-21T00:12:00.001-06:00

Dan's appearance on NTV where he explains the lunar eclipse. I like his scale model!

NTV "Good Life" program

2010-11-15T11:51:00.003-06:00

Our friend Dr. Karine Gil, who is an ecologist at the Crane Trust appeared on the NTV Good Life program with her piano music which is also available in our gift shop.

Interview:

Christmas song performed:

Sandhill Cranes in Nebraska.

2010-11-11T22:24:00.012-06:00

The sandhill cranes of the North American central flyway are making their way south from their nesting grounds in Canada, Alaska and Russia this time of year. They will pass through Nebraska but usually don't spend much time here unless the weather dictates. They are headed south to the wintering grounds in Texas, Mexico, New Mexico and other places where they will stay until the urge to migrate north hits in February or March 2011.

We get a lot of questions about viewing the cranes in the fall, but it's much more difficult to find them in the fall. (See this article that Dan wrote last week) Sandhill cranes are here, and do use the Platte River and surrounding areas, but they don't spend the extended time like they do for the spring portion of their yearly migration cycle.

hit the jump to read on

So below, I've found a short video clip from last year's crane season to help tie you over with a "crane fix". It will be here before you know it!

If you just can't wait, and want to reserve some of the best times available in our guided viewing blinds tours, just hit the link to see what we have available or to sign up! It's just that easy.

We're also offering gift certificates that can be used for any of our spring guided tours or merchandise in our Crimson Crown Gift Shop.

The video below was shot and produced by University of Nebraska- Omaha student Katie Murphy.

Women's Expo in Grand Island.

2010-11-08T10:31:00.005-06:00

We will host a booth at the Heartland Women's Expo held at Fonner Park in Grand Island this week. Why? Because we want to meet people, also what we earn from our gift shop helps to provide the funds that operate our Center! I would like to invite you to stop by our table and say hello. We offer some very unique gifts including Crane Viewing Tours!

This is right across from were the state high school volleyball tournament will be held this year. So if your team is in the big tourney, walk across the parking lot to the west to the Expo building from the State Fair.

Click through to read more info below:

Grand Island, Nebraska, October 12, 2010 - The Heartland Women's Expo will make its debute as the Heartland's largest consumer show focused entirely on women.
The 2010 show, which will be held at Fonner Park, will showcase products, services and samples from hundreds of local and out-of-state businesses! Women are sure to be pampered with makeovers, massages, manicures and more. An unrivaled shopping extravaganza includes purses, jewelry, crafts, lotions and much, much more.
The Women's Expo is proud to be featuring wide variety of entertainment on the Main Stage and throughout the show. These features include a Baby Bump Baby Shower, local country music artist Reggie Shaw, Grand Island Chamber President Cindy Johnson, a Leonardo DiCaprio lookalike and Friday's Red Hat Society welcome. There truly is something for women of every age! Also, Joseph Hall - Elvis Tribute Artist will be making an appearance at the Expo! The excitement and energy he brings to a room is phenomenal - you won't want to miss it!
"We are so pleased to offer a fun-filled getaway for women in the Tri-Cities area. "Providing an event where women can come, relax and truly enjoy themselves is what we are all about," said Michele Ray, Marketing Director for the Heartland Women's Expo. "We are also welcoming out-of-town guests that will be in Grand Island for the State Volleyball Tournaments to come enjoy the Expo as well." The city of Grand Island is hosting the State Volleyball Tournaments this year and is anticipating 40,000 attendees in town over the course of the event.
The 2010 Heartland Women's Expo is scheduled to run from Thursday, November 11, through Saturday, November 13. The hours the show will be open to the public are 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and then 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is $5. More information is available at www.HeartlandWomensExpo.com.

Autumn Cranes

2010-10-30T12:31:00.005-05:00

For the last few weeks, we've had a number of folks looking for sandhill cranes. After all, if they come through in the spring, shouldn't they do the same in the fall? Brad or I will explain how the sandhill cranes migrate through in the fall but don't stop, how circumstances for the birds are different compared to March, they're heard more often than seen in fall, they travel in small groups now, and so forth.

Sometimes that news doesn't go over well. I can understand.

But on my way to work this morning, along the Platte River Road perhaps two miles west of Doniphan, I took the picture above -- part of a group consisting of at least 200 birds. Would you have been able to tell it was not taken in March? (A second equal-sized or even larger group was feeding closer to the Alda Road.)

It was a nice little taste of early Spring a few months ahead of schedule. And I could actually point potential visitors to a few cranes on a pretty late October day.

October crane sighting at the Center?

2010-10-18T16:37:00.016-05:00

Yes, we had a crane sighting right here! As the sandhill cranes are making their way to their wintering grounds south in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico, and we now have a six foot tall crane that has been donated to the Center and will become a permanent resident. We are delighted to have "The Heart of the Platte" donated to the Center by Roc A Dent, Inc.. Artist Heidi Muirhead and her husband Rob wanted a place that people could enjoy the crane for years to come.

We will feature the crane in our Horniday Art Gallery located at the front portion of the NNVC building. The crane can be moved around to compliment different events that we host at the Center.

Artist Heidi Muirhead and "The Heart of the Platte"

The crane was created as part of the Cranes on Parade event held in Kearney Nebraska. It is a fundraiser held by the Dawn ROTARY club also of Kearney, Nebraska. Hit the jump

The Following comes from the Cranes on Parade description of Heidi's crane:

Heidi Muirhead is a native Nebraskan, born in Lincoln. She has resided in Kearney since 2001 and has been employed with Good Samaritan Hospital System since 2005, currently the Marketing Manager at Central Nebraska Home Care. Heidi has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Montana and is currently pursuing an advanced creative writing degree at the University of Nebraska, at Kearney.

Her artistic focus has evolved since Heidi was old enough to finger-paint and mold mud pies. Inspiration for her current focus on stained glass and hot glass is attributed to Bethel Lutheran Church in Holdrege where Heidi was baptized and attended as a small child. Lengthy sermons do not impress small children, so Heidi spent the blessed twenty minutes marveling at the magnificence of the hand crafted stained glass windows in the towering sanctuary.

Heidi has also worked in pottery and clay sculpture, as well as watercolor and acrylic paint. Her passion is for artistic endeavors are projects which are larger than life, such as decorating a blank form for this public art project, Cranes on Parade II.

When Heidi received the application for the project her first thought was to apply a fused glass mosaic design in hand-cut and hand-fired glass. Glass arrived by UPS in 12” x 12” sheets ordered via the internet. Each piece was cut, washed, and placed on thin-fire shelf paper in a glass kiln for a period of 12 to 14 hours up to 1450 degrees Fahrenheit. After removing the 175-180 pieces per firing the tiles were washed, counted, and bagged. The kiln was fired continually for the duration of the project. Each piece of glass was then individually glued to the crane form, taking care to create lines which enhanced the finished design. After thousands of pieces of glass were glued to the form, crushed glass called “frit” was applied to the head and feet of the crane. Four colors of grout were selected to fill the space between the tiles to form the complete mosaic design. A grout sealer was applied and the crane was sent to be clear-coated to protect the fragile nature of glass.

"Whooper Watch" on NTV's Good life program.

2010-10-18T11:34:00.009-05:00

Join us at the Center Wednesday, October 20 at 6 p.m. for Whooper Watch training conducted by Dr. Karine Gil. Give her a call at 1-888-3WWATCH (1-888-399-2824) to report a whooping crane sighting or register for the training.

Remember, if you spot a whooping crane, just stay in your car and write down the specifics of where the whooping crane is and what time it is. Seriously, you CAN NOT SNEAK up on cranes, so don't even try. It will just fly away and could be considered harassment.

Whooping cranes may be observed from public roadways or established viewing areas and a distance of at least 2000 feet. That's six football fields. Flushing a bird will cause it to expend energy that is needed for migration and can stress a bird. Be sure to use a spotting scope or binoculars to observe.

You can also contact Martha Tacha, USFWS in Grand Island, Nebraska (telephone 308-382-6468, Ext. 19; Martha_Tacha@fws.gov) or Tom Stehn, USFWS in Austwell, Texas (361-286-3559, Ext. 221; Tom_Stehn@fws.gov). to report a sighting.

hit the jump to read on and watch the clip.

We have a complete sighting form available at the Center for you to pick up. Dr. Gil is studying the migration habits of birds and often times the birds will be spotted using the same fields from year to year.

Camera Club hits Dannebrog

2010-10-15T10:39:00.013-05:00

The Nature Center's Camera Club went on a "leaf peeping" field trip Thursday evening to Dannebrog, Nebraska. Dannebrog is a little town of around 300 people located about 40 miles north of the Nature Center and north west of Grand Island. The trees were not all that colorful with the exception of a nice little Bradford pear on the west side of town. We found our way to main street where our cameras drew some attention before heading to the Danish Bakery and the Pawnee Art Center located just a few doors apart on main street.

hit the jump to read on

The Pawnee Art Center is a very nice place that features art and information about the Pawnee Nation and hosts events and speakers from time to time. They were showing me where the planned capital improvement of a new bathroom will go. The current bathroom is located at "home".

Peggy, Roger and Gale were kind enough to give us a tour of the Center and share some of their plans for the Art Center. Roger is the Roger Welsch of the Liars Hall of Fame fame.

We had eleven of us for pizza and two pies were more then enough!

Tom is the maestro of pizza every Thursday night at the Danish Bakery, located right on main street in Dannebrog. You'll want to call ahead and make a reservation. Dan Glomski was looking forward to ordering a fine pastry called kringle from Tom for the holiday season. Stay tuned to see if any of the kringle finds its way to the Nature Center's break room counter!

Our Camera Club meets monthly and is open to anyone who wants to come and learn, share, or just geek out about camera stuff.

Quick update from Dan: Tom let me sample his apple kringle, and it is absolutely delicious. Kringle is available only around Christmas, starting a couple of weeks or so beforehand. Can't wait!

Whooper Watch Training set for October at the Center and the Crane Trust

2010-09-27T09:37:00.006-05:00

UPDATE: FALL TRAININGS Dr. Gil will be at the Nature Center this Wednesday October 20 at 6:00 p.m. Please RSVP to Dr Gil. You can contact Karin at 308-384-4633 x 111 for more information or to register.

Call Whooper Watch 1-888-3WWATCH (1-888-399-2824) if you have spotted a whooping crane.

It’s time once again to turn our eyes to the skies and enjoy Nebraska’s spring migration season. One of the most exciting things for birdwatcher to find is a whooping crane. (grus americana) That means it’s time to roll out the whooper watch program again this year.

hit the jump to read more

The Whooper Watch program was started years ago to enlist volunteers to help monitor and record information regarding the whereabouts and activities of whooping cranes while they are in the area. The Platte River and rainwater basin area in Nebraska provide a migratory stopover habitat for whooping cranes. Local volunteers are valuable and needed to help scientists gather data.

Why is this important? Whooping crane numbers are small with ~ 263 birds currently known to be in the central flyway region of North America. While birds migrate to and from their wintering grounds at Aransas Wildlife refuge on the gulf coast of Texas to their nesting grounds at Woods Buffalo national park in Saskatchewan Canada. The migration is a perilous time for birds accounting for much of the mortality experienced by whoppers’. Any information gathered about the birds while en route north or south is helpful for many reasons. This is why the program was established.

Whooping cranes migrate through Nebraska in both the spring and fall time frame. Typical spring migration time from is late March through mid-April. In the fall they can be found in the October – November time frame. Weather and other factors play a role in when the birds come through a given area.

If you are interested in volunteering you can contact Dr Karine Gil at the Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust for training or more information. (1-888-399-2824), or you can contact us at the Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center for more information about the program.

Power point slides below are from a presentation and are courtesy of Dr. Karine Gil.

Click on a photo to enlarge:

Open House Video Posted

2010-09-23T17:12:00.002-05:00

The Grand Island Independent produced a nice video for our upcoming open house.

Orchids on the Prairie

2010-09-20T16:44:00.006-05:00

When you think of places to find orchids, you might picture a tropical rainforest . . . or perhaps a nursery greenhouse. But at least two native orchids grow on the prairie, and I was surprised to find one of them is in full bloom along our prairie trail. (Thanks Paul for the heads' up!)

Nodding Ladies' Tresses (Spiranthes cernua) is the most common species of orchid found here. "Common" is a relative term here, as you certainly won't find them on every prairie. I've only seen Ladies' Tresses at one other site in central Nebraska, and I'm told they've since disappeared from that location.

Stalks of Ladies' Tresses are typically no more than a foot high and can be easily missed among clumps of taller grasses. When you find one, make sure to get close and give a good sniff . . . the scent is well worth grass stains on the knees of your jeans.

Ladies' Tresses are occasionally available for sale as a garden plant. I tried some in my yard and had no luck at all, perhaps because its roots need to form an association with a certain species of fungus. No fungus, no Ladies' Tresses. Perhaps thumbs greener than mine have had more success.

Our Open House this Saturday provides a great chance to see a native orchid. We'll treat you to a hot dog while you're here. Check it out!

Wild about the Nebraska State Fair

2010-09-03T12:18:00.008-05:00

We've partnered with our friends at the University of Nebraska 4H program to create a "Wild About 4H Pavilion" at the Nebraska State Fair held in Grand Island. We've met a lot of great people and have had a chance to visit about our Center and about wildlife in general. We have also partnered with Hastings College, Nebraska Game & Parks, the Wood Carvers of Grand Island, the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument, and Central Community College to provide program and activities. We've had a bunch of volunteers to help us get this done as well!

Here's few photos from our tent at the Nebraska State Fair.:

We had out river model "flume" on hand allowing kids and people of all ages to get their hands in the river and do a little engineering.

hit the jump to see more

Dan Glomski was out showing people the sun in a way they may have never seen it. Lots of ooohs and aaahs there.

Our friends from the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission were on hand to teach about archery, scat and turkey behavior.

A Grant for Plants

2010-08-26T10:24:00.011-05:00

Yesterday, Ken Kendall from the Family Campers and RVers presented me with a $700 check to purchase plants for a renovated butterfly garden. Ken encouraged me to apply for an FCRV grant and was instrumental in getting my request through. Thank you Ken!

We'll likely order in the spring from Bluebird Nursery in Clarkson, Nebraska; they carry a large number of the native prairie plants I'm looking for. The grant will cover the purchase of about 20 flats of 36 plants each; the math tells me that's a lot for one person to install by himself. Do I see a plant-planting party next April or May?

Nebraska's Night Sky.

2010-08-19T20:00:00.007-05:00

Dan Glomski is our resident expert on all things in the sky. His enthusiasm is contagious and it has caused me to look upwards and start to learn what I can about astro-photography. Here's my first stab at it and I have to say I'm quite pleased. I'm sure Dan will be posting some of his work at the Nebraska Star Party at a later date. Also, stay tuned for some more star viewing opportunities at the Center later this fall. Here's a link to more photos like this

Snake day at NTV

2010-08-16T12:18:00.004-05:00

Here's this month's visit to NTV's GoodLife Program

Link to the video here.

August eNewsletter is Hot Off the Press

2010-08-04T22:36:00.005-05:00

Link to our latest newsletter here. To sign up simply go to www.nebraskanature.org and put your email in the form!

Frogs, Toads and TV

2010-07-19T13:19:00.000-05:00

Here's a clip from this mornings NTV show..

Photos from last weeks Nature Day Camps

2010-07-17T07:53:00.007-05:00

A special thanks to Katie and Morgan from the Nebraska 4-H Camping program for helping do just about anything and everything week. They are real pros at working with kids and just kept things moving along.

One of our goals was simple, send the kids home smelling like the Platte. Mission accomplished!

Hit the jump to read and see more

Blake from the Raptor Recovery of Nebraska was on hand to show the kids about Raptors. As usual it was an awesome experience to see these regal birds up close and personal.

I'd also like to thank Jill Wicht from the Museum of Nebraska Art for coming out to do an art program. She had the kids imagine they were early explorers such as Lewis and Clark and record and name what they were seeing as if it was the first time you were able to explore the Platte.

Dan here . . .

Our first day camp is behind us, and what a week it was: Fishing, canoeing, butterfly netting, frog- and toad-catching and testing, astronomy, art, swimming in the river, and more. It was definitely four full days. If the kids had half as much fun as I did, it was a unqualified success!

I enthusiastically second Brad's thanks to Katie and Morgan for all their help with the camp. Watching them work with the kids was amazing. They made the whole experience much, much smoother than it otherwise would have been.

Jill's art activity was indeed a blast, and Blake's raptors were amazing as always. Tim Tunnell from the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program did a great job telling us about the Platte before we took a dip in the river to round out the camp.

Tern-Cam goes live and Bird Partnership link

2010-07-17T07:47:00.004-05:00

Heres a link to the Tern Cam produced by the Tern and Plover Partnership. A tern nest is very difficult to see. It is just a few larger pebbles in a a small indention in the sand. Terns have has a touch time on the Platte this year with the large fluctuations in water levels.

Click here to link directly to the video

Another link to check out often is the Nebraska Bird Partnership. Jill Liske-Clark does an excellent job of providing updates and information about what is going on around the state in the conservation world. Click the link and add it to your bookmarks and check it out frequently as new info is posted often.

GI Independent Video from our Nature Day Camp

2010-07-13T19:47:00.003-05:00

The day camp is going well. Here's a video that highlight whats gone on so far. This is a partnership with Nebraska's 4-H Camping program.

Guest Blogger

2010-07-06T13:23:00.006-05:00

I wrote a short story about Blake Hatfield and Vicki Orr a month or so ago. Blake has been helping out quite a bit at the Center and has taken time to write a bit about why and how he and Vicki got involved with Raptor Recovery. I'll be asking people to chime in by the blog from time to time. Hope you enjoy it! - Brad

To read Blake's thoughts in his words, hit the jump

One of the question I get ask a lot is “ How did you get involved with Raptor Recovery? “ I like to answer that question with a story about our first rescue.

One day Vickie and I headed out to check our Blue bird house’s. when we game up on an injured immature Bald Eagle. Not knowing how we could help this bird out, we called what was known as Crane Meadows Nature Center. Eric Volden answered the phone and gave us a number that got us in contact with Barb Tebble. She ask if we could keep an eye on it till she could get there. We said of course we can.

While we were waiting I looked at the other side of the ditch and notice what I thought was a turkey sitting on a nest. Vickie thought it was a big dark shelf mushroom, so to prove it Vickie got out of the car and started to walk towards it. Wish you all could have seen her face when the turkey raised her head.

Barb had also called Tom Tolen and they both arrived about the same time. When Barb got out of her car I thought to myself which one is bigger Barb or the Eagle? after a little discussion it was decided to try and surround it, but the Eagle had other thoughts and started to run. Barb yelled to run after it, so off I went through the slough getting wet up to my waist. After I finally caught up to the eagle it turn on to its back and stuck those talons up at me. Luckily for both of us Barb got there and put the net over him.

All three of us stood catching our breaths for what seem like forever before Barb picked up the bird and headed for the road. When we got back to cars I ask how someone would get involved with Raptor Recovery? Tom said “ you already are.

My very first raptor rescue happen years before I ever heard of Raptor Recovery. My step-dad and were out hunting one day when we came across an American Kestrel that had a broken wing . This was before cell phones, so we caught it and took it home before we called the local game warden. He did come and got it, but I have no idea what ever happen after that.

The first rescue that Vickie and I went on after joining Raptor Recovery was several young Barn owls in a grain bin. The bin was full of corn so I had to climb to the very top to be able to get inside. This is when I learned about the hissing sounds that they make when they feel threaten, also found out how loud they can be. I have to admit I was a little nervous and wondered what did I get myself into. I would catch one or two put them in my net then hand it the farmer who was hanging about half way up the ladder. Then he would hand it down to Vickie on the ground. She would put them in a box and hand the net back up till we got all 8 out of the bin.

This is just the first of several tales that we will post on the blog from Blake. I hope youenjoy keeping up with Blake and Vicki and the folks at Raptor Recovery.

Newsletter for June - July

2010-06-25T12:59:00.002-05:00

THe first edition of our newsletter is out. You can click here to view it.
To sign up just look go to the lower right hand portion of this blog or to the front page of our web-site to sign up.

A Fungus Among-us

2010-05-23T14:40:00.007-05:00

This past Friday we hosted a training in cooperation with Nebraska’s 4-H program and Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo.

The Zoo is undertaking a citizen science program to study the spread of the chytrid fungi in Nebraska’s amphibian population. The fungi was likely introduced to North American amphibian populations in the early 1960’s by the disposal of African Frogs that were used at that time as a pregnancy indicator in humans. The African frogs were most likely dumped into local waterways introducing the fungi.

To read more, hit the jump

The objective of this program is to enlist 4-H clubs and other interested people from across the state to go into the field and capture any of the four types of amphibians that can be found in Nebraska. After they are captured, they are swabbed in their armpits and lips. The swab is then carefully broken off and placed in a sterile vile and sent to the zoo for analysis and testing.

While capturing the frogs, is important to record the GPS location, water temperature, turbidity level, ph balance of the water and lastly take a photo. It teaches kids about science and helps to contribute real data to an important project.

This is a great exercise to involve young people because they love to go catch frogs. In our group of around a dozen people, the kids that were present proved to be the best catchers.

Raptor Recovery Mission

2010-05-07T16:15:00.011-05:00

As we continue build and re-open this nature center I’m always looking for new things to learn about. I’ve always been fascinated and awed by the people who work with and volunteer for the Raptor Recovery program. I’ve had the privilege to get to know Blake Hatfield and Vickie Orr. Blake has a long history with the Nature Center both having worked here and spent many volunteer hours doing just about anything.

Hit the jump to read more!

It’s clear that he loves wildlife and the out of doors. His enthusiasm is strong. Blake and Vickie have come to the Center on several occasions to do public presentations using some of their many education birds that they keep and care for at their home in Dannebrog Nebraska.

I’ve been eager to photograph the bird’s close up and use the images for the Nature Center as well as provide images for use by the Raptor Recovery Program for them to use as they see fit. I was also interested in looking at the enclosures to see how they are constructed and so forth. Blake took me around and showed me most of the operation when he received a call from Laurel Badura from the Fish and Wildlife Service telling him that there was an injured hawk of some sort at a farm just outside of O’Neil Nebraska some 2 hours north of Dannebrog.

Without missing a beat Blake said, “gotta go”. Ok I’m thinking, what am I doing, can I go, what are my kids doing, would my wife care? Blake was on the phone with Vicki and me with my wife, schedule was cleared and so off we went to O’Neil. That’s how it has to be, when your called you just go. I’d have a tough time doing that, but Blake has done it for years. He just goes.

The ride gave me a chance to visit more with Blake as we headed north up Highway 281. I learned that he puts over 20,000 miles a year on doing this kind of thing along with the educational programs. That adds up! He said he thought that would buy a pretty nice vacation to go somewhere. They choose to spend their time and treasure on this.

When we finally got to O’Neil, Blake called the landowner who met us just north of town and took us out to his parent’s place where the hawk was. They had it in a live animal trap causing Blake to remark that it was nice when they have them captured. He later told me several stories where multiple people would chase birds over hills and through rivers, but that’s another story.

The landowner said that he saw his dog named “Bear” playing with something in the yard. He hollered at it and as the dog slinked away he saw it was a hawk. The bird then made it’s way to a nearby lilac bush. He was able to capture the bird with the help of other family members and put the bird into a live trap for safekeeping.

Blake and I got out of the car and the bird was sitting on a nearby table. Blake identified the bird as a coopers hawk, but admitted that it’s really tough to ID these birds sometimes and left it open for a better birder to get the correct ID. Blake pulled the bird out of the cage with a gloved hand and allowed everyone to look at the bird. It was a really beautiful animal. He then tucked it into a cardboard box for transport home.

The next thing was to get some information from the folks who found the bird and then including a description of where the bird was captured and other info such as times, names and the like. The Fish and Wildlife people and the Recovery program require complete notes with as much information as possible to help document these type of activities. Blake also made a call to Betsy Finch, state director of the program to let her know that the bird was recovered and a preliminary description of what was wrong with the bird and the circumstances.

We then set a course back to Dannebrog where we met Vicki who was able to examine the bird more closely. Blake held the bird’s legs and covered its head with his gloved hand so it wouldn’t be able to claw or bite her. I know anyone who has worked with birds like this has scars to show for when something went wrong. The birds are lightning fast and their claws and beaks are sharp. She continued to examine the bird’s wing and felt some swelling and she checked its breast to see if it was malnourished in any way. She determined that it was not a broken wing and it would just need to be wrapped up. She got out a roll of gauze and careful wrapped the wing and then around the body to secure it to the body area. Blake said sometimes it olds and sometimes it doesn’t.

The last thing she did was provide some sort medication in the form of both a liquid and a pill. It took four of five tries to get the pill down. At least in the days when I would give meds to my kids, they couldn’t cut me with razor sharp talons!

I then said goodbye as it was about 9:00 p.m. and I still had a ways to go to get home. On the drive home, it was a very satisfying feeling to have gone with Blake and learn a bit more about what they do along with so many volunteers to make a program like this work. I know it’s something that we want to try to connect more people to through our work here at the Nature Center. Stay tuned for more of that in the not too distant future.

Envirothon 2010 held at the Center

2010-05-05T12:28:00.003-05:00

Below is the press release for this years Envirothon that was held at the Center las Saturday. It was a great event and we were glad to have hosted this year.

Hit the jump to read more.

STUDENTS COMPETE IN THE 2010 NEBRASKA STATE ENVIROTHON
Alda, NE – The 2010 Nebraska Envirothon State Championship team hails from Superior High School. The competition was held May 1st at the Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center near Alda. Students from across the state participated in five-member teams, and competed against 14 other Nebraska High School teams. The State competition is one stop on the road to the Canon Envirothon which is a national program for 9th – 12th grade students who study long and hard to become proficient in a wide array of subjects relating to natural resources and the environment.
The first place Superior Team is now invited to represent Nebraska at the Canon Envirothon and also receives a $1000 scholarship offered by the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts, who is the annual sponsor of the Nebraska Envirothon. This year the Canon Envirothon will be held at the University of California at Fresno. The week long contest, August 1nd – 6th, involves testing, touring, learning sessions, and opportunities for students to meet other state champions. Over 50 teams from across the U.S. and Canada are expected to participate at this year’s national competition.
“The Envirothon gives high school students nationwide a chance to learn more about natural resources and participate in hands-on learning,” said Dean Edson, Executive Director for the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts. “The Envirothon also serves to interest students in potential careers in natural resources management. It is important to invest in our youth and educate them on the importance of protecting the future of Nebraska’s natural resources,” Edson added.
Five-member teams compete in seven areas of environmental studies: Soils, aquatics, forestry, wildlife, range, policy and a current environmental issue titled Biodiversity in a Changing World. Test questions are not only written, but many require hands-on observations, measurements and calculations. To advance to the state competition, student teams first compete in regional contests around the state. The winners of each region and seven wildcard teams then compete at the state competition.
Members of the first place team from Superior High School are Victoria Simonsen, Zach Dressman, Andrew Brittenham, Bethany Brittenham and Tyler Stobl. Their coach/adviser is Dave Barnard. The team was sponsored by the Central Platte NRD. The State Runner-up team was also from Superior High School and a team from Ord High School finished in third place. Other High Schools participating at the state contest were: Bellevue East, Bellevue West, Omaha Burke, Norris (Firth), Ogallala, Concordia (Omaha), West Holt, Boone Central and Gering.

For More Information Contact: Alyssa Smola, 402.471.7672 or E-mail
to: asmola@nrdnet.org

Hall County Bird Count this Saturday

2010-05-04T14:10:00.004-05:00

The Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center (NNVC) serves as a base for the annual Hall County Spring Bird Count on Saturday, May 8.
Hit the jump to read more.

Bird counts are conducted with the intent of keeping track as to how many species -- and the number of each species -- are present within a region. According to NNVC Program Coordinator Dan Glomski, "The Spring count is the most exciting of the year. This is when the year's greatest number of bird species are present, especially warblers in their spring finery and shorebirds plying the wetlands for food. Many of these birds are on their way to breeding grounds further north, so this is the best time to see them. And occasionally, we get a stray, a bird not supposed to be here, which is always exciting."

The count begins Saturday 8 a.m. sharp at NNVC. Participants will want to bring binoculars and a field guide for bird ID. After a short introduction, the group will walk the trails south of the center (up to a distance of 1 1/2 miles) until 10 a.m., recording as many birds as possible before returning to the center. From here, participants may either depart or take a short break and count a second area for an additional 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Count participants will also want to wear weather-suitable clothes and all-terrain footware. And with ticks starting to appear, some form of insect repellent may be a good idea too.

Glomski especially welcomes birding newcomers to participate: "Counts are a great way to begin learning about birds."

There is no charge for participating, and no prior birding experience is required. If you are interested in participating, contact Dan at 308-382-1820 or info@nebraskanature.org with any questions

Located on the I-80 Alda exit 305, the Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center exists to provide a place where people of all ages can connect to nature along the Platte River. You can go to www.nebraskanature.org for more information.

Crane Season Video 2010

2010-04-25T20:28:00.016-05:00

Never tried this tpe of thing before. Let me know if it does or does not work on your machine. Full resolution of the video is available HERE

Great Storms on the Great Plains

2010-04-19T14:48:00.006-05:00

It's that time of year again, so buckle up and get ready to rumble!

Wednesday, April 21 at 7:00 p.m. the Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center has teamed up with NTV Chief Weather Forecaster Kent Boughton and Kearney based photographer/storm chaser Ryan McGinnis to bring you “A Quiet Rumble On The River”, an informative and entertaining look at the weather landscape of the Great Plains. This program is free and open to the public with donations gladly accepted.

Hit the jump to read more

In Nebraska, our existence is punctuated each spring by severe weather. Hidden in the fury of a spring storm is an intense beauty that is quickly becoming a fascination with people in the form of storm chasing.

McGinnis will feature photos he has taken as he chased storms along side the Discovery Channel’s “Storm Chasers” over the last several years. Ryan will talk about his experiences and how he creates the stunning images that have received national acclaim for their clarity and beauty.

Boughton will talk about severe weather from the forecasting side and will speak about his experience as a weather forecaster and introduce the Central Nebraska Storm Chasing Team that will be working with NTV this storm season.

Chicken and Stars Report

2010-04-13T20:40:00.011-05:00

One of the things that struck me about the first chicken and stars tour was just how unbelievably beautiful the Great Plains are. Nebraska is indeed a beautiful place. It does not have the requisite mountains or large bodies of water, but it has a depth of character that can only be described as complex. The Rocky Mountains are like rock and roll and the Great Plains are like a symphony.

Photos and more after the jump

We have just come out of a busy as ever spring migration with lots of people coming from all over the place to look at lots of large noisy sandhill cranes and other birds. It’s easy to see the attraction. This now begins what I think is the more challenging part of our mission; that is to provide a place where people of all ages can connect to the Great Plains, Nebraska and the Platte River.

Enter Chicken and Stars. This was a beginning for us. We put our toe in the water before we jumped in to see if there existed a need to host a group of people on a grouse-viewing safari to Mullen, Nebraska. The answer was a resounding yes! People like to connect with a group and our group was no exception. We had a great time with a great group of people.

With the guidance of our friends from the Highway 2 scenic byway, we were able to connect with a great restaurant called the Cattleman’s in Seneca, where we officially got things underway. Seneca is a little berg with about 25 people residing just a stones throw north of Highway 2, bisected by the railroad and the Middle Loup River. The town itself is tidy and deeply proud of who they are. As we got to know each other through good conversation, we were served up a great meal. Then it was off to view the stars, as the guest of Sharon Hughes, on her cattle ranch some six miles north of Seneca.

When you plan a trip like this, you are at the mercy of the weather. We have had a crummy spring weather season this year, but the weather turned out perfect that Friday evening for a star presentation by our Education Coordinator Dan Glomski and teacher Mark Urwiller of Kearney. These guys have forgotten more about astronomy than I will ever know, and they did a marvelous job of teaching all of us about the night sky.

After a few hours of stargazing, it was off to bed and up at 5:30 a.m. central time to head out to see the prairie chickens. (Mullen is in Mountain Time and this makes you constantly guess what time it is.) Our guide and host was Mitch Glidden, owner and operator of the Sandhills Motel in Mullen. Mitch has done a fantastic job of creating a destination for people through wildlife and river trips. We broke our tour into two groups, photographers and birdwatchers. We rode two small busses on about a 15-minute trip to the blinds. The blinds consisted of a live stock trailer for the photographers and an old school bus for the rest of us. The bus has the seats removed on one side with a smattering of chairs so each person could pull up to a window and watch the show. Mitch pulls right up to the door of one bus with the other so your feet never touch the ground. We stayed on the warm bus until the sun started to come up and you could hear the unmistakable sounds of the prairie chickens.

This is about the sixth time I have gone out to view the greater prairie chickens booming. It is a captivating wildlife show that rivals anything I have ever seen. The chickens can best be described as a group of Jr. High boys pushing, showing off, being loud and looking for love. Toss in a few females into the mix and they all go nuts! Our guide Mitch did a good job of pointing out behaviors displayed and he said he thinks the birds are “trash talking” each other and saying things like “ Your mama is a sharp tail!” and so on.

After the morning viewing, some folks headed off on their own to explore and others went to view the sharp tails on Sunday morning. That’s what Randy Hampton and I chose to do. We met up with Dan Glomski and his wife Tracy the next morning to view sharp tail grouse. Randy set up a portable blind the day prior just a few yards away from the public viewing blind provided by the forest service. I recommend that you go out the day prior so you can find your way under cover of darkness the next day. We left for the blind at 5:30 a.m. central time.

This was my first time in a sharp tail grouse viewing blind. I have to say it was one of the best wildlife viewing experiences I’ve ever had. Those birds are just remarkable. They all dance and then simultaneously freeze, then one coos like an owl and they all start in again. It made me laugh out loud at the antics. I shared a blind with Dan and Tracy and there was room, but not a lot. Four people could do it but two people would be the best for the size of the public blind provided.

If you go, bring a variety of warm clothing and be prepared to walk about ten to fifteen minutes to the blind. All in all it was well worth the effort to go and I’ll be going back again next year.

Grassland Dance, Mullen, Neb. 308-546-2206 or 1-888-278-6167, www.grasslanddance.com

Nebraska National Forest, Bessey Ranger District, Halsey, Neb. 308-533-2257.

Also a special thank you to the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway for helping us to plan this trip.

Dave Hendee from the Omaha World Herald recently wrote an article that provides a lot of good information to help plan a trip as well.

Goodbye Cranes, Hello Chickens!

2010-04-07T15:58:00.006-05:00

OK, sandhill cranes are still around, and we'll likely see at least a few for the next week or two. But many have left for points north, and human visitors to the center have thinned to a trickle.

By no means is it time to quit birdwatching! As the sandhills depart, the region's next avian show – the display of the greater prairie chickens -- reaches its peak.

Beginning in March, the males begin to display on their leks, or dancing grounds. Setting up individual territories, males raise their ear tufts, inflate orange air sacs and stutter-step, all while emitting a sound likened to blowing crossways on top of a soda bottle. (This behavior is known as booming.) When the females arrive, feathers can fly as the males battle one another where territories overlap.

At one time, greater prairie chickens inhabited tallgrass and mixedgrass prairie by the millions. The conversion from prairie to agriculture drastically shrank their habitat and numbers. Missouri, once nearly covered in tallgrass prairie, is now home to just 500 birds. In Illinois, prairie chicken numbers were so low that birds were brought in from other states to supplement the population and expand the gene pool.

Tallgrass and mixedgrass prairies in south-central Nebraska are a mere fraction of their former size, and prairie chickens are now found locally only in scattered locations. Fortunately, in the Sandhills region they remain relatively numerous. Here, while the chickens boom in the morning, we can view stars by the thousands at night.

So this weekend, the nature center is leading the “Chicken and Stars” Tour to Mullen, NE. Friday night we'll stargaze near Seneca before Mitch at Sandhills Motel takes us to his viewing blinds early Saturday morning.

I've only seen and heard the chickens from a distance. I can't wait to see them just a few yards from me. And the weather forecast this weekend looks very promising. If it goes well, we'll do this again next year. Wish us luck!

Still Good Viewing in April

2010-04-03T13:01:00.002-05:00

April is one of the best times to view sandhill cranes. Here are a few photos form the last few days.

The March event line-up!

2010-03-11T09:47:00.012-06:00

The Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center (NNVC) is pleased to present an exciting series of speakers and programs during crane migration season.

On Friday, March 12, researcher and author Dr. Paul Johnsgard comes to the nature center. Dr. Johnsgard is the author of numerous books on cranes, including “Crane Music” and “Those of the Gray Wind”. He is Foundation Professor of the School of Biological Sciences at UNL and an authority on crane behavior.

Dr Paul Johnsgard

Saturday, March 13th, Raptor Recovery Nebraska will present a program featuring live raptors. Raptor Recovery focuses on the important role hawks, owls, eagles, kestrels and falcons play in the ecosystem. They rehabilitate injured raptors with the aim of releasing them back into the wild; those unable to fend for themselves are kept as education birds.

Sunday, March 14 brings Will Locke of Hastings College to present his talk “Headwaters of the Platte”. Dr. Locke will show where the river originates and follows its flows through Colorado and Wyoming before reaching the Big Bend near Grand Island and Kearney. This talk is also presented Friday, March 26th.

Saturday, March 20, Photographer Randy Hampton will host a digital workflow and wildlife photography workshop. This is a workshop where people can learn in a hands-on environment with one of the mid-west’s best instructors. “Randy Hampton leading the way: great people, great photography and the backdrop of the Nebraska's sandhill cranes”. Fee of $100 includes a tour to a sandhill crane viewing blind. Contact the Center to register.

Sunday, March 21.UNK graduate student Lindsay Vivian presents a program on the rare Platte River caddisfly, an insect found only in this area.

On Saturday March 27th and Sunday March 28, re-enactor Brian "Fox" Ellis brings legendary naturalist John James Audubon and biologist Charles Darwin to life. Fox will be presenting his entertaining an educational program at 1 p.m. both days.

All programs are presented at 1 p.m. in the center's display room. Admission to all programs unless otherwise stated are free to the general public. Donations are gladly accepted.

Brian "Fox" Ellis

Stuhr Museum Speakers Series each Saturday this March

2010-03-07T09:42:00.006-06:00

Her'e a list of speakers appearing at Stuhr Museum this month. I recommend checking them out!

March 6: Dr. William Beachly 2 p.m. in the Stuhr Auditorium. Dr. Beachly, who spoke in 2009, will present “Water Watchers of the West,” a celebration of the Platte River through biology, literature, photography and philosophy.

March 13: Artist Talk and Reception for the "Wings Over the Platte" Art Exhibit and Sale Featuring Artist Julie Crocker 2 p.m. in Lacy Hall. This year’s “Wings Over the Platte” Featured Artist is award-winning wildlife artist Julie Crocker, and she will talk about her pieces in the show, her inspiration and why the crane migration continues to inspire her as an artist. Crocker, a Nebraska native, has been named the Ducks Unlimited Nebraska Artist of the Year and works with many wildlife and conservation programs.

March 20: Steven Yellow Bird Ervin 2 p.m. in the Stuhr Auditorium. Native American Steven Yellow Bird Ervin will speak about the Platte River’s significance in Native American culture, as well as how the river, wildlife and the cranes inspired his art and life.

March 27: Ground Water Guardians 2 p.m. in the Stuhr Auditorium. The annual migration has a large impact on many aspects of life in Nebraska, including groundwater. During the final presentation of the series, representatives from the Ground Water Guardian organization will speak on conservation and what the public can do to help.

Admission to each event is $8 for adults, $6 for children and FREE for Stuhr and Hastings Museum members. For more information, call the museum at (308) 385-5316 or log onto www.stuhrmuseum.org.

First Viewing Blind Trip of the Season

2010-03-06T08:23:00.006-06:00

We have officially started out guided viewing blind tours for the 2010 "Crane Season". As many of you know, the cranes were later then they had been in the last few years to make there way north from their wintering grounds. With the breeze out of the south over the last few days, we have seen large numbers of geese and cranes come into our area. It really is a refreshing sight and sound.

Our first tour had Dan, Jim, Mary, Michael, Erin, Laurine, and Tana tossed together from states such as South Dakota, Texas, Minnesota, and Nebraska towns including Hastings, Axtell and Lincoln. We were all gathered together for a few hours to learn about, but mostly just watch and listen to the spring migration.

One of our main viewing blinds is positioned on a man-made bluff overlooking the south channel of the river and I have to say it is a wonderful place to observe the birds as they make their way to and from the river where they roost. We are able to see several miles up and down stream to watch the birds as they glide right in front of the windows. There are times when was just overload as a cacophony of sound and motion unraveled in front of us.

It was brisk but not overly cold or windy which was nice. It can be very cold going out, you just never know. I keep my trunk full of coats, hats, boots and gloves for things like this never quite knowing what the weather will toss at us from day to day.

When the birds began to settle, they roosted on a larger ice sheet. It's always hard to tell how many birds are in any given roost but my best guess would be that we had a good 2000 birds on that particular roost. The ice made for a very surreal look as they walked around to claim their

When the tour was over, we made our way out of the blind under cover of darkness walking straight north directly away from the river down a slight incline. This allows us to get out of there without the birds knowing we are there. We stay in a tight bunch and walk slowly so as to not attract attention and possibly simulate a herd of deer walking around. I really have no idea if this makes a difference to a bird flying overhead, but it makes us feel like we’re at least trying to have a minimal impact of the wildlife.

During the walk back to the cars, we had birds flying directly overhead causing us to stop several times and just listen and look.

My adage stands the test of time. My favorite tour is always my most recent tour. I just love it. Stay tuned, we have along way to go!

Crimson Crown Gift Shop Opens

2010-03-04T18:01:00.004-06:00

Here's a few photos of the gallery and the gift shop. We really have a lot of unique and interesting things for sale in the shop. We'll get more info out and add to our page on the regular web-site later this spring.

We've had a ton of volunteers and staff going like mad to pull this thing together over the last weeks and months. I have to say it really looks first rate and highlights a lot of our local artists and merchants. We are also opening or snack bar that includes all kinds of goodies to enjoy including our house brand Migration Celebration Coffee.

If your in the area, stop by and say hello and see if there's something you just can't live without!

Chicken and Stars Tour

2010-03-02T14:58:00.003-06:00

The Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center (NNVC) is pleased to offer the Chicken and Stars tour -- an opportunity to view two of the prairie's signature birds, the greater prairie chicken and sharptail grouse -- in the Nebraska Sandhills.

The trip begins the afternoon of Friday, April 9; participants will drive on their own to the Sandhills Motel in Mullen, NE. If skies that evening are clear, NNVC program coordinator Dan Glomski will lead a viewing and photography session of the beautiful Sandhills night sky.

Participants then rise predawn Saturday morning to witness close-up the dances of the prairie chickens and grouse on their breeding grounds, known as leks. The males seek to attract females while fighting off other males; they inflate their air sacs (orange on the chicken, purple on the grouse), as the prairie chickens make an eerie call likened to blowing crossways along the top of a soda bottle.

Saturday afternoon, participants travel to the Nebraska National Forest at Halsey for hiking and photography. From here, participants may either leave for home or stay for an additional evening of night sky viewing (weather permitting) and a second morning of prairie chicken and grouse viewing.

Cost of the tour is $125 per person for a single participant; double occupancy, $75/person. The cost includes Friday night accommodations at Sandhills Motel and guided morning viewing and photography of the prairie chicken and sharptail lek. Meals are not included. Saturday evening accommodations and Sunday morning chicken/sharptail viewing are optional and must be arranged by participants.

For more information, contact Dan Glomski at info@nebraskanature.org or 308-382-1820. Space on the tour is very limited, and participants are strongly encouraged to make reservations as soon as possible. Deadline for signup is March 20.

Whooper Watch

2010-03-01T11:41:00.021-06:00

Call Whooper Watch 1-888-3WWATCH (1-888-399-2824) if you have spotted a whooping crane.

It’s time once again to turn our eyes to the skies and enjoy Nebraska’s spring migration season. One of the most exciting things for birdwatcher to find is a whooping crane. (grus americana) That means it’s time to roll out the whooper watch program again this year.

The Whooper Watch program was started years ago to enlist volunteers to help monitor and record information regarding the whereabouts and activities of whooping cranes while they are in the area. The Platte River and rainwater basin area in Nebraska provide a migratory stopover habitat for whooping cranes. Local volunteers are valuable and needed to help scientists gather data.

Why is this important? Whooping crane numbers are small with ~ 263 birds currently known to be in the central flyway region of North America. While birds migrate to and from their wintering grounds at Aransas Wildlife refuge on the gulf coast of Texas to their nesting grounds at Woods Buffalo national park in Saskatchewan Canada. The migration is a perilous time for birds accounting for much of the mortality experienced by whoppers’. Any information gathered about the birds while en route north or south is helpful for many reasons. This is why the program was established.

Whooping cranes migrate through Nebraska in both the spring and fall time frame. Typical spring migration time from is late March through mid-April. In the fall they can be found in the October – November time frame. Weather and other factors play a role in when the birds come through a given area.

If you are interested in volunteering you can contact Dr Karine Gil at the Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust for training or more information. (1-888-399-2824), or you can contact us at the Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center for more information about the program.

Power point slides below are from a presentation and are courtesy of Dr. Karine Gil.

Click on a photo to enlarge: