Crane Trust

Crane Trust We welcome guests year-round to experience and learn about the Platte River and its inhabitants. These experiences are all led by expert guides.

Founded in 1978, the Crane Trust is an independent nonprofit conservation organization located on the beautiful Platte River in South Central Nebraska. We ensure a future for wildlife in Nebraska's Big Bend area of the Platte River through scientific research, habitat management, and outreach & education. The beautiful Nature and Visitor Center welcomes guests to the Crane Trust’s rare, protected

lands year-round and to the great Sandhill Crane migration in the spring. Come explore nature trails, interactive exhibits, tourism information, and a unique gift shop and art gallery. Located at Interstate 80 Exit 305, the Center is open Monday through Saturday, 9am to 4pm. Crane Trust is dedicated to protecting, preserving, and educating about critical habitat for endangered Whooping Cranes, Sandhill Cranes, and other important species in the Central Platte River Valley. In addition to offering tours of one of the greatest spring migrations in the world, the Trust works year-round to protect and preserve nearly 10,000 acres of critical habitat. Crane Trust offers a variety of options in March to make your crane viewing experience truly magical. Our riverfront blinds are located along the largest Sandhill Crane roost in the world. We invite you to book a Public Crane Viewing Tour, Daytime Driving Tour, or Footbridge Tour. For an elevated premier experience, you can stay one or two nights with us for a VIP Overnight Experience. Crane Trust members can join us from anywhere in the world for Virtual Crane Tours. Generous support from Crane Trust's donors and members helps ensure a future for wildlife in Nebraska's Big Bend region of the Platte River.

🍖🚲 Join us tomorrow for a BBQ with conservation photographer Mike Forsberg and International Crane Foundation ecologist ...
06/04/2026

🍖🚲 Join us tomorrow for a BBQ with conservation photographer Mike Forsberg and International Crane Foundation ecologist Dr. Andy Caven at 6 pm!

Planning to join us? RSVP through the link below so we can get an accurate food count.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHKvXFAySvIz3j5eLADzxV8BmiGGKu8AYFFYkTxE3N_iX-eA/viewform

After 24 days on the road, Mike and Andy have arrived at Crane Trust. Their 2,500-mile "Pedaling the Whooper Highway" journey is following the migration route of the endangered Whooping Crane across the Great Plains.

Since May 11, they've been following the migration route of the Whooping Crane from the Texas Gulf Coast toward Canada, experiencing firsthand the landscapes, communities, opportunities, and challenges that define one of North America's most important wildlife corridors.

Join us for an evening BBQ and conversation as they share stories from the road, insights into Whooping Crane conservation, and what they've learned while traveling through the heart of the Great Plains.

📅 Friday, June 5
⏰ 6:00 PM
📍 Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center
💲 $10 per person

Your registration includes BBQ sandwiches, sides, and dessert. Beverages will also be available from First Street Brewing Company.

Presented in partnership with Rowe Sanctuary and Platte Basin Timelapse.

We hope you'll join us.

Hi everyone! Will here from the science team!Have you been doing any spring planting lately? As you all may have noticed...
06/04/2026

Hi everyone! Will here from the science team!

Have you been doing any spring planting lately? As you all may have noticed, we have received a good bit of rain out here in the Central Platte River Valley and the plants are loving it! Frequent rain conditions are ideal for planting plugs out in the prairie, so that is exactly what we have been up to!

Over the past week and a half, Elizabeth (Science intern), Clara (Lila O’Wilson fellow), and I have planted about 240 violets throughout Crane Trust property. The species we are currently working on planting are Common Blue Violets (Viola sororia) as pictured in slides 2 and 5. These species are vital for the vulnerable Regal Fritillary (Speyeria idalia) butterfly as fritillaries only lay their eggs where there are nearby violets.

The process of planting these plugs is quite simple. The violets are planted in a grid like fashion 10 meters by 10 meters across with a plug at each meter within the grid. One person drives the dibble bar into the ground to create a small, plug shaped hole while another gathers a plant from the flat to place into the ground. Then rinse and repeat until there are violets along each segment of the grid.

Keep an eye out for violets and fritillaries!

📸Photo of Regal Fritillary thanks to Matt Urbanski
📸 Pictured on slide 1: Clara (Lila O'Wilson fellow, left) and Elizabeth (science intern, right)

06/04/2026

Welcome to another Wild Cam Wednesday!

This evening, a steady shower fell across the river as Eastern Kingbirds and Belted Kingfishers visited weathered crags along the water's edge. In just 18 minutes, silver and purple clouds swept across the sky. The storm transformed the emerald-green landscape, unleashing rain over the valley below.

We've sped up the footage so you can watch the sky's brief performance for yourself.

Wild Cam Wednesday features a virtual glimpse of moments captured by our live river and wildlife cameras in the Big Bend area of the Platte River. We hope you enjoyed this early-June edition. Thank you for watching!

Please join us in welcoming Clara Freese to the Crane Trust team!Clara joins us as the Lila O. Wilson Biological Monitor...
06/03/2026

Please join us in welcoming Clara Freese to the Crane Trust team!

Clara joins us as the Lila O. Wilson Biological Monitoring Fellow. Along with her vegetation monitoring experience, she has participated in conservation projects in eastern South Africa, assisting with wildlife tracking, anti-poaching efforts for rhinos and elephants, and cheetah reintroduction.

As a fellow, Clara is looking forward to building on these experiences while learning more about ecosystem monitoring and conservation in the Central Platte River Valley. We are excited to have her with us for the year, learn from her unique experiences, and watch her grow through the fellowship.

Join us in welcoming Clara to the team!

05/28/2026

Happy Whooping Crane Day!

Standing 5 feet tall with brilliant white plumage, black wingtips, and a wingspan stretching more than 7 feet, Whooping Cranes are one of North America’s most iconic birds.

In 1941, only 15 to 21 wild Whooping Cranes remained. Today, after decades of coordinated conservation work across North America, the total population across wild and managed groups has grown to approximately 834 birds.

The only self-sustaining migratory population, about 557 Whooping Cranes, travels nearly 2,500 miles between Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada and Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. Along that journey, the Central Platte River Valley provides important stopover habitat where cranes can rest and refuel during migration.

The recovery of the Whooping Crane is one of North America’s most significant conservation success stories, but the species still faces ongoing challenges. Habitat loss, changing river conditions, collisions with power lines, and drought continue to threaten migratory birds across the Great Plains.

At Crane Trust, we are committed to protecting and restoring the critical habitats that Whooping Cranes and so many other species depend on. From managing wide-open river channels to restoring native grasslands, our work ensures that these magnificent birds have a safe place to land today and for generations to come.

On this Whooping Crane Day, will you join us in safeguarding their future? Your gift directly supports vital conservation efforts along the Platte River and helps protect one of the rarest birds in the world.

Use the link below or in our bio to do so.
https://cranetrust.app.neoncrm.com/forms/donation-form

Camp Roost is coming to Crane Trust.June 26–28, we’re turning the Platte River into a grown-up summer camp — complete wi...
05/27/2026

Camp Roost is coming to Crane Trust.

June 26–28, we’re turning the Platte River into a grown-up summer camp — complete with campfires, river adventures, crafts, live music, bison tours, good food, drinks, and zero curfew.

Bring your partner, your best friends, or anyone who could use a weekend away from screens, schedules, and stress.

Spend the weekend biking prairie trails, making friendship bracelets, painting birdhouses, laughing around a fire, learning something new, and reconnecting with the kind of summer you forgot you missed.

Your weekend includes:
• 2 nights lodging
• All meals, beverages & snacks
• Guided experiences & activities
• Camp swag + take-home projects
• Bison Bash & live music

Cottage Room: $650 (up to 2 guests)
Suite: $850 (up to 2 guests)

Spots are limited.

Questions? Contact Sarah Nottage-Tacey at [email protected]

30 dumpster bags of invasive houndstongue removed from the prairie 🌱Today, volunteers joined Josh Wiese, our Range Manag...
05/26/2026

30 dumpster bags of invasive houndstongue removed from the prairie 🌱

Today, volunteers joined Josh Wiese, our Range Manager, to help remove houndstongue (Cynoglossum officinale) and thousands of musk thistle plants from the landscape. Thanks to their hard work, the entire infestation area was cleared.

Originally native to Europe and Asia, houndstongue was accidentally introduced to North America in the late 1800s, likely through contaminated crop seed, and has since spread aggressively through disturbed areas like roadsides, overgrazed pastures, and old burn pile sites. Each single plant can produce hundreds to more than 2,000 seeds, with burrs designed to hitch rides on fur, clothing, and equipment. Those seeds can remain viable in the soil for multiple years, meaning every plant removed today prevented countless future infestations.

While the plant’s fuzzy leaves inspired the name “houndstongue,” it poses a serious threat to prairie ecosystems by crowding out native species and reducing habitat quality for wildlife. Houndstongue is also toxic to livestock and many grazing animals.

Volunteer stewardship days like this create a lasting impact. By removing invasive plants before they spread further, this group helped protect valuable space, sunlight, water, and nutrients for native prairie plants to thrive.

A huge thank you to everyone who spent part of their day caring for the prairie. Conservation work like this truly adds up.

05/22/2026

Volunteers NEEDED - Tuesday, May 26!

Here at Crane Trust we work year round to protect Platte River habitat for migrating cranes and other species. That work takes many forms. Sometimes it involves heavy machinery. Other times it means getting out there and pulling out invasive species by hand, one plant at a time.

We have recently discovered the emergence of a plant known as houndstongue (Cynoglossum officinale) in an area of restored prairie. This plant is highly invasive and threatens the beneficial native species as well as the overall important biodiversity of the prairie. We have a short window of time to remove it before it seeds, to hopefully prevent further spread.

We are asking for volunteers to join us next Tuesday May 26th, either from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. or from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. to help pull these plants and protect these restored prairies so they can continue to provide critical habitat for the cranes, grassland nesting birds, and so many other species that rely on these wild spaces.

If you're able to help, you can find more information and sign up for a shift at the link below, or visit our website calendar at cranetrust.org.

Address

9325 S Alda Road (Alda Exit #305)
Wood River, NE
68883

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm
Saturday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

+13083821820

Website

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