• Home
  • About Us
  • Where We Work
  • Our Initiatives
  • News Room
  • Blog
  • My Nature Page

 


Dates: March 20–26, 2010

Cost: $2,335 per person (double occupancy); $2,645 (single occupancy) from Omaha, NE

Information & Reservations:
Discovery Tours
Al “Chip” Cipolletti
(800) 590-2669
info@tourwithdiscovery.com

Connect with the land:

Assist in gathering and sorting seed for prairie restoration (optional).

Why we work here:

The Big Bend Reach of the Platte River is the number one stopover for birds in the Central Flyway.

Threats to this ecosystem:

Wetland draining, grazing of sensitive dune areas, subdivision of land, mining

What we do here:

Improve habitat for wildlife such as the endangered whooping crane, piping plover and least tern by working with partners from landowners to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; provide landscape management services such as prescribed fire; restore damaged wetlands; develop sustainable graining regimes.



Get a front-row seat at the birding event of the year.

Enjoy the pageantry of courtship and migrating season along the Platte River—the U.S. Central Flyway’s most critical stop. See sandhill cranes fill the air with their bugle-like calls, up to 500,000 making the dawn flight; watch prairie chickens and sharp-tailed grouse perform their ancient courtship rituals; spend the night in Grand Island where cranes, geese and ducks congregate—you may even see some rare whooping cranes aloft. Travel with naturalists to the best displays and visit our Platte River preserve, where you’ll learn how we help protect the most important migratory area along the Central Flyway.

Highlights:

  • Start your stay in amodern bunkhouse on a
    working ranch;
  • Visit local preserves for bird-watching and natural
    history interpretation;
  • Watch cranes soar into the early light—and return for a dramatic sunset roosting flight;
  • Trek to the leks to view prairie-chickens and grouse perform their courtship dances;
  • Visit Rainwater Basin to see ducks and geese in their bright spring plumage;
  • See raptors in their natural habitat as you travel scenic back roads; and
  • Visit the National Audubon Society’s Rowe Sanctuary and the Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center.

Download the complete itinerary for this trip

View More Legacy Trips




Image credits (left to right): ©Chris Helzer/TNC (Niobrara Valley Preserve, Nebraska); © Paul Berquist (Sandhill Crane Flying, Nebraska).