Central Nebraska’s crane migration draws visitors from around U.S. – but fewer from nearby
Earlier this week I wrote about a new University of Nebraska-Lincoln study that found that the spring crane migration generated $10.33 million for Central Nebraska’s economy last year. (It’s a lower number than the ones in two 1990s studies; the study’s researchers say its because of more precise methodology, a smaller coverage area and a focus only on spring migration, rather than the whole year.)
You can check out the whole study here, and one table on page 21 stood out to me: It details where the visitors to four of Central Nebraska’s main crane viewing sites came from. Here are the percentages:
Central Nebraska 12%
Other Nebraska 39%
Iowa 11%
Colorado 9%
Missouri 3%
Kansas 4%
Other states 20%
Other countries 1%
That’s only one out of eight crane center visitors who come from our area (they defined it as a 12-county area, but I can’t find out which counties). Almost as many come from Iowa alone. Almost exactly half come from outside Nebraska.
I’m surprised that the number of visitors from Central Nebraska is so low — particular in a year with a weak economy, when many people might be more inclined to take shorter trips, closer to home. Now, I’d imagine that many crane-watchers from the area are more inclined to view them from other places outside the main crane-watching sites; many of them may have a favorite out-of-the way spot or a friend’s piece of land that might work perfect. Still, this means that out of the 27,000 people who, the researchers estimate, visit one of these four sites each spring, just more than 3,000 are from Central Nebraska.
According to many migration and aviary experts, the crane migration in Central Nebraska is virtually unique — one of the Plains’ signature natural events. It’s also, with the possible exception of Nebraska’s Junk Jaunt, our area’s single biggest tourist attraction by number of visitors. It draws observers from around the country and the world, yet relatively few from our own area.
Why? I suspect it’s mostly because the phenomenon is so old-hat to native Nebraskans — we’ve been around it for so long that we don’t realize it’s special, or if we did, we don’t care much anymore. Renee Seifert, executive director of the Grand Island/Hall County Convention and Visitors Bureau, put it well: “Those birds have been coming here as long as people have been here, and so for them it’s just another normal, natural occurrence. I think people don’t understand that this particular phenomenon doesn’t occur anywhere else other than the central Platte River valley.”
So what do you think? Do we Central Nebraskans just not get it, or is there another reason so few of us visit the crane-watching centers in our own backyard?
Mark Coddington is The Independent's Regional Beat reporter covering a large area of Central Nebraska.
central Nebraskaian
28 Jan, 2010
If I could shoot them I would go and see them
Husker55
28 Jan, 2010
Those in outstate, farm-dominated Nebraska (outside Omaha and Lincoln) do not appreciate and understand some of the wonders of nature. (As the first comment here clearly demonstrates.) Many still harbor animosity toward anything they perceive as a threat to their precious corn and farm economy. That's why prairie dogs are now endangered and why a knee-jerk legislator introduced a "shoot-first, ask-questions-later" bill concerning mountain lions earlier this week. Some of this will come back to haunt the state because agriculture — according to a UNL economist — only comprises 25 percent of Nebraska's overall economy, and that percentage dwindles every year. There will come a time (I hope, anyway) when all Nebraskans understand and respect nature, wildlife and our natural resources — all of which are now being abused.
addlemanc
28 Jan, 2010
Mark, I would bet some of it is (and mostly all for me), that I can just drive down any major highway in central Nebraska, and see cranes in random fields. When you see them everywhere, and every year, it does just become old news. No reason to pay.
terrijo
29 Jan, 2010
Mark, I grew up in western Nebraska along the North Platte River and we had cranes out there every spring. Not as many as around G.I.,, but they were there. To me, the cranes are cool, but not that big of a deal. I'm not going to get up at 4 in the morning to sit in a freezing cold blind to look at birds I've been around all my life.
MileHighRed
19 Feb, 2010
I am so proud of my fellow Nebrskans that would even comment about shooting a Crane. Probably an idiot that would shoot at a Bald Eagle too. How pathetic. Go shoot some Snow Geese for your thrills and try getting ahold of a camera for your other shooting fixes.
As for those who appreciate the Cranes and live with them at all times, dont ever take them for granted. With shrinking habitat they still continue to come to the numbers of 500,000 every spring. What would you do if they didnt come?
I love to fish and I care nothing about hunting one way or another, but common sense or lack thereof is total stupidity.
Guest
23 Feb, 2010
I've been traveling to Nebraska for a number of years to witness the extraordinary crane migration. In Wisconsin we may see a dozen at a time throughout the summer, so to see tens of thousands in-flight or dancing and swooping, is so worth the trip. Might I concur with many of the points posted by MileHighRed.
Husker55
9 Mar, 2010
i.e., Guest: It is a fact that many of those who appreciate the crane migration the most come from Minnesota and Wisconsin.