Crane Trust: Wild Rose and Mormon Island Properties
Site Description: Owned and managed by the Crane Trust, this is the largest remaining wet meadow along the River. This 2,500-acre preserve contains an extensive area of sedge meadows along with native tallgrass prairie surrounded by channels of the Platte River. This was the first Platte Valley crane sanctuary to be established. Access is by permission only.
Ornithological Summary: More than 70,000 Sandhill Cranes have been seen foraging together on its pristine wet meadows and as many as 80,000 cranes roost along its river shorelines during peak usage. More than 220 bird species have been reported here. Good numbers of Upland Sandpipers, Bobolinks, Sedge Wrens, Dickcissels and Grasshopper Sparrows nest from May until August. Prairie Falcons, Short-eared Owls, and Northern Harriers are seasonally common.
Links:
http://nebraskabirdingtrails.com/mormon-island-crane-meadows/
For more information, call or write Kevin Poague, Important Bird Areas Coordinator, Audubon Nebraska, P.O. Box 117, 11700 SW 100th Street, Denton, NE 68339 402-797-2301, Fax: 402-797-2304.
How you can help, right now
Support Rowe Sanctuary
Help us continue our important work for Sandhill Cranes and other birds that rely on the Platte River ecosystem!
Support Spring Creek Prairie
We are able to provide and protect this amazing landscape only with the help of private donations. Help us keep the trails open and the prairie thriving!
Support Audubon in the Great Plains
Support our work with local landowners, urban woods and prairies, and education programs in Nebraska and the Dakotas!