The Colorado Crane Conservation Coalition (CCCC) is dedicated to the conservation and protection of Sandhill Cranes in Colorado.

The Greater Sandhill Crane is an iconic species of the Yampa Valley in Northwest Colorado. Returning in the spring from wintering grounds in New Mexico and Arizona, cranes nest and raise their young in wetland areas throughout the valley. At summer’s end during the peak of their stopover in the Yampa Valley, we present our annual crane festival. The purpose of the Yampa Valley Crane Festival is to educate the public about these ancient birds and to celebrate their presence in Northwest Colorado.

The 9th annual Yampa Valley Crane Festival takes place September 3-6. Due to the pandemic our festival is moving to a mostly virtual platform this year. We have created and produced a series of fun and educational videos about Greater Sandhill Cranes and other bird and nature-related topics focused on the Yampa Valley of Northwest Colorado. We have also taken some of the most popular crane festival events and turned them into videos for your enjoyment. All of these videos will be available for free through our website beginning September 3, 2020.

As part of our virtual festival we will present a live-streaming guided crane viewing session and a crane origami lesson via ZOOM. Detailed information about all videos and virtual events can be found under the 2020 Festival tab. As the festival approaches we will post a list of locations where you can go to view the cranes on your own.

To learn more about our other programs, please explore the rest of this website.

CCCC is now a participant in the CO Gives/Yampa Valley Gives Day.