About Us
OUR MISSION: Colorado Crane Conservation Coalition (“CCCC”) conserves and protects the Rocky Mountain Population of Greater Sandhill Cranes and their habitat using science and education to connect people with this iconic species. CCCC is the collaborative leader in fostering long-term sustainability of the Rocky Mountain Population of Greater Sandhill Cranes.
Colorado Crane Conservation Coalition (CCCC) was formed in May 2012 in response to a community discussion regarding the hunting of Greater Sandhill Cranes in Northwest Colorado. Birdwatchers, nature-lovers, and other interested citizens of Northwest Colorado were concerned that these migratory birds, still listed by the state as a Tier 1 species of concern, would decline in numbers and disappear from the area.
Since its inception, CCCC has concentrated on providing public education to ensure the protection of the Rocky Mountain Population of Greater Sandhill Cranes. CCCC presents the annual Yampa Valley Crane Festival every fall and presents educational programs for school children and community groups. In 2021, CCCC started a livestream Sandhill Crane nest camera to use as an educational and science tool. CCCC also monitors the status of cranes in the area and partners with other organizations engaged in habitat improvement projects for cranes and wildlife in Northwest Colorado. CCCC works with willing farmers and landowners in the Yampa Valley through a program called Crops for Cranes to help provide adequate food supplies for staging cranes just prior to migration.
CCCC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and relies on the generosity of volunteers, sponsors and private individuals like you to help maintain all of our programs, including the Yampa Valley Crane Festival. All donations/contributions are tax deductible. Learn about ways to support us.
Meet Our Team
Megan (Walker) Karschner
Executive Director
Email: [email protected]
Megan begins as CCCC’s Executive Director in April, 2024. Megan has lived and worked in the Yampa Valley for the past 15 years, most recently as an adjunct faculty member for Sustainability Studies at Colorado Mountain College. A graduate of Colorado Mountain College’s Outdoor Education and Sustainability Studies programs, Megan earned a master’s degree from Western Colorado University in Environmental Management.
Over the years, Megan has served as Naturalist and Director of Youth Programs for Yampatika, has taught at Steamboat Montessori, and has been a professional tutor, instructing college students in topics such as sustainability, biology, ecology, and environmental science. She has served as a 4-H leader, taught beekeeping workshops, provided educational and service-learning programming at the Bear Park Permaculture Center, and created a business, Meg’s Eggs, that sells eggs, honey, and jam to consumers.
Steph Appel
Operations Coordinator
Email: [email protected]
After volunteering with CCCC, Steph Appel became the Operations Coordinator in February, 2023. As a Landscape Architect and Marketing Designer, Steph uses a systems approach to create solutions that benefit CCCC daily. Steph enjoys teaching, gardening, and connecting people to the outdoors. She also loves anything related to water, flowing or frozen, including skiing, paddle boarding and swimming in her spare time.
CCCC in the News
This article in the Steamboat Pilot & Today highlights the Crane Nest Camera as it goes into its 2nd season livestreaming a Sandhill Crane nest in the Yampa Valley.
Read an article published in the Valley Voice in 2022 about Sandhill Cranes in the Yampa Valley and Greater Sandhill Crane Week. This article talks about CCCC’s various contests to help promote “crane awareness”. The article is located on page 7.
Click here to read an article published in the Steamboat Pilot & Today about CCCC celebrating our 10th year as a non-profit! Read about our nest camera project, new program director, and Creative Arts Scholarship Contest, which offered $10,000 in scholarships in 2021.
Click here to read an article published in the Steamboat Pilot & Today newspaper on August 27, 2019, about the 2019 Yampa Valley Crane Festival.
Click here to read an article published March 16, 2018 in the Craig Daily Press newspaper about progress in our “Crops for Cranes” program, which encourages landowners to plant grain crops that nourish the cranes in preparation for their southern migration in the fall.
Click here to read an article published in the Steamboat Pilot & Today newspaper on March 26, 2020, about the Creative Arts Contest that we sponsor for high school seniors in Routt and Moffatt Counties as one of our educational programs.
Click here to read an article published in the Steamboat Pilot & Today newspaper on January 10, 2020, about China’s invitation to our President, Nancy Merrill, to travel there and share information about our crane festival with them.