Yampa Valley Crane Festival

Colorado Crane Conservation Coalition, Inc. presents the annual Yampa Valley Crane Festival every fall. The festival occurs during fall staging- when cranes gather in large numbers in the fall to feed and gain energy for their migration south. The festival is held in beautiful Northwest Colorado with events in Steamboat Springs, Hayden, and Craig. The festival features guided crane-viewings, bird and nature walks, expert speakers, films, crane and bird art, children and family activities, and more!

Save the Date for our 12th annual Yampa Valley Crane Festival taking place Aug 31 – Sept 3, 2023 in beautiful Northwest Colorado!

Here is a sneak peak of our 2023 fantastic speaker lineup:

Keynote: Rich Beilfuss, President and CEO of the International Crane Foundation.
Buddy Huffaker, Executive Director of the Aldo Leopold Foundation
Steve Burrows, acclaimed author and writer of birder, murder mystery novels
Erin Gelling, Executive Director of CCCC
Sandra Noll and Erv Nichols, Sandhill Crane experts
Ted Floyd, editor of Birding magazine
Nature’s Educators, live raptors

Stay tuned for more information. The full schedule will be posted on our website July 1st.

Summary of the 11th annual Yampa Valley Crane Festival

Festival Activities

Daily guided sunrise crane viewings with crane experts Sandra Noll & Erv Nichols
Birds & Butterflies walk at Yampa River Botanic Park led by Ted and Andrew Floyd
Guided bird walks with Ted Floyd, editor of Birding magazine, Andrew Floyd, Chris Wood of Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Rebecca Weiss, Chip Clouse, Al Batt, Lisa & Paul Williams, Forrest Luke, Alan Reishus, Tresa & David Moulton, and Yampa Valley Birding Club
Guided bird walk and history tour at Mt Harris with Lisa and Paul Williams and Laurel Watson
Learning about Insects, Herps, & Birds walk led by Ted and Hannah Floyd
Crane-friendly Ranch Tour at TS Jost Ranch with Sharon and Terry Jost
Scenic Excursion by Pontoon Boat at Steamboat Lake, led by Julie Arington of Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Picnic dinner at The Carpenter Ranch in Hayden including a talk by Birding editor, Ted Floyd and his children Hannah and Andrew Floyd
Nature’s Educator’s Live Raptor Booth on the Library Lawn
Nature’s Educator’s Live Raptor Photo Shoot with wildlife and pet photographer Chris Becea of Morning Light Photography
Cranes of the Rockies film presented by Bud Werner Library with showings in both Steamboat Springs and Craig, Colorado
Hargila film presented by Bud Werner Library
Children and family activities led by Colorado Parks & Wildlife
Spirit Wind Aerial Arts – Heidi Miller’s crane-inspired flying dancers
Nature-journaling workshop with author Ellen Bonnifield and artist Cindy Wither
Story-telling in Children’s Story Time Room presented by Spellbinders
Sketch-A-Bird workshop taught by artist Leslie Lovejoy
Crane Yoga with Liz Leipold
The Broad Band at First Friday Artwalk
Guided nature walk at Steamboat Ski Resort led by botanist Karen Vail
Crane yard art display and silent auction for First Friday Artwalk featuring yard art cranes, crane quilt, and original Poster Contest winning poster
Coloring Contest Awards Ceremony
Photography Contest Award Ceremony
Educational crane displays

2022 Festival Speakers

Keynote Speaker: by Dr. Dan Collins, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Rocky Mountain Sandhill Crane Expert presented “Western Sandhill Crane Conservation and Management: A look Behind the Curtain”
Sandra Noll & Erv Nichols, naturalists and crane experts presented “Crane Basics”
Al Batt, Bird Watcher’s Digest columnist, radio host, author, and humorist presented“What is your Spark Bird?”
Chris Wood, Cornell Lab of Ornithology eBird Director presented “eBird: Birding for Science and Conservation”
Spike Millington, Vice President International – Asia at the International Crane Foundation presented “The Siberian Crane Story: a Tale of Ups and Downs”
Ted Floyd, author, birder extraordinaire, and editor of the American Birding Association’s Birding magazine, and his children Hannah and Andrew Floyd presented at the Carpenter Ranch near Hayden
Erin Gelling, wildlife biologist and CCCC Program Director, presented “Sandhill Crane Nesting: What Have We Learned from a Livestream Camera?”
Nature’s Educators’ presented “Talon Talk” with live raptors up close

2022 Workshop Leaders

Chris Becea – wildlife and pet photographer of Morning Light Photography
Ellen Bonnifield – Writer
Liz Leipold – Occupational Therapist, yoga teacher and ski instructor
Leslie Lovejoy – Artist
Julie Arington – Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Nature’s Educators – 501c3 wildlife education and rehabilitation organization
Karen Vail – Botanist, Master Gardener
Laurel Watson – Hayden Museum
Cindy Wither – Artist

2022 Films

Birds of America – A love letter composed to the founding father of nature conservation, John James Audubon, following his path along the Mississippi.

Cranes of the Rockies – The migration of the Sandhill Cranes is followed from their nesting areas in the greater Yellowstone Basin, to the vast San Luis Valley in South Central Colorado down to Bosque del Apache in New Mexico.

Hargila – A story about a conservation hero and her inspiring efforts to rally a community to save the Greater Adjutant, a huge scavenging stork.