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2013 Yampa Valley Crane Festival: Opening Night Film & Coloring Contest Awards

Thursday, September 5, 2013 - 6:30pm to 8:00pm
  • Library Hall

This is opening night for the Yampa Valley Crane Festival!

Join the children from the Yampa Valley's elementary schools for an award ceremony for winners of Crane Coloring Contest.Following the awards, there will be a free community screening of the documentary film, Cranes of the Rockies.

Most crane festival events are free, open to the public, and require no pre-registration.  A few activities or services require pre-registration due to a limit on the number of participants and/or a fee. These are indicated in the event descriptions below.

Wednesday, Sept. 4 : Celebrate the cranes in Craig! A special pre-festival event
Craig Crane Search! Join Sasha Nelson with Conservation Colorado to look for cranes. Meet at 6 p.m. at the Moffat County Tourism Office (1111 W. Victory Way #117) in the Centennial Mall in Craig. Questions about Craig's Yampa Valley Crane Festival event? Call 970.824.5241.

CRANE VIEWING MAPS!
We've been scouting the Greater Sandhill Cranes' hangouts around the Yampa Valley! Download and view maps here to venture out where you're most likely to find them. The document is a four-page pdf for easy viewing and printing at home. During the festival, printed copies will also be available at the festival info desk outside Library Hall at the Bud Werner Memorial Library, 1289 Lincoln Avenue.

Thursday's  Yampa Valley Crane Festival schedule:

9 a.m.-8 p.m.    Crane displays at the Library
Educational displays about cranes and their habitat on display in the entry to Library Hall at the Bud Werner Memorial Library, 1289 Lincoln Avenue.

6:30 p.m.      Crane Coloring Contest Award Ceremony
See the work of the Yampa Valley's talented young artists hanging around Library Hall, and help recognize the lucky winners, who will receive prizes generously donated by Ciao Gelato.

7 p.m.    Cranes of the Rockies film
Filmmaker Michael Bennett will be on hand to introduce his film and answer questions from the community. The film screens in Library Hall at the Bud Werner Memorial Library, 1289 Lincoln Avenue. Run time: 1 hour

Ongoing      Crane art display at Wild Goose Coffee at the Granary
Visit the display during regular business hours throughout September. Wild Goose Coffee at the Granary is located at 198 E. Lincoln Avenue in Hayden.   

Links to daily schedules:

About the festival
The second annual Yampa Valley Crane Festival takes place September 6-9, 2013 in Steamboat Springs and Hayden. The Greater Sandhill Crane is an iconic species of the Yampa Valley. Returning in the spring, cranes nest and raise their young in wetland areas throughout the valley. In late summer and early fall, hundreds of cranes from the Rocky Mountain flock join the local birds to rest and feed before continuing their journey south. The festival includes daily crane viewings, expert speakers, films, art exhibits, workshops, family activities and more. All community activities and events are free unless otherwise indicated in the program!

About the festival sponsor
The Colorado Crane Conservation Coalition (CCCC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and preservation of Sandhill Cranes in Colorado -- and lead organizer for the Yampa Valley Crane Festival each fall. Help support CCCC and the 2013 Yampa Valley Crane Festival by printing and submitting the donation form (A pdf, "CCCCSupport") at  the bottom of this page.

Festival partners
Abby Jensen Photography, BookTrails/Off the Beaten Path, Bud Werner Memorial Library, Ciao Gelato, City of Steamboat Springs, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Conservation Colorado, Council of the Humane Society of the U.S., Gerhard Assenmacher Photography, Klauzer & Tremaine, Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation, Steamboat Springs Arts Council, The Nature Conservancy, Tom Thurston at Stagecoach Marina, U.S. Forest Service, Yampa Valley Birding Club, Yampa Valley Land Trust & Yampatika

Questions about the Yampa Valley Crane Festival? Please send us an email.