Paul Tebbel, crane biologist, former director of Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary on the Platte River in Nebraska, and current Executive Director of the Effie Yeaw Nature Center in California, presents “The Private Lives of Sandhill Cranes.” Tebbel will share his extensive knowledge of crane behaviors, vocal and body language, and conservation issues.

About the keynote speaker
Paul Tebbel is the Executive Director of the Effie Yeaw Nature Center on the Lower American River in Sacramento, California. Previously, he was the manager/director of the Lillian Annette Rowe Sanctuary, owned by the National Audubon Society, in Gibbon, Nebraska, for 11 years. The sanctuary focuses on habitat protection for sandhill and whooping cranes, waterfowl and other wildlife and the long range management of the Platte River. One of their primary missions is providing nature education opportunities for people of all ages. Paul led a successful capital campaign which raised $1.6 million and built the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary.

Tebbel received a BS in biology from Northern Michigan University and a MS in zoology from the University of Western Ontario, with his master’s thesis on sandhill cranes. One of his main hobbies remains watching sandhill cranes and their behavior. He uses his own video programs to show the unique characteristics of these birds and has led workshops on cranes and crane behavior at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge’s Festival of the Cranes for 14 years.

About the Yampa Valley Crane Festival
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, and the Bud Werner Memorial Library will be home base for many of these talks, films and events.

Learn more about the festival at www.coloradocranes.org.