In Nebraska, the Platte River Valley and Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary are home to a migratory "pit-stop" for sandhill cranes. In this lesson, students will use resources on the National Geographic magazine feature Crane Cam to learn about how the land area in and around the sanctuary has changed over time. Students will examine the intended and unintended consequences of human environmental intervention by studying crane activity in the Platte River Valley, and by researching the effects of human intervention on bird populations—and the effects of bird populations on humans.

Geography, social studies, science

Standard 4: "The physical and human characteristics of places"
Standard 8: "The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on Earth’s surface"
Standard 14: "How human actions modify the physical environment"
Standard 16: "The changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources"

Two to three hours

• Computer with Internet access
• Writing materials

Students will

• learn about the Crane Cam and Rowe Sanctuary projects in the Platte River Valley of Nebraska;
• research information on crane migratory patterns, conservation efforts involving the sandhill crane, and how conservation efforts can have intended and unintended consequences; and
• discuss the relationship between conservation and economics.

Early each year in Nebraska, thousands upon thousands of cranes come to the Platte River basin to rest, roost, and rejuvenate as they make their way from the southwestern United States to northern regions such as Alaska, Canada, and Siberia. Tourists also flock to the area, some coming back year after year because they find the experience so compelling. National Geographic, in partnership with the Audubon Society, sponsors Crane Cam—a project designed to provide live coverage of crane activity.

Introduce students to the Crane Cam feature from National Geographic magazine. To pique students' interest in the sanctuary and its importance to cranes, as well as to millions of other animals, project one or more of the multimedia shows available on the About Cranes and Kids & Cranes sections of the site. [If the time of year is right, students can watch live activity via the Crane Cam itself.]

Have students work in small groups to develop presentations on one of the topics listed below. Presentations will be based on group exploration of the Crane Cam site and the videos on Kids & Cranes, and should include highlights from their research.

Activity 1:
Topics

• Cranes: Information about the birds, their migratory patterns, and their status in the world.
• Rowe Sanctuary: The development and role of the sanctuary, including concerns about the future.
• Human Impact: How do humans influence the natural existence of cranes? How do the cranes have an impact on humans?

Students should watch and listen to the media presentations available on the site, and read the information available in the different sections (including related links in the sidebar). The video clips on Kids & Cranes should be particularly helpful for studying issues like these. Listed below are questions that will help guide the students’ research regardless of their chosen topic:

• How does the sanctuary help with crane migration?
• How does it help other species?
• Where do the cranes come from? What do they do while they are in Nebraska?
• What human interventions (or non-interventions) helped to both "create" and alter the natural habitat itself? the sanctuary?
• What economic and cultural effects in this region resulted from the development of the sanctuary and its annual activity?

Allow students time to conduct their research and develop their presentations. Presentations should include a visual, auditory, or multimedia component. Remind students that they should focus their information on the specific topic they were assigned, rather than presenting the full general subject. Have students present their findings to the class.

Activity 2:
After students have presented their group research, have them work independently or with a partner to find out more about how cranes are affecting Nebraska’s economy and global conservation efforts. Listed below are questions that will help guide students’ research:

• Several of the resources on the site discuss the interaction between nature and economics. What economic changes have had an impact on the cranes' environment? How have the cranes had an impact on the region's economy? Has this economic impact had any reciprocal effect on the cranes?
• Find out more about how the sanctuary contributes to (or interferes with) the region’s economy.
• Trace the migratory path of the cranes on a map of North America. Are there other sanctuaries such as Rowe along their migratory path? Why, or why not?
• Why might bird conservation be considered a catalyst for other conservation efforts?

Have students read the National Geographic News article "After 400 Years, Cranes Return to U.K.—Site is Kept Secret." Ask them to compare Eurasian and sandhill cranes, noting differences in their history, present status, and habitat conditions. Neither species is considered threatened, so why does the owner of the land in England keep their location private?

Generate a brief discussion and ask students if they think similar secrecy could be possible in Nebraska. Ask why, or why not.

Have students write a short article, poem, or some other original work demonstrating their understanding of the interaction between the sandhill cranes and the human populations of the Platte River area.

• For centuries, cranes have appeared in the artwork, literature, songs, and dance of cultures around the world. Have students select one continent (North America, Australia, Europe, Asia, Africa) or country (Russia, Japan, Egypt) on which to focus a research project into the way cranes have been represented in cultures over time.
  
  
• Use the information pages of the International Crane Foundation to research one of the cranes listed in National Geographic magazine's World of Cranes map (PDF, Adobe Acrobat Reader required) as critically endangered or endangered. What are the reasons for the crane's endangerment? What is being done to protect or reintroduce the birds?
  
  
• Have students visit the Xpeditions Activity Department of Crane-Land Security to complete interactive activities about protecting cranes and their habitats, including an examination of wildlife sanctuaries in their home states.
  
  
• Have students conduct online research to compare the biology, migration routes, and habitats of whooping cranes and sandhill cranes. Then, following standard debate procedures, have students debate why whooping cranes are endangered and migrating sandhill crane subspecies are not.

Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary
International Crane Foundation
National Geographic Magazine: Crane Cam
National Geographic Magazine: Crane Cam—Kids & Cranes