2025 Crane Fest Special Tours
What special tours are on tap for the 2025 Monte Vista Crane Festival? Read on to find out!
2025 Keynote Speaker
We are excited to welcome Scott Weidensaul, award-winning author and researcher, as the keynote speaker for the 2025 Monte Vista Crane Festival!
CO Birding challenge
The annual Colorado Birding Challenge (COBC) is just around the corner, and this year, your participation can make a significant impact on bird habitat restoration in the San Luis Valley.
San Luis Valley Water: A Community in Action
April is Earth Month, a time when we reflect on the impact we have on our planet and what that means for its future. In the San Luis Valley, April also marks the beginning of the irrigation season, bringing water to the forefront of our community’s consciousness. Here in this high desert, the importance of water and wetlands extends far beyond their role as a haven for the beloved sandhill cranes; they are vital for all valley residents, encompassing the plant, animal, and human populations that call this place home.
2024 Crane Fest Special Tours: sneak peek
It’s time for another 2024 festival update! Today we will give you a sneak peek of the special tours we have lined up for this year.
2024 Crane Fest speakers: sneak peek
It’s time for our first 2024 festival update! Today we will give you a sneak peek at the amazing speakers we have lined up for this year’s festival.
Kids Crane Fest Quest Celebrates Sandhill Cranes
The Friends of the San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuges is excited to announce the Kids Crane Fest Quest, taking place from October 8-14, 2023, during National Wildlife Refuge Week.
Kids Crane Fest Quest Celebrates Sandhill Cranes Read More »
The Lasting Impact of Sandhill Cranes
We wanted to share an email we recently received from one of our donors, Robert Krattli. Robert’s story is indicative of the generational relevance of the San Luis Valley’s Sandhill Crane migration, and the lasting impact of the Monte Vista Crane Festival.
Wetland habitat health
Wetlands provide essential habitats for a wide variety of bird species, including sandhill cranes, which rely on these ecosystems for nesting, foraging, and migration.
Here’s to the next 40 years
The 40th Anniversary of the MVCF was an overwhelming success. Here’s to another 40 years of cranes, community, and conservation.