Sandhill Crane Festival swoops back in to Othello

Migration draws in thousands of birds, people

OTHELLO — Randy Hill says he knows it's spring when he hears and sees the sandhill cranes.

This weekend, it's going to be spring in droves.

Friday afternoon marks the beginning of the eighth annual Sandhill Crane Festival.

The three-day festival will offer 30 different birding, wildlife and natural history field trips in the Columbia Basin area, and will dispatch tours with itineraries including the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge and Potholes Reservoir. Additional tours will take place on March 26 and April 2, for a total of 14 bus tours offered to view the thousands of birds that visit the area each spring.

"They're social, they hang out in groups, sometimes fairly large groups," said Hill, festival field trip and seminar coordinator and a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Columbia Wildlife Refuge. He added that spring migration of the cranes offers interesting courtship displays and sounds, such as jumping up in the air with wings out and vocalizations and bugling.

The birds have been coming through the area for thousands of years, but the flocks have built in the last 30 to 35 because of the development of the Columbia Basin Project and crop land farming patterns, Hill said.

"It's a combo of water, food and open space," he said of the area's draw for the cranes.

"It's important because people come and get to see the cranes when they're migrating through," said Marie Lotz, coordinator for the festival, which also educates the public about farming. "I take it at an ag angle because I work for the conservation district. Education of agriculture and wildlife coexisting is my huge thing, and (the festival) is to let the people know how interesting the area is. We're just unique."

Originated in 1998, Lotz said last year's festival drew in 1,500 people, although there may be a little less this year, as the event is not offering as many bus tours because things were "so maxed out."

The festival draws in people from Oregon and Idaho, although the main concentration is from the Seattle area and Spokane, Lotz said. She is happy to see more people from around the area as well, she said.

"It definitely brings in a lot of tourists to the area," Lotz said. "They get to know Othello and see the rich wildlife we have in the area." It also brings money into the town's economy, especially in local food establishments and motels, she said.

Hill noted that the "Puget Sound crowd" went through a soggy, gray winter.

"They can come over here to get some sunshine," he said.

The controlled atmosphere of the tours allows an interpretive program with wildlife and agricultural guides to explain what people are seeing, as well as keep people from chasing the birds away or disturbing them, Hill said.

"More and more people are wanting to view them on their own," he said. "We generally have to send them out to areas we know the buses are not going, because you never know what kind of effect they are going to have, how respectful they will be."

In addition to all the tours, the festival weekend will include numerous birding, wildlife and natural history lectures, an authors' forum, an art contest, wildlife and agricultural exhibits and a banquet. The event will also feature wildlife-related arts and crafts for children.

The festival relies on a lot of help from volunteers. Lotz said coordinating the event is essentially a year-round job.

"There's always something to do," she said.

Hill said the event is usually later in March, but coordinators did not want to conflict with Easter as far as volunteer help. Pushing into April and spring break would have been tough as well, he said.

"It's an early spring, but we know birdwise … we already have at least 4,000 cranes in the area," he said.

For Friday, festival headquarters will be at the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, 735 East Main. For the balance of the weekend, the venue is Othello High School at 340 South Seventh St. It costs $7 for adult and general admission, $5 senior admission and children aged 12 and under are free.

For complete program and registration information, call 1-866-SANDHIL, or access the Web site at www.othellosandhillcranefestival.org. Advanced registration is advised to assure a tour spot.