2011 Othello crane festival canceled

OTHELLO — Committee organizers blame a lack volunteers as the main reason for the cancellation of the 2011 Othello Sandhill Crane Festival.

The crane festival committee is a non-profit, volunteer-based group.

Typically set in March, festival coordinator Marie Lotz said the committee decided to cancel the 2011 festival earlier this month, with the thought of organizing for the crane festival in 2012 soon after the first of the year.

“The major reasoning why we canceled the festival this year is that we couldn’t put on a good quality festival like past years. We didn’t have volunteers to be able to do all of aspects,” she said.

An area needing major help was securing speakers for the festival, she said.

Festival organizers recently met with Othello City Council to see what can be saved from the festival.

“They are going to see what (city staff) can do in regards to securing speakers and help us with the brochures,” said committee chairwoman Dixie Fultz. “But at this point, everything is still up in the air.”

The festival has been going on for roughly 13 years, added Fultz.

“We used to have a volunteer base of 15 to 18 people. Now we are down to five to six volunteers,”said Lotz.

Some of the volunteers came from US Fish and Wildlife Services employees in previous years.

State budget cuts reduced the previous eight-person crew to three, said Lotz.

In place of the crane festival, organizers are planning to provide smaller-scaled crane tours in March 2011.

The crane festival is an educational event offering crane tours of Royal Slope, just outside of Othello, and brings bird speakers and refuge specialists for festival visitors.

The festival allows visitors to explore the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, a 23,200 acre area made up of fishing, hiking, wildlife and unique geographic development.

Groups from beyond the area usually secure crane tours months in advance, said Lotz.

The cancellation of the crane festival will impact businesses, she said.

“The festival brings close to $40,000 alone. We fill Othello motels, even motels in the Tri-Cities and Moses Lake. Our restaurants will hurt too, because they are expecting it to be a busy weekend,” she said.

The festival committee is looking forward to the 2012 crane festival.

“We are going to make it bigger and better than past years,” she said.

To volunteer for the crane festival, call 509-488-2802.