7-26 to 7-28, Aurora,NE

Day 2

During our stay in Aurora we took a day trip to Grand Island.  Our first stop was at to the Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center. 

 

 

The Crane Trust protects and maintains the biological, hydrological and physical integrity of the Platte River’s Big Bend area that supports whooping cranes and other migratory birds.

 

 

 

 

After watching a short film we followed the path around the butterfly garden to a series of footbridges.

Unfortunately, we visited the center at the wrong time of year.  Each spring more than 80% (500,000+ of the world’s population of Sandhill Cranes converge on this sliver of land along with millions of migrating ducks and geese.

 

The Crane Trust is also home to a herd of bison that play an important role in maintaining the bird migration habitat.  Bison graze heavily on native grasses and disturb the soil with their hooves, allowing many plant and animal species to flourish. 

After lunch we made our way over to the Nebraska Fairgrounds where we explored Raising Nebraska, a 25,000 square foot exhibit. 

 

 

The Agri-House displays different products that result from agriculture.

Raising Nebraska is an interactive experience, from science and innovation, to community and culture, and even the global economy.

 

 

 

 

The exhibits allow visitors to explore where food comes from, methods of irrigation and offers facts on livestock like how many eggs a chicken lays per years.

Carbine simulator