Crane Trust center weathers virus, reopens for visitors
ROBERT PORE, The Grand Island Independent
May 15, 2021
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GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) May 1 was a big day for the staff members and volunteers at the Crane Trust Nature and Visitor Center just off of Interstate 80 near Alda. The doors finally were reopened to the public after a 14-month hiatus caused by a pandemic.
While hundreds of thousands of sandhill cranes made their yearly migratory stopover along the Platte River in March 2020, thousands of visitors who annually flock to see one of the world’s largest migrations didn’t.
The cranes’ arrival coincided with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic and most of society became shut-ins in an effort to stop the virus spread. Businesses all over the country closed their doors or modified they way they did business. The travel and tourism industry in particular took a hard hit.