Your rare chance to see these endangered animals near Wichita

The last time Ron Klataske planned another event like this, it ballooned into an international affair.

That’s just how special these migratory birds are.

Klataske, who now works as the executive director of Audubon of Kansas, is organizing a “Celebration of Cranes” on Saturday at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.

Quivira, about an hour and a half from Wichita in Stafford County, regularly attracts thousands upon thousands of sandhill cranes, ducks, geese, eagles, hawks, songbirds and other migratory birds around this time of year.

This year, endangered whooping cranes have also been spotted at Quivira.

The crane festival is an opportunity to get a guided tour of the refuge and hear tips from expert birders, all while taking in a full day at Quivira.

Klataske first planned a crane festival in Nebraska in 1971, which was attended by about a dozen people.

Forty-eight years later, the Audubon Nebraska crane festival attracts wildlife enthusiasts from nearly every state and countries overseas to central Nebraska’s Platte River.

In a release, Audubon of Kansas said it doesn’t want the Kansas festival to grow quite that large because “it would overwhelm the refuge.”

It is attempting to draw attention to the fact that Rattlesnake Creek, the water body that feeds Quivira’s lakes and marshes, is in need of attention.

In recent years, the water flow to the creek has been diminished, leading to the groundwater becoming impaired. If this keeps up, the future of Quivira could be at peril, Klataske said.

The Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Water Resources controls this.

“Many of these birds need Quivira National Wildlife Refuge as one of the most important migratory stopover staging areas in the central Great Plains,” he said. “We’ve lost wetlands and other forms of habitat throughout the country and throughout the Great Plains, so it’s important that we preserve and adequately manage the few areas that we have that are dedicated to wildlife conservation.”

The 22,135-acre federal refuge boasts some of the best-regarded wetlands in the country, and it’s only one of four such federally managed areas in the state.

From one spot, with the aid of binoculars, one can watch thousands of birds roosting on Quivira’s alkaline marshes at this time of year.

Audubon of Kansas will have two 15-passenger vans departing on tours of Quivira every two hours throughout the day — and possibly more often, depending on demand — starting at 8 a.m. Saturday. The vans will leave from the Quivira visitor’s center, at the far southern end of the park.

Advance registration is not required, though spaces can be reserved by emailing Aubudon at aok@audubonofkansas.org or calling its Manhattan office at 785-537-4385.

Attending the “Celebration of Cranes” is free, though donations to help cover the cost of van rentals will be accepted.

Participants are encouraged to bring a sack lunch.

On Oct. 20, at least 20 whooping cranes were spotted at Quivira, as well as an estimated 14,000 sandhill cranes, more than 50,000 geese, ducks and other waterfowl.

‘CELEBRATION OF CRANES’

When: 8 a.m.-sunset Sat.

Where: Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, 1434 NE 80th Street, Stafford

What: Guided tours of the refuge with experienced birders. See thousands of birds in the midst of migration, including a chance to see endangered whooping cranes.

How much: Free, but $5 donations to Audubon of Kansas are accepted.

Information: www.audubonofkansas.org, 785-537-4385