Speaker Series
Program reservations open online on Thursday, January 8, 2026, at 9:00 am CST.
Cost: Free, registration required.
About:
"Counting Cranes" is a short film by the Platte Basin Timelapse(PBT) team that documents the Crane Trust’s process of conducting aerial surveys to count the hundreds of thousands of Sandhill Cranes that migrate through the Platte River Valley in Nebraska each spring. The film follows the Crane Trust biologists who count these birds, explain the methods used, and highlight the importance of the migration and conservation efforts.
After watching the film, join us for an exclusive Q&A with Mariah Lungren, producer at Platte Basin Timelapse, and Bethany Ostrum, a Crane Trust biologist, who regularly counts cranes and posts the local crane counts!
Learn about the Speakers:
Since 2019, Bethany Ostrum has been focused on researching the Central Platte River Valley's wildlife. As the Crane Trust's Lead Biologist Bethany has been taking flight to count Sandhill Cranes on the Platte since 2021.
Mariah Lundgren is Platte Basin Timelapse's (PBT) project manager and has been a conservation photographer and filmmaker for a decade, focusing on stories in the Great Plains and the American West. She is passionate about showing people the beauty and importance of working lands and wild landscapes. Mariah is a graduate of the University of Nebraska’s School of Natural Resources, on faculty with Summit Workshops, and an Associate Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers. Born and raised in Nebraska, she now calls Colorado home and spends her free time snowboarding, prairie running, and backyard farming with her husband, two cats, and six chickens.
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