Audubon Nebraska

Rivers and Wildlife Celebration
March 18-21, 2010
Kearney, Nebraska
Updated February 2010

Presented by Audubon Nebraska, Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary, and
the Nebraska Bird Partnership.

Nebraska Bird Partnership

On-line registration for the RWC is now open.

Click here to be taken to the registration page.

Update: As of Monday, Feb. 8, the following events are full:
* Photography workshop
* Friday evening crane viewing
* Saturday morning crane viewing
* Half-day Sunday morning field trip
Waiting lists are being kept for all full events.

To order a conference t-shirt, follow this link.

Please note the following:
* Fill out one on-line registration form for each person attending. Proceed to checkout when all persons you are registering for have been entered.
* The photography workshop and field trips are for conference registrants only.
* Registration fees include all programs and speakers, plus breakfast, lunch, and banquet on Saturday (vegetation options will be available). Field trips and photography workshop are extra.
* Prices for overall registration and some events will increase after Feb. 28.
* Get your hotel reservations.

The registration brochure, which details the list of activities for the weekend, can be downloaded here. Print the form, fill out the registration pages, and send with check or credit card information to the address on page 2 of the form.

If you prefer to have a hard copy of the registration materials mailed to you, call (402) 797-2301.

Gather with wildlife enthusiasts from around the world to celebrate the annual migration of 500,000 sandhill cranes and millions of waterfowl through central Nebraska. This 40^th annual conference is open to anyone interested in experiencing one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on Earth and learning more about the natural world in a friendly and informal atmosphere.

Celebration Highlights

Field trips:

Pre-conference, all-day birding trip on Thursday, March 18
Post-conference birding trip with Scott Weidensaul, Sunday, March 21
Sunrise and sunset visits to crane viewing blinds along the Platte River—not to be missed!
Day-long and half-day excursions to local wetlands and lakes to view migrating waterfowl and native Nebraska wildlife

Featured speakers:

Scott Weidensaul — Naturalist, author of more than two dozen natural history books, including Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds, a Pulitzer Prize finalist
Michael Forsberg — Nature photographer, author of Great Plains: America's Lingering Wild
Ron Klataske — Executive director, Audubon of Kansas
Chris Wood — Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Conference activities are held in the convention center at the Holiday Inn in Kearney, (308) 237-5971. Discount room rates are available for conference registrants. Information on local accommodations and sites of interest can be found at www.visitkearney.org and at www.kearneycoc.org.

Registration materials will be ready by late December. On-line registration will be available as will downloadable registration forms from this Web page, or one can be sent to you by writing or calling Audubon Nebraska, P.O. Box 117, Denton, NE 68339; (402) 797-2301.

For crane viewing information, write or call Rowe Sanctuary at 44450 Elm Island Road, Gibbon, NE 68840; (308) 468-5282.

Refund Policy: Unpredictable March weather is one of the fun experiences of life in central Nebraska. If you need to cancel your reservation due to snow or any other reason, or if you have any questions, call the office at (402) 797-2301. Registrations canceled two weeks before the RWC or earlier will be given full refunds. Cancellations happening two weeks before up until the RWC will be offered fifty percent refunds. If any field trip was filled prior to our receiving your registration, we will keep you on a waiting list and will let you know if an opening occurs. The lists will be kept current up until field trip time. Paid individuals for which there was no space will be issued field trip refunds.