This is our 26th Annual Othello Sandhill Crane Festival!! Founded in 1998, the Othello Sandhill Crane Festival highlights the spring return of Sandhill Cranes to the greater Othello area and Columbia National Wildlife Refuge. Lectures will be delivered on Friday night and Saturday. Tours will be offered on Thursday, Friday, 

Saturday, and Sunday. 

Our festival will remain at our new venues this year with the intent of improving room size, audience capacity, and space.

Thursday, March 21

Potholes Reservoir Boat Birding Tour – departs from MarDon Resort, 8198 WA Highway 262, Othello, WA 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM and again at 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM. $90.00. This boat trip explores bird life in early spring on Potholes Reservoir and concentrates on the bays where waterfowl, grebes, shorebirds, herons, and eagles might be found. Please dress accordingly as it may be very cold and/or rainy this time of year

Friday, March 22

9:00 AM – 12:00 PM Royal Lake Overlook Hike $20

Kaley Wisher – Meet at Royal Lake Outlook

11:00 AM – 1:30 PM Potholes Reservoir Boat Birding Tour $90

Nathan LaFrance and Mike Denny - departs from MarDon

2:00 PM – 5:45 PM Biking for Cranes Tour $25

Pete Perez - meet at colorful shed behind the church

2:00 PM – 4:30 PM Potholes Reservoir Boat Birding Tour $90

Nathan LaFrance - departs from MarDon

3:30 PM –  Dark Tonnemaker Hill Farm Tour $20

Luke Tonnemaker – meet at Tonnemaker Farm

4:00 PM –  Dark Basalt Columns and Wildlife Hike $20

Randy Hill – meet at Refuge Headquarters

7:00 PM -  WSU-Raptor Club

MMS Commons WSU Raptor Club

5:00 PM – 8:00 PM EAGLES LODGE DINNER

127 E Larch St. Othello, WA.

Pay at the door $16

Saturday, March 23

7:00 AM – 8:30 AM Crane Viewing Tours $25

Loading from front doors of the Nazarene Church

7:15 AM – 8:45 AM Crane Viewing Tours $25

Loading from front doors of the Nazarene Church

7:30 AM – 9:00  AM Crane Viewing Tours $25

Loading from front doors of the Nazarene Church

7:45 AM – 9:15 AM Crane Viewing Tours $25

Loading from front doors of the Nazarene Church

8:45 AM - 12:30 PM Biking for Cranes Tour $25

Pete Perez - meet at colorful shed behind the church

9:00 AM – 11:00 AM Othello Bird Walk Mike Denny

Meet in front of Nazarene Church

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Red Room – Sandhill Cranes and the Pacific Highway

Gary Ivey

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Blue Room – Northern Leopard Frogs

Lindsay D. Nason

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Purple Room - Music Room (MMS) Mystery of the Channeled Scablands

Lloyd Stoess

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM Purple Room - Music Room (MMS) Bird Bones and Feathers

David Lukas

11:00 AM - 2:00 PM Spotting Scope at Marsh Unit #1

Randy Hill - meet at Marsh Unit #1

11:00 AM - 1:30 PM Potholes Reservoir Boat Birding Tour $90

Nathan LaFrance - departs from MarDon

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Red Room – An Enduring Conservation Vision of the Blue Mountains

David Mildrexler

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Green Room – The Trouble with Wolves

Fay Peebles

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Blue Room – Birds and Wildlife of the Wallula Gap

Mike Denny

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Purple Room - Music Room (MMS) Ice Age Floods National Geological Trail

Justin Radford

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Brown Room – STEM Room (MMS) Our Favorite Loon Stories

Ginger Poleschook

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Othello Community Museum Tour

Eric Morgan - meet at Othello Community Museum

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Red Room – Three P’s of Bees

Riley Reed

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Green Room – The Marvel of Washington Shrubsteppe

Kim Thorburn

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Blue Room – Grasses and Bird Habitats

Michael M. Neff

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Purple Room - Music Room (MMS) Latest Birds Eye View of Ice-Age Floods

Bruce Bjornstead

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Brown Room – STEM Room (MMS) Stories About our Fellow Creatures

Dennis Dauble

2:00 PM - 4:30 PM Potholes Reservoir Boat Birding Tour $90

Nathan LaFrance - departs from MarDon

2:15 PM - 3:15 PM Red Room – David Douglas in the Columbia Basin

Jack Nesbit

2:15 PM - 3:15 PM Blue Room – Photographing Birds in Motion

Diana McPherson

2:15 PM - 3:15 PM Purple Room - Music Room (MMS) Grand Coulee. A Great Erosion Story

Ken Lary

2:15 PM - 3:15 PM Brown Room - Stem Room (MMS) Burrowing Owls

Jason Fidorra

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Upper Goose Coulee Hike $20

Asshleigh Field

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM Purple Room - Music Room (MMS) WSU Raptor Club

WSU Raptor Club

5:30 PM – Dark  Crane Viewing Tour $25

Loading from front doors of the Nazarene Church

5:45 PM – Dark  Crane Viewing Tour $25

Loading from front doors of the Nazarene Church

6:00 PM – Dark  Fly In Bus Tour $20

Loading from front doors of the Nazarene Church

Sunday, March 24

5:45 AM – 10:00 AM Sunrise Photography Workshop $110

Diana McPherson

7:00 AM – 12:00 PM Royal Slope Birding Bus Tour $60

Randy Hill

7:15 AM – 8:45 AM Crane Viewing Bus Tour $25

7:30 AM – 9:00 AM Crane Viewing Bus Tour $25

7:30 AM – 3:30 PM Lower Crab Creek Birding Bus Tour $70

Mike Denny

8:00 AM – 10:00 AM Bird Tour and Hike in Potholes $30

Margaret Heming

8:15 AM – 4:00 PM Saddle Mountain and Drumheller $55

Lloyd Stoess and Ken Lacey

9:00 AM – 3:00 PM Dramatic Drumheller Channel Hike $55

Bruce Bjornstad

10:00 AM - Noon Brunch with the Birders at Ironworks $35

Heidi Newsome

11:00 AM – 1:30 PM Potholes Reservoir Boat Birding Tour $90

Nathan LaFrance - departs from MarDon

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Othello Community Museum Tour

Eric Morgan - meet at Othello Museum

2:00 PM – 4:30 PM Potholes Reservoir Boat Birding Tour $90

Nathan LaFrance and Heidi Newsome - departs from MarDon

3:30 PM – Dark Tonnemaker Hill Farm Tour $20

Luke Tonnemaker - meet at Tonnemaker Farm

3:35 PM – Dark Sunset Photography Workshop $110

Diana McPherson

Location of the Othello Sandhill Crane Festival:

Othello Nazarene Church (835 S 10th Ave.) and McFarland Middle School (MMS) (790 S 10th Ave.)

Date: March 22-24, 2024

Location: Various locations in Othello

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