Sports Illustrated Photographer Kicks Off Another Wild About Nebraska Weekend at the Crane Trust

Wood River, Neb–Internationally acclaimed Sports Illustrated photographer Bill Frakes will kick off another Wild About Nebraska weekend this Saturday, March 16, at the Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center. Frake’s presentation, titled “Frakes Takes—My Life in Photography”, will start at 11:00 a.m.

Based in Florida, Frakes hails originally from Nebraska, having worked in all 50 states and in more than 125 countries for an astonishing variety of editorial and advertising clients. Among his advertising clients are Apple, Nike, Coca Cola, Nikon and IBM. Editorially, his work has appeared in virtually all major general interest publication in the world.

Frakes has received hundreds of national and international awards for his work, including the coveted Newspaper Photographer of the Year award in the prestigious Pictures of the Year competition. He also was awarded the Gold Medal by World Press Photo and was a member of the Miami Herald staff that won the Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of Hurricane Andrew. He has been honored by the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards for reporting on the disadvantaged and by the Overseas Press club for distinguished foreign reporting.

Founder of Straw Hat Visuals, Frakes is back home in Nebraska this week to photograph the great sandhill crane migration and to lead a three-day photo tour/workshop on the Platte River to document the experience. As part of the Crane Trust’s Wild About Nebraska speaker and event series, his presentation on Saturday is open to the public and promises a fantastic array of sports and outdoor imagery from around the world.  

Other feature presentations March 16-17 include:

“Outdoor Adventures in Photography” (Saturday, March 16, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.)

Award-winning nature and wildlife photographer Rick Rasmussen shares his most memorable moments and images in the wild. Rasmussen’s passion for the outdoors began in his early years hunting and fishing with his father in Nebraska, which set the stage for a life of photography throughout the Platte River Valley and, most recently, the wilds of Alaska and the Antarctic.

“Rocky Mountain Headwaters of the Platte” (Sunday, March 17:  2:00 – 3:00 p.m.)

On Sunday, Dr. Will Locke, Professor Emeritus at Hastings College, will lead visitors to the highest Colorado peaks and snowfields to view the scenic headwaters of the North and South Platte Rivers. Locke’s presentation will follow these two rivers downstream into Nebraska where they merge to become the braided river that cranes depend on for successful staging during their spring migration to breeding grounds in the north.

“A Crane’s Eye View” (Sunday, March 17:  3:00 – 4:00 p.m.)

Visitors will take flight with Dr. Bill Beachly, Professor of Biology at Hastings College, as he delivers a fascinating birds-eye view of the sandhill crane's journey northward from its wintering grounds in Mexico to its staging grounds along the Platte River in south-central Nebraska. Beachly's presentation gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "Google it!"

Wine Tasting: Noon-4:00 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.  

All events and presentations are open to the public and are being held at the Crane TrustNature & Visitor Center near Wood River in south central Nebraska, I-80 Alda Exit 305. Before and after the presentations, visitors can browse the center’s fine art gallery and gift shop or take a short walk to see the live bison exhibition herd, climb the observation tower and hike out onto the prairie. Guided crane tours for the public can also be reserved online at NebraskaNature.org or by calling (308) 382-1820.  

The Crane Trust’s month-long Wild About Nebraska speaker and event series is a public celebration of Nebraska’s Great Sandhill Crane Migration, as more than 500,000 sandhill cranes descend on the Platte River in south central Nebraska every spring for 3-4 weeks before continuing on to their breeding grounds in the north. 

The Crane Trust is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and maintenance of critical habitat for cranes and other migratory birds along the Platte River through science, habitat management, community outreach, and education.

Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center / 9325 S Alda Road / Wood River, NE 68883

www.NebraskaNature.org