About the Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust

THE PLATTE RIVER WHOOPING CRANE MAINTENANCE TRUST is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of whooping cranes, sandhill cranes and other migratory birds and their habitat along the Platte River in central Nebraska. The Trust’s mission is to protect and maintain the physical, hydrological and biological integrity of the Platte as a life support system for whooping cranes and other migratory birds. The Trust acquires land and water rights, protects and manages habitat, and conducts research related to migratory birds and their habitat needs.

The Platte River Trust was formed in 1978 as part of a court-approved settlement of a controversy over the construction of Grayrocks Dam on a tributary of the Platte in Wyoming. The state of Nebraska and the National Wildlife Federation objected to the project, claiming it would jeopardize irrigation and wildlife downstream in Nebraska. The settlement satisfied requirements of the Endangered Species Act and allowed the Missouri Basin Power Project, owners of Grayrocks, to complete project construction. The Trust was funded by a $7.5 million payment from the Missouri Basin Power Project. Income from the endowment is used to finance habitat protection, land acquisition, and other programs.

During its first twenty years, the Trust has acquired almost 10,000 acres of habitat along the Platte. The majority of the habitat is native grassland and wet meadow, and the remainder includes river channel, woodlands, and crop land. These areas are important components of the habitat for migrating whooping cranes, sandhill cranes, and other birds that depend on the Platte River.

The Trust’s staff includes a diverse mix of scientists, managers and habitat maintenance workers.

The Trust staff are:

Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, Ph.D., Executive Director
& Avian Ecologist
Kent Pfeiffer, Plant Ecologist & Land Manager
Dan Kim, Ph.D., Avian Ecologist
Travis Dassinger, Habitat Maintenance Crew Chief
Donna Narber, Office Manager
Michael Webb, Administrative Assistant

The Trust currently holds marketable securities and other assets totaling more than $9.9 million. Land, facilities and equipment are valued at $8.6 million (based on purchase cost), for a total asset valuation of approximately $17.3 million.

[ PHOTO: GRAYROCKS DAM ]

The Trust is administered by three trustees who are appointed by the three participants in the settlement. The trustees are:

Walter Canney, Chair
Missouri Basin Power Project
Lincoln, NE

Tom Dougherty
National Wildlife Federation
Loveland, CO

Van Korell
State of Nebraska
McCook, NE