Contact

The Crane Trust in your Hands

Coming Early 2027

For three and a half years, I photographed the Crane Trust in Nebraska’s Central Platte River Valley.

This book brings together the land, wildlife, people, and conservation work behind the Crane Trust. It is a look beyond the Nature and Visitor Center and crane viewing experiences.

Interested in the book? Join the waitlist below for occasional updates.

Book Updates

Unsubscribe anytime using the link sent via email.

Crane flying above a large flock gathered in shallow water at dusk.
Aerial view of branching river channels and patterned sandbars.

The Crane Trust protects and maintains nearly 10,000 acres of Platte River, wet meadow, and prairie habitat.

During migration season, Sandhill Cranes gather and Whooping Cranes pass through. A conservation bison herd also inhabits 1,200 acres of this landscape. Staff and volunteers work year-round to protect and maintain the habitat and run the Nature and Visitor Center.

The photographs in this book were made across approximately three and a half years. Together, they show more than individual wildlife encounters. They show the larger place, the people who care for it, and the work that continues when the most visible moments are over.

What the book holds

Bald Eagle sitting in a nest in a leafless tree as a flock flies nearby.

Sandhill Cranes, Whooping Cranes, bison, and the other animals that depend on the Central Platte River Valley.

Sunrise over a winding river and mist-covered wet meadow, prairie landscape.

The Platte River, wet meadows, prairie, changing seasons, and the habitat that makes the migration possible.

Gary Sitzman driving a tractor, seen through the cab windshield.

The people, fieldwork, conservation efforts, and daily responsibilities behind the Crane Trust.

Why I’m making it

This book will help us understand and feel connected to the Crane Trust.

For supporters, it will offer a deeper look at the place and the work they help make possible. For people who have never visited, it will provide a way to understand why this place matters.

The book is being developed toward the Crane Trust’s 50th anniversary year in 2027. It is a record of what I witnessed, but it is also a thank you to the place and people who gave me the opportunity to grow as a photographer, storyteller, and person.

Image Preview

Two bison sparring in a misty green meadow.
Large flock of cranes taking flight above shallow Platte River water.
Black-and-white drone photograph of sandbars in Nebraska’s Platte River.
Two Whooping Cranes standing in blue water below a dark riverbank.
Monarch butterfly perched on bare tree branches.
Bison herd standing in a snow-covered prairie with Sandhill Cranes flying above.
A raccoon sitting in the hole of a cottonwood tree.
Close-up of thick, curly brown bison fur.

Thank you for taking time to explore my upcoming book. Join the waitlist below for occasional updates.

Book Updates

Unsubscribe anytime using the link sent via email.

Target release: early 2027.