MONTE VISTA – The 43rd annual Monte Vista Crane Festival will soon be here, taking place March 6-8. Each year, thousands of sandhill cranes follow their seasonal migration trail and make a magical stop in the area.  

People from all over come to Monte Vista in hopes of watching and taking pictures, of this inspiring event, that never ceases to amaze anyone including avid bird watchers. 

The Monte Vista Crane Festival is a collaboration of a different groups, including the Friends of the San Luis Valley Wildlife Refuge, the Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce, the City of Monte Vista, and the San Luis Valley National Wildlife Complex. There are also local organizing partners including San Luis Valley Go and the Church Project Community Art Center, and various sponsors who all collaborate to make the Monte Vista Crane Festival a great success.  

This year’s event is sure to be grand with tickets already on sale online for the many different workshops, tours, and speakers who will be available for the 43RD annual Crane Festival.  

This year’s keynote speaker for the event will be Rosemary Mosco. According to mvcranefest.org, Mosco will blend art, science, and humor together as part of her keynote speech. She will also be speaking about ways in which to reconnect with nature. This is sure to be a memorable presentation. Tickets are available for this event online right now.  

Along with the keynote speech, there will also be a special Friday night screening of the movie “Listeners,” that according to the website, provides viewers with a documentary that explores different areas of competitive birding.  

There will also be hands-on workshops available at the event including a nature and photography workshop, an editing nature and photography workshop, a plein air painting workshop, a celebrating cranes, brush painting workshop, a gel printing workshop, and one particular workshop that will include making cartoons, observing birds, and ideas on how to translate your thoughts into simple drawings. There are many other workshops scheduled, too.  

A Sip and Paint event will be on Friday, March 6, at the beautiful Windsor Hotel in Del Norte. According to the website, painters will be guided and engaged in creating a crane or nature inspired painting. 

There are various crane tours that will also be taking place, along with bird walks led by SLV GO!. Check out the website for various times, dates, and tickets that are available.  

You are all also invited to attend the Crane, Craft, and Nature Fair that will take place during the festival March 6-8, at the Ski-Hi Complex. This is a popular event that takes place every year with the festival and is hosted by the Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce. It features artists, vendors, and exhibitors, with nature-influenced arts, and production items for sale or exhibits. 

The Craft and Nature Fair is open to the public and will take place March 6-7 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and March 8, from 1 to 5 p.m.  

For more information on all the speakers, workshops, tours and tickets, visit mvcranefest.org.