We started off the day visiting the Crane Meadows Nature Center near Grand Island. Here, we viewed a video depicting the area's wildlife focusing on the migration of the Sand Hill Crane. We learned that the cranes' flyway is greatly narrowed in this area. This is the reason the population of cranes is so large here during migration. Because of this narrow band, conservation of the Platte River is of utmost importance. This was something many of us were unaware of, and a great lesson to teach students.

The Nature Center also housed authentic examples of many plant and animal species native to the Platte River including a large display of native grasses. Any student studying NE plant and animal life or conservation of the environment would enjoy this little stop and walk out with a wealth of information.

This was where we began an ongoing discussion of the usage of Nebraska's ground and river water. So much was learned by everyone, including the simple fact that water usage is an industry in itself with constant monitoring happening with so few Nebraskans even realizing.

Did you know:

• People actually measure the amount of water flowing through every river, into every canal, and onto every farmers' fields in a very precise scientific manner.
• The water in Nebraska's rivers isn't just Nebraska's...and there are and have been lawsuits over sharing water rights.
• Depending on which area of Nebraska you live in, you must different methods of irrigation?
• That the Platte River is nearly dry at the Colorado border because around 90% of the water is diverted to canals for irrigation...some of which then returns back to the river through the ground
• That ground water and river water are connected

These ongoing discussions, enabled us to build incredible background knowledge in the area of hydrology, the study of water and its uses. This knowledge will enhance all of us when teaching our Nebraska units. Taking students to a nearby dam or creating models would be great opportunities to see the effects of water control.

We stopped off to check out an irrigation canal up and personal. It was neat to see the real thing and how the water was diverted from the river and into the canal. We spoke with workers there who were measuring the water flow in the canal...see they really do control the flow!

We received a tour of George Norris' house in McCook. Here we saw a biographical video about his life and accomplishments. The house was set up in much the same fashion as it was when he lived there, full of many of his actual furnishings and awards. This included his awesome automobile housed out in the free standing garage. A tour of any notable Nebraskan's house or museum in your area is always highly recommended when studying Nebraska.

After a filling meal at the Copper Mill in McCook, we ventured on over the the golf course and took a lesson in kite flying. John, the tour's expert, just happened to have a few of his finest kites available for us to fly. This gave us the opportunity to experiment with one of Nebraska's finest natural resources...the wind.

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