A Nebraska photographer rode his bike from Texas to Canada. He did it for the cranes

“So far, we’ve never talked to anyone who was angry,” Forsberg said in early June. “Maybe they were indifferent at first, but they’ve all been proud of where they live.”

Aside from education, Forsberg had another goal: identify a flyway touring route for others to follow. Forsberg knows of many U.S. trails built around landscapes or history, but none defined by a migration.

Bigger picture

“Pedaling the Whooper Highway” joins a long list of efforts to learn more about cranes and their habitats and tell those stories. Each is like an addition to a Great Plains/Central Flyway quilt. 

In addition to the Platte Basin Timelapse, Forsberg’s storytelling projects include books and “Follow the Water,” a Nebraska Public Media documentary that follows Forsberg and filmmaker Pete Stegen as they travel the Platte River from its Wyoming headwaters to the Missouri River.

For 50-plus years, International Crane Foundation co-founder George Archibald and his staff have studied cranes in captivity and in remote places around the world. “Pedaling the Whooper Highway” provides an opportunity to educate people living the Central Flyway on important conservation issues, including the safe placement of wind turbines, which can kill migrating birds.

“Although the major wetlands where whooping cranes rest during migration are protected, there are hundreds of smaller wetlands that also provide important habitat for the cranes but are now disappearing through reduced rainfall as a consequence of climate change,” he said.

Forsberg said he felt the weight of migration while on the road and gained a better understanding of how whooping cranes must adjust to day-to-day conditions. “You just think about what’s ahead of you, that day, that morning, that mile,” he said. 

Caven recalled how early in their journey he heard only eastern meadowlarks. When they crossed into Kansas, they heard their first western meadowlark, then a mix of both. Soon, there were only western meadowlark songs.

“One of the wonderful things about the natural world is it can make you feel small,” Caven added. “I love that, but others may not.”

Heading home

With the trip complete, the two will focus on homework. Caven has a deadline to send a draft report to the North American Crane Working Group. Forsberg will organize iPhone photos and videos. 

The travelers have just begun to put their experiences into words.