GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — By mid-March, the sandhill crane migration was at the peak of its season, with more than a half million birds along the Platte River in south Central Nebraska.

The March weather for crane viewing has been spectacular compared to last year's weather disaster that caused massive flooding throughout the area.

This year was looking good. And then, just like that, it wasn't.

The problem this year is not the weather, but the COVID-19 coronavirus, which has closed down the Crane Trust Nature and Visitor Center for a second year, keeping thousands of visitors from throughout...