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Thousands of sandhill cranes roost on the Platte River during their annual migratory stopover at the Rowe Audubon Sanctuary near Gibbon, Nebraska. With water in the river nearly gone due to urban areas and agriculture, many wonder how long it will be until the river runs dry. Some 600,000 cranes use just a few miles of the river in central Nebraska, and even these areas must be mechanically cleared of woody vegetation to ensure that the habitat remains suitable for cranes.