Saturday, February 21th, 2015. El Hito and Montalbo, two small towns located in Cuenca (Spain) will celebrate the first edition of Grus Grus Festival - The Crane's Day, an event conceived to promote ecotourism as a development tool in a region characterized by high depopulation.

The Crane's Day, is an event conceived to have an annual regularity and also to be a touristic attraction in one of the most important wetlands of Cuenca province: El Hito Wetland.

In the winter time this site (Natural Reserve, RAMSAR wetland and Natura 2000 Netrwork) shelters a variable number of cranes (Grus grus) from northern Europe. This number can reach some thousands of individuals. This natural phenomenon can be enjoyed each evening at El Hito wetland and will be the main attraction of the proposed event.

The celebration was organized by some ecotourism companies of the area (Naturmanxa, Ecoturismo Cuenca and Ecoquijote) and is supported by Diputación de Cuenca and participated by the councils of El Hito and Montalbo. As well as some local associations (Asociación de mujeres "El Palacio", Asociación de afectados de la cuenca de la laguna de El Hito) and local tourism bussines (Cuenqueando, Heras Sanz).

It will begin at 11:00 am at El Hito Council, with some institutional acts for opening and talks about the value of this site and how innovative mechanisms such as ecotourism or land stewardship agreements may contribute to its development and conservation.

The speakers will be Antonio Sastre (University of Alcalá), Antonio Paredes (Naturmanxa), Nuria Chacón (Ecoturismo Cuenca) and Jose Ignacio Gómez (Red de Custodia del Territorio de Madrid y Castilla-La Mancha). Concurrently some activities of environmental awareness will be celebrated to all children arriving.

Activities will be continued in the evening time at Montalbo town with a visit of its Interpretation Centre and a guided walk for birdwatching with the guides of the organizing companies. The event will end near the church of Santo Domingo de Silos where we'll watch the crane's arrival to the wetland and a hot chocolate drink with local sweets will be offered to all participants.

We'll wait for anyone who wants to come to this festive day that we are preparing with so much hope!