Yip and her family were a typical family of whooping cranes. They ate berries and bugs and all the other things normal whooping cranes eat. They had the same slender legs and slim neck all whoopers have. They also had the same problem as other birds of their kind.

Mama flew off one day to get something to eat while Yip was sleeping in the nest made of bulrush and grass. There was a loud rumble in the distance coming closer very quickly. Papa was wading through some tall marshland grass around the nest. The rumbling was becoming a loud roar. It was coming closer and closer. Then, a bulldozer came crashing through the grass. Marsh water splashed over Yip, waking her up as the bulldozer passed right next to her, just missing her by inches. She got caught in a large tangle of grasses.

''Where are you?'' Papa asked.

"Over here!'' Yip replied. She climbed out from under the grass.

''Thank goodness you're safe.'' he declared, "We'll have to find another nest for you."

"Who did that?'' Yip demanded, "Why did that thing destroy the nest?''

''Those humans are destroying our habitat. They are using up the land for their own foolish needs. Let's go find your mother.''

They set out looking for Yip's mother. After a while, they came upon a small clearing. ''It just needs a little grass and bulrush and it'll be fine.''

Pretty soon Mama came gliding gracefully on a rising column of warm air to where they were. "I went to the other place and didn't see you so I asked one of the other cranes where you were. She said you came over this way. I see you have found an excellent place for another nest."

Mama and Papa started to gather bulrush and grass to build a new nest. They heard some talking but didn't pay much attention. Yip was wandering around, looking for the source of the talking. She was sure that the source of the talking was the same thing that was sloshing around in the marshy area in front of her. She went a little farther into the grass until she came to another little clearing besides her own. There stood a human being who crouched down to look at her. Frightened, Yip ran through the marsh, not knowing where she was going. She came to where the old nest once was. She looked around. She saw that the human had followed her. He was looking over the remains of the nest. "Bulldozer," he muttered under his breath with an angry expression on his face. Then he ran away. Yip found her way back home. There she found a brand new nest waiting for her. She told Mama and Papa about what had just happened. Then, they fell asleep. Yip was awakened by the sound of many people talking but one voice was very loud. She listened closely. "…the reinforced laws will protect the cranes that live here and all the other animals that live in this marshland." Yip woke up Mama and Papa to ask them what that meant. Mama and Papa told her that it meant that from now on they were safe from any humans who wished to disturb them.

"From now on we’re free from the human destruction. Now we can live our own happy lives." And so they did.