I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity during my undergraduate program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to visit and learn at the Nature Conservancy’s Niobrara Valley Preserve. A four day weekend is all that it took for me to feel reconnected with the vast Grasslands of the Great Plains, and I’m convinced I would have been hooked after only one day. 

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When you are given the opportunity to stand in one place and you can see miles ahead of you, it is almost inevitable to think about the history of where you stand. How often are we afforded the privilege to look so far into the distance and not see a tall building, a streetlight, or a man-made structure that cuts into the landscape? The best part of a grassland is that you can turn around and it's just the same. Consistency and growth for miles, graced by the occasional bison herd. 

 

Impactful experiences like this in nature is where the passion for conservation is born. Conservationists who fight and educate on behalf of their corner of the world want to be afforded a similar peace, the privilege to not feel like they are racing against the clock. During my trip to Niobrara, the goal for us all was to do one thing: listen. Listen to the environment, and listen to each other. The Great Plains are so dense with different forms of agriculture, it would be foolish to not attempt to work in harmony with landowners. We all need the resources they provide, and they need us to support their work. 

 

I was able to firsthand witness the benefits of a rancher who is supported by state conservation agencies. The Niobrara River flowed through miles of his land, and his ecologically beneficial practices (primarily through strategically shifting where his livestock grazed) kept the land and the water healthy. This in turn resulted in a large amount of ecologically diverse land. We noticed many beaver tracks while exploring his land, in addition to hundreds of birds, foxes, pronghorn deer, and elk.

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The biologists in charge of caring for Nebraska's grasslands, along with those who manage at the federal and state level across many disciplines, understand the power of listening. This spurred the creation of the Niobrara River Council, of which is an agreement between interdisciplinary conservationists who all know their love of the land ties them together more than the disagreements threaten to drag them apart. The council meets 6 times a year to discuss all things related to land management around the Niobrara River, and this aids in avoiding unproductive judgement or decisions that can negatively affect people and/or the land. 

 

Take a look at the video below to see some of the beauty of the Nebraska Sandhills, observe some glimpses of the conversations between those on the Niobrara River Council, and how the curiosity and love of the Great Plains brings people of all ages and disciplines together. 

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