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GUIDE TO NEBRASKA'S WETLANDS
T
hese wetlands are formed in depressions in
sandhill areas where groundwater intercepts the
surface of the land. The most notable complex is the
Sandhills. The other complex is the Loup/Platte River
Sandhills. Additionally, sandhill-type wetlands are in
southwest Nebraska, in the Sandhills Borders area
along the Elkhorn and Niobrara rivers, and in scattered
pockets south of the Platte River.
SANDHILLS
Profi le
The Sandhills region of north-central Nebraska
comprises what has been considered to be the largest
contiguous tract of grassland remaining in the United
States and the largest stabilized sand dune area in
the Western Hemisphere. A recent study suggests the
Sandhills is the largest intact temperate grassland
in the world (Schlotz and Twidwell 2022). This region
encompasses 19,300 square miles and overlies several
extensive aquifers of the Ogallala Formation that
Sandhills Wetlands
A thunderstorm moves across the Sandhills providing water that will help to recharge the Ogallala Aquifer. The aquifer helps to
sustain more than a million acres of sandhill wetlands that are embedded in the largest intact temperate grassland in the world.
Water is the lifeblood of this landscape and helps to support abundant fi sh and wildlife, a vibrant ranching community, and supplies
water to much of eastern Nebraska. ETHAN FREESE, PLATTE BASIN TIMELAPSE
