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GUIDE TO NEBRASKA'S WETLANDS
these wetlands provide. Fishing, hunting, and wildlife
observation are popular activities (DaRugna 2020),
along with camping, kayaking and boating.
Conservation Success Stories
The Sandhills Task Force began in 1992 and is a
nonprofi t organization and land trust. The goal of
the organization is to enhance the Sandhill wetland-
grassland ecosystem in a way that sustains profitable
private ranching, wildlife and vegetative diversity,
and associated water supplies (Sandhills Task Force
2014). The organization is governed by a board that
consists of 16 members, and at least nine of these
make their primary livelihood from ranching within
the Sandhills. The following groups and organizations
also have representation on the board: the county
commissioner, Ducks Unlimited, Natural Resources
Conservation Service, Natural Resources Districts,
Nebraska Cattlemen, Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission, The Nature Conservancy, and the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Task Force has accomplished many wetland
projects on ranches over the years. These include:
restoring fens, marshes, and wet meadows;
addressing stream down-cutting to restore the
streams and adjacent wetlands; improving grazing
systems; and helping with the renovation of lakes
and wetlands by eliminating invasive common carp,
so that the water quality and wetland vegetation
improve. Website: sandhillstaskforce.org.
Conservation Programs and Contacts
Sandhills Task Force, executive director, P.O. Box 482,
Broken Bow, NE 68822, (308) 214-0065.
Other contacts include the Nebraska Game and
Parks Commission offi ces in Norfolk, (308-370-3374);
Blue-winged teal are a common nester in the Sandhills. They also use wetlands across Nebraska during migration, ultimately spending
their winters in the southern U.S. or down to South America.
ETHAN FREESE, PLATTE BASIN TIMELAPSE
