Dear Friends,

You know, there really is no place like the Platte.

The annual migration of sandhill and whooping cranes – not to mention geese, ducks, and butterflies – has put the Platte River on the world’s map, especially in recent years.  People hungry for a connection to nature can find it here every spring.

What I love best about my job is knowing people like you who see it the same way: there’s beauty in the Platte River’s braided channels and her prairies for those who care to find it 365 days of the year.

This campaign is like a braid, too.  We are weaving together the people, policies, prairies, wetlands (and the river, of course) that make this special place the subject of poetry and prose.  Together, we have carved out – and fought to maintain – a 3,476 acre oasis for wildlife among miles of corn and soybeans.  We are working with partners and landowners to keep the river channels clear for wildlife.  We are influencing the policies that govern the river’s future. We work side-by-side with farms to keep more water in the river when wildlife needs it most.

The ‘hows’ of this campaign are exciting to me.  We have a creative, dedicated team of ecologists standing between these special places and the impacts of climate change and invasive species.  Ultimately, it’s the ‘why’ of this campaign that means the most to me. 

We protect the Platte and her prairies because they give us food, water, joy, fun, and connection. They help make us who we are as Nebraskans.  

What we do in the next ten years will shape the next generation. What is the future you see? Who will you be at the Platte?

With gratitude,

John Cougher, State Director
The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska