Transcript The Nebraska Sandhills

The Nebraska Sandhills
By: Paul Dunay
Wetlands
Fall 2012
Location
• Located in Nebraska
• Area covers approximately 19,600 square miles (oneforth of the state) of wind-deposited sand dunes
• Described as the “largest stabilized dune field in the
Western Hemisphere”
Characteristics
• Semi-arid region - average annual rainfall varies
from 17 to 23 inches
• Temperature: −30 °F (−34 °C) to high of 100
°F (38 °C)
• Hundreds of feet of course sand and gravel lies on
top of the Ogallala aquifer (largest aquifer in North
America)
• Dunes in the Sandhills may exceed 330 ft (100 m) in
height
Hydrology Facts
• 1.3 million acres of wetlands
• 1 billion acre-feet of groundwater
• 2.4 million acre-feet of spring-fed
streamflow discharged annually
Flora
• Many plants are sand-tolerant species from shortgrass, mixed-grass and tallgrass prairies
• Relatively high biological integrity: Total of 720
species only 7% are exotics
Blowout Penstemon
Bigroot Pricklypear
Fauna
• The Sandhills are part of the central flyway for many
species of migratory birds
• Small and large mammals are also found here
Western Meadowlark
Kangaroo Rat
Bison
Ecosystem Management
• Ranching has proven to be the best economic and
environmental use of the Sandhills. The natural resources
which make the area suitable for ranching also benefit a wide
diversity of flora and fauna.
• In 1991, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began an ecosystem
approach to resource management in the Sandhills. A
Sandhills Coordinator was hired to bring a variety of people
together to share their common interests and to develop a
management plan acceptable to ranching and the
environment.
• The group, called the Sandhills Task Force, drafted the
Sandhills Management Plan which reflects their goal and
management approach for the Sandhills. In 1992, the plan
was signed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Task
Force members.
References
• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6
a/Nebraska_Sandhills_NE97_Hooker_County_3.JPG/800pxNebraska_Sandhills_NE97_Hooker_County_3.JPG
• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1
8/Nebraska_Sand_Hills_Mixed_Grasslands_map.svg/256pxNebraska_Sand_Hills_Mixed_Grasslands_map.svg.png
• http://www.fws.gov/mountainprairie/pfw/ne/images/sandwt2.gif
• http://eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/imagerecords/6000/6
049/nebraska-sand.AST2001253.jpg
• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4
4/Ogallala_saturated_thickness_1997-sattk97-v2.svg/300pxOgallala_saturated_thickness_1997-sattk97-v2.svg.png
References
• http://thenebraskasandhills.com/Lakes_files/lake6.j
pg
• http://www.kansasnativeplantsociety.org/gallery/bi
groot%20pricklypear%20(Opuntia%20macrorhiza%2
0var.%20macrorhiza).jpg
• http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRkIQYkblkAdG1svTFGrpwQzACM8wPPurqSjR3nQ99jMY_IgFnw
• http://www.fws.gov/mountainprairie/pfw/ne/ne4.htm#Whatis