Join the Team

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Mike was born and raised in Nebraska and has been a professional photographer for 25 years. His books, articles and films focus on wildlife and conservation stories in the Great Plains. Mike is co-founder of the Platte Basin Timelapse project and currently serves on faculty with IANR. In 2017, he received the Ansel Adams Award from the Sierra Club in Washington DC, and his image of sandhill cranes was selected as a U.S. postage stamp for Nebraska’s Sesquicentennial. Mike lives in Lincoln with his wife Patty, two daughters Elsa and Emme, and a menagerie of animals. To learn more about Mike and his work, visit www.michaelforsberg.com.

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Michael Farrell is the co-founder of the Platte Basin Timelapse project. He is also a 51-year veteran of public media, 49 of which have been spent in the production and management of documentaries about the culture, history and environment of Nebraska and the Great Plains for Nebraska Public Television (now NPM). His areas of content specialization include history and humanities documentaries as well as programs about diverse topics such as rural and environmental issues, the fine arts, opera, ballet, jazz and blues. His most well-known award-winning production was In Search of the Oregon Trail, which aired three times on prime-time national public television and was one of the top ten most-watched PBS programs in its premiere year of 1996. His 90-minute special The Platte River Road won the coveted National Cowboy Hall of Fame award in 1992. From 1998 to 2009, Farrell led the Nebraska Public Television Network’s television production team managing local, regional and national projects. Beginning in 2006 he also established an internship program at NET for students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Now through PBT the program offers paid professional experience to over a half a dozen undergraduate students per year. Farrell also teaches classes in documentary and visual story-telling. Farrell, an accomplished still photographer, has had his work appear in numerous one-person museum and gallery exhibitions as well as in Nebraska History magazine and NEBRASKAland Magazine. He has authored four photo books with accompanying essays. His degrees include an M.S. - Illinois Institute of Technology in Visual Communications and A.B. in Fine Arts (Graphic Design and Photography, Art History minor) - Indiana University. He lives in Lincoln with his partner Lynne Ireland and has three grown children and two granddaughters. Contact him directly at mfarrell.1st@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelfarrell47/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.farrell.photography/   Websites: https://michaelfarrell.com/  http://www.ninemileprairie.com/  https://boalps.com/  https://the-stoneman.com/ 

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Mariah is a graduate of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with a degree in Environmental Studies, and a minor in Fisheries & Wildlife. She has been a member of the Platte Basin Timelapse team since 2014. This project has taken her to the Sandhills of Nebraska, the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and to see one of the greatest migrations in the world - the sandhill crane. Protecting wild spaces, getting people outside, and creating community inspires her to be a storyteller. She lives in Lakewood, Colorado, and can be found snowboarding, prairie running, or spending time with her husband and two cats.

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Ethan started at PBT as a production intern in 2015. After completing his undergraduate degrees at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Fisheries and Wildlife and Grassland Ecology and Management, Ethan started a Master’s of Applied Science project at UNL, which he completed in August 2020. Growing up, Ethan's summers were spent exploring the prairies and waterways of South-eastern Nebraska and hiking with his family in Rocky Mountain National Park. Ethan has developed a deep appreciation for the prairies of Nebraska and he hopes to use the power of photography to show others the beauty and importance of these undervalued ecosystems.

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Grant is a graduate of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with an undergraduate degree in Fisheries and Wildlife and has an M.S. in Applied Science with an emphasis in science communication. He has been a member of PBT since 2017. Growing up, Grant has moved around to several different states and has made Nebraska his home. His love for nature and conservation has inspired him to become a conservation storyteller to impact the lives of others. In his words, “The diversity of ecosystems within the Platte Basin is absolutely incredible, there are a ton of hidden secrets here that not a lot of people know about, it is the perfect place to explore.

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Dakota Altman grew up in the North Bottoms of Lincoln, Nebraska. His backyard was where he first fell in love with nature. Family trips in the summers took him across the vast western states through some truly beautiful landscapes. Dakota always yearned to live somewhere else; but all along his home of prairie, woodland, and wetlands had been waiting, tugging him closer, revealing ever so slowly the fascinations of our unique natural world. Dakota answered that call, and as a graduate student at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, he studied to become a conservation storyteller. His work focused on the dynamic story of the "Wetlands Among Us". Dakota is now a full-time producer with Platte Basin Timelapse. He hopes that by sharing what makes a place special, others will be in awe of the beauty right under their noses.

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Sidney Parks graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2021 with two degrees in Graphic Design and Advertising and Public Relations with a minor in Dance. Sidney joined the Platte Basin Timelapse team as a Graphics and Production Intern in January of 2019. She loves being able to educate others through well-thought-out design, especially about the world we live in. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her dog, Pepper, dancing and traveling.

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Brooke grew up in Nebraska and spent her childhood exploring Omaha’s city parks alongside parents who taught her how to appreciate urban nature. During her undergrad at UNL, she connected with PBT co-founders through a digital imaging class that required a conservation storytelling project centered around change over time. Through her class project, Brooke realized her passions for teaching, art, and natural resource sciences could merge powerfully. Today, Brooke aims to inspire others to get outside and explore their backyards.

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Carlee returned to the Platte Basin Timelapse team as an Applied Science master's student in the fall of 2021. Her project, created and funded in part by the Solidago Conservancy, looks into how the people of Lincoln interact with nature and how the city's expansion has altered residents' connection to the Salt Valley Greenway historically, presently and how it may in the future. For the last year, Carlee lived in and enjoyed Laramie, WY and the surrounding mountain ranges. There, she built connections with passionate landowners and told stories of the intricacies of livestock and wildlife sharing spaces in the Wyoming country as part of Dr. Drew Bennett's work with the University of Wyoming Working Lands and Wildlife Project within the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. She also thoroughly enjoyed working as a substitute teacher in the Albany County school district! Carlee worked as an intern with us for five years during her undergraduate career at UNL where she earned a bachelor of science degree in fisheries and wildlife conservation biology, a bachelor of journalism degree, and three minors in biology, environmental studies and mathematics. Her passion for teaching and interests in music, art, and keeping up with her big family brought her back home to the southeast of Nebraska.

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Emma moved from Fort Collins, Colorado in late 2022 to join the Platte Basin Timelapse (PBT) team as a graduate student in the Master of Applied Science program. In 2020 she graduated with a B.S. in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability from Colorado State University. She spent the last several years working for the Colorado Natural Heritage Program exploring beautiful areas all over Colorado. She conducted field work to learn about Colorado’s rare plant and animal species and their habitats, along with one field season monitoring dozens of different wetlands across Colorado. While living in Colorado, Emma spent a lot of time in the mountains and also discovered the magic of the grasslands, which led her to PBT/UNL. She is specifically interested prairie dogs and how, as a keystone species, they are an integral part of the ecosystem. An additional area of interest is conservation photography and science communication. Her master’s project combines her interests into a multidimensional project working with PBT and Dr. John Benson’s lab studying the coyote and badger hunting relationship in prairie dog colonies in grasslands across the west. Through this project, she plans to contribute new scientific and behavioral insights about this intriguing relationship while also communicating the story to a diverse audience through high-quality photos and video; ultimately shining a light on the often-overlooked grasslands.

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Mary studies how rivers interact with landscapes over time. She is an associate professor at the University of Nebraska at Kearney in the departments of Communication and Biology. Her collaborative research spans several river systems, including the Platte River and its tributaries in the Sandhills of Nebraska, as well as the Rio Grande and Gila River in New Mexico. She works to exchange knowledge about connections between human and natural systems, including through educational projects with students and the public.

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Kim Hachiya is a 1977 University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate with a degree in Journalism. After a newspaper career, she joined the university in 1988, working in University Communication as an editor, news-writer, speechwriter and public relations specialist. She also worked for NET as a magazine editor and PR specialist. She retired in 2014, and is a free-lance writer and editor; she also is engaged in a number of volunteer projects for UNL Emeriti and Retirees Association, Leadership Lincoln, and the Scottsbluff Japanese Hall museum project. She is the principal author of “Dear Old Nebraska U,” published in 2019 by the University of Nebraska Press in celebration of the university’s 150th anniversary. In 2019, she earned a Master Naturalist certification from the University of Nebraska. Her affiliation with Platte Basin Timelapse project involves editing. Kim is a fifth generation Nebraskan. She and her spouse, Tom White, enjoy the company of three pugs and a cat.

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Jeff grew up in the Platte River Basin of Nebraska. There were many days and nights spent camping, canoeing, hunting, fishing and exploring the river basin. During his professional career, Jeff has always been involved in electronics technology and has started or been a partner in five Nebraska businesses. His current venture is TRLcam where he provides specialized camera technology to photography professionals and enthusiasts around the world. You can find more about Jeff and his projects at www.TRLcam.com.

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Born and raised in Tajikistan, Mirzo graduated from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with his BS and MS in Electrical Engineering. He has always had a passion for technology, renewables, and the natural world. Currently, he is a full-time employee at the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, CO working as a research assistant on next-generation photovoltaics. Mirzo is excited to be part of the PBT field team and to provide his engineering expertise. He currently lives in Lakewood, Colorado, and can usually be found snowboarding, camping, or climbing.

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Conservation photographer and author Dave Showalter is based in Colorado and focused on the American West. Dave has published two books - Sage Spirit, The American West at A Crossroads by Braided River (2015); and Prairie Thunder by Skyline Press (2007). Dave's photographs and articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Audubon, Conservation Biology, Outside, Outdoor Photographer, High Country News, Colorado Life and elsewhere. In partnership with Braided River, Dave's exhibit "Colorado: Sage Spirit and Roaring Rivers" was displayed at Denver International Airport 2018/2019 and viewed by over 2 million people. Dave is faculty with the Summit Series of Photo Workshops, a Senior Fellow Photographer in the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), a Platte Basin Timelapse contributor, and works in partnership with numerous conservation groups, including Audubon Rockies, The Nature Conservancy, The Wilderness Society, LightHawk, and Sierra Club of Wyoming.

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Caden is a freshman at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln studying fisheries and wildlife. Originally from Lincoln, Caden has spent his entire life exploring the natural places throughout the state. Spending much of his time in Rocky Mountain National Park as a child, Caden quickly developed a passion for wildlife photography. This passion has led him to all corners of the United States as he attempts to capture the beauty of our natural spaces. As a production intern, Caden hopes to connect people with the outdoors and help them build a passion for our wild places and all the things that call these spaces their home.

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Emily is a junior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln majoring in Fisheries and Wildlife with emphases in Zoo Animal Care and Conservation Biology, and a minor in Environmental Education. Emily is from Papillion, Nebraska and attended Zoo Academy at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo in high school. It was there that she found her passion for conservation and environmental education. Emily enjoys hunting, fishing, spending time with family and friends, and going to the zoo. She is excited to share her love of wildlife and the environment with others through Platte Basin Timelapse.

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Grace is a Junior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln studying Fisheries and Wildlife with minors in Biology and Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs. In her free time, she loves to spend time outdoors, listen to music, read, and hang out with friends. Originally from Bellevue, Nebraska, Grace spent the majority of her childhood visiting the Henry Doorly Zoo and Fontenelle Forest. She just recently discovered her love of photography and storytelling but is excited to be a part of the amazing team at PBT. She hopes to educate and inspire others to appreciate the natural beauty of Nebraska and all that it has to offer.

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Josh is a senior at UNL majoring in Fisheries & Wildlife with an emphasis on habitat management. Originally from Lincoln, he spent most of his summers exploring other places around the US but did not start to really explore Nebraska till he got to college. In his free time, he enjoys climbing, biking, paddling, and anything else outdoors.

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Rachel is a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, majoring in both journalism and agricultural and environmental sciences communications. Growing up, she was constantly traveling, camping and hiking with her family which only grew her love and fascination for the great outdoors. Even now, Rachel spends her summers visiting National Parks, camping and rock climbing in her free time. Her passion for writing, science and the environment is what drew her to pursue a career in conservation storytelling. She hopes her work as a social media intern will help others see the beauty and importance the Platte Basin has to offer and will view Nebraska as more than just a “flyover state.”

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Sagan Smith was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska. Their love for nature and wildlife began with roaming the green spaces within neighborhoods around Salt Creek. This passion was further ignited after they enrolled in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, allowing them to participate in educational travel experiences. They discovered a passion for birds, for community relationships with nature, and for the stories of people who lived within wilderness. Sagan's current work focuses on minority communities within wilderness around Nebraska as they seek to recognize and remove the boundaries between minority populations and nature. They are in the process of establishing “Open Wilderness,” a prospective student organization for underrepresented students interested in nature. They are also completing a documentary under the Platte Basin Timelapse project.

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Teagan is a sophomore student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln majoring in Fisheries and Wildlife with minors in Biology and Urban Forestry. Originally from Papillion Nebraska, she spent her summers outside camping across the Midwest or at summer camp. At 12 years old she picked up a camera for the first time and has not put it down since. Taking pictures of Nebraska’s nature and wildlife has inspired a deep love and appreciation for the environment around her. She is excited to share the beauty of Nebraska’s prairies and waterways through photography and storytelling.

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Valentina is currently a sophomore student at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with majoring in Emerging Media Arts and minoring in Dance. Raised in Lincoln, she has spent many summers traveling and visiting family in Italy. She gained an interest in art when she was four or five and has continued to draw and create, and is excited to be able to use art and media to share her experiences of nature with everyone.

Dana Fritz is Hixson-Lied Professor of Art and a Center for Great Plains Studies Fellow at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. For over two decades, her work in photography has addressed how we shape and represent the land. Her prints and artist books are exhibited and collected widely in the U.S. and abroad and she has been awarded a number of artist residencies at locations known for their significant cultural histories and gardens or unique landscapes including Villa Montalvo in Saratoga, California; Château de Rochefort-en-Terre in Brittany, France; Biosphere 2 in Oracle, Arizona; PLAYA in Summer Lake, Oregon; Cedar Point Biological Station, Nebraska; and Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts in Saratoga, Wyoming. University of New Mexico Press published her monograph Terraria Gigantica: The World under Glass in 2017. Fritz is currently working on an exhibition and book about the environmental history of the Nebraska National Forest at Halsey, the largest hand-planted forest in the western hemisphere.

Jake and his team at Artillery are helping PBT create a brand-new website! Stay tuned for more this summer.