Events

PBT co-founder Mike Forsberg, along with Jordan Messesser, assistant director from the UNL Outdoor Adventure Center, and Alex McKiernan of Robinette Farms, will be teaching the new UNL pop-up class “Bison and Waterfalls”. In this class, students will paddle the Niobrara, hike to waterfalls, and go on bison grassland tours. The class will focus on how conservation organizations and private individuals work to conserve and manage this region of Nebraska and the species that live there. 

PBT co-founder Mike Forsberg and project manager Mariah Lundgren will be instructing at the Summit Nature and Conservation Photography workshop again in Jackson Hole. This workshop teaches students wildlife and conservation photography and storytelling. Learn more about the workshop at this link https://summitworkshops.com/nature/.

In partnership with the Sandhills Task Force, the PBT team installed a timelapse camera at a stream restoration site on private ranchland in Cherry County, Nebraska.

PBT co-founder Mike Forsberg and project manager Mariah Lundgren will be screening the new film, Under the Wire, at the A Bar A Ranch. This film is about a community of people working together to improve fence lines so pronghorn and other wildlife can move more freely across this rugged landscape. It also celebrates tremendous diversity and lifts up folks living and working on this land to help keep these animals around for generations to come.

PBT was featured in the Fall 2023 Sierra Magazine article titled “Thinking Like A Watershed,” written by Carson Vaughan and photographed by Mike Forsberg, Mariah Lundgren and Ethan Freese from the PBT team.

PBT producer Dakota Altman presented as part of the K-State Extension speaker series “Wild Research”. Dakota talked about his role within PBT as well as an overview of PBT and an in-depth look into our various projects tied to conservation and research in the world of natural resources and life forces.

PBT hired Marissa Lindemann as a new production intern. Marissa will assist with timelapse production, story creation, and other various PBT projects.

PBT launched its new website!

Dakota Altman and Michael Forsberg will co-teach NRES 393: Digital Imaging and Storytelling in Agriculture and Natural Resources at UNL. This has been a long-standing course under the umbrella of PBT aimed at guiding students through the process of storytelling. Students will have the opportunity to come up with their own story– integrating aspects of photography, videography, and audio as they weave together written and spoken word.

Carlee Moates, Dakota Altman, and Mariah Lundgren will co-teach NRES 260: Introduction to Conservation Photography at UNL. This class was offered for the first time in the Fall 2022 semester for undergraduate students. Students will gain a new perspective for integrating photography into their lives through the lens of conservation.

PBT producer Ethan Freese presented at the Carriage Glen Retirement Community about PBT and his work in grassland ecosystems.

PBT staff attended the America’s Grassland Conference. Dakota Altman, Carlee Moates, and Ethan Freese presented at the conference on their work with PBT in grassland landscapes. Emma Balunek, PBT’s graduate assistant, presented at the conference about her work in Colorado’s shortgrass prairies studying Coyote-Badger hunting relationships.

PBT project manager Mariah Lundgren was accepted into the International League of Conservation Photographers as an Associate Fellow.

PBT project manager Mariah Lundgren presented at the Sandhills Task Force Meeting about the Wetlands of Nebraska project.

PBT contributed multimedia to the Kiewit Luminarium exhibit as well as a timelapse and livestream camera on the roof of the building.

Sidney Parks and Carlee Moates are hired as full-time staff with PBT. Sidney is a graphic designer and animator, and Carlee is a producer and instructor.

PBT producers Ethan Freese and Dakota Altman attended the North American Prairie Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. Ethan presented at the conference on his work with PBT in prairie landscapes.

Michael Forsberg, Jeff Dale, Ethan Freese, and Dakota Altman installed two timelapse cameras at Glacier Creek Preserve. These two cameras will show the progression of stream and prairie restorations on the preserve.

PBT producers Ethan Freese and Dakota Altman presented about the Wetlands of Nebraska project over Zoom for the staff of the Nebraska chapter of the Nature Conservancy.

PBT project manager Mariah Lundgren and producers Dakota Altman and Ethan Freese took down cameras at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge and Willow Creek Reservoir, scouted new locations for cameras on a xeric tallgrass prairie, and repaired the Devil’s Thumb Ranch camera.

PBT producers Ethan Freese and Dakota Altman, along with PBT intern Elijah Riley, took a trip to the Sandhills to swap memory cards and perform a maintenance check on three timelapse cameras.

Grant Reiner attended a meeting at Niobrara State Park hosted by several partners from Nebraska Indian Community College, the University of Iowa, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, the Santee Sioux Nation, the Sac and Fox Tribe, and others. The meeting included discussion of a collaborative grant focused on climate partnerships with Indigenous Nations, female landowners in agriculture, and other marginalized groups.

PBT producer Ethan Freese was selected for the 2023 Vital Impacts Mentorship. Learn more about the mentorship at this link.

PBT hired Elijah Riley as a new production intern.

PBT producers showed the five Wetlands of Nebraska films in the auditorium of Hardin Hall to students, faculty, and staff in UNL’s School of Natural Resources.

Grant Reiner, Brooke Talbott, Mike Forsberg, Jeff Dale, and Ben Eigbret installed two new timelapse cameras in northeast Nebraska along the Missouri River.

PBT producer Ethan Freese, along with Ted LaGrange and Grace Gaard from Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, presented the Wetlands of Nebraska project to an audience of wetland managers from around the country.

Nebraskaland’s May issue featured a 10-page spread about the Wetlands of Nebraska project with photos and text by the PBT team. PBT project manager Mariah Lundgren’s photo was featured on the cover.

Producer Carlee Moates defended her master’s project about the Salt Valley Greenway to an audience in Hardin Hall.

Producer Dakota Altman presented at the Heron Haven Annual Board Meeting on urban wetlands and the Wetlands of Nebraska Project.

PBT producers Ethan Freese and Grant Reiner presented to Dana Fritz’s Landscape/Environment/Photography seminar at UNL.

PBT producer Ethan Freese presented on the PBT internship program at the annual Daugherty Water for Food Research Forum. DWFI is a longtime funder of PBT’s internship program.

PBT co-founder Michael Farrell and producer Dakota Altman led Pauline Burbidge, a quilt artist visiting from England, on a tour of Nine-Mile Prairie.

PBT producers Ethan Freese and Dakota Altman installed a timelapse camera system in a new location near Yutan, Nebraska. The camera will watch a tallgrass prairie/wet meadow ecosystem along the Lower Platte River.

PBT producer Dakota Altman presented at the Nebraska Weed Control Association to approximately 70 people from 70 different counties in Nebraska. The presentation included PBT’s recent work with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission on the Wetlands of Nebraska project.

PBT producers Dakota Altman and Ethan Freese made a trip through the Sandhills of Nebraska to swap memory cards on several timelapse cameras and remove two timelapse cameras. They also installed a timelapse camera in the eastern Sandhills to look at a unique fen wetland.

PBT producer Dakota Altman was invited to be a guest at Crane Trusts Virtual Crane Tour to talk about his involvement with PBT and the Wetlands of Nebraska project. Dakota talked about experiences he has had on the Platte River during the Sandhill Crane migration.

UNL instructors Mike Forsberg and Larkin Powell led a for-credit study tour to the Platte River and Sandhills regions during UNL’s spring break. The course was called Prairie Cranes and Sandhill Chickens. The 1-credit course provided experiences in blinds with sandhill cranes and greater prairie chickens and focused on how conservation organizations and private individuals work to conserve these critical species and their habitat in Nebraska.

PBT producer Ethan Freese showed the playa wetlands film at the March meeting of the Wachiska Audubon Society.

The PBT team, including Mike Forsberg, Grant Reiner, Ethan Freese, and Dakota Altman, led the annual PBT intern crane trip for an immersive experience to see and photograph the Sandhill Crane migration along the Platte River. The interns that came along were Caden Connelly, Grace Carey, Emily Nelson, and Rachel Holt. Graduate student Emma Balunek and PBT instructors Kim Hachiya and Brooke Talbott also joined us on the trip.

PBT producer Ethan Freese presented at the Crane Trust visitor center about the Wetlands of Nebraska project.

PBT producer Ethan Freese presented at the annual meeting of the Nebraska Chapter of the Wildlife Society about the Wetlands of Nebraska project.

High Plains Wild was selected for the Les Bois Film Festival. This film was screened at the festival.

PBT producer Ethan Freese presented to UNL extension professionals on the Wetlands of Nebraska project at the Amplify Conference.

PBT producers Ethan Freese, Grant Reiner, and Dakota Altman, along with graduate assistant Emma Balunek and interns Caden Connelly and Rachel Holt, built a photo blind at Little Salt Fork Marsh.

Counting Cranes was selected at the International Wildlife Film Festival. This film will be screened at the festival.

Counting Cranes received an honorable mention at the Wild and Working Lands Film Festival.

PBT producer Dakota Altman presented to the Careers and Communities class in the School of Natural Resources at UNL. Professionals and graduate students were brought in to talk about their work to undergraduate students interested in Natural Resources.

Two of PBT’s films, High Plains Wild and Counting Cranes, were screened at the Omaha Film Festival.

Two of PBT’s films, High Plains Wild, and A Trout With Feathers, were selected as finalists in the Cannes World Film Festival.

PBT project manager Mariah Lundgren and producers Ethan Freese, Grant Reiner, Dakota Altman, Brooke Talbott, and graphic designer Sidney Parks, along with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, completed a multi-year multimedia project about the Wetlands of Nebraska. On World’s Wetlands Day, PBT released the Wetlands of Nebraska: An Outreach and Education Project to the public. This three-year endeavor showcases the diverse beauty of wetland types throughout the state. With five films and StoryMaps, along with a Nebraska Wetlands guide and Wetlands educational material, people can learn about these precious ecosystems and resources we rely on. Link to the films and StoryMaps: https://linktr.ee/plattebasin

PBT hired four new interns to help with timelapse creation and storytelling projects. The new interns are Caden Connelly, Grace Cary, Emily Nelson, and Valentina Catalano.

PBT producer Ethan Freese gave remarks at the opening of an exhibit featuring PBT imagery at UNK’s Walker Art Gallery. Link to an article about the gallery: https://unknews.unk.edu/2023/01/23/platte-river-project-highlighted-at-unks-walker-art-gallery/

PBT producer Dakota Altman presented about PBT and the Wetlands of Nebraska project to members of the Izaak Walton League.

UNL IANR Vice Chancellor Mike Boehm gave his weekly update on the UNL IANR KRVN Radio station to talk about PBT. Link to the conversation: https://mediahub.unl.edu/media/20330

PBT producer Grant Reiner presented on the Wetlands of Nebraska project and PBT’s work regarding climate change at a climate resilience luncheon at UNL.

PBT hired Dakota Altman as a full-time producer and instructor with PBT and the School of Natural Resources at UNL.

Three of PBT’s films, High Plains Wild, A Trout With Feathers, and Counting Cranes, were selected for the Dam Short Film Festival. These three films were screened at the festival.

PBT project manager Mariah Lundgren wrote an article in the “Trail Tails” children’s magazine for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission titled A Bird’s Eye View. The article was published in the Winter 2022 issue.

PBT graduate assistant Dakota Altman defended his graduate project work on the Wetlands of Nebraska project, a PBT and NGPC collaborative project. His work focused on the experiences he gained throughout his time in wetlands and the powerful connection wetlands can have in our daily lives. Link to graduate project: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/2ad8bbccf7374d88ab8922bcb6d016e3

Two of PBT’s films, Counting Cranes and High Plains Wild, were selected for the Colorado Environmental Film Festival. These two films were screened at the festival.

Two of PBT’s films, Counting Cranes and High Plains Wild, were selected for the Wild and Scenic Film Festival. These two films will be screened at the festival.

PBT producer Ethan Freese wrote an article and submitted photos about the Wetlands of Nebraska project for ConWatch magazine, a seasonal magazine for members of the Garden Club of America.

PBT producer Ethan Freese gave a presentation on the Wetlands of Nebraska project at the Platte River Basin Conference and Playa Research Symposium. Ethan shared the Playa wetland film at the Playa Research Symposium.

PBT producers Brooke Talbott and Ethan Freese, graduate assistant Dakota Altman, and photographer Joshua Redwine led a hike at the Rowe Sanctuary Audubon Center. They talked about photography techniques and PBT projects.

PBT producer Grant Reiner presented about the Wetlands of Nebraska project at the Nebraska Natural Legacy Conference.

PBT producer Ethan Freese had a small gallery of photos from his graduate work in the Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch displayed at the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center.

PBT graduate assistant Dakota Altman led a hike at Nine-Mile Prairie for students in Lincoln Public Schools Science Focus Program. Dakota talked about his graduate work with PBT and taught students about prairie ecology.

PBT producer Grant Reiner presented on the Wetlands of Nebraska project at the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit meeting.

Three of PBT’s films: Counting Cranes, A Trout With Feathers, and High Plains Wild, were selected for the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival. These three films were screened at this festival.

High Plains Wild was selected for the S.O.F.A. Film Festival. This film was screened at the festival.

Emma Balunek started her Masters of Applied Science degree with PBT and the Benson Lab at UNL. Her work will focus on documenting the relationship with known Coyote-Badger pairs studying their unique collaborative behavior and the landscapes in which they live.

UNL’s NRES/ALEC 393 course continues for the Fall 2022 semester. It was co-taught by PBT instructors Michael Farrell and Mike Forsberg, graduate students Emma Balunek and Dakota Altman, and PBT editor and advisor Kim Haychia.

PBT producers Ethan Freese and Grant Reiner presented to graduate students in the Topics in Applied Ecology Class at UNL about PBT and conservation photography.

PBT project manager Mariah Lundgren, producer Brooke Talbott, and graduate assistant Carlee Koehler co-taught UNL’s NRES 260: Introduction to Conservation Photography course. It was offered for undergraduate students for the first time in the Fall 2022 semester. The course filled up in a single day, and students gained a new perspective for integrating photography into their lives through the lens of conservation.

High Plains Wild received 3rd place in the Yale Environment 360 Film Contest.

PBT graduate assistant Dakota Altman presented and led a photography hike for the Young Nebraska Ecologists Program at the Prairie Plains Resources Institute.

PBT hired two new interns, Rachel Holt and Josh Nazarenus. Rachel is a social media intern, and Josh is a production intern.

PBT project manager Mariah Lundgren and producer Ethan Freese, along with graduate assistant Dakota Altman, took a trip to the foothills of the Rockies outside of Boulder and Golden, Colorado to visit xeric tallgrass prairies. They met with staff from Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) to learn more about this unique ecosystem and discuss future story ideas, such as developing a StoryMap about the xeric tallgrass prairie remnants found along the front range.

PBT graduate student Carlee Koehler presented to an international audience at the Biennial Conference on University Education in Natural Resources. Carlee presented on how PBT creates science communicators and storytellers of the future.

PBT’s film A Trout With Feathers was selected for the Wyoming International Film Festival.

PBT producer Ethan Freese presented on PBT’s student internship program at the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute.

PBT project manager Mariah Lundgren presented to UNL’s NRES 468/868 Wetlands class with aquatic ecology education specialist Grace Gaard about the Wetlands of Nebraska project.

Time and the River, a film by PBT project manager Mariah Lundgren, was aired on Nebraska Public Media’s Nebraska Stories.

PBT graduate assistant Carlee Koehler spoke to UNL Wildlife Ecology and Forest Ecology classes about PBT and upcoming internships.

Low Intensity, a film created by PBT producer Grant Reiner, was aired on Nebraska Public Media’s Nebraska Stories.

PBT producer Brooke Talbott presented at the Outdoors Adventure Center about PBT. The presentation was titled: Platte Basin Timelapse & the Value of Place-Based Learning.

The PBT film High Plains Wild won the Wildlife Migration Initiative award at the Wild and Working Lands Film Festival.

PBT graduate assistant Dakota Altman gave a presentation to the Seniors in Science program at Fontenelle Forest about the work he does with PBT and the Wetlands of Nebraska: An Outreach and Education Project.

PBT producer Ethan Freese and graduate assistant Dakota Altman led the annual PBT intern crane trip to the Crane Trust property along the Platte River in Alda, Nebraska to view sandhill cranes on their spring migration.

PBT producers Mariah Lundgren, Grant Reiner, and graphic design artist Sidney Parks completed a film about the Platte River’s annual crane migration and the people who dedicate their time and expertise to collecting data on various aspects of the Sandhill Cranes population.

PBT graphic design artist Sidney Parks was the content creator for the Summit Photography Workshop for their sandhill crane migration workshop in Kearney, Nebraska. Sidney made social media posts and curated content for the week-long workshop.

Return of the Swan, a PBT film, was re-broadcasted on Nebraska Public Media’s Nebraska Stories.

PBT producer Ethan Freese gave a presentation to the Nebraska Soil Health Conference about his Prairie Corridor work and PBT.

PBT producer Ethan Freese gave a virtual presentation on the Wetlands of Nebraska project and PBT at the 2022 annual Nebraska Chapter of the Wildlife Society Conference.

PBT project manager Mariah Lundgren gave a presentation at the Open Space & Mountain Parks (OSMP) lunch and learn event about PBT and an ongoing xeric tallgrass prairie story.

PBT producer Grant Reiner presented at the Mid-Continent Warm Waters Conference at Mahoney State Park about the Wetlands of Nebraska project.

PBT producer Grant Reiner presented at the Nebraska Chapter of the American Fisheries Society in Grand Island about PBT and the Wetlands of Nebraska project.

PBT project manager Mariah Lundgren completed the film High Plains Wild. This film focuses on efforts to reintroduce bighorn sheep in Nebraska.

PBT contributed to a research article titled: Whooping Crane (Grus americana) family consumes a diversity of aquatic vertebrates during fall migration stopover at the Platte River, Nebraska. Western North American Naturalist 81:592–607. Authors: A.J. Caven, K.D. Koupal, D.M. Baasch, E.M. Brinley Buckley, J. Malzahn, M.L. Forsberg, and M. Lundgren. Link to article: https://doi.org/10.3398/064.081.0411

PBT producer Brooke Talbott and Tom Malmstrom, coordinator of the Saline Wetlands Conservation Partnership, presented together to a virtual audience about saline wetlands at the Nebraska Natural Legacy Conference. Their presentation was titled, Visualizing the Value of Saline Wetlands.

PBT producer Brooke Talbott, along with Ted LaGrange and Grace Gaard from the Nebraska Game and Park Commission, presented to a virtual audience at the Nebraska Natural Legacy Conference about Nebraska Wetlands: An Outreach and Education Project.

PBT co-founder Mike Forsberg presented at the School of Natural Resources “Fall Kick-Off” event about PBT and our work with researchers across the University of Nebraska system.

PBT producer Ethan Freese virtually presented to attendees of the Nebraska Grazing Conference about PBT’s work in grassland ecosystems.

PBT brought on graduate student Carlee Koehler for her Masters of Applied Science degree. Carlee will produce a project about the Salt Valley Greenways surrounding Lincoln and is set to graduate in May 2023. 

PBT project manager Mariah Lundgren and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission aquatic ecology education specialist Grace Gaard presented to undergraduate students in UNL’s Wetlands class about the Nebraska Wetlands: An Outreach and Education Project, which is a collaboration between PBT and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

PBT celebrated its 10-year anniversary by showing various short films and timelapse imagery during a virtual film festival hosted by undergraduate students at UNL’s School of Natural Resources. 

PBT’s latest storyteller, Dana Fritz, began a project about tree planting in the Platte Basin, which is set to debut in the year 2023.

Nebraska Public Media’s series, Nebraska Stories, premiered PBT’s story A Trout with Feathers on both television and online.

PBT celebrated its 10-year anniversary in March 2021.

PBT’s story Return of the Swan aired on Nebraska Public Media television and streamed on Nebraska Public Media’s LIVE stream.

PBT partnered with the Center for Grassland Studies at UNL to produce a series of videos about Nebraska’s Grasslands. The Dr. Kenneth C. Stout Grassland Studies Fund provided the funding for the partnership.

PBT graduate assistant Brooke Talbott presented her Masters of Applied Science project titled Wild Edges via Zoom.

Nebraskaland, a magazine published by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, released an article about the various organizations that are working together for wetland conservation efforts.

National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson gave a presentation, titled Finding Your Photographic Compass, to the PBT collective.

PBT producer Ethan Freese presented to the UNL Range Management Club about his work in the Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch.

PBT announced its official integration into the School of Natural Resources at UNL.

PBT producer Ethan Freese gave a presentation about PBT for the Center for Grassland Studies’ Fall Seminar Series.

The Outdoor Adventures Center on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s City Campus installed a new gallery featuring imagery from PBT. The area, situated close to the welcome desk, provided students the opportunity to read information about PBT’s mission.

PBT graduate assistant Grant Reiner gave his Masters of Applied Science project presentation about his work in the Wildcat Hills via Zoom.

PBT graduate assistant Ethan Freese gave his Masters of Applied Science project presentation about his work in the Prairie Corridor on the Haines Branch via Zoom.

PBT co-founder Mike Forsberg’s photographs of the American Dipper were featured in an Audubon magazine story.

PBT researchers Mary Harner and Emma Brinley Buckley virtually presented a poster titled Witnessing Watersheds: a multimodal approach for river research and communication at the 2020 Society for Freshwater Science Summer of Science meeting.

The Swan Specialist Group featured PBT’s Return of the Swan photo essay and film on their website.

PBT co-founder Mike Forsberg appeared on Jaymi Heimbuch’s podcast, where he discussed “all things PBT and storytelling.”

PBT graduate assistant Ethan Freese did an Instagram takeover for the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center based out of Denton, Nebraska.

PBT project manager Mariah Lundgren spoke with Nebraska Public Media about her journey with PBT and the Return of the Swan project.

Time and the River, a PBT film that shows the beauty and diversity of the Platte River accompanied by orchestral music, premiered on Nebraska Public Media’s series, Nebraska Stories. 

PBT project manager Mariah Lundgren spoke with Nebraska Public Media about her journey with PBT and the Return of the Swan project.

Nebraska Public Media re-broadcasted River of Surprises, which is an excerpt of the film, Follow the Water, as a package of stories about nature and life in the outdoors. See the video story on Nebraska Public Media’s website.

PBT graduate assistant Brooke Talbott and intern Carlee Koehler gave a presentation about the Platte Basin to middle school students who are a part of the environmental activism club at Goodrich Middle School in Lincoln, Nebraska.

PBT co-founder Mike Forsberg and project manager Mariah Lundgren attended the 2020 Colorado Environmental Film Festival, which showcased A Trout with Feathers as an official selection for the festival.

PBT graduate assistants Grant Reiner, Dakota Altman, project manager, Mariah Lundgren and producer, Pete Stegen filmed the roundup of bighorn sheep in the Wildcat Hills for an upcoming film titled, High Plains Wild. The film and project covers the sheep’s reintroduction to the area.

PBT co-founder Mike Forsberg presented at the 25th Annual Rainwater Basin Joint Venture’s 25th Informational Seminar in Grand Island. He gave a multimedia presentation about the beauty and diversity of ecosystems within Nebraska.

PBT graduate assistant Ethan Freese gave a presentation to the Lincoln Izaak Walton League. The presentation focused on Ethan’s work in the Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch.