Ann Bleed came to Nebraska from New York in 1972. Her views on water were shaped during her more than 20 year tenure with the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, holding positions including director and state hydrologist, and by her participation on negotiations for two interstate litigation cases.

Twice a year, the world’s largest remaining wild population of endangered whooping cranes makes the 2,500-mile journey between breeding grounds in Canada’s Northwest Territories and wintering grounds on the Texas Gulf Coast, using the Great Plains as their migratory corridor. Biologist are tracking these rare birds to learn more about their migration.

Wet meadows are groundwater-fed wetlands within larger grassland environments. Along the Platte…

Located at the bottleneck of North America’s central flyway, Nebraska’s Platte River faces significant challenges. Key groups like the Audubon Society’s Rowe Sanctuary and federally-mandated Platte River Recovery Implementation Program, along with many other organizations, are working to protect the river and conserve habitat for the endangered whooping crane, least tern, and threatened piping plover through conservation and education.