Traveling Through Nebraska: The Story of Calumet Area Land
Calumet area land, which spans northwestern and central Nebraska, is a noteworthy geographical region characterized by sod table land formations. Sod tables, with their flat tops and steep slopes, were formed when softer underlying sand and clay soil was eroded, leaving behind harder and more resistant soil layers. These landforms have been a significant element shaping Nebraskan history and geography, particularly with respect to soil conservation and farming.
Some notable sod tables in the Calumet area include the Ashby area sod tables at 42.172306, -103.235475 in Sherman County, Nebraska, which have been a vital component of this area for centuries due to their role in supporting local ecosystems. Early Nebraskan inhabitants made use of the taller grasses that grew in these distinctive sod tables and flat high prairie land for wildlife habitat and the formation of natural shelter from the elements and potential enemies alike. They played an essential role in their native habitats not just for indigenous peoples but also for early European settlers of the United States who also used these formations to map and settle the Great Plains area of central United States.
Early Nebraskan agriculture in the Calumet area land consisted of numerous sod tables intermixed with sandhills type natural areas. To combat the severe wind erosion of dust bowl soil damage circa 1920-1930s and farm soil destruction some farming areas, namely irrigation-dependent sod table land were replaced by buffalo grass for area soil rehabilitation. Settling deep roots and expanding beyond the crops season ended soil loss and enhanced economic stability for year-round livestock to graze. However, such decisions led to changes in the landscape that have allowed local herds to transition to sheep. The sod tables within the region prevented any potential water-based forms of soil conservation that worked elsewhere however all the surrounding area was used as grazing land, with special care to repair all sections that may degrade at a fast rate.
Most areas have significantly survived drought, and have provided for ranching generations going back several hundred years. It follows then that these formations also give those ranching areas great value – socially through added water, as one big example. Specifically, however for agriculture they would also provide one example each farming area not dependent upon full-time water flow, allowing in rare area overflow, and allowing its neighboring surrounding landscape to manage water systems.
Additionally these lands remain best suited for landholders involved within area-based hunting on U.S federal tracts of public domain land at northern sites in Mullen area, where the 'Traverse Breaks to 'Three forks', or Blue River basin sites remain freely available to the public free of charge as they are mainly land grant associated.
Conservation such as soil salvage and preserving small to moderately-sized ponds also show that this sod region itself is involved in landscape management since natural pond water availability frequently varies widely each month under some non-explosive climate conditions locally; as it also operates a well used wetland at which a land use to wildlife value has been calculated, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service continue to evaluate additional ongoing local habitat changes regularly, that continue at higher rates that in the recent past.
Geological studies provide ample evidence that continued in stability may cause uneven weather effects on crops some time long term environmental policy changes that originate on sod lands also increase stability worldwide largely due the numerous forms they take being land shaped here based at a large number of regions through U.S soil classification systems, without local communities to educate each other on natural landscape features as used since they did arise elsewhere by taking various uses into managing private grazing pastures.
These sod tables continue to work as an immense management effort locally at the Ashby in a land-use practice involving multiple agencies during numerous area over all dry non management options with more limited, active weather systems often as more a large private tracts land at wildlife protected preserve.
Some notable sod tables in the Calumet area include the Ashby area sod tables at 42.172306, -103.235475 in Sherman County, Nebraska, which have been a vital component of this area for centuries due to their role in supporting local ecosystems. Early Nebraskan inhabitants made use of the taller grasses that grew in these distinctive sod tables and flat high prairie land for wildlife habitat and the formation of natural shelter from the elements and potential enemies alike. They played an essential role in their native habitats not just for indigenous peoples but also for early European settlers of the United States who also used these formations to map and settle the Great Plains area of central United States.
Early Nebraskan agriculture in the Calumet area land consisted of numerous sod tables intermixed with sandhills type natural areas. To combat the severe wind erosion of dust bowl soil damage circa 1920-1930s and farm soil destruction some farming areas, namely irrigation-dependent sod table land were replaced by buffalo grass for area soil rehabilitation. Settling deep roots and expanding beyond the crops season ended soil loss and enhanced economic stability for year-round livestock to graze. However, such decisions led to changes in the landscape that have allowed local herds to transition to sheep. The sod tables within the region prevented any potential water-based forms of soil conservation that worked elsewhere however all the surrounding area was used as grazing land, with special care to repair all sections that may degrade at a fast rate.
Most areas have significantly survived drought, and have provided for ranching generations going back several hundred years. It follows then that these formations also give those ranching areas great value – socially through added water, as one big example. Specifically, however for agriculture they would also provide one example each farming area not dependent upon full-time water flow, allowing in rare area overflow, and allowing its neighboring surrounding landscape to manage water systems.
Additionally these lands remain best suited for landholders involved within area-based hunting on U.S federal tracts of public domain land at northern sites in Mullen area, where the 'Traverse Breaks to 'Three forks', or Blue River basin sites remain freely available to the public free of charge as they are mainly land grant associated.
Conservation such as soil salvage and preserving small to moderately-sized ponds also show that this sod region itself is involved in landscape management since natural pond water availability frequently varies widely each month under some non-explosive climate conditions locally; as it also operates a well used wetland at which a land use to wildlife value has been calculated, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service continue to evaluate additional ongoing local habitat changes regularly, that continue at higher rates that in the recent past.
Geological studies provide ample evidence that continued in stability may cause uneven weather effects on crops some time long term environmental policy changes that originate on sod lands also increase stability worldwide largely due the numerous forms they take being land shaped here based at a large number of regions through U.S soil classification systems, without local communities to educate each other on natural landscape features as used since they did arise elsewhere by taking various uses into managing private grazing pastures.
These sod tables continue to work as an immense management effort locally at the Ashby in a land-use practice involving multiple agencies during numerous area over all dry non management options with more limited, active weather systems often as more a large private tracts land at wildlife protected preserve.
