Traveling Through Nebraska's Great Plains Eco Regions
The Great Plains eco-region in Nebraska, spanning almost the entire state, offers a unique set of ecosystems and landscapes shaped by geological and climatic factors. As part of the larger Great Plains eco-zone that encompasses parts of Canada and several US states, this Nebraska region can be characterized by diverse habitats and landforms, including tallgrass prairies, badlands, and Sandhills. In this article, we will delve into the characteristics of these distinct ecosystems within the Great Plains eco-region in Nebraska.
Tallgrass prairies once dominated eastern Nebraska. Now nearly extinct due to widespread agricultural development and urbanization, remnants can still be seen in places such as Homestead National Monument, near Beatrice, Nebraska. This National Park Service site protects a historical homestead and surrounds it with land returning to its natural prairie state through controlled fires and land management. By visiting this location, travelers can see the diverse mix of grasses, forbs, and wildflowers of this ecosystem.
A more substantial portion of Nebraska's landscape falls within the boundaries of the Sandhills eco-region. Located primarily in central Nebraska, it contains more than 20 million acres of rolling dunes bearing sandy soils, supporting diverse ecosystems of wetlands, woodlands, and open grasslands. Damp wetlands within this eco-region like the Crane Trust Research Refuge near Alda, Nebraska, provide habitat for endangered sandhill cranes during their annual migrations.
Badlands landscapes dominate western Nebraska, marked by unique rock formations, mesas, and hoodoos cut into by meandering rivers such as the North Platte River. This landscape's arid, dry conditions lead to the development of unique plant and animal populations adapted to such a harsh environment. A fine example of these landforms can be seen at Toadstool Geologic Park in Oglala National Grassland near Crawford, Nebraska.
Travelers should take a moment to appreciate an additional Great Plains Nebraska landform, the Loess Hills near Brownville and Peru, comprising of unique rolling bluffs formed by wind-transported, fine-grained silty soil. Spring rains allow plants to blossom in Loess Hills adding colors to places like the Indian Cave State Park near Shubert, Nebraska.
As part of Nebraska's geographical complexity, shifts between these eco-regions often blend. Ecosystems associated with rocky drainages overlap with the sandy soil lands found in wetter Sandhills habitats within the Ogallala National Grasslands. This great diversity of landscapes supports unique natural, scientific, historical settings crucial to travelers' perception of the place when exploring and visiting these incredible Plaines.
With few remnants of unplowed tallgrass lands today, there's little window of preserved environments left on earth. A responsible tourism for Nebraska's ecosystems can let these landscapes withstand an increasing influx of excited visitors each year to appreciate the importance of this great world heritage that are an integral component of a vital America natural eco-balance ecosystem system.
Tallgrass prairies once dominated eastern Nebraska. Now nearly extinct due to widespread agricultural development and urbanization, remnants can still be seen in places such as Homestead National Monument, near Beatrice, Nebraska. This National Park Service site protects a historical homestead and surrounds it with land returning to its natural prairie state through controlled fires and land management. By visiting this location, travelers can see the diverse mix of grasses, forbs, and wildflowers of this ecosystem.
A more substantial portion of Nebraska's landscape falls within the boundaries of the Sandhills eco-region. Located primarily in central Nebraska, it contains more than 20 million acres of rolling dunes bearing sandy soils, supporting diverse ecosystems of wetlands, woodlands, and open grasslands. Damp wetlands within this eco-region like the Crane Trust Research Refuge near Alda, Nebraska, provide habitat for endangered sandhill cranes during their annual migrations.
Badlands landscapes dominate western Nebraska, marked by unique rock formations, mesas, and hoodoos cut into by meandering rivers such as the North Platte River. This landscape's arid, dry conditions lead to the development of unique plant and animal populations adapted to such a harsh environment. A fine example of these landforms can be seen at Toadstool Geologic Park in Oglala National Grassland near Crawford, Nebraska.
Travelers should take a moment to appreciate an additional Great Plains Nebraska landform, the Loess Hills near Brownville and Peru, comprising of unique rolling bluffs formed by wind-transported, fine-grained silty soil. Spring rains allow plants to blossom in Loess Hills adding colors to places like the Indian Cave State Park near Shubert, Nebraska.
As part of Nebraska's geographical complexity, shifts between these eco-regions often blend. Ecosystems associated with rocky drainages overlap with the sandy soil lands found in wetter Sandhills habitats within the Ogallala National Grasslands. This great diversity of landscapes supports unique natural, scientific, historical settings crucial to travelers' perception of the place when exploring and visiting these incredible Plaines.
With few remnants of unplowed tallgrass lands today, there's little window of preserved environments left on earth. A responsible tourism for Nebraska's ecosystems can let these landscapes withstand an increasing influx of excited visitors each year to appreciate the importance of this great world heritage that are an integral component of a vital America natural eco-balance ecosystem system.
