Maintaining the Platte River for Cranes and Communities

If you've ever spent any time along the Platte River in the Fall, you may have spotted an odd sight in the river channel: Heavy farm equipment!  It can seem out of place on a wildlife sanctuary, but for us it's a sign that it's time once again to start preparing for the return of the cranes.

Disking sandbars is one of the most important habitat management tools we use at Rowe Sanctuary. Historically, the Platte was a wide, braided river shaped by periodic floods that naturally removed vegetation from sandbars. Today, with altered river flows and fewer scouring floods, vegetation can quickly take hold. If left unchecked, vegetated sandbars turn to dense, wooded, permanent islands within just a few years time. 

Each year, Rowe Sanctuary works closely with the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (PRRIP) to secure disking services and identify target sandbars in need of clearing.  This regular river channel maintenance serves to keep the habitat more closely aligned with its historical status- and one the cranes welcome!

When hundreds of thousands of cranes arrive at Rowe Sanctuary each spring, they seek out wide, open channels where they can roost safely at night. Open sandbars and unobstructed sightlines allow cranes to detect predators. By disking vegetation and exposing bare sand, we help maintain the conditions that cranes have relied upon for generations.

This work directly impacts habitat and the wildlife that depends on it, but the benefits extend much farther than that.  The work of sustaining one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on the continent extends to our surrounding communities as well. A recent economic impact study found that spring wildlife migration generates 28 million dollars annually in economic activity across central Nebraska. Visitors travel from around the world to experience the crane migration, supporting local hotels, restaurants, outfitters, and businesses along the way.

Those economic benefits begin with healthy habitat. The sunrise liftoffs and sunset descents that captivate visitors each March are only possible because cranes have safe places to roost.

The striking image of a tractor in the river is a reminder that conservation doesn't happen by accident.  While the machines will be long gone by the time the cranes arrive in Spring, those who know can appreciate the hard work in the Fall that set the stage for such a magnificent wildlife spectacle.