Protecting the Platte: 50 Years of Conservation, Collaboration, and Change

For more than 50 years, Audubon’s conservation work along the Platte River has been rooted in the belief that lasting conservation is built through strong partnerships and collaboration. 

Protecting this vital ecosystem takes many partners and stakeholders; collaboration is the key to making an impact and requires working with producers, local communities, irrigation districts, government agencies, and other conservation organizations. Species like the endangered Whooping Crane, the Least Tern, and the Piping Plover are just a few that desperately rely on the ecosystem surrounding the Platte River.  

Former Audubon Nebraska Executive Director, David Sands, has fought for protection of the Platte in various capacities, including from 1997 to 2003 while working for Audubon, and following that during his role as the Executive Director for the Nebraska Land Trust. Before joining Audubon, Sands worked as a lobbyist and consultant on Platte River issues, giving him a bigger picture of the Platte’s story and making him a great resource to gain a better understanding of the work that has been done and what’s at stake.  

The beginning. 

When Sands first became involved in Platte River conservation, the need to protect water for wildlife was becoming increasingly urgent. In the 1980s, Nebraska began developing a legal framework to protect instream flows, the water that remains in a river to support fish, wildlife, recreation, and other ecological needs. In 1989, the state granted its first instream flow protection on Pine Creek. The Game and Parks Commission identified the Platte River to be next for protection; however, this caused concerns from irrigation districts. A compromise was announced to cut the instream flow to the Platte to balance the needs of the irrigation community and conservation efforts. The proposal, however, prompted strong opposition from organizations tasked with protecting the wildlife that rely on the Platte River to survive.   

Audubon stepped into action.  

Sands remembers a grassroots campaign that included a full-page newspaper advertisement with the headline “Nebraska’s Own Water Fowl,” a news conference and a call for supporters to attend a Nebraska Game and Parks Commission meeting. Local Audubon chapters turned out, and supporters used “Save the Platte” stickers to identify themselves. The effort was successful, and the commission postponed the decision. Audubon and partners organized a letter and call-writing campaign urging commissioners to protect the river’s flows, and local Audubon chapters joined in. In the end, the proposal did not receive enough votes to pass, a big win illustrating the power of collaboration and ultimately a big win for conservation.  

“Before the instream flow battle, decisions were made in backroom discussions,” Sands recalled. “When they had to work with conservation organizations and look at the bigger picture, that changed the entire dynamic.” 

Community building for habitat conservation. 

After becoming Executive Director of Audubon Nebraska, Sands invited representatives from local power and irrigation districts to Rowe Sanctuary for a barbecue. The goal was simple: rebuild relationships by talking face to face. At the time, Sands said, there was a perception among some water users that wildlife conservation and agriculture had opposing goals, but Sands felt differently and wanted to set the record straight. 

“This isn’t a case of cranes versus corn,” he explained. In his view, the challenge was finding ways to manage water, including the timing of releases from Kingsley Dam that could support both agricultural needs and wildlife. By continuing to build relationships, Sands focused his efforts on a broader approach of finding common ground between all parties involved. 

The Platte River system crosses three states, Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska, and includes multiple dams, reservoirs, and diversion structures that influence how water moves through the system. Finding solutions required those state agencies, water users, federal agencies, and conservation organizations to come together. This led to the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (PRRIP), a cooperative effort focused on balancing water needs with habitat and wildlife conservation. Together, this group brings a wealth of expertise to the field, including wildlife biology, land planning, statistical ecology, and water resources engineering. They focus on three core strategies that guide the program’s efforts to protect species and habitats on the Platte: water, land, and adaptive management. 

Using science and creating solutions.  

While relationships and partnerships were critical, conservation on the ground was equally important. At Rowe Sanctuary, Audubon and its partners tried new approaches to managing Platte River habitat. Audubon worked alongside organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, sharing equipment and expertise and experimenting with ways to maintain the open river habitat that birds and wildlife depend on. 

While working with staff at Rowe, they used their landscape to host one of the first large scientific studies showing that dewatering was hurting the Platte, and scientific evidence now proved the need for conservation strategies. This was significant from a scientific standpoint and influenced the development of adaptive management practices to figure out what worked and what didn’t. This included practices still used today, such as disking river sandbars to prevent them from becoming overgrown with woody vegetation.  

Protecting more than birds 

Sandhill Cranes and Whooping cranes may be among the Platte’s most recognizable species, but Sands believes the river's importance extends far beyond these iconic birds. The Platte supports millions of ducks, geese, fish, insects, and other waterfowl. Its wet meadows and native habitats provide benefits for countless species, while its water is essential to communities and agriculture throughout Nebraska. Over time, Sands said, the conversation around the Platte has expanded from individual species to the health of the entire ecosystem. 

The river is a place for birders and hunters. It supports recreation and tourism. It provides water for communities and agriculture. And its health is connected to the broader economy of the state. The 2026 Economic Impact Study of the Spring Wildlife Migration in Central Nebraska found that more than 30,000 visitors who come to witness the annual migration generate an estimated $28 million in economic output each year.  

The work continues. 

Sands sees the future of Platte River conservation as an ongoing effort to build that constituency. 

He hopes people will come to understand the Platte as a river for everyone, a river for wildlife, recreation, communities, agriculture and the many experiences that connect people to the outdoors. Significant work remains to protect the Platte as water demand continues to grow and as drought years hit the hardest.  

For Sands, the answer is to continue building relationships and finding ways for the Platte to serve the many people and species that depend on it. After 50 years of conservation, Sands believes that connection is still one of the Platte's greatest strengths. Sands is pleased to see Audubon and partners continuing the work, building relationships, and convening to protect the Platte.