The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska

🌾 Nebraska Summer Bucket List 🌾

Looking for adventure this summer? Add these Nebraska experiences to your list:

☑️ Take in the scenic views of the Niobrara River
☑️ Spot bison grazing at Niobrara Valley Preserve
☑️ Go bird watching at Platte River Prairie Preserve
☑️ Hike through the diverse habitats of Niobrara Valley Preserve
☑️ Take in a Platte River sunset
☑️ Try your hand at wildlife photography

What's on your Nebraska summer bucket list? Start planning today: https://nature.ly/4dIxAqthttps://nature.ly/4dIxAqt

📸: Chris Helzer

Happy National Prairie Day!🌾

Prairies tell a story of resilience. Across Nebraska's Sandhills, rolling grasslands stretch for miles, providing habitat for wildlife, protecting water resources, and supporting generations of ranching communities.

Covering more than 12 million acres, the Sandhills are one of the largest remaining intact temperate grassland landscapes in the world and represent a remarkable example of a healthy prairie ecosystem.

Learn more about our work to build a healthy future for grasslands in Nebraska and around the world: https://nature.ly/4dW38rk

📸: Chris Helzer

Volunteer Days at the Niobrara Valley Preserve are in full swing!

Join us this June to make a meaningful impact while enjoying some of the best early summer views on the Preserve. With a variety of hands-on projects your efforts will help leave a lasting impact on this prairie ecosystem.

Then stick around to unwind with us during a bison tour and camp overnight under the wide-open Nebraska sky.

Spots are limited, fill out the form today to secure your place: https://nature.ly/4wx88M5

Please note: Volunteer Days may be canceled due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. All participants must complete a registration form to attend.

📸: Christopher Helzer

Nebraska's rivers are making impacts that go far beyond our state lines.

This Mississippi River Day, we’re joining 1 Mississippi in celebrating freshwater systems that play an important role in supporting wildlife, agriculture, recreation, and communities across the region.

Here in Nebraska, places like the Platte River Prairies remind us how healthy prairies and grasslands help reduce runoff, improve water quality, and provide habitats where migratory birds and other species can thrive.

When we work together to protect and restore freshwater ecosystems, like Platte River Prairies, we are not only helping care for the communities and wildlife in Nebraska but also those downstream.

Learn more about the Mississippi River Basin and what The Nature Conservancy is doing to help protect it: https://nature.ly/3PjMlWU

📸: Rory Doyle

Join the team!

Are you passionate about fire management, conservation, and the landscape that surrounds you? The Nature Conservancy is hiring a Senior Burn Crew Member! From preparing fire lines to monitoring post-burn activity, you'll be at the heart of the action.

Build strong relationships within the fire community, oversee staff and volunteers during fire-related activities, join opportunities to earn advanced fire qualifications through training, support the Nebraska Fire Team working with private landowners and partners at events related to prescribed fire, and more.

This position operates throughout Nebraska, with primary responsibilities in the Nebraska Sandhills.

Learn more and apply today: https://nature.ly/3RwXgxE

📸: Chris Helzer

What does conservation grazing look like in practice?

Find out at Pottawattamie Conservation’s free Grazing Field Day on Wednesday, June 17 at Hitchcock Nature Center.

Hear from experts in their fields, including The Nature Conservancy’s Amy Crouch, Little Sioux Project Director, and Chris Helzer, Nebraska Director of Science and Stewardship, on topics including grazing public lands, native forage, conservation grazing strategies, and public-private grazing partnerships. This event will also include a field tour.

Learn more and register here: https://nature.ly/43jLaKL

📸: Chris Helzer | Geof Fischer

This summer, 6–8 graders can connect with nature and creativity at KANEKO's Creative Camp in partnership with The Nature Conservancy! 🌿🎨

Join KANEKO Monday, June 15 through Friday, June 19, for a week of hands-on activities including birdwatching, outdoor exploration, and art projects inspired by nature. Special visitors will also make appearances throughout the week to share their expertise and help campers discover even more about the natural world.

It’s a fun and engaging way for middle school students to learn about wildlife, conservation, and the environment while sparking their creativity and imagination.

Don't miss out—register today:https://nature.ly/4dhjKev

📸: KANEKO

Volunteer Days at the Niobrara Valley Preserve are now open for registration!

Make a meaningful impact when you join us for one of our upcoming Volunteer Days. From habitat restoration work to assisting with a variety of maintenance projects, your time spent here helps support the long-term health of this amazing landscape.

Turn it into a full experience by joining a bison tour and camping overnight on the Preserve.

Spots are limited, fill out the form today to secure your place: https://nature.ly/4wx88M5

Please note: Volunteer Days may be canceled due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. All participants must complete a registration form to attend.

This spring an incredible journey is unfolding along the "whooper highway."

Through the Whooping Crane Chronicles bike ride, conservation photographer Mike Forsberg and ecologist Andy Coven are tracing the 2,500-mile migration route of the whooping crane to highlight the habitats these birds rely on from the Texas coast to the northern Great Plains.

The tour will ride along roughly 260 miles of the whooping crane migration route that passes through Nebraska’s Platte River region. These landscapes provide critical habitat, including the grasslands and wetlands of TNC’s Platte River Prairies Preserve, offering not only whooping cranes but a wide variety of migratory birds a place to rest and refuel before continuing their journey.

Learn more: https://nature.ly/42ibAw6

This Earth Day, look up!

You don’t need fancy gear or expert knowledge to start birdwatching in Nebraska—just a little curiosity and a willingness to notice what’s around you.

Check out these 4 simple tips to get started birding, from staying close to home to tuning in by sight and sound.