Killing weeds, Platte River style

The Platte river is big, some 300+ miles long. It has become choked with vegetation for many reasons over the years. This has a big effect on the ability of the river to carry water in its slow meandering braided prairie river natural state. One method to help clear the vegetation is to spray it with a herbicide. Much can be done by truck, but some areas must be sprayed by air. A helicopter was hired to cover the areas that just are too difficult to reach by other means. Thats when Rob Schultz who is the Hall County Weed Control Superintendent stopped by the Center and asked if the Helicopter could use our parking area to stage from.

The helicopter lands on top of the storage truck and it takes about 40 seconds to top off the tank and off if flies to continue spraying.

I was able to watch the pilot apply the area right behind the Center. He really moved around and when the spray came out of the boom, it was pushed straight down minimizing drift. Today, I walked down and the vegetation is showing signs of dying. We'll keep you posted about how this affects our stretch of the river.

Some thoughts as to why we exist.

The Central Platte River valley is home to some of the most productive land on our planet. This productivity has created a robust economy of agriculture, business and industry that thrives to this day. The common thread is the Platte. The Platte breathes life into this region, it always has.

Our entire lives we have lived and worked in the valley and we go about our business seldom stopping to take notice. People travel I-80 as fast as they possibly can, hardly recognizing the river that has flowed for eons carving out a landscape that was once at the heart of the greatest grassland ecosystems on earth.

The Platte, though fragmented compared to its historic borders, still plays host to a robust ecosystem of flora and fauna that is world class in its scope. This is the focus of our mission.

The Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center exists to provide a place from which people of all ages can connect to nature. Landowners, scientists, politicians, tourists, artists and students are starting to piece together the future of the Platte. We are learning more now than we ever have about the river. What are we to do with all of this knowledge? The one thing we can’t do is ignore it.

The Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center will be a resource and a portal to nature. We will celebrate Nebraska and it’s land as a place that is vibrant and alive. As the debates and policies are formed, a place in which people can connect, learn, and discover grows more important..

Michael Forsberg, at the Center October 25

Program Coordinator Position open.

Position has been filled. Announcement will be made shortly

Open house September 26

Tree in your way? No problem..

We had a Ash tree in front of our sign at the center. In about twenty minutes it was moved to a new location just to the south so we can still enjoy its shade!

New photos from Hubble.

They polished the lens on the Hubble telescope. Very cool images are coming out. Here's a link to the NASA site.