In the heart of North America, lies 20,000 square miles of mostly intact mixed-grass prairie-covered dunes called the Sandhills. Beneath the ground, lies the Ogallala Aquifer, which holds nearly one billion acre-feet of water. Wetlands are defined by the presence of water, hydrophytic plants (water-loving), and soils that have been developed in wet conditions.
Wetlands in the Sandhills are found where the aquifer meets the surface in the valleys and between the hills, along the shorelines of the many rivers and streams, and on the edges of lakes. Impressively, the Sandhills has more than one million acres of wetlands and is one of the last truly wild landscapes left in the Great Plains. Water is a critical resource for the people, plants, and wildlife inhabiting the Sandhills and those downstream who rely on the Ogallala Aquifer for drinking water, crop irrigation, and other municipal uses. Ranchers and conservation organizations manage the land through grazing, fire, and various other methods.
Throughout this film, Ted LaGrange, the Nebraska State Wetland Program Manager, will guide the viewer through a series of stories about wetlands in the Nebraska Sandhills, the conservation efforts and challenges these wetlands face today, and the species and people who call the Sandhills home.