The Sandhills comprise one of the most extensive contiguous tracts of grassland remaining in the United States.  This landscape supports a robust ranching economy and community, and provides crucial habitat for a diverse array of native plants and animals.

 

The Sandhills is a contiguous 19,600 square-mile sand dune formation covered by grasses and located in northcentral Nebraska. Approximately 1.3 million acres of wetlands, formed by groundwater discharge, are scattered throughout. To some, the Sandhills appear to be a continual expanse of rolling hills with wetlands in the valleys. However, a closer examination shows diverse habitats. Dunes vary from high, steep hills in the western region to small mounds in the east. The groundwater recharge and discharge associated with various dune types and geographic locations influence the type and quality of wetlands. Wetlands range from shallow, extremely alkaline basins to deeper, freshwater lakes to spring-fed streams. Plant communities range from isolated deciduous and coniferous forests to extensive short and tall-grass prairies. Plants associated with arid conditions inhabit the top of dunes, while lush stands of aquatic plants are found in the valleys a few hundred yards away. It is this broad diversity which provides homes and resting places for countless numbers of resident and migratory wildlife. This same ecosystem supports a strong ranching economy.

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The landscape and economics of the Sandhills are closely tied to the sands and gravels that have formed the area over the past 38 million years. Ancient meandering streams deposited hundreds of feet of sand, gravel, and clay to create the Ogallala formation. Wind-blown dunes eventually covered the water-saturated deposits. The dunes became stabilized by vegetation. Within the last 100 years, the control of wildfires and managed grazing has reduced the amount of exposed sand.

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The dunes remain fragile and depend on the grasses to keep the sands in place. Many of the grasses, in turn, are dependent on the groundwater accumulated under the sands.  In the early 1900s, landowners ditched across the wetter meadows and open-water marshes to increase grass production. The rapid movement of groundwater creates an underground continuum between the lakes, wetlands, and streams. Therefore, an alteration in one area can easily impact vegetation and wetlands across a larger landscape.

 

Another alteration in the Sandhills is the conversion of grassland to cropland. Two attempts, one at the turn of the century (the Kincaid Act) and another in the 1970s, led to financial and environmental problems. In the late 1970s, cultivation in the eastern portion was encouraged by tax laws, center-pivot technology, low land values, and high grain prices. Nebraska Natural Resource Commission (1992) reports that from 1972 to 1981, irrigated land tripled (70,550 to 215,000 acres). Crop production dropped as organic material was leached or eroded. The loss of investment tax credits and low-profit margins led many of the fields to become idle. By 1990, irrigation had ceased on 50,000 acres; much of the land was placed in the Conservation Reserve Program. Conversion back to grassland, however, has been difficult and slow. Lands broken eighty years ago have not regained the natural plant diversity or production.

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The land’s brief time as irrigated cropland had a significant impact on the local area. Water tables were lowered in some areas while other areas experienced flooding. Groundwater contamination by agricultural chemicals began to show up in domestic wells (Natural Resource Commission, 1992). Wind erosion (10 times the rate of grassland) damaged young corn and covered neighboring pastures.