The Nebraska Sandhills Task Force was formed to apply Sandhills residents’ valued virtue of “being a good neighbor” to the conservation world. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, contention and distrust grew between private landowners and the federal government. New wetland protection legislation, passed and implemented by the federal government, placed restrictions on what could be done on private land. Rumors grew that the federal government was trying to buy more land, and the “Cattle Free by ’93” sentiment, an idea to remove cattle from large swaths of land in the West, fed private landowners’ distrust.
Concurrently, holistic resource management, where ranchers work to improve all facets of their resources, not just their income, was gaining traction; many respected ranchers were attending classes to learn more. Ranchers became more curious about learning ways to improve their stewardship. Some ranchers thought conservation agencies were trying to steal their land or at least place restrictions on them that could cause hardship. Some conservation agency folks thought ranchers intentionally harmed their land or wildlife.
Eventually, some forward-thinking ranchers and conservationists agreed to sit down and have face-to-face conversations about their differences. They found many of their goals and ideas were nearly the same or at least complementary, and very few of their ideas were actually in conflict. The group decided they would be better off if they could work together to find ways to promote private, profitable ranching and conservation of the Sandhills.
Thus, the Sandhills Task Force was formed in 1993. It is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization led by a sixteen-member board of directors in which at least nine of the members make their primary livelihood from ranching. The remaining directors represent conservation and government organizations. The overarching theme of the task force is that all groups find a way to work together to enhance the Sandhills’ wetland-grassland ecosystem to sustain private, profitable ranching, wildlife and vegetative diversity, and the associated water supplies. The task force’s structure, with the board weighted toward working ranchers, lends credibility and assures ranchers that conservation agencies won’t have all the power.
Ranchers are the original conservationists as they depend upon a healthy ecosystem to raise a profitable cattle herd. Ranch families make a considerable investment in the land, with hopes that their investment will pay off when they sell their calves. Generally, the only income generated by the land is through cattle ranching, and the cattle do best when the land is in excellent condition; ranching and conservation go hand in hand.
The Sandhills Task Force has helped build partnerships in the conservation community and ensures ranchers’ voices are heard when new programs or policies emerge that may impact private lands. The group has also raised funds to help landowners implement conservation practices that not only improve the ecosystem as a whole but also help to ensure that ranches will thrive in the future. All conservation projects are holistically planned to have the widest possible benefits.
The most common ranch improvement practices taken on by the task force include controlling invasive eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) and other invasive woody species, adding infrastructure to improve grazing systems, repairing or restoring wetlands and streams, and renovating the shallow Sandhills lakes to remove invasive carp. These projects are completed on private lands with willing landowners and typically in conjunction with two to four additional funding partners. Project design includes the landowner and all partners to ensure it is improving the ecosystem in the desired way. Bids are sought, and when the cost is determined, an agreement is written and reviewed by all parties. Once the practice is completed, everyone reviews it to make sure it meets their expectations. The paperwork is minimal, so the focus can be on building a solid relationship with the landowner, which greatly improves the quality of the conservation projects.
Having a grassroots, rancher-led nonprofit in the Sandhills has improved the natural resources and the ranching community by building trust and maintaining transparency through all its efforts. The task force has been able to bring considerable money to the Sandhills region to improve the ecosystem upon which ranchers, wildlife, birds, and neighboring communities all depend. From 2016 to 2020, the task force spent $3,019,000 in cost-share on conservation projects covering 207,600 acres. Those funds were leveraged, so for every dollar the Sandhills Task Force spent, an additional $3 was contributed by other partners. That means improvements neared $1 billion in a five-year period.
In 2020 the task force hired two new employees and in 2021 launched a new program, the Sandhills Stewards, designed to help ranchers improve business practices.
As we look to the future, the task force maintains partnerships with conservation organizations and agencies and is seeking to build new partnerships with organizations having interests in the Sandhills. Efforts focused on education are an important part of outreach. These include workshops and ranch tours held throughout the year, where information is shared between fellow ranchers and professionals and the communities. To teach the coming generations about rangeland management and progressive ranching practices, the task force has participated in the Nebraska Youth Range Camp, which predates the task force by twenty years. The five-day camp attracts high school students from across the state, who experience hands-on learning and activities and meet like-minded peers.
The Sandhills of Nebraska is a special place, full of unique and determined people who enjoy and respect the rolling native prairie, the solitude, and the creatures that call it home. Groups like the Sandhills Task Force are dedicated to maintaining the grassland-wetland ecosystem and the ranching way of life.