Laserfiche WebLink
PREFACE <br />This report provides a synthesis of the complex problems and controversies associated with <br />protecting the Platte River system. We focus on the Big Bend reach of the Platte River in Nebraska, <br />between Lexington and Grand Island, where most of the region's irrigation demands and water <br />development projects now proposed will have significant repercussions. Audubon's Platte River <br />Management Plan, now in the initial stages of preparation, will offer specific recommendations on <br />how to manage the Platte for both wildlife and human needs. <br />Drafts of this report were sent out forreview to federal and state agency biologists and officials, <br />water development interests, and other conservationists active in Platte River affairs. Formal <br />reviews on the June 1988 draft, and our responses, are included in Volume II of this report. While <br />the majority of our reviewers were often those sitting on the opposite side of the table, the resulting <br />comments helped to expose factual errors and differences of interpretation. As we had hoped, the <br />review process encouraged healthy dialogue between opposing parties and we are certain continued <br />communication of ideas and values will only prove beneficial in the long run to protecting and <br />managing the Platte River's resources for all to benefit. <br />The editorial style of this report takes many forms, reflecting the diverse readership and <br />complex, interdisciplinary nature of the topic. For instance, common names of bird species are <br />capitalized, following the style of the American Ornithological Union's North American Checklist. <br />Citations in the chapter "Legal Issues Affecting Water Use on the Platte" for the most part follow <br />the standard legal style of referencing. All personal communications cited in the text are listed in <br />the References section with year -date and affiliation of the individual. We believe it important to <br />provide readers the easiest means of tracking published and unpublished information. <br />In addition, certain facts and themes are repeated from chapter to chapter. While this intro- <br />duces some repetition for those who read it cover to cover in one sitting, each chapter is made to <br />be essentially self - contained for reference purposes. <br />