Threats to Wildlife and the Platte River

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INTRODUCTION M is causing crowding and vulnerability to disease among the bird species that use it. Sudden freezes on the basin in spring sometimes send many waterfowl to the Platte, but crowding is also increasing on the river due to declining habitat (K. Strom, pers. obs.). Destruction of wetlands, essential habitat for a variety of wildlife, has been extensive across the United States throughout the past century (USFWS 1984). Destruction of wet meadow habitat along the Platte, in particular, accelerated after World War II with the advent of improved farm equipment and deep -well irrigation practices. Less than 10 percent of the original wetland acreage along the Platte remains (USFWS 1984, p 47). Despite such significant losses, these remaining areas are logical candidates for being developed or converted to cropland, given that the majority of this habitat is not under the protection of state or federal wildlife agencies. Because the Platte is the only spring staging site for Sandhill Cranes in the Central Flyway of the United States, and the largest such site on the continent, loss of this habitat could have serious consequences for the entire population of Sandhill Cranes. Another threat to the riverine habitat along the Big Bend reach in central Nebraska is the numerous sand and gravel mining operations that open up adjacent to the river. These operations destroy wetlands and encourage development along the river on prime foraging habitat for migrating waterbirds. The subsurface deposits of sand and gravel are mined, and when abandoned, small water- filled quarries are left behind. Recuperative efforts entail converting the abandoned mined areas to housing developments offering "lakefront" property. Urban sprawl is occurring on the agricultural and riverside lands near Kearney, Grand Island, and other areas along the Platte without effective implementation of flood -plain zoning. Along with such urbanization comes activities, such as the building of highways and bridges, v that change the open character of the Platte's naturally wide channel and otherwise disrupt the river.' However, not all scientists and engineers are in agreement as to exactly what these changes mean for the ecosystem; or more specifically how much water and sediment are needed in the river at 1 A Platte River cumulative impact study was undertaken by the Army Corps of Engineers to study the effects of bank stabilization. From the data that were collected, they found that 437 structures exist along the 150 -mile stretch of river between North Platte and Grand Island, Nebraska. Included in the tally are 30 mini jetties, 25 junk piles (consisting of car bodies and concrete slabs), and 54 bridges (M. Rabbe, 1988,. pers. comm., citing unpubl. data). Embank- ments encroach upon the channel and unnaturally divert flows, increasing erosion and causing flooding where naturally high flows occur.