With the merge to a Great Plains office, we have many things to celebrate and new opportunities stretching from North Dakota to Nebraska. It is an exciting time of change, much like the spring season that brings warmer days, plants blooming, and one of my favorite early signs of spring: the dawn chorus. The American Robin’s rich caroling is among the earliest songbirds heard at dawn, often beginning just before first light. Soon, nests will be built and eggs will be hatching; a sign of new life, growth, and cause for celebration.
Aiming for our growth and expansion, Audubon Great Plains launched Elevate Nebraska, the most ambitious fundraising endeavor in our history. Investments will elevate our work across Nebraska from education to working lands, from science-based programming to operations, and at the center of it all, expansions for accessibility improvements at Rowe Sanctuary and Spring Creek Prairie.
We invite you to visit Spring Creek Prairie as we celebrate its 25th year. Enjoy the miles of walking trails and the tallgrass prairie that offers habitat for wildlife and over 235 species of birds like the Northern Harrier that rely on this important ecosystem for nesting, foraging, and survival.
With plans of construction beginning this summer, Rowe Sanctuary will see multiple new additions. Expansion includes improved space for river and bird viewing, an education expansion, a conference room and multipurpose space, and an industrial-grade kitchen designed for catering.
After a record-breaking Giving Hearts Day in North Dakota, we look forward to what’s in store for habitat restoration. In North Dakota, signs of growth include the expansion of our Urban Woods and Prairies Initiative through our Urban Pollinator Plots Project over six sites to ensure a healthy habitat for birds, pollinators, wildlife, and the community. For birders, spring means heading to forests, waterways, and grasslands to capture a glimpse of a favorite warbler or possibly waterfowl. For us, it also means new opportunities and expansion as we continue to elevate our work across the Great Plains.
Kristal Stoner, Executive Director
