by Karlie Gerlach | IANR Communications
Lincoln, Neb. — The Wetlands of Nebraska serve a greater purpose than many know as they improve water quality, recharge groundwater, reduce the impacts of flooding, provide a place to recreate, give plants and animals a home, and more.
The Nebraska Game and Parks and the Platte Basin Timelapse worked together to release new wetlands educational content to inform the public about Nebraska’s diverse wetland types and their importance to the state, its people, and its wildlife.
“Because of the many benefits that wetlands provide, it is important that people have good and up-to-date information about them. Over the years, there has been great progress made in helping provide this information and the recently completed Wetlands of Nebraska Outreach and Education project provides a wonderful new set of information for people to explore and learn,” said Ted LaGrange, Wetland Program Manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
The new resources were released just in time to celebrate World Wetlands Day in February and American Wetlands Month in May, but learning about these unique wetlands outside of these times is highly encouraged.
The new educational content was created in a sustainable way to make it easily accessible to the public. The content includes five documentary films, five digital stories, an educator guide, a new activity-filled booklet, and an updated guide that covers Nebraska’s wetlands.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funded project was led by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in partnership with the Platte Basin Timelapse, the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and Ducks Unlimited.
“I am confident that the public will learn some new things about wetlands and enjoy the quality of the products generated. They can also learn what actions are being taken to help conserve wetlands in Nebraska and what they can do to help,” said LaGrange.
The new resources and more can be found at NebraskaWetlands.com.