The Big Bend reach of the central Platte River serves as a major staging area for migratory water birds (waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds) during spring migration. Reduced spring flows and drought conditions within the Platte system have promoted encroachment by undesirable woody and herbaceous invasive species. This encroachment has caused the once shallow braided channels of the Platte River to incise. This action has significantly reduced available habitat for roosting and loafing Sandhill Cranes, endangered Whooping Cranes, and millions of waterfowl that annually utilize the Platte River each spring. This change in river morphology has also reduced available nesting habitat for the federally listed Interior Least Tern and Piping Plover. In addition to the degradation of the open channel, wet meadows and lowland grasslands adjacent to the active channel have been invaded by Eastern Red Cedars, Russian Olives, and other undesirable woody species. Furthermore, important side channels, backwaters, and wetland sloughs have also been overgrown with Purple Loosestrife, hybrid Cattails, Phragmites, and Reed Canary Grass. This reduction in available habitat quality has galvanized a strong partnership between conservation agencies, non-government organizations, and private landowners to work together to protect, restore, and enhance habitat along the central Platte River valley. As the partnership matured it became evident there was a need to develop a baseline inventory of the current vegetation along the central Platte River in a Geographical Information System (GIS). This baseline vegetation dataset can now be used in a multitude of analyses and habitat models to better plan and implement conservation practices.
