Day #5-Part #1, Sand Hills, Nebraska   Robert Leverett   Aug 30, 2006 06:18 PDT  ENTS, This is Day #5 – Part #1 of our trip chronicles. I do hope this trip account is enjoyable for you all. If the installments are too long or too frequent, please let me know. Monica and I hit the road fairly early on July 25th, leaving behind Albion, Nebraska, which advertises itself as the “Gateway to the Sand Hills”. It is one gateway, but not a particularly prominent one. Our first destination was to be Burwell, Nebraska, home of the Big Rodeo, held in the last week of July. We had our minds set on a little breakfast place that we had visited the year before. I had touted it as having real a breakfast and Monica had enjoyed it. But sadly, things had changed over the course of a year. Our breakfast was to be very ordinary and where the difference lay. But, first, a few words about the Sand Hills. According to one Internet description, “The Sand Hills are Pleistocene sand dunes derived from glacial outwash eroded from the Rockies, and now (mostly) stabilized by vegetation.” I have seen different numbers for the area occupied by the Sand Hills, but I think somewhere between 17,000 and 19,000 square miles works out to be an accurate representation. The amount of sand blown into and piled up in Nebraska from Colorado and Wyoming is truly staggering. From the ground, the light covering of vegetation obscures the structure of the dunes, but the patterns from the air are unmistakable. All the patterns exist that one would see in deserts with highly visible dunes. The Sand Hills have numerous ponds, or lakes as they are sometimes called, and on clear days, the azure color of these small bodies of water gives them a presence and beauty that far surpasses their modest sizes. The lakes stand out as blue jewels in sea of light green grasses that typically turn amber and then brown as summer progresses. This has been a wet year however and green dominates the landscape. There is a bonus for nature lovers contributed by the lakes. They provide convenient stopovers for migrating birds. The Sand Hills are also the largest remaining area of mid and tall grass prairies. Common grass species include big bluestem, little bluestem, Indian grass, prairie sand reed, and sand love grass. In the 1800s, the Sand Hills were part of the vast hunting grounds of the powerful Lakota Nation (Sioux). These fierce lords of the plains were dominant throughout South Dakota, over much of Nebraska, and parts of eastern and central Wyoming, and in western Minnesota. In earlier times, they had been a dominant force in a larger part of Minnesota, which is often cited as their origin. However, after gaining mobility with the horse, they moved into the northern Great Plains. Place names in Nebraska like Ogallala speak to the influence of the Lakotas. For me, the most significant aspect of the Sand Hills is that when one enters their domain, one leaves behind the pleasant, subdued, uniform green of agricultural fields and passes into wilder country. The feeling of domination of the landscape by human activity subsides. The Sand Hills feel more robust – a true western landscape where the imagination can conjure Indians mounted on ponies suddenly appearing over a distant hill. One can imagine herds of buffalo grazing peacefully. And then, there is the ever present distant horizon. Today, the Sand Hills are cattle country, but the native grasses are still present. Topping a long hill and seeing the merging of sky with land, one feels the pulse of western horizons. Whether flat or rolling, the native grasslands of the Sand Hills cast a spell uniquely their own. Despite our desire for a hearty breakfast, Monica and I had a brief stopover at Pibel Lake, a local fishing spot operated by the State with primitive camping facilities, and guess what? There they were a scattering of conspicuously large cottonwoods. To the general public, I suspect those trees go largely unnoticed. Visitors go to the small lake for a specific purpose. According to the literature, Pibel lake features bluegills, largemouth bass & channel catfish, but we weren’t there to fish. Our visit was about an early morning commune with nature and I had measuring of any convenient cottonwoods in mind. So, Monica did the communing and I did the measuring. While she wandered around looking at the grasses, I began measuring trees. Out in the Plains, you ask? Well, one big cottonwood dressed out at a highly respectable 16.7 feet in circumference and 82.6 feet in height. An even larger tree stood across a wet, swampy area that I didn’t brave. It has been saved for next year. I think its circumference approaches 20 feet and its height is probably between 75 and 80 feet. Standing and looking at the cottonwoods by the lake, I was instantly reminded of how much I enjoy hearing wind rustling through cottonwood leaves. It is a sound that I seek to experience as often as possible. It can be transcendental – but for full effect, it must be experienced in the right places. Although, the cottonwood species one sees in Nebraska is still Populus deltoides, the sound that the western trees make in the wind is coarser than that heard in cottonwoods father east. Perhaps the leaves are stiffer. I suspect they are. Perhaps, Lee has a take on leaf stiffness. Regardless, the western sound is full-bodied and captivating. There is magic in the notes of rustling leaves. Maybe the sound isn’t quite as compelling as the haunting call of loons in the North Woods, but the rustle of cottonwood leaves in the West ranks high on my list of captivating nature sounds. Beyond the pleasant rustle of leaves, the large cottonwoods at Pibel Lake gave me pause to reflect. There are, without a single doubt, many large cottonwoods spread across Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas that grow along the meandering streams and rivers and they are just waiting to be confirmed by ENTS for posterity. To my mind, this big tree of the plains deserves as much attention as we can give it. Although, its wood may not be ideal for building purposes, nonetheless, it was used widely in western structures. Basically, it was the only wood that was available to travelers across the Great Plains. Of course train transportation changed all that and river transportation for town built along the waterways. But my thoughts turned from documenting the champions of the plains. It was early and my belly empty. Time to eat breakfast at Burwell before heading on to the Valentine Wildlife Sanctuary south of Valentine. NE. It was back onto State Route #91 and westward. We imagined the smell of eggs and bacon or at least I did. At Burwell, we strained to remember where we had eaten breakfast the year before. Then it occurred to us as well rolled through town. There was only one restaurant and we had just passed it. We quickly spun around, headed back, and rolled into the parking lot of a dubious looking restaurant, but with high expectations. We had gotten a superb breakfast there last year. I could taste fresh eggs, large biscuits, real sausage, and delicious coffee – all treats for the discerning palate. But, this year I was to get none of last year’s delights. Ownership of the little restaurant had apparently changed hands. The bacon had degenerated into those paper thin little strips that allow light to freely pass through them and fracture into tiny little bits as soon as they enter the mouth. Hardly a taste. Two bites and the bacon is gone. The eggs had that last year taste, and the sausage, well, just like what one gets in the Northeast. Ugh! There were no offsets. The coffee tasted suspiciously like what I used to drink in the military, which I swear was used motor oil. We both left disappointed and I felt a case of indigestion coming on. Driving on at a 60 MPH clip, we saw the signs for the Nebraska National Forest. A national forest in the Sand Hills? How did that happen? Well, it turns out that the forest is entirely artificial. Yes, early in the 1900s, a University of Nebraska professor by the name of harles E. Bessey got the bright idea of creating an artificial ponderosa pine and cedar forest to provide timber products and to attract settlement to the area and a dubious idea was born. The Charles E. Bessey Nursery, the nation's oldest federal tree nursery, was also born. Forest Service personnel put in a mountain of work foolishly trying to convert Sand Hills prairie into forest. The hoped for timber industry never caught on. Today, the Nebraska National Forest is a pretty sad sight. There’s lots of visible tree mortality. Were I a forester, I wouldn’t want to have to take on the challenge of bringing this declining forest back from the brink. Bessey's experiment has the distinct feel of trying to force upon Mother Nature something that she absolutely does not approve. Though from societal viewpoint, Bessey's motives were noble, the experiment exhibits that all too human need of dominating the landscape. But if what had become of the artificial forest was less than impressive to the eye, I was, nonetheless, curious about the forest’s history. So Monica and I wheeled into the visitor’s center. The Forest Service employee who greeted us was something of a character. He was tall and lanky with a ponytail. He looked like he belonged to the Sand Hills country - the real deal. He spoke with a western drawl, but he was clearly no dummy. He was very knowledgeable and entertaining. One point he made that I didn’t read in the literature was that apparently the good professor Bessey thought he could change the climate if he got a sufficient number of trees to grow in that little spot in the middle of the Sand Hills. The professor hoped to create an eastern-like climate with an expanding forest. The Forest Service employee sounded slightly apologetic for the current state of the forest, and once or twice, he tipped his hand. Down deep he thought the professor’s idea a bit hair-brained. Had he said so openly, I would have enthusiastically agreed and lamented the professor's lack of appreciation for the splendid look and feel of the Sand Hills. It was if the land wanted to say: "Trees? We don't need no stinkin trees. We got sand and grass."    Well, I thoroughly enjoyed my chat with the ranger. I wished I could have gotten him on tape. He was knowledgeable and reflected the imprint of the Sand Hills, but it was time to move on. So into our car and off we went leaving the Nebraska National Forest to its fate. We soon came to the end of State Route #91 and then turned north onto U.S. 83 toward the Valentine Wildlife Refuge. It is located about 30 miles south of the town of Valentine, NE. At 71,516 acres it is fairly modest in size when compared to a national forest or park, but it is on a major route for migrating birds. So, bird watchers can have a ball at the right time of year. However, we weren’t there in the intense migratory period, so we saw few avian friends. What we did see was a beautiful expanse of the mixed-grass prairie that features slightly shorter grasses than what we saw in Illinois and with a distinctly different ambiance partly born of the surrounding Sand Hills topography. Valentine is a wildlife refuge well worth visiting. It oozes authenticity. The Valentine grasslands are not restorations and they are not small, struggling islands surrounded by urban sprawl and cornfields. Valentine Wildlife Refuge is not near any population center. It’s great. Both Monica and I enthusiastically recommend a visit to Valentine. I’ll call it quits for Part #1 of Day #5. The conclusion will come in a few days with our visit to another center of wildlife – the Fort Niobrara Wildlife Refuge. Bob Robert T. Leverett Cofounder, Eastern Native Tree Society RE: Day #5-Part #1   Robert Leverett   Aug 31, 2006 05:12 PDT  Lee,    I assumed as much. I have often observed the stiffer leaves occurring on trees in hot and/or dry places. I attributed the deepening of the rustle for the cottonwoods to leaf texture. It is prominent in that species.    I wonder if anyone has ever made recordings of the wind blowing through different types of trees. Given the variability that would be introduced by location, leaf size, climate, etc. that would be a tall order, but everything else has been studied (shapes of snowflakes), why not the sounds that the leaves of different species make in wind. Bob Lee Frelich wrote:   Bob: Leaf stiffness, as you call it, is higher in dry or hotter climates. It varies among leaves on one tree, since the sun leaves are thicker than shade leaves. Lee Re: Day #5-Part #1 Cottonwoods   Edward Frank   Aug 30, 2006 15:24 PDT  Bob, The Nebraska Champion Tree Program lists the champion cottonwood tree for Nebraska on these pages: http://www.nfs.unl.edu/CTProgram.htm http://www.nfs.unl.edu/CTLIST.htm http://www.nfs.unl.edu/NCTrees/NCCTWD.JPG The tree measures 36.9 feet in circumference, 85 feet tall, with a crownspread of 107 feet. By looking at the photo above there is absolutely not the slightest doubt that this is in fact two separate trees that have grown together at the base. [American Forests champion list says it is 444" circumference, 93 feet tall, and 103 feet spread]   The Nebraska website states this is the national co-champion for the species. The American Forest Website for champion trees states: "In order to properly measure circumference, it must be determined whether the tree in question has a single trunk that can be measured or whether it represents two or more trees growing very close to one another. Trunks that have clear separation at or near the ground should be considered separate trees and measured accordingly. Also if the circumference measurement below the lowest fork places the measurement at the ground, it should be considered separate trees." Clearly this example fits the criteria of two separate trees. If that were the case, then the "larger tree" you did not measure might be the true state champion Eastern Cottonwood. Ed Frank RE: Day #5-Part #1 Cottonwoods    Robert Leverett    Aug 31, 2006 05:22 PDT  Matthew,    I tried my best to feel charitable to the creaters of that state forest as at least having benign motives, but my cynical side kept winning out. What the heck were they doing? As a devout fan of trees, far be it from me to denigrate tree planting - but in the right places, for goodness sake. A tree belt at the north side of a field or pasture is one thing in open country, but trying to generate an entire forest in the Sand Hills seemed too much of a stretch, and besides, an artificial plantation violates the sanctity of the Sand Hills. They are their own place. They are beautiful in their expansiveness, their mixed grasses, their wildlife, their moods. I'm happy they exist as grass covered dunes. They are just WAY COOL. Bob Matthew Hannum wrote:   Good heavens, those cottonwoods get BIG!!! Even as two trees fused together, each tree is a monster in its own right - wow! Speaking of fused trees, I ran into a funny one in Patapsco - a tulip tree fused with a sycamore. I don't think I can pass that one off as a new species... hehe... I love reading each chapter of your trip, Bob. It's nice to travel out to the wilds with each part of the story. I've seen photos of the Sand Hills at Google Maps, and one can definitely see the rippling pattern and some of the lakes you talked about. Nothing like experiencing it in person, of course! That idea of trying to turn the Great Plains into a forest is a laugh - Nature always wins in the end! I look forward to the next chapter! RE: Day #5-Part #1   Willard Fell   Aug 31, 2006 13:33 PDT  Bob; Great account...keep them coming. I remember Valentine well. One of the prairies great unexpected surprises to me. I ended up spending some time there several years ago on a cross country trip. As you stated the Cherry County sandhills are awesome, but the lure of the unpaved roads got the best of me heading off into the edge of nowhere. Having my bike with me and always looking for new places to cycle I saw a notice about the cowboy trail and headed off down one of them to peddle. You start out winding through the endless landscape but then out of nowhere you drop down into the canyon of the Niobrara River, a clear rocky river worthy of any of the great rafting streams of the east sort of hidden out of sight from the horizon like some secret garden. Waterfalls drop down canyon walls lined with Ponderosa Pine and aspen along with several eastern species and more wildlife than you could shake a stick at. If you head back that way I would highly recommend adding a day around Valentine to your itinerary and venture off the hard road down some of the unpaved county roads down along the Niobrara. I'll have to admit that I was as taken with that area as any in the Rockies on that trip. I have added a 400 mile peddle across the top tier of Nebraska to my "to Do" list. RE: Day #5-Part #1 Cottonwoods   Will Blozan   Sep 01, 2006 00:53 PDT  That is one of the most pathetic excuses for a "single" tree. The single stems however, are awesome! Will RE: Day #5-Part #1 Cottonwoods   Matthew Hannum   Sep 01, 2006 15:46 PDT  Bob: Agreed - the majesty of the Sand Hills and the plains themselves do not need to be "improved" by random ideas dreamed up by a bunch of folks who don't understand what they are changing. That's the key thing, really - too often people meddle with things they do not understand.   Home