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Nebraska's Platte River
The Platte is a "braided" river, traversing some 625 miles of Nebraska.
The 80-mile Big Bend reach of the Platte River is the only area which still supports large populations of cranes.
Braided rivers are wide and shallow—and cover a broad flood plain with loose sediment. Annual spring floods bring huge amounts of water, which represent several times the normal flow of the river, churning up sediment and creating large sandbars. When the river runs higher in spring and fall, the sandbars are slightly submerged, making for perfect roosting habitat for cranes and other migratory birds. The sparse vegetation and wide river channel allow birds to see and hear predators.
Reduced flows in the Platte, due to upstream flow control, irrigation and other development, have had a dramatic effect on wildlife habitat in the Big Bend reach of the river. The Platte River used to be 5,000 feet wide. Now it is less than one-third that width.
Over the decades, the river channel has become deeper and the annual flooding that used to scour the sandbars of vegetation has been reduced by upstream reservoirs. As a result, sandbars have become wooded islands. Migrating birds have been forced to move to other reaches of the river where open roosting areas remain.
Several restoration projects have been implemented in the Big Bend stretch of the Platte to reclaim parts of the river channel and clear sandbars of “permanent” vegetation in an effort to increase habitat for cranes and other migratory birds.