Stories from - NEBRASKA
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A Strong Partnership Protects Interior Least Terns and Piping Plovers
The fate of threatened and endangered species lies in the hands of those willing to go the extra mile to protect and recover their vulnerable populations. After gaining federal protection... Read More
Stories from - NEBRASKA
View All StoriesTeam Effort Saves Endangered Beetle from Extinction
Going strictly by the numbers, you might think the effort to conserve the critically imperiled Salt Creek tiger beetle wasn’t going so well since there are only 318 confirmed on... Read More
Featured Species in Nebraska
Whooping crane
The whooping crane is one of the most, if not the most, endangered birds in North America. A combination of hunting and habitat loss nearly drove the species to extinction in the 1940s.
Whooping crane
Photo credit: USFWS
Black-footed ferret
The black-footed ferret was considered extinct or nearly extinct when a small population was located in Mellette County, South Dakota in 1964. Still, the black-footed ferret remains one of the most endangered mammals in North America.
Black-footed ferret
Photo credit: Ryan Hagerty, USFWS
Pallid sturgeon
Pallid sturgeon are slow growing fish that feed primarily on small fish and immature aquatic insects. This species of sturgeon is seldom seen and is one of the least understood fish in the Missouri and Mississippi River drainages.
Pallid sturgeon.
Photo credit: Ken Bouc,
Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
Partnership Stories in Nebraska
Salt Creek Tiger Beetle
Lincoln, Nebraska—It's not an exotic location, but Little Salt Creek is home to one of the world's most endangered species; the Salt Creek tiger beetle. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service is leading an effort to try to increase the numbers of the species. More »
Found in Nebraska
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The Salt Creek tiger beetle (Cicindelanevadica lincolniana) is a ground-dwelling, predatory insect that captures small arthropods in a "tigerlike" manner by grasping prey with its mouthparts. These beetles live in Lancaster and Saunders Counties, and are threatened by loss and degradation of its saline habitats, now considered the most imperiled habitat in the state.
Photo credit: Seth Willey, USFWS -
The blowout penstemon (Penstamon haydenii), a short-lived perennial plant, has a unique name that comes from where it is found—in the blowouts in the Sandhills of Nebraska. Blowouts are depressions formed in the sand when prevailing northwesterly winds scoop out the sides of hills. This plan is threatened by range management practices that stabilize sand dunes and prevent blowouts from occurring.
Photo credit: Tim Griffin, USFS