Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Native Hay Production Along A Depth-To-Water-Table Gradient In Eastern Sandhills Wet Meadows, Wheeler County, Nebraska, Jean M. Novacek

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

The Sandhills region of Nebraska, the largest dune field in the Western Hemisphere, occupies 15 north-central counties and extends over 51,800 km (20,000 mi) (Keech and Bentall, 1971; Ahlbrandt and Fryberger, 1980). Far from a desert, the Sandhills region is entirely vegetated by mixed-grass prairie with numerous wet areas and lakes in interdunal valleys. This rich, grass-covered dune sea stretches 427 km (265 mi) across from east to west and 209 km (130 miles) from north to south. The altitudes range from 670 m (2200 ft) above sea level in the eastern part to 1310 m (4300 ft) in the …