The Sandhills in northern and western Nebraska cover just over a quarter of the state and comprise the largest stabilized sand dune formation in the Western Hemisphere. With fragile, grass-stabilized sand dunes vulnerable to large scale movement and a dominant human land use, cattle grazing, that depends on vegetation cover and forage, the region has an intimate connection between the natural and social systems. Thus, the Sandhills are an excellent system in which to study social-ecological resilience. We are using remote sensing, biodiversity surveys, ethnographic analyses, artistic representation and philosophical/theological theory to understand the processes and narratives underpinning social-ecological resilience. The specific question we asked in this phase of the project was: what are the most direct links between the ecological patterns in climate- and landscape-induced variation in grass cover and specific elements in communication and culture that reflect those patterns? To answer this, we measured variation in grass cover in wet vs. dry years and over a complex landscape of dry dunes vs. subirrigated lowlands. We then conducted interviews with landowners in which they reflected on these patterns and noted common phrases, concepts and themes.
Results/Conclusions
Satellite and drone-based imagery documented a much more consistent grass cover in subirrigated meadows of the Sandhills than nearby upland dunes. Some years (e.g. 2012, the driest in the past four decades) and some portions of the landscape (e.g. upland dunes) especially exemplify a loss of vegetation cover that landowners consistently referred to as harbingers of “losing their place”. When queried more about this phrase, it became clear that this phrase is not simply a loss of a physical home and livelihood but refers to a loss of identity and a cultural dislocation. Because of the high stakes of “losing their place”, residents in this region may have identified thresholds and resilience strategies that shed light on general mechanisms by which communities can adapt to climate extremes and environmental change.