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Sand Hills Dunes Mixed Grass Prairie In Nebraska Region


In the north-central Nebraska region one can find mixed-grass prairie. These prairies are often referred as Sand Hills. Only a small portion of Nebraska region is Sand Hills. Several dunes are found in this region.

The heights of these dunes are more than 100 meters. The altitude of the Sand Hills region varies. If we go towards the east the height is 550 m but as we go towards the west the height goes on increasing. The height in the western part almost increases to 1100 m.

Sand hills have their own distinction. They have different characteristics from other grasslands hence the WWF has declared this region as eco-region. Most part of the region has been able to maintain the natural habitat. This is because that apart from less population most part of the land has not been taken under agriculture.

The dunes of the Sand Hills are not very old. They were formed when the ice-age came to an end. Winds blowing from the northern and western part of Nebraska helped in the formation of these regions. These sand dunes became active with the advent of drought. There were a large number of bison in this area. This area was considered to be desert but slowly people started coming to these places as they needed grazing area for their cattle. Due to the presence of sand in the soil growing of crops in this area is not all successful. People made many attempts to turn the area in an agricultural land but they did not get the due result. Agriculture was possible only in the modern age as various modern methods of irrigation systems have been developed.

Marshes and shallow lakes are common land features in the low-lying areas. The tributaries of Loup and Niobrara rivers drain the eastern and central part of the Sand Hills. There are many inland drainage basins that drain the western part of the region.

During the 19th Century people were not allowed to build their homes in this region. They were allotted a limited area where they had to build houses and thus agriculture was also limited to certain area. The government passed an act known as Kinkaid Act in the year 1904 which allowed people to claim more area for building homes as well as start cultivation. But the farming attempts failed miserably. The area of Sand Hills was then developed into a ranch area.

Worlds most productive ranches are now found in the Sand Hills region. The population of the area is decreasing steadily as the younger generations are moving towards bigger cities in search of better opportunities. Sand Hills

Sand Hills Dunes Mixed Grass Prairie In Nebraska Region was written on February 09, 2008 posted in Travel & Leisure and tag Travel & Leisure. Wiki Pages on February 09, 2008. Tagged








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Sand Hills Dunes Mixed Grass Prairie In Nebraska Region

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