Why Conservation

Middle loup river

There is an opening along the bank, where the Middle Loup River bends wide and shallow, before melting into the Platte. Standing at the river’s edge, I am hemmed in from behind by wise, old cottonwoods and the occasional red cedar. There is a small finger of backwater to my left, excellent for bull-head and carp, heron and muskrat. At my feet, this wonderful prairie river flows on a gentle, southeast grade.

I’ve been coming here since I was in grade school, with a friend and his family. When I’m not here, I’m wishing I were, wondering what surprises the river has left for me; new sandbars, new channels, new islands to explore. As kids we would play football and frisbee in the shallow current. We would comb under the banks for snapping turtles and lift driftwood in search of toads to use as bait on set-lines. We would watch for pockets of still water, knowing it runs deep and would make the best swimming holes. At night we would lay on the sandbars and watch the steady explosion of stars, which would show themselves with such stunning force I would experience vertigo looking up at them. And in the morning, we would watch the fresh deer tracks slowly fill with water.    

As I’ve grown older and started a family, trips to the river have become less frequent. Even so, the importance of that small cut of wilderness in my life, and the lives of many others, cannot be understated. As a first generation Nebraskan, I am anxious for the day when I can take my son onto the river, hoping he will create his own memories, while learning the lessons of conservation (patience, respect, understanding, awe) that were instilled in me.

- Bil Johnson