This article was written by Lower Loup NRD Information & Education Coordinator Alan Bartels as part of the Loup Lines series.
Loup Lines
Volume 46, No. 10

The death of Jane Goodall on October 1st hit me hard. I remember flipping through National Geographic magazine page by page when I was a child, imaging myself working alongside Jane in the jungles of Tanzania while studying chimpanzees.

That childhood dream faded as I grew older but my respect for Jane Goodall only grew stronger. My volunteer work with sandhill cranes brought Jane and I together for the first time in 2005. A 20-year friendship blossomed around our shared love of the natural world. Up until her death at the age of 91, she was still traveling about 300 days per year working to inspire people to become active in conservation.

During experiences such as watching cranes from secluded riverside viewing blinds, observing greater prairie chickens in Loup County, and visiting a fourth-grade class in Burwell, Jane developed of love for Nebraska that remained with her the rest of her days. Her impact on conservation – and the countless people she inspired (including myself) – will be felt for generations.

One need not be a famous primatologist in order to make a positive impact on our natural world.

During a speech at the University of Nebraska at Kearney years ago, Jane challenged the thousands of people in attendance to turn off the water every morning while brushing their teeth. Since then, I think I’ve thought of her each time I’ve brushed my pearly whites, and I always turn off the water. That’s a simple one, and if we all do it, the impact in terms of water saved will be immense over the course of our lifetime.

Conservation is part of the core mission of Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts.

A few weeks ago the Lower Loup NRD hosted its annual MUDFEST. This educational event at the LLNRD Arboretum in Ord teaches area school students about the importance of soil and water – two of our most important natural resources.

Presenters from the Lower Loup, Central Platte, Lewis and Clark, and Lower Niobrara NRDs, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Nebraska Extension, were among the experts who came together to teach the kids during the event. Judging from the amount of laughter that echoed from the Arboretum, the students had so much fun that they might not have even realized that they were learning.

The students learned about wetland ecology, water testing, biodiversity, rainfall, soil compaction, water infiltration, and how soil acts as a filter. Retired Nebraska Extension educator Steve Niemeyer came out of retirement to present his famous Water Wheel of Fortune activity, and when we don’t end MUDFEST early due to lightning like we did this year, the event ends with Connie McCarthy from the Lower Niobrara NRD presenting the exciting Water Rockets activity. That activity features students launching two-liter bottles filled with water and compressed air high into the sky.  

Knowing that these youngsters will grow up to be policy makers and voters one day, my hope is that their memories of MUDFEST (and other outdoor and natural resources related learning experiences) play a positive role when it comes time to make decisions that could positively or negatively affect the natural resources that belong to us all.

The work of the conservation professionals from the Lower Loup NRD and the other aforementioned organizations goes far beyond inspiring a hundred or so kids during a one-day annual event. They work to promote conservation every day. It is part of their job, and it is their passion.

Just like that of my friend Jane, their positive impact on the conservation of the natural world will pay dividends for years to come.    

She once said, “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”