January-February 2020 • Nebraskaland 59
PHOTO
BY
CHRIS
HELZER
Woodchucks have colonized central and western parts of the Platte River at a rate of about 6 miles a year since 2000.
Why the shifting distributions? The former treeless prairies
of the Great Plains were once a barrier to such tree-loving
species found in eastern parts of the state. Large-scale
changes to our prairie rivers (fl ood control and installation
of bridges) and changes to grassland ecosystems (loss of
wildfi res), as well as tree plantings associated with cities,
towns, farms, ranches and shelterbelts all have greatly
increased trees statewide. Since the early 1980s, forested
areas have increased across the state. So watch out
Nebraska. Don't be surprised if woodchucks become a regular
occurrence in your area of the state, if not already .
N
Dr. Keith Geluso is a professor of biology at the University
of Nebraska at Kearney. If you have observed woodchucks
in the unshaded areas below, please contact Dr. Geluso
(gelusok1@unk.edu).
