March 2020 • Nebraskaland 23
Grandma retired from the farm in the
1980s, but the land remained in the
family. After I finished college and
started my job as a land manager for
The Nature Conservancy, I began to
help grandma manage the property.
Dad came out a few times a year to
cut little cedar trees out of the pasture
(which seemed fair, since most were
progeny of the trees he'd planted for
his 4-H project), and I helped Grandma
manage the pasture lease and annual
grazing plans.
I often reflect upon the legacy
of Grandpa's decision to buy that
degraded piece of farmland and put it
back to grass. Though I think he was
motivated mostly by cheap land and
a desire for pasture close to home,
the purchase and restoration of that
quarter section was an important
conservation project. The grass
planting reduced soil erosion and
sediment inputs into the west fork of
the Big Blue River, which is less than
a mile downstream. It also turned 26
acres of isolated prairie fragments into
more than 100 acres of contiguous
prairie habitat. The plant and animal
species that had been restricted to
those tiny prairie fragments can now
spread out and occupy much larger
areas, giving them a much greater
chance to survive and thrive.
Beyond the conservation impacts,
the Helzer Family Prairie, as we've
come to call it, has had a profound
effect on my life and career, and has
been the source of countless memories
for everyone in my family. After both
of my grandparents died, the land was
owned by my dad and his two sisters.
The three of them were strongly
committed to keeping the property in
the family, and they worked out a plan
Dotted gayfeather (Liatris punctata) in the Helzer family prairie south of Aurora, Nebraska.
