JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2015 • NEBRASKAland 27
Top: Since reintroduction efforts by the
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
in the 1980s, river otters have made a
significant comeback to the rivers and
streams of the Platte Basin in Nebraska,
especially along the central Platte.
Middle: Native cutthroat trout in the
uppermost reaches of the Platte Basin
in Colorado find refuge in high alpine
lakes and streams, above physical
barriers such as waterfalls where other
trout species such as brooks, rainbows
and browns cannot reach.
Bottom: Biologists working with
the Tern and Plover Conservation
Partnership in the Lower Platte River
Valley hold a day-old least tern in their
hand that they have just banded for
future identification.