The Platte River Basin, located in America’s Heartland, is one of the most appropriated river systems in the world. Every drop of water is spoken for, and little is free. The basin supports an industrial agricultural powerhouse laid over one of the most endangered and altered grassland ecosystems on earth. Beneath the ground, it harbors more than half of the mighty Ogallala Aquifer, fossil water whose quantity and quality are at stake. Today this basin is being asked to be both food producer and energy pump in an age of climate change and economic uncertainty.

What if we could use the power of photography and story to see our water in motion?
What if we could leverage those images to build community and grow understanding of our watersheds?

In 2011, Michael Forsberg and veteran NET Nebraska producer Michael Farrell set off on a journey to put a Great Plains watershed in motion using timelapse photography and multimedia storytelling. Today, Platte Basin Timelapse (PBT) has more than 60 timelapse cameras spread across the 90,000 square-mile basin; each timelapse camera tells one part of the story of that proverbial drop of water as it journeys roughly 900 river miles through the heart of North America.

PBT is a conservation storytelling project that builds community around our watershed. We are a team of multi-talented professionals who tell stories, create films, give presentations, host events, teach classes, and conduct research.

LATEST PROJECTS

under the wire

Pronghorn are endemic to North America and make their home in the high plains and vast sagebrush sea of the American West, and like many ungulate species, their survival relies on the ability to roam freely. They need to be able to migrate across large tracks of ground to avoid bad weather and find food. The North Platte River Valley along the Colorado-Wyoming border is rich with wildlife diversity held mostly in private ownership. The rangelands in this area stewarded by ranchers make ideal habitat for pronghorn and other wildlife species. However, the miles of fences used to keep cattle in pastures are often barriers to the pronghorn’s and other wildlife’s movements.

This is a story about a community of people working together to improve fencelines, so pronghorn and other wildlife can move more freely. It also celebrates the wildlife that call the North Platte River Valley home and the folks living and working on this land to help keep these animals around for generations to come.

wetlands of nebraska

The Wetlands of Nebraska project materials were released on February 2, 2023. In partnership with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Platte Basin Timelapse embarked on a multi-year project titled “Wetlands of Nebraska: An Outreach and Education Project”. This project aims to increase awareness of the importance of the wetlands in Nebraska and why we need to conserve them. The products from this project include an updated Nebraska Wetlands guidebook, a student wetland activity booklet, and a series of multimedia products, including films and ESRI StoryMaps. NebraskaWetlands.com

high plains wild

In the High Plains of western Nebraska, Bighorn Sheep can be found scaling the buttes that rise above the North Platte River Valley. However, that was not always the case. Bighorn Sheep were once commonly found in the Great Plains and American West but were nearly hunted to extinction. Thanks to conservation groups and landowners, reintroduction efforts of Bighorn Sheep in Nebraska began in the early 1980s. Today, Bighorn Sheep populations are on the rise but are threatened by disease and habitat fragmentation.

This film shows a behind-the-scenes look at the lingering wild of western Nebraska caught on camera by two local conservation photographers, a look into the natural history of Bighorn Sheep in Nebraska, and the ongoing efforts by people who are dedicated to keeping these Bighorn Sheep populations around for years to come.

return of the swan

While driving down a two-track road, deep in the Nebraska Sandhills, one may be so lucky to witness a heavenly white bird gliding across one of the many spring-fed lakes. The trumpeter swan is the largest waterfowl species in the world. Almost hunted to extinction, these birds have since been reintroduced to the Nebraska Sandhills and are thriving there today. But conservation work is never done, and challenges for these birds loom on the horizon.

The links below will take you to an essay with a portfolio of images and a short documentary film.

Photo Essay: Return of the Swan

FILM: return of the swan

a trout with feathers

In the upper reaches of North America’s watersheds, one will find a charismatic, chunky gray bird dipping and diving underwater in clear, fast-flowing streams. This bird is the American dipper and North America’s only aquatic songbird. Mike fell in love with the American dipper on a college fishing trip. After learning about these birds and their unique behaviors of dipping and diving underwater, he set out on a mission to document their natural history. This included photographing their behavior above water and below.

The links below will take you to an essay with a portfolio of images and a short documentary film.

Photo Essay: A Trout with Feathers

FILM: A Trout with feathers

follow the water

In 2016, Mike and his friend Pete Stegen completed a two-month 1300-mile traverse across the Platte Basin. They started at the furthest west point of the Platte Basin in the Sweetwater Gap of Wyoming and ended at the drain at the Platte-Missouri River confluence. The entire journey was completed by bike, foot, and canoe. This was all in an effort to explore this critical water source and to show how it intersects with the lives of those who live in this 90,000-square-mile watershed in the heart of North America. A documentary about their journey, Follow the Water, aired on PBS National on Earth Day, 2019. It tells the story of the Platte River Basin as Mike and Pete journey through the watershed - meeting dedicated conservationists, giving voice to the land and wildlife, seeing what’s at stake, exploring the Platte Basin Timelapse project, and more.

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