Once believed to be on the verge of extinction, the American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) has shown signs of recovery in southwestern Nebraska’s Loess Canyons. According to a study published in Biological Conservation, the region has witnessed a population increase, marking the first positive trend for the species since it was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1989.

A Fragile Icon of Ecosystem Health

The American burying beetle, measuring up to five centimeters, is North America’s largest carrion beetle. Its role as a scavenger is vital to ecosystem health, as it cleans up vertebrate carcasses and recycles nutrients. Yet, the species has struggled due to shrinking grassland habitats and the decline of small to mid-sized wildlife species that serve as its primary food source.

Historically present in 35 states and three Canadian provinces, the beetle’s range has contracted to isolated areas in just 10 U.S. states, including Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Nebraska. The Loess Canyons, a 130,000-hectare expanse in southwestern Nebraska characterized by steep hills and mixed-grass prairies, has become a surprising sanctuary for the species.

Quick Facts About the American Burying Beetle

• Size: Up to 5 cm
• Diet: Vertebrate carcasses weighing 100–200 grams
• Habitat: Moist, treeless grasslands
• Key Threats: Habitat loss, invasive species, and declining prey availability

The Role of Invasive Species and Habitat Restoration

One of the beetle’s biggest threats has been the encroachment of eastern red cedar trees (Juniperus virginiana), which have transformed historically treeless prairies across the Great Plains. Without fire to control their spread, these fast-growing trees displace native grasses and degrade habitats critical for a wide variety of wildlife.

Research led by Caleb Roberts, a U.S. Geological Survey ecologist, shows that the beetles thrive in grasslands where tree cover is minimal—ideally less than 10 trees per hectare. Even minor encroachments of trees or agricultural land can cause beetle populations to plummet.

In the Loess Canyons, a coalition of over 100 private landowners, along with organizations like Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Pheasants Forever, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, has tackled the problem head-on. Since 2002, they have reintroduced controlled burns to eliminate invasive red cedars, restoring grasslands to their historical state.

Habitat Restoration Impact in the Loess Canyons

How Beetles Signal Broader Success

For the beetles, a more diverse prairie offers not only better burrowing conditions but also increased access to appropriately sized carcasses, including birds like bobwhites and small mammals. Thomas Walker, a wildlife biologist with Nebraska Game and Parks, emphasizes that the landowners driving these efforts are critical to the beetle’s success. “Ultimately, they’re the ones that are leading the success on all of this,” he says.

The collaboration demonstrates the potential of targeted conservation strategies to reverse declines in not just one species, but entire ecosystems. The American burying beetle’s comeback signals broader recovery in grassland biodiversity, providing a blueprint for addressing other conservation challenges across the Great Plains.

The study was published in Biological Conservation.

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LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – 2024 was a big year in politics. It saw Donald Trump re-elected to the White House, and in Nebraska, there was no shortage of drama. 10/11 NOW wanted to take a look at some of the top moments from the last 366 days.

Some major bills took to the Unicameral floor in the 2024 legislative session, like the controversial Sports and Spaces Act, which would have banned trans athletes from participating in high school athletics. That failed to get a filibuster-proof majority.

“As they say on the farm, it’s a hammer looking for a nail,” said State Sen. Merv Riepe after he declined to support it. “I support girls sports, but I don’t think we’ve got a problem to solve.”

A similar bill will likely come up again in 2025. Gov. Jim Pillen was dissatisfied with the movement on the property tax relief front.

“Enjoy half time,” Pillen said to state senators at the very end of the 2024 session. “We’ll see you here again soon.”

Pillen called a special session and rolled out his playbook, but as senators rolled up their sleeves in the heat of August, things didn’t go to Pillen’s plan. Only modest relief trickled out.

“I think this is good progress,” said Sen. Lou Ann Linehan at the end of the special session. “Not enough, but good progress.”

A shock visit from U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham at a closed-door meeting raised the specter of a last-minute change to the state’s splitting of electoral votes.

It was also busy year at the ballot box, with voters weighing in on a number of measures mandating paid sick leave and legalizing medical marijuana. Nebraska also kicked a “school choice” law to the curb and enshrined a 12-week abortion ban into the state’s constitution.

A surprisingly close race for the U.S. Senate pitted industrial mechanic Dan Osborn against incumbent Deb Fischer.

“I want to be a voice for workers because less than 2% of our elected officials come from in the House and Senate come from the working class, so I want to change that dynamic,” Osborn said.

Now, Fischer, with a roughly 7 point lead in the end, looks ahead to her third term facing a turbulent world.

“We’ve seen an increase in chaos around this world, not just in the Middle East, not just in Ukraine, but at our southern border,” Fischer said.

Some notable Nebraskans immersed themselves in that chaos. State Sen. Tom Brewer toured the battered Ukraine frontlines for his fourth time, relaying his finding to the U.S. Congress.

“The fight here is a fight for democracy,” Brewer said. “If we let democracy die here in Ukraine, nobody’s safe.”

And students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln protested the continuing war in Gaza.

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LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – The Nebraska Department of Agriculture confirmed another HPAI case on Tuesday.

The latest case of highly pathogenic avian influenza, known as HPAI, was found in a a commercial broiler flock in Johnson County, located in southeast Nebraska.

The latest report — the state’s sixth case detected this year — comes almost two weeks after the Nebraska officials reported two cases in backyard flocks. All but one of the Nebraska cases have been reported this month; the first case of the year was reported in Februrary.

Iowa also recently reported an additional case, found in a commercial egg-laying flock in O’Brien County, located in the northwest part of the state, near Sioux Center. The case, reported on Dec. 14, was Iowa’s fourth H5N1 HPAI case detected this month. A total of eight cases have been reported in the state this year.

HPAI symptoms can include birds that aren’t drinking water, are suffering from incoordination, or lacking energy or appetite; decreased egg production or laying eggs that are soft-shelled or misshapen; or birds with nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing, and diarrhea.

Wild birds can also be succeptible to the virus, but Nebraska officials have previously noted that migratory birds can carry the virus without becoming sick at all.

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