Imagine seeing snow piling up during winter on the Continental Divide in North Park, Colorado and then watching it melt into Lake Agnes and on down into the North Platte River over the summer.
Or observing the North Platte River in Wyoming fluctuating dramatically below Pathfinder Dam & Spillway through the summer from power and irrigation demands.
Or seeing a complete growing season in Nebraska’s Platte Valley as the river pulses through a series of irrigation canals watering fields of sugar beets, corn, and beans.
Or the thrill of the annual Sandhill Crane migration each spring in the central Platte Valley.
And all of these timelapses compressed into just a few, short minutes.
What could we learn about the nature of the Platte if it could be seen in its entirety?
That question was the spark behind the Platte Basin Timelapse Project. Photographer Michael Forsberg and cinematographer Mike Farrell conceived the project in 2010, to document the Platte River basin through timelapse photography. They installed over 60 cameras throughout the river basin, each in a unique environment, taking a picture every daylight hour of every day. That visual data allows an understanding of the river system in ways never before experienced, and provides insights into all aspects of the Platte Basin, from agriculture to geological processes, from ecology to municipal water supplies, from wildlife conservation to outdoor recreation.
Now a part of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s School of Natural Resources, the Platte Basin Timelapse Project (PBT) has grown into a multi-disciplinary and multifaceted effort, including innovative multimedia content, STEM-based educational curriculum for middle and high school science students, a documentary film for public television, and collaborative research and outreach.
Today, PBT is a conservation storytelling project that explores watersheds, builds community, and inspires care for our natural world. They are a team of multi-talented professionals who tell stories, create films, give presentations, host events, teach University classes, and conduct research.
Cooper Foundation provided the first start-up funding for PBT: $20,000 in 2010 for the purchase of cameras.
In total, the Cooper Foundation has granted $215,000 since 2010, supporting the project at key junctions by helping to fund the first website, technology upgrades, staff support, and the creation of a feature length film, Follow the Water.
Follow the Water is an adventure story with a profound environmental message. In this 60-minute documentary, Michael Forsberg and filmmaker Pete Stegen set off on a remarkable 55-day adventure. They travel more than 1,300 miles-on-bike, on foot, and in a canoe-to trace the journey of Nebraska’s Platte River from snowmelt in the mountains of Wyoming to where it finally flows in the Missouri River.