About

Mission, Vision, & Goals

Platte River Basin Environments, Inc. (PRBE) is a 501 (c) (3) corporation formed by a group of sportsmen of Western Nebraska concerned about potential fragmentation of conditions of important wildlife habitat and the natural areas in the North Platte River basin.

Our
MISSION

Our mission is to maintain, enhance, and restore native plant communities and the wild resources they support while maintaining the lands as working landscapes with public access for education, scientific, and recreational purposes in concert with conservation objectives in order to conserve the expansive and diverse natural beauty and the many native plant and animal species in the North Platte River and adjacent ecosystems.

Our
VISION

Our vision is to develop a unique collaborative process by which all partners in this effort benefit well beyond their respective investments.

Our
GOALS

Our goals in preserving some of Nebraska’s most pristine wildlife habitats continue to be:

  1. maintenance, restoration, and enhancement of critical habitats;
  2. expansion of our knowledge of archeological and paleontological history;
  3. utilization of the educational opportunities and attributes of these exceptional resources;
  4. maintenance of the ranching, farming, and economic value of these properties; and
  5. opening these wild landscapes for public use and enjoyment.

These exceptional properties will provide the necessary habitats for our wild resources to flourish; wonderful recreational, scientific and educational opportunities for our citizens; and economic value to our state – What We Do Is Forever and Forever Is A Very Long Time. ™

History

Clive Ostenberg, community leader and avid sportsman, made a bequest to various conservation organizations with the major caveat to return money to the North Platte River Valley area.  Platte River Basin Environments, Inc. (PRBE) was committed to find the properties to fit the vital habitats in the North Platte Drainage Area.  Prioritizing wetland habitat was the first step in the process.

Our
HISTORY

The organization started in 1990. We spent over three years with our initial group of volunteers, partners and scientific experts studying the most critical riverine areas in Western Nebraska. The first and highest priority project was the property that would become Kiowa Wetlands Wildlife Management Area (Kiowa Wetlands WMA) property in 1993. We continue to work on riparian properties and expanded into projects into North Platte areas, and soon expanded into the “Biologically Unique Wildcat Hills” several years later. Since the initial acquisition in 1993, PRBE has through its own initiative and through our partners been able to manage, preserve, and conserve over 35,000 plus wildland acres.

Our
AWARDS

Field & Stream and Toyota presented the third annual Heroes of Conservation Awards Gala on September 25  in the Theodore Roosevelt wing of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The event honored the hard work that seven everyday hunters and anglers are doing to preserve our natural resources.

Hod Kosman of Scottsbluff, NE was named the 2008 Conservation Hero of the Year.

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Wildlife Division Administrator Jim Douglas, left in photo, was presented an award for dedication to conservation of elk by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Rick Brandt, right, made the presentation Aug. 29 at the Nebraska Game and Parks Board of Commissioners’ meeting at Homestead National Monument near Beatrice.

Conservation work earns award for Kosman, Platte River Basin Environments

Scottsbluff banker Hod Kosman and Platte River Basin Environments, Inc. have been recognized as Nebraska’s “Outstanding Wildlife Conservationist of the Year.”

STAR-HERALD, SCOTTSBLUFF, NE: Feb. 17, 2008

Nebraska’s Hod Kosman wins Ducks Unlimited 2006 Wetland Conservation Achievement Award

Platte River Basin Environments, Inc., was selected for the 2004 National Wetlands Conservation Award To The Private Sector – Regional Winner – Region 6, by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the outstanding record of accomplishment in conserving and restoring wetlands to benefit wildlife and other resources.