Recovery uncertain for the Sandhills in the wildfire aftermath
(Photo by Les Hare) A recent aerial photo taken 7,000 feet above the tragic remains of a wide expanse of the Sandhills reveals mile after mile of bare and blowing sand in the aftermath of the wildfires that ravaged more than 800,000 acres.
The photo accompanying this story was taken by my dad last week as he flew his Aeronica Champ over the 100+ mile stretch of burned ground where the only thing remaining is drifting sand and the charred remains of animals—hundreds of buffalo, cattle, antelope, deer, and in incalculable number of smaller creatures that populated what a few short weeks ago was a thriving prairie eco-system.