Meet Rohit Balay: Land Steward at Platte River Prairies Preserve

When and where did your conservation journey begin? 

My first memory of doing something related to conservation was in the third grade, when I created a renewable energy poster for a school project. I put a lot of work into that one! I’ve always been fascinated by global problems with big implications and the science used to address them. As I grew up, I started reading about ecology. Reading is my favorite hobby, and authors like Carl Sagan and E.O. Wilson introduced me to the idea that we’re all a part of a web of interconnected beings. That’s basically why I got into conservation. Hands-on science and management allow us to interact with that web. 

Where has it led you since? 

I was born in North Carolina and lived there for all of two years before our family moved to the Bay Area. We moved around there for the next eight years. I did middle school in Sweden and high school in India before returning stateside to attend college at the University of Illinois. Then, I did a year of Conservation Corps work outside of Zion in Utah. From there, two years with the Forest Service in Lake Tahoe, and another season with the Park Service in Bryce Canyon before arriving here at TNC. 

Why did you choose to join the team at TNC in Nebraska? 

One of the drivers of my career is a desire to make positive change wherever I go, and TNC embodies that. When I was looking for my next job, I began to hear a lot about TNC from colleagues, including their prescribed fire program. I started browsing jobs at The Nature Conservancy and found this position in Nebraska. Having gone to school in Illinois, I had a little bit of a background in prairie restoration but not much. This role represents an opportunity to learn new things while working for nature and wasn’t something I could turn down. Nebraska seemed like a “why not?” decision, and I made the jump.

What have you learned since making that jump? 

A lot! The last three months or so have been a fairly intense learning journey. I’ve been getting familiar with the practical aspects of the job like using a skid steer, which was not a part of my previous roles. Things like that are neat, but I’d say exploring the relationship between conservation and agriculture has been one of the biggest learning opportunities. We bring local landowners, stakeholders and partner organizations to the table, and that collaborative approach is really cool to witness. During my second week I went up to Niobrara Valley for a 3,000-acre controlled burn. There were about fifty people there from multiple states and organizations. Understanding the power of collaboration and seeing it firsthand was a major moment. 

What excites you most about the work you do? 

Working outside is exciting, and it feels great to achieve a goal, big or small. Since joining the team I’ve worked on a lot: from fire prep and seed sorting to field maps and entomological research, there’s never a dull moment. I’m excited for spring, when we’ll see the prairie in full bloom!

What’s the most incredible place in nature you’ve traveled to?

Quite a few places come to mind! I’ve probably got to go with Bryce Canyon National Park, the last place I worked and lived. In the evenings after work I took walks on some of the most spectacular trails ever. I often went for night runs and got to experience some incredible geology beneath the night sky. The awe is hard to put in words. 

What should visitors see and do when visiting Platte River Prairies? 

We have two great hiking trails, blooming flowers in the spring, and abundant wildlife throughout the year. One of the main attractions of the Platte is definitely crane season in the sandhills, where we host the migration of cranes coming in from the gulf. They stop over on the Platte River, and it’s a sight to behold.