L I S A H A R E

I grew up in the beautiful rolling grasslands of western Nebraska in a very ecologically unique area known as the Sandhills. Comprised of great sweeping sand dunes covered in native grasses, the Sandhills’ 12 million acres make up some of the last remaining native prairie in America. This sandy land base allows the Ogallala Aquifer to bubble up from underground springs, forming hundreds of fresh water lakes in the low-lying valleys, and feeding miles and miles of numerous rivers and tributaries.

These beautiful plains were a great place to experience childhood, and afforded me a level of freedom, and a connection to nature, that impacted my life ever after.

I’ve always been a writer and creative since as far back as I can remember, and I’ve had the pleasure of utilizing those skills in a wide variety of jobs over the years. As a Curriculum Development Director for drug abuse and suicide prevention programs with the social services department on a Native American reservation I gained experience in program development and authoring course materials, and seeing them through to application. It was there I also completed training as an Equine Specialist for Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy. In that capacity I worked in partnership with mental health professionals conducting group and private counseling sessions for Native youth.

As a journalist, I focused on agriculture and environmental issues, emphasizing the importance of our connection to the natural world, and one another. Much of this messaging is aligned with my weekly syndicated column entitled, Strictly Haresay— a few of which also get posted to my blog.

At the end of the day, story-telling remains my number one calling, and the way I hope to contribute to making the world a little bit better for having been here.

Like to know more about the land and culture I call home?

Click through these slides to get a glimpse

Gordon is the little town where I was born and raised (and returned to after 40 years of wanderlust).

The town is located in the eastern part of Sheridan County, 14 miles from the South Dakota border, and 106 miles from Wyoming.

The Nebraska Sandhills are part of the Great Plains of the United States, also known as the High Plains because of our higher elevation than the Midwest, which is mostly farm ground. (Yes there’s a difference!)

Farming is the cultivation and harvest of crops for food and animal feed; the land is tilled and “managed.”
Ranching is the raising of livestock, and the custodianship of the land, as it exists naturally.

The Nebraska Sandhills is one of the top beef-producing areas in the United States, comprising more than 10 million acres of native grass rangeland and prairie.

Beef production and its peripheral enterprises make up the area's economy and culture.

But this ranching culture is not the first to people this wondrous land. The Lakota, as well as other Native tribes, and unknown cultures before them, hunted the wild game that grazed here.

Once home to millions of free roaming bison, the Sandhills still bear the signs of the majestic migrating herds that made "wallows" in the low lying marshes where they would roll to cool off.

The area's unique geology provides an ideal environment for the Ogallala Aquifer to bubble up from underground springs, forming hundreds of fresh water lakes.

Hundreds of spring-fed lakes in the Sandhills provide crucial mid-continent habitat to many species of migrating birds such as Canadian geese, cranes, pelicans, swans, ducks and gulls.

The Niobrara River has long been a favorite recreational waterway for area residents and visitors.

Just about any road here provides a rare excursion through a land as close to untouched as you're likely to find anywhere else.

...where skies are endless, and provide an ever-changing backdrop to a world more serene.

Steeped in tradition as old as these hills, the Sandhills people are known for their independence, generosity, dry humor, stoic nature...

...and no-nonsense perspective.

I count myself very fortunate to have grown up in this wild and beautiful place.

And as with all things boundless and untamable, that cannot be possessed, the best we can do is share the wonder.

Which is what fuels so much of my writing that I hope can give others a taste of its splendor.