“The Best of Intentions: a story of landscape change in the heart of the Great Plains” is a new book by Larkin Powell, director of the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. As Nebraska begins a new year, Powell is inviting residents to look back—not just decades, but centuries—at the forces that have shaped our land, our communities, and our way of life.
Far from a quiet retelling of ecological history, the book—and Powell’s talk—asks timely and sometimes uncomfortable questions about how decisions made across generations have transformed the prairies. What created the conditions for massive shifts in land use? What moved people, policy, and technology in sync across the Plains? And what does all this mean for the choices we face now?
“I see this as a moment to invite conversation,” Powell says. “Our landscapes didn’t change slowly and evenly over time—they changed in pulses. Some shifts happened in the blink of an eye. Understanding those moments helps us ask better questions about the future.”
Powell’s work, grounded in decades of ecological research and land management experience, offers a perspective that is both scientific and personal. Through the book and his public talks, he challenges Nebraskans to reflect on the legacy of our working landscapes—from irrigation systems and crop choices to the disappearance of native species—and what it will take to build resilience in the years to come.
The School of Natural Resources is hosting the launch of Powell's book with a public seminar at 3:30 pm on Friday, Jan. 23 in the Platte River Auditorium (107 South) at Hardin Hall. The event is free and open to the public. Copies of The Best of Intentions will be available for purchase and signing after the seminar.
The event will be live streamed at
https://go.unl.edu/viewsnrseminars