The American burying beetle, North America's largest carrion beetle, is experiencing a population rebound in southwestern Nebraska's Loess Canyons after decades of decline due to habitat loss and dwindling food sources. This positive trend, the first regional increase since being listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1989, is attributed to land management practices such as reintroducing fire to reduce invasive eastern red cedar trees, thereby restoring native grasslands. These efforts, led by a coalition of over 100 private landowners, have increased habitat diversity and improved conditions for the beetles, which thrive in grasslands free from dense tree cover.