ESINELE, Nigeria (AP) — Aliyu Saheed feared he might not see his three young sons again. For nearly two months after al-Qaida-linked fighters carried out a mass abduction of schoolchildren in an area of Nigeria formerly free of such attacks, he could hardly sleep at night.

He wondered what the boys were doing in captivity and how his youngest, just 5 years old, would survive.

LINCOLN — Nebraska farmers across 21 counties impacted by major wildfires in March and April now have access to federal financial loan assistance through the USDA.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins approved the request from Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen. The request covers four “primary” counties — Garden, Grant, Lincoln and Morrill — and 17 “contiguous” counties: Arthur, Banner, Box Butte, Cherry, Cheyenne, Custer, Dawson, Deuel, Frontier, Hayes, Hooker, Keith, Logan, McPherson, Perkins, Scotts Bluff and Sheridan.

Mike Forsberg thought he knew the Great Plains. The renowned conservation photographer felt a familiarity with the land, having dedicated decades to documenting the fragile ecosystem.

Now, though, the Nebraska native has a new perspective, thanks to a grueling two-month bike ride following the Central Flyway migration route used by endangered whooping cranes each spring and fall. Forsberg, alongside conservation colleague Andy Caven from the International Crane Foundation, completed the 2,500-mile journey from Texas’ Gulf Coast to central Saskatchewan in Canada Tuesday.