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Executive Director Corner
We are well
into the new year and the Legislature is at their halfway point. This is the 60 day session, so it will be
over before we know it. The session is
scheduled to end April 20th.
We were watching a couple of bills that directly impacted the
Trust. The first was actually a
legislative resolution and Constitutional Amendment. LR380CA proposed to reduce the Trust’s
lottery allocation from 44.5% to 26.5% and reduce the State Fair’s from 10% to
7.5%. The change would result in
approximately a $6M annual loss for the Trust.
That is about 1/3 of the Trust’s funds and would result in 1/3 fewer
projects being funded. The funds from
the Trust and the State Fair would be reallocated “for education as the
Legislature may direct”. Fortunately
that resolution was indefinitely postponed in committee by a vote of 7-1.
LB711 was the
other bill and it sets up a Riparian Vegetation Management Task Force with
members appointed by the Governor. It
directs the Department of Agriculture Director to “apply for a grant from the
Nebraska Environmental Trust Fund”.
Senator Hughes introduced the bill and he is proposing to remove
specific language involving the Trust and make some additional changes that we
believe are beneficial. I testified in a
neutral capacity on the bill, but promoted the changes.
I would be
remiss if I failed to mention the loss of two conservation giants the past two
weeks. Ione Werthman of Omaha was the
creator of Heron Haven in Omaha and was a true fighter on many conservation
issues, including dams on the Niobrara and Platte Rivers. The other loss was Lynn Berggren from Broken
Bow. Lynn had been a Commissioner at the
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission for several years and was a passionate
conservationist. Though we mourn these
individuals, we can appreciate the great things they accomplished.
Enjoy the
changing weather that makes Nebraska famous.
Mark Brohman
Executive Director
Feature on the Bird Conservancy in working partnership with the Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission
The Nebraska Environmental Trust has played a critical role
in wildlife and habitat conservation in western Nebraska and is a long-time
supporter of Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (formerly Rocky Mountain Bird
Observatory). Funds from the Trust have enabled the creation of a strong partnership
between Bird Conservancy and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC)
known as the Nebraska Prairie Partners (NPP). NPP was founded in 2001 by Tammy
VerCauteren, Bird Conservancy Executive Director, and the late John Dinan of
NGPC. What started with just one biologist has grown to a team of four full-time
and up to four part-time staff that work with several partners and agencies
throughout the panhandle.
Here are some of the program’s major accomplishments over
the past 15 years:
·
Conducted bird surveys throughout the panhandle for
at least eight important bird species (Tier 1 or Tier 2), breeding in western
Nebraska including Mountain Plover, Burrowing Owl, McCown’s Longspur,
Chestnut-collard Longspur, Ferruginous Hawk, Swainson’s Hawk and Golden Eagle.
·
Identified Mountain Plover nesting on croplands
and an innovative approach to conserving nests through landowner outreach by
“marking nests” on farm fields, allowing farmers to maintain productivity
during farming operations. More than 900 Mountain Plover nests on private
croplands have been marked and 87% hatched.
·
Hired a local landowner as a model for
stewardship on private lands, creating a win-win scenario for wildlife and
private lands conservation.
·
Hired a Coordinating Wildlife Biologist in the panhandle
working with thousands of landowners to implement conservation for species
listed in the Nebraska Natural Legacy Plan.
·
Disbursed more than 1,800 stock tank ladders to
landowners throughout the region since 2007.
·
Installed 25 nesting platforms for Ferruginous
Hawks on private ranches in the panhandle.
·
Hired a full-time Education Coordinator in the
panhandle reaching 6,000 residents in programs annually, and coordinate two
bird banding stations, bringing school groups and families to see birds up-close,
and learn about bird migration and conservation.
·
Offer grassland and raptor bird tours. Visitors have
come from as far as Omaha and New Jersey.
Furthermore, NPP's accomplishments have caught the attention
of others…
·
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have reached
out to collaborate on their Golden Eagle study, which cover several western
states. Because of their connection to the community and private landowners they
were able to assist them in locating nests on private lands to tag nestlings.
In 2014 and 2015 nine eagles were tagged with satellite transmitters. (See photo of Golden Eagle Chicks below the article).
·
Nebraska Prairie Partners Mountain Plover conservation work was
highlighted in the European non-profit Wader Quest’s blog (July 2014) and
newsletter (October 2014).
· Nebraska Prairie Partners has collaborated with Virginia Tech on a human
dimensions’ study evaluating landowner perceptions and motivations for Mountain
Plover conservation and published this study in the journal Environmental
Conservation.
· They are also collaborating with researchers at the
University of Colorado at Denver, USDA Agricultural Research Service and the
USFS Pawnee National Grasslands to begin addressing migratory connectivity for Mountain
Plover with Colorado, Montana and Wyoming.
Testimonials…
"The children LOVED the whole experience. Getting to see the
birds up close and watch the banding firsthand was fascinating! They have
talked non-stop about it since coming home from the program. Several went home
and "banded" their bird stuffed animals and talked about their
"migration" to other family members." –Elementary teacher, at a
banding station.
“…Mr. Shaun Evertson (local
rancher) provided excellent information about wildlife conservation farming…
Mr. Larry Snyder of the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory was very knowledgeable
about good places to go birding, the local birds, and he was able to find
several birds for us to add to our life lists. The Board of Commissioners
should be praised for supporting the Kimball Tourism Committee and the Tourism
Director in this Endeavor.” –Grassland bird tour visitor from NJ.
“We have one particular spot of land we started off with two or
three, and I think last year we had 13 nests. Seems like what Larry is doing is
really helping these birds, and they wanted to come back and lay eggs again, so
it’s really great.”-Local Kimball County farmer.
To learn more, get involved, come see a Mountain Plover or pay a
visit to one of our bird banding stations, contact Angela Dwyer, angela.dwyer@birdconservancy.org or
970-482-1707 x 17.
Nebraska Enviromental Trust Invites Comments on 2016 Board Recommendations For Funding Placed in Rank Order
At its meeting in Lincoln on February 4, 2016, the Board of the Nebraska
Environmental Trust received the Grant Committee’s recommendations for funding
placed in rank order of 118 projects for a total of $18,799,900 in grant
awards. Of these, 69 were new applications and 49 are carry-over projects. This
is the 23rd year of grants from the Trust, which has provided over 241 million
dollars in lottery revenue to preserve and protect the air, water and land in
Nebraska.
As part of the grant making process, the Trust is seeking public input on
the proposed grants before announcing final awards on April 7, 2016. A list of
all recommended grants and project information is available on the Trust
website at: www.environmentaltrust.org.
Written public comments will be accepted until April 5, 2016 at the Nebraska
Environmental Trust, P.O. Box 94913, Lincoln NE 68509-4913 or via email at: marilyn.tabor@nebraska.gov. Please
include your name, address and organizations (if applicable) and be sure to
reference the project name and number in your correspondence. Comments can also
be presented in person during a public hearing on April 7, 2016. The meeting
begins at 1:30 pm at the Ferguson House, 700 South 16th Street, Lincoln NE.
2016 Board Recommendations for Funding Placed In Rank Order
Upcoming Events
- March 17 - 20, 2016 - The 46th Annual Audubon Nebraska's Crane Festival, Kearney NE.
- April 7, 2016 (Thursday), 1:30 pm - 2nd Quarter Board Meeting, Ferguson House, Lincoln NE.
- April 16, 2016 (Saturday) - Earth Day Omaha, Omaha NE.
- April 23, 2016 (Saturday) Lincoln Earth Day, Lincoln NE.
- May 10, 2016 (Tuesday) - 8:00am - 4:00pm Nebraska Children's Groundwater Festival, Grand Island NE.
- May 13 - 14, 2016 (Friday - Saturday) - Spring Into Spring at Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha NE.
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