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Executive Director Corner
In the last newsletter I mentioned two of our board
members were leaving the board and thanked them for their service. Last week I learned a third board member is
leaving the board. Kevin Peterson from
Osceola announced he was not seeking reappointment when his current term
expires this March. Kevin just served as
chairman of the Grants Committee and was more than likely to be the next
Chairman of the board. Kevin has served
on many boards and has been part of a lot of agricultural organizations. He brought a perspective that we need on the
board with that background and as the father of three young children. Having three young children getting more
involved in school and sports was a large part of Kevin’s decision and I can’t
blame him for wanting to spend quality time with his family. As a father of an 18 year old daughter about
to go off to college, these are precious years and you won’t get them
back. We wish Kevin the best and maybe
he will rejoin us in the future. Thanks
for serving on the board.
The Grants Committee presented their Recommendations for
Funding Placed in Rank Order at the last board meeting and the board accepted
the list (see story and list link below).
The Legislature has completed over one third of the 90
day session. I testified on LB 452 this
week. LB 452 is one of three bills
pertaining to repealing the tax exemption to lottery tickets. The other two bills are LB 312 and LB
563. If any one of these three bills
would pass in its current form, the Trust could lose $1.4 to $5M annually
because the taxes would come out of the beneficiaries’ proceeds. Another bill impacting the Trust is LB 331
introduced by Speaker Scheer at the request of the Governor. LB 331 would transfer $3.3M a year for the next
three years to the Water Resources Cash Fund. This represents about 18% of the funds the Trust has available for
grants, so it would have a significant impact on the Trust. Another bill we will monitor is LB 610 by
Senator Kolowski. LB 610 establishes the
Community Solar Energy Economic Development Act and encourages community solar
projects to apply to the Trust for grant funds. There are no bonus points or requirements and Senator Kolowski amended
the original bill at the request of the Trust, so we will watch for additional amendments.
On the Husker football front, we have made some coaching
changes and we gained some really good players and we lost a few, but overall I
think we did pretty well. We won’t be
able to tell much at the Spring Game, so it will be a long summer. The Husker volleyball team lost two assistant
coaches as they were offered head coaching jobs and one of those coaches is
taking their spouse with them and that spouse had been a volunteer coach. It is sad to see these individuals go, but it
is nice that Nebraska is seen as a quality program with excellent coaches that
have become very desirable.
Enjoy the great weather, but don’t think we have seen
the last of the snow this winter.
Mark A.
Brohman
Executive
Director
Nebraska Environmental Trust Invites Comments on 2017 Board Recommendations For Funding Placed In Rank Order
At its meeting
in Lincoln on February 9, 2017, the Board of the Nebraska Environmental Trust received
the Grant Committee’s proposed funding of 85 projects for a total of $16,680,000
in grant awards. Of these, 33 were new applications and 52 are carry-over
projects. This is the 24th 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 5, 2017. 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, 2017 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 6, 2017. The
meeting begins at 1:30 pm at the Ferguson House, 700 South 16th
Street, Lincoln NE.
The Nebraska
Legislature created the Nebraska Environmental Trust in 1992. Using the revenue
from the Nebraska Lottery, the Trust has provided grants to over 2000 projects
across the state. Anyone can apply – citizens, conservation organizations,
communities, businesses and individuals that want to protect Nebraska’s natural habitat, improve water
quality and quantity or
find ways to
manage our waste. The Nebraska Environmental Trust works to preserve, protect and
restore our natural resources for future generations.
2017 Grant Committee Recommendations for Funding Placed in Rank Order
Fire Training Exchange in Nebraska - submitted by Rich Walters, The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska is preparing for the 2017
Fire Training Exchange at the Niobrara Valley Preserve. This effort –
which will be the eighth annual event – draws participants from across the
United States and as far away as Spain and South Africa. The exchange was
designed to meet the training needs of fire practitioners – those who serve
state and federal conservation agencies and fire departments, as well as
private sector nonprofits, students, businesses, and landowners. It is also
a way to bring much-needed fire to land that will benefit from it.
“We know this landscape is a fire-adapted one, and we’ve
seen the good results of regular prescribed burns for wildlife and for grazing
on the Preserve,” said Rich Walters, Director of Stewardship for The Nature
Conservancy. “We’ve also seen what happens when too much fuel
builds up. Recent wildfires are a stark reminder of that. Having the
personnel to get fire on the ground safely is essential. It’s a great
two-way street of teaching and learning.”
Large numbers of workers means a high level of vigilance in
planning. Safety is paramount to the exchange’s leaders, who work under
national standards. “We choose the safest time of year to hold this
training. We anchor into previously burned areas, spend months working on
burn plans, and relentlessly monitor weather reports,” said Walters.
These exchanges continue to grow. What started as an idea in Nebraska is
now being replicated all over the country.
Central Platte Grassland Conservation Project - submitted by David Carr, Range Management Specialist, Central Platte NRD
The Central Platte Grassland
Conservation Project is a three-year project supported by the Nebraska
Environmental Trust. It is sponsored by
Central Platte Natural Resources District, and partners include local
producers, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, and the NRCS.
Figure 1 2016 Dawson
Co. Prescribed Burn Sites
This project is focused in the Dawson County Loess Canyon
areas, but also is available throughout the Central Platte NRD.
The goals of the project include habitat restoration for
native grassland species, as well as pasture reclamation, and reducing the
potential for disastrous wildfire. This area has moderate to severe Eastern Red
Cedar infestations which, if left unchecked, will result in a complete cedar
forest. For successful habitat
restoration to occur, strong partnerships between local producers and
conservationists must be formed. This
grant brings together all concerned parties to be able to facilitate real
improvement in the landscape. Project
activities so far include:
·
1081 acres of pasture mechanically cleared of
Eastern Red Cedar.
·
7952 Acres of pasture safely treated with
prescribed fire (17 burns).
·
Estimated well over 100,000 cedar trees removed
from the landscape to date.
·
Restored native tall grass communities and
at-risk wildlife habitat.
·
Educational events: prescribed burn schools, and
a field tour.
The initial goal was to treat 12,000 acres in three years with
prescribed fire and cutting. With the
help of the Nebraska Environmental Trust funds, the project is well on its way to
meeting and exceeding that goal!
Before and After Burn Comparison (See photos above)
Grantee Seminar Dates
It's that time of the year again for our Grantee Seminars. Grantees will receive an invite soon with specific details. The Grantee Seminars this year will be on April 10, 12 & 14th. The seminars on April 10 & 12th will be in Lincoln and the last one held on the 14th, will be in Grand Island. Stay tuned for more details.
Upcoming Events
- March 16-19, 2017 - The 47th Annual Audubon Crane Festival, Kearney NE.
- April 6, 2017 (Thursday) - 2nd Quarter Board Meeting
- April 10, 2017 (Monday) - Grantee Seminar, Lincoln
- April 12, 2017 (Wednesday) - Grantee Seminar, Lincoln
- April 14, 2017 (Friday) - Grantee Seminar, Grand Island
- April 22, 2017 (Saturday) - Earth Day Omaha, Elmwood Park, Omaha NE.
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