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Justin Haag
Public Information Officer | justin.haag@nebraska.gov | 308.430.8515
Box Butte Reservoir to remain low for coming year
HEMINGFORD, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission reports the water level at Box Butte Reservoir will remain low for at least 12 more months as construction workers repair the dam’s toe drain system.
During this period, the Commission encourages watercraft users to watch for emerging obstructions in the lake and use special care launching boats.
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials said the reservoir will be limited to an elevation of 3,985 feet during construction, a point just below the 3,986 mark experienced during the 2012 drought.
In addition, the Mirage Flats Irrigation District plans to run water through canals and boost the region’s groundwater in October, an effort to address concerns of less water available for agriculture next year. Consequently the lake will be lowered to an elevation of 3,979 feet, six feet below toe drain construction level, and then recharged. That’s the lowest level allowed under provisions of an agreement between the irrigation district and the Game and Parks Commission. The lake’s elevation reached about 3,981 feet during the first week of October, nearly 12 feet lower than it was a year ago this month.
The toe drain is a perforated pipe running along the base of the dam to collect water seepage and move it downstream. Without toe drains, earthen dams run the risk of becoming weak from water saturation. This is the first time the drain has been replaced since the dam was constructed in the early 1940s. Paul Reed Construction was awarded the bid for the project and plans to stage equipment and make preparations at the site beginning this fall. Completion is scheduled for fall 2018. Water levels will be allowed to rise after construction, the rate of which will largely depend on the weather.
Some areas near the dam and the road crossing it may be subject to closure during periods of construction but public access will be maintained as much as possible. The Game and Parks Commission plans to capitalize on the lake’s low water levels and complete improvements on the boat launch facility.
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Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3: An Oct. 4 aerial photograph shows the low water level prompted by scheduled dam repairs at Box Butte Reservoir State Recreation Area and Wildlife Management Area. Listed at 2,212 acres, the Panhandle attraction is popular among anglers, hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts. (NEBRASKAland/Justin Haag)
Chadron State Park Bioblitz identifies 203 species
CHADRON, Neb. – Participants of the Chadron State Park Bioblitz in late September identified 203 species of plants, animals and insects, providing evidence of the biodiversity in the Pine Ridge.
Amber Schiltz, Nebraska wildlife education coordinator for the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, was pleased with the tally, especially considering the time of year. Species ranged from the osprey flying high above the park’s pines to the smallmouth bass swimming below the pond’s surface.
“We saw 45 bird species alone, highlighting the incredible diversity and great habitat found at Chadron State Park,” Schiltz said. “Although it’s getting colder we still found over 50 insect and other invertebrate species and over 100 grasses trees, shrubs and wildflowers.”
Bioblitzes call upon members of the public to become “citizen scientists” and work along biologists to identify as many species as they can find in a 24-hour period. The events provide a record of species living in a particular area at a certain time of year.
Schiltz was especially satisfied with the event’s turnout from the public, with many children and families among more than 140 participants. They were guided by variety of natural resource professionals from the Panhandle.
“Some parents told me they took their kids out of school for the afternoon so they could attend,” Schiltz said. “They didn’t want them to miss such a unique opportunity to be involved with science. I met many young people who helped collect the data right alongside natural resource professionals, who told me they want to become biologists and wildlife scientists when they grow up.”
The Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, along with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Chadron State College, played host to the event with funding provided by the Nebraska Environmental Trust.
To view all the species identified and more details about the event, visit https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/chadron-state-park-bioblitz-2017.
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Photo 1: Young “citizen scientists” enjoy handling a hybrid sunfish while assisting Nebraska Game and Parks fisheries biologists during the pond survey. (NEBRASKAland/Justin Haag)
Photo 2: A group of bioblitz participants led by Chadron State College faculty member Aaron Field survey the park’s plant species. (NEBRASKAland/Justin Haag)j
Photo 3: An osprey, one of 45 bird species identified during the bioblitz, flies above the Chadron State Park pond. (NEBRASKAland/Justin Haag)
Photo 4: A small paintbrush is used to observe a dragonfly nymph during the survey of the park’s macro invertebrates. (NEBRASKAland/Justin Haag)
Photo 5: Bioblitz participants watch as Joe Rydell and Al Hanson of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's fisheries division complete a survey of the Chadron State Park pond. (NEBRASKAland/Justin Haag)
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