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Executive Director Corner
It
looks like summer has finally hit Nebraska.
It seems like we went from winter, right into summer with very little
spring. Hopefully we get adequate
rainfall and don’t see the wide-spread drought conditions we saw in 2012. Schools are getting out for the summer and
graduations are upon us.
I
had the great fortune of attending the Ione Werthman street naming in Omaha
near Heron Haven last week (see the story below). I had the pleasure of knowing Ione since the
mid-80’s and working with her on a number of projects at Heron Haven. I sure miss her smile when I stop by there
now.
Last
week Governor Ricketts attended the ribbon cutting on the new flex fuel pumps
at Grand Island’s Bosselman Travel Center (complete story below). The Governor even pumped ethanol blends for a
few surprised travelers. It was fun to
see the Governor interact with the drivers and their reactions when they
realized it was the Governor pumping their gas.
When asked if he did windows, he replied, “I don’t do windows”. The E85 was priced at 85 cents a gallon
during the event, which also drew a lot of smiles.
We
hosted a very successful Eastern Red Cedar (ERC) meeting at the Nebraska
National Forest near Halsey on April 25th. Over 60
people attended, including landowners, state and federal agencies, natural
resources districts, UNL, conservation groups and others. I think everyone agreed that ERCs are a
problem in most parts of the State. But
they do serve a purpose, especially in arid parts of the State where it is
difficult to establish trees. Finding a
sterile variety or other species of trees to plant is on everyone’s mind. Many organizations, including the Trust, are
spending a lot of resources on controlling ERCs and we all realize there is not
a “silver bullet” at this point to control them. If we all keep working together, hopefully we
will find solutions in the near future.
I
won’t mention the Husker’s baseball or softball teams, but everyone is still
buzzing about the Scott Frost football team and some recent recruiting. I hope fans don’t expect miracles, but I do
think the atmosphere has changed around the team. It is just a little over three months before
the first football game and I know I can’t wait to see how they perform.
Safe
travels.
Mark
A. Brohman
Executive
Director
 Gov. Pete Ricketts Pumping Ethanol At Bosselman Travel Center
Heron
Haven Honors Its Late Founder, Ione Werthman
A ceremony celebrating the re-naming of a portion
of Old Maple Road to honor the person whose conservation efforts led to the
founding of the Heron Haven Wetland, was held on Thursday, May 17th
at 7PM. The late Ione Werthman was
honored for her dedication to Heron Haven and other conservation projects with
the commemorative naming of the section of Old Maple Road bordering the wetland
as "Ione Werthman Road."
Members of Friends of Heron Haven, Inc., Ione's family, local
conservation supporters who worked with Ione, board members of the
Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, the Trust and interested members of the
public were invited to the unveiling ceremony at Heron Haven Wetland Nature
Center at 11809 Old Maple Road.
Without Ione
Werthman, the Heron Haven Wetland would not exist. Her persistence, hard work and ability to
recruit supporters kept the wetland from being turned into an apartment complex
and enabled it to be preserved as a sanctuary for wildlife and humans alike. An
added benefit was that Ione also turned it into a teaching facility for all
ages by presenting programs for school children and adult groups
single-handedly for many years. In due course, Ione established a nonprofit organization, Friends of Heron Haven, Inc., and lobbied the property owner, Papio Missouri
River Natural Resources District, to award its management contract to Friends.
They did, and Ione's dream for the wetland continues.
Grant support for the organization’s programs has come primarily from the Nebraska
Environmental Trust, which is supported by the Nebraska Lottery.
Sam Bennett, president
of Friends of Heron Haven Inc., led the board of directors in choosing the
memorial road renaming because it seemed particularly appropriate to honor Ione
with a sign bordering the wetland she cared so much about and to which she dedicated
many years of her life.
Following Ione’s
passing, volunteer Nebraska Master Naturalists assumed responsibility for the educational
programs, working with school groups and introducing students to nature and its
intriguing diversity. Monthly Second Saturday programs have brought in many new
visitors, especially family groups, for hands-on nature learning experiences.
Scheduled programs can be accessed on the Heron Haven website (heronhaven.org).
 Ione Werthman's Family Celebrate At The Unveiling
 Pond Picture before NuStyle
NuStyle Development Grant
The Atlas Redevelopment Project is a project that will convert the
former Creighton University Medical Center Hospital to mixed use apartments. Due to its
proximity and connections to the Creighton Campus, a pedestrian bridge will be
constructed to cross over Nebraska State Highway 75 to the east of the project.
To help enhance the building conversion the existing impervious site will be
redeveloped to include a variety of on-site amenities such as: volleyball
courts for tenants, outdoor gathering and seating areas; and a water quality
lake. The proposed water quality lake will collect and treat on-site stormwater
runoff and reduce peak flow rates in the downstream collection system. The lake
will be open to the public for recreation and be an environmental amenity. During
the conceptual design of the water quality lake, it was determined that
off-site storm water could be redirected into the lake to provide additional localized flood control and downstream sewer relief. The lake would
also provide the City of Omaha (City) the flexibility to reduce combined sewer overflow (CSO)
volume as part of future separation projects. In the long-term this will help control the
number of overflows from combined sewer outfalls, ultimately improving the water quality of
both the Papillion Creek and Missouri River. After reviewing the public benefits of the projects,
the City and NuStyle have agreed to a unique public/private partnership on the project. This
effort will be the first significant public/private partnership using green infrastructure to
assist with the City's CSO program. This project can help set precedent and procedures for
potential future public/private partnerships
to assist the City in achieving the goals of the CSO Long-Term Control Plan.
 Final Bird Eye view Renderings
North Platte NRD Geothermal Greenhouse
The
North Platte NRD has nearly completed construction of a geothermal greenhouse
that includes a teaching facility. This facility is modeled on a successful
geothermal greenhouse in Alliance, Nebraska, which has been operating for over
25 years. The greenhouse is approximately 138' x 17' and will have a 14'
interior height and is wheelchair assessible. The design specifications
included constructing the base of the greenhouse at approximately four feet
below grade. A geothermal ground air exchanger will supply heating/cooling to
the greenhouse. Tubes have been placed 8 feet below ground surface; the ground
is a constant 52° F at that depth, and air from the tubes comes up
into the pump to be distributed throughout the greenhouse keeping it warm in
the winter. Automated fans will be installed at both ends of the building to
pump hot air out in the summer. The greenhouse will maintain year-round growing
temperatures between 32° and 90° F and will support many varieties of citrus
trees and vegetables. All food grown will be donated to the local Veterans
Administration; excess produce beyond the veterans' needs will be donated to
local food pantries in Scotts Bluff, Garden, Morrill and Banner Counties.
Landscaping on the 1.6 acres outside the greenhouse will include 70 plots of
different varieties of native and introduced grasses, with signs listing the
variety or mixtures of grasses planted. Students from area schools will be able
to view each individual grass to improve range judging skills and knowledge of
local plant ecology. Plots of native mixtures used by Farm Service Agency for
the Conservation Reserve Program will be planted. This will include CP-1, CP-2,
CP-4A, and CP-25 mixtures, as well as examples of several different grass
mixtures best suited for wildlife, haying, or grazing.
 Geothermal Greenhouse
Gov. Ricketts Cuts
Ribbon on New Flex Fuel Pumps in Grand Island to Highlight Renewable Fuels
Month
Governor Pete Ricketts celebrated Renewable Fuels
Month during a ribbon cutting event at Bosselman Travel Center in Grand
Island. At the event, Governor Ricketts pumped gas for motorists,
highlighting the new flex fuel pumps now offering a variety of ethanol blends
at Bosselman Travel Center.
“Corn ethanol and soy biodiesel not only help build
demand for Nebraska’s crop farmers, but they also help build our state’s
economy and create local jobs,” said Governor Ricketts. “Just this week,
I visited with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue about the importance of
higher ethanol blends, and I will continue to encourage the Trump
administration to act quickly on the approval of the use of E-15 all year
long. With infrastructure like the pumps we just launched in Grand
Island, we will continue to grow demand for our locally-produced, clean-burning
ethanol products.”
Governor Ricketts has been a constant advocate for
Nebraska’s biofuel industry. He has served as chairman of the Governor’s
Biofuels Coalition, testified before the Environmental Protection Agency in
support of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) twice, and successfully worked to
recruit new investment in the state’s biofuels infrastructure and industry.
Over 90 percent of all fuel in Nebraska is blended
with locally-produced ethanol. This homegrown industry supports over
1,300 jobs across the state and 25 ethanol plants. The ethanol industry
promotes higher prices for corn, soybeans, and other agricultural products as
well, supporting the agriculture industry at large. In 2017, over 2.1
billion gallons of ethanol and nearly 6.4 million metric tons of distillers
grains were produced in Nebraska.
With more than 1 billion gallons being produced across
the country, soy biodiesel is another important biofuel for Nebraska.
Like ethanol, biodiesel burns cleaner than petroleum diesel, is locally
produced, and helps our nation’s farmers. Biodiesel adds $0.74 per bushel
to the value of soybeans, and the industry supports more than 60,000 U.S. jobs
and $2.6 billion in wages.
“Nebraska’s ethanol industry is really a win for
everyone,” said Dave Merrell, chairman of the Nebraska Corn Board and farmer
from St. Edward. “By using ethanol, we are reducing greenhouse gas
emissions and limiting cancer-causing toxic chemicals from entering into our
atmosphere, which makes our air cleaner to breathe. Additionally, we
produce a locally-grown feed for our livestock industry.”
“Bosselman
Enterprises is among several key marketing partners working with Nebraska
biofuel producers to offer a wider range of cleaner-burning fuel products,”
said Jan tenBensel, chairman of the Nebraska Ethanol Board. “This new
infrastructure provides greater access to high performance renewable fuels at a
lower cost to consumers. Consumers save money at the pump, the
agricultural sector benefits from increased demand for ag products, our economy
benefits from fuel cost savings, and we have more choices at the pump.”
“As a Nebraska farmer, I feel a great amount of pride
in the work we all do to provide our world with a safe and abundant supply of
food, fuel, and fiber,” said Tony Johanson, chairman of the Nebraska Soybean
Board and farmer from Oakland. “We know we need to ensure the sustainability
of our planet, but how sustainable are we if we are burning fossil fuels?
By producing and using renewable fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, we were
able to replace the need for 540 million barrels of imported crude oil and 2.9
million gallons of imported petroleum diesel in 2017. That is
significant.”
The Trust was one of the major funding partners, putting in $1 million dollars over two years for blender pumps across the state.
Upcoming Events
- 3rd Quarter Board Meeting, August 6-7, 2018 (Monday-Tuesday) Columbus, NE.
- August 24 - September 3, 2018, Nebraska State Fair, Grand Island, NE.
- September 4, 2018 (Tuesday) - Grants Deadline
- September 8, 2018 (Saturday) - World O Water, Papio-Missouri NRD, Wehrspann Lake, noon - 4pm
- September 11 -13th, 2018 - Husker Harvest Days
- September 15 & 16, 2018 (Saturday & Sunday) - Ponca Outdoor Expo, Ponca State Park
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