(Posted 5/8/18) An exciting new conservation program is available in the Rainwater Basin region to protect wildlife habitat while allowing landowners to crop the site when conditions permit. The program is called the Agricultural Land Easement (ALE), a permanent non-development easement (i.e., no building structures) held by the local Natural
Hear what your colleagues and neighbors had to say about the 2018 RWBJV Info Seminar in these short audio clips. Then, plan to join them in 2019 to learn, network, exchange information, and have a great time!
(Posted 1/12/18) Meeting goals 0f a producer while enhancing grassland habitat is especially important in the Sandhills. This is because the Nebraska Sandhills make up one of the largest intact grassland systems and are home to large populations of the federally endangered American burying beetle and the Greater Prairie-Chicken, an
(Updated 1/12/18) Join landowners, agricultural producers, conservation professionals, congressional staff, researchers, and students for a day of education and networking about conservation in Nebraska. The 23rd annual Rainwater Basin Joint Venture Informational Seminar will be held on Thursday, February 1, 2018 at the Hotel Grand Conference Center in Grand Island, Nebraska. The
(Posted 9/17) Earlier this year, an exciting new Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) option was announced for Nebraska and Kansas: the Migratory Bird, Butterfly, and Pollinator State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement, known as the Migratory Bird SAFE. This CRP option is available to landowners who own a playa wetland within one
(Posted 8/17) The 550-acre Gehl tract in Greeley County, Nebraska is comprised of mixed-grass prairie habitat overrun by invasive eastern red cedar. A project to control this tree has been funded by Working Lands for Wildlife, and will improve habitat quality for birds and other prairie wildlife and increase forage
(Posted 8/17) The 1,590-acre Martensen/Koch tract in Loup County, Nebraska hosts one of the first projects developed through NRCS’s Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) program. The goal is to restore, enhance, and manage a large block of native prairie grassland habitat for the benefit of prairie wildlife, as well as
As part of the Berggren Pheasant Plan, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is providing incentives to landowners enrolling in USDA’s Continuous-CRP. The Berggren Pheasant plan seeks to enhance pheasant habitat within prioritized areas of the state, including the Rainwater Basin area, and to increase recreational opportunities for hunting. This
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service will provide cost-share assistance through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to fill abandoned irrigation reuse pits in the watersheds of priority Rainwater Basin wetlands. Rainwater Basin Joint Venture partners have additional cost-share dollars available to fill pits identified as high priorities for removal.
The Nebraska Sandhills contains the largest remaining grassland area in the U.S., along with abundant rivers, lakes, and wetlands. These habitats are an important resource for a variety of bird species including waterfowl and grassland-nesting birds. Recently, several conservation partners, including the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture, Sandhills Task Force, U.S.
