Playas are shallow, rain-fed wetlands that provide crucial ecosystem services, such as wildlife habitat, flood control, and aquifer recharge, throughout the Great Plains. In addition to threats such as sedimentation and invasive species, playas may also be vulnerable to changes in precipitation and temperature associated with climate change. Playas are
(Posted 5/8/18) Since 2012, the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture has helped fund research focused on better understanding the potential for and the impacts of cattle grazing in wetlands. The first project (2012-2014) focused on the impacts of cattle grazing on seed production in Rainwater Basin wetlands. An article based on
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!
The North American Arctic Goose Conference and Workshop (NAAGC), an international event devoted to research and management of geese and their habitats, will be hosted in the heart of the Central Flyway in Lincoln, Nebraska, from March 13-17, 2018. This will be the 14th NAAGC, building on a tradition that
(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) Despite a 90% loss in wetland habitat, playa wetlands in Nebraska’s Rainwater Basin (RWB) provide essential foraging and resting opportunities to approximately 7 million migratory dabbling ducks, such as mallards and northern pintails, each spring. Such opportunities are necessary for ducks to accumulate the energy and protein needed
The RWBJV partnership recently finalized a pair of documents designed to be a source of information for public land managers, private lands biologists, and private landowners interested in achieving the best possible wetland habitat conditions for the millions of wetland-dependent birds that rely on this region annually. The Best Management
Join us on Feb 7, 2017, for the Playa Wetland Ecology Symposium at the 77th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference at the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln, NE. On March 17, 2011, the RWBJV and Playa Lakes Joint Venture co-hosted the first Playa Wetland Ecology Symposium in Grand Island, Nebraska. More than
In 2013, the RWBJV partnered with Ducks Unlimited, Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the University of Nebraska to initiate a project titled Sandhill Cranes and Waterfowl of the North Platte River Valley: Evaluation of Habitat Selection to Guide Conservation
During spring migration, RWBJV and partner staff conducted 24 aerial whooping crane surveys in the western basins. The flight survey period began at the end of February, a week ahead of schedule, due to an uncharacteristically early migration. During a flight in early April, four whooping cranes were observed on
