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 Pintail Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is owned by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) and is located five miles south and 2 miles east of Aurora in Hamilton County. Pintail WMA contains approximately 360 acres of playa wetland and 118 acres of upland habitat. The 478 acres of
Vegetation management is a necessary component of wetland conservation in the Rainwater Basin region. Historically, these wetlands were regularly disturbed by fire and intensive grazing from bison and other ungulate species. If these natural disturbances are not replaced by human-directed management, such as cattle grazing, controlled burns, and herbicide spraying,
The Little Blue Natural Resources District will receive $208,865 from the Nebraska Environmental Trust to help integrate restored wetlands into irrigated agriculture operations. Wetlands can provide farm income through grazing and haying, while also providing wildlife habitat. The “Puddles under the Pivots” grant will complement major funding provided by a
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will receive $75,000 from the Nebraska Environmental Trust for its “Rainwater Basin Wetland Management” grant. The grant will help with ongoing work to control invasive plants such as reed canary grass, river bulrush, and hybrid cattail in wetlands on both private and public lands
Over the past year, several sediment removal projects were conducted on wetlands within the Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District (WMD). You may have noticed numerous large mounds of dirt throughout the district in such places as: Funk WPA, Macon Lakes WPA, and Massie WPA. These projects were completed in conjunction
Wetlands and wildlife habitat in the Rainwater Basin will benefit from $412,855 in Nebraska Environmental Trust Fund grants awarded to the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture. The Rainwater Basin’s wetlands provide migration habitat for millions of geese and ducks each spring, as well as hundreds of thousands of shorebirds, and endangered
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
Conservation partners across Nebraska pitched in to help when Pheasants Forever organized a campaign recently to meet with landowners statewide and speak with them about the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CRP is a voluntary conservation program that offers environmental benefits such as erosion control and wildlife habitat while providing annual
A restored wetland in southwestern Hamilton County is the site of an innovative partnership that combines new technology with some old-fashioned common sense. Rainwater Basin Joint Venture (RWBJV) partners, including conservation agencies and agriculture technology and equipment companies, are working with the Marsh family to maximize the value of their
