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Sandhill Stats Spread of Invasives Like Red Cedar Are Causing Habitat Loss Location: North-Central Nebraska and Fragmentation Throughout the Sandhills

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Sandhill Stats Spread of Invasives Like Red Cedar Are Causing Habitat Loss Location: North-Central Nebraska and Fragmentation Throughout the Sandhills United States Department of Agriculture SANDHILLS PROJECT A HOSTILE TAKEOVER The Sandhills landscape of Nebraska is speckled with lakes, wetlands, wet meadows, spring-fed streams - and unfortunately - too many eastern red cedar trees. The 19,300-square-mile grass-covered sand dune formation in north-central Nebraska serves as an oasis for wildlife, including the greater prairie-chicken and American burying beetle. The Sandhills are also critically important to waterfowl, Photos by Aaron Price, USDA Price, Aaron by Photos who nest in the region. The conversion of rangelands to cultivated crops and the Sandhill Stats spread of invasives like red cedar are causing habitat loss Location: North-Central Nebraska and fragmentation throughout the Sandhills. To reverse Habitat Type: Grassland, wetlands, wet-meadows the loss and fragmentation of habitat, NRCS is working Target Species: Greater Prairie Chicken and with agricultural producers to install grazing management American Burying Beetle practices to improve rangeland health and wildlife habitat. Other Species: Western Prairie Fringed Orchid, Dicksissel, Eastern Meadowlark, Field Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Swainson’s Hawk, Monarch LANDOWNERS ARE PART OF THE SOLUTION Butterfly, Upland Sandpiper, Western Meadowlark, Sharp-tailed Grouse and Regal Fritillary Butterfly Landowners in Nebraska are helping restore the Sandhill Partners: Landowners, Sandhills Task Force, landscape by improving the health of rangelands using Nebraska Cattlemen, Rainwater Basin Joint prescribed grazing and removing invading cedar trees. Venture, Nebraska Game and Parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pheasants Forever Natural Resources Conservation Service Working Lands for Wildlife SANDHILLS PROJECT Through grazing management, mechanical removal and prescribed burning, producers can manage this threat to the landscape as cedar trees shade out other plants, which degrades the quality of forage for livestock and habitat for wildlife. OWN OR MANAGE LAND? YOU CAN HELP Landowners can improve the health of rangelands by working with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to implement a variety of conservation Land within the WLFW Sandhills Project area is eligible for funding from NRCS to remove activities, or practices, that benefit cedar trees, install grazing land enhancement practices, and improve wildlife habitat. the landscape and many of the game and non-game species that depend on it. WORKING LANDS FOR READY TO GET STARTED? WILDLIFE If you’re interested in technical These efforts are part of the and financial assistance from Technical assistance from NRCS is Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) NRCS, please contact your local free to producers. The agency’s staff partnership, a collaborative USDA Service Center. An NRCS of experts and conservation partners approach to conserve habitat on conservationist in your community work side-by-side with producers working lands in the Sandhills. will help you develop a conservation to develop a conservation plan. WLFW is providing technical and plan customized to your land, Each plan focuses on implementing financial assistance through the and if you’re interested, apply for conservation practices to improve Environmental Quality Incentives financial assistance through Farm ranching operations while Program, a Farm Bill conservation Bill conservation programs. improving rangelands. These plans program, the largest funding source provide a roadmap for how to use for conservation on private lands. a system of conservation practices to meet natural resource and production goals. When the health of the Sandhills landscape is improved, many species benefit, including greater prairie- Financial assistance helps producers chicken, American burying beetle, pay for the adoption of conservation eastern and western meadowlark, systems. Common conservation grasshopper sparrow, Swainson’s practices include prescribed hawk, monarch butterfly, upland Learn more: burning, prescribed grazing, sandpiper, sharp-tailed grouse and conservation cover and brush nrcs.usda.gov/wildlife regal fritillary butterfly. management. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. Nebraska.
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