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Explore Nebraska 2016 ANNUAL REPORT Mission Statement: The Nebraska Environmental Trust is established to conserve, enhance and restore the natural environments of Nebraska. A prosperous future requires a sound natural environment. We must act dynamically, progressively and systematically to ensure bountiful and thriving natural resources. The Trust is to complement existing activities, stimulate private investment and emphasize long term gain. The Trust is to lead in the development of a vision of Nebraska’s future environment. The Trust is to collaborate with public and private efforts to achieve that vision. TRUST FUNDING CATEGORIES: • HABITAT • AIR QUALITY • SURFACE & GROUNDWATER • SOIL MANAGEMENT • WASTE MANAGEMENT & RECYCLING Front Row: Rod Christen, Steinauer; Henry “Rick” Brandt, Roca; Sherry Vinton, Whitman; Robert Krohn, Omaha. Second Row: Jim Macy, Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality; Jim Douglas, Nebraska Game & Parks Commission; Kevin Peterson, Osceola; Jeff Fassett, Nebraska Department of Natural Resources; Gloria Erickson, Holdrege; Gerry Lauritzen, Omaha, Paul Dunn, Omaha. Not Pictured: Greg Ibach, Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Jim Hellbusch, Columbus 2 Message from the Chairman As the leaves rustle over the trail we walk I reflect on my past four years of service for the Nebraska Environmental Trust (NET). I am honored to be serving the beautiful state of Nebraska and captivated by the tremendous accomplishments the NET has enabled. As an avid bird watcher and outdoor enthusiast, I have always enjoyed the sights and sounds our state has to offer. Whether it was the quiet steams or the wide-open sand hills, the call of the frogs or the song of the meadowlark, I grew to love the benefits of clear water, clean air and the well managed expanses our state offers. These last four years have granted us the good fortune of enabling successful part- nerships for projects as diverse as the Spotted Tail Creek Restoration, the Heron Haven Wetlands Sanctuary, Bike Share, Fire Training Exchange and the High Plains Weed Management Area Landowner project sites. We have watched thousands of birds rediscover the Rainwater Basin wetlands and private and public resources contribute to the rebirth of the Republican River. It is my hope that the NET can continue to be a part of these ambitious unifications of public and private entities that seek to manage and revitalize our Natural Resources for the benefit of all Nebraskans. We continue to monitor the success of numerous NET funded projects throughout the state. We received updates from the Director of the Nebraska Forest Service on the ongoing research at the Horning Farm Demonstration Forest. We were educated about the confluence of the Missouri and Platte Rivers and the associated acquisition projects that seek to preserve this unique area for everyone to enjoy. We visited Fort Robinson State Park, the Northern Cheyenne Monument, Sowbelly Canyon, and dialoged with landowners about conservation easements near the Pine Ridge land trust projects. As a board, community and state we don’t always agree with the priorities we set or the direction we take, but we dutifully listen to the professionals, our experienced staff and the opinions of all involved who help us find resolutions that best meet the interests of current and future Nebraskans. Working with a knowledgeable, dynamic and diverse team from across the state has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my service. I continue to enrich my understanding of the elements that make our state so unique while furthering my love for the many natural resources Nebraska offers. And I encourage all Nebraskans, set aside your technology, get off the interstate, smell the air, listen to the wind, hike the trails and discover the gems that exist in the state we call home. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve the State of Nebraska in such a personally meaningful way. Every time I jump in the car and head home to Omaha I truly relish being part of an organization dedicated to ensuring that the Good Life will always be found so close to home. Gerry Lauritzen 3 Explore Nebraska Over the years, the Trust has had many opportunities to make a difference in the lives of various communities in Nebraska. Our Annual Report this year is intended to take you through a journey of some of these phenomenal projects and amazing treasure sites that line the seven districts of Nebraska. These projects are remarkable and their uniqueness and beauty is certainly something to be proud of as a Nebraskan. The months of July and August are usually a crucial and important time for board and staff members. It is when the board gets to make field trips, during the 3rd Quarter Board Meeting to assess and evaluate some of the project sites where grant funds had been disbursed to in the past. They get first hand experience and knowledge from grantees on how Trust funding is utilized as seed money to attract other matching dollars to the State and is crucial in creating jobs and bringing an economic boost to the various regions in Nebraska. The Trust has supported many community initiatives directly and indirectly, from agriculture to education, forestry to tourism, transportation to health to name a few. These projects are varied and have diverse interest and benefit residential and commercial sites and private citizens in one way or another. These projects could not have been accomplished without the support of the Nebraska Lottery, the only funding source of the Trust. What better way to make Nebraska a better place! “Even before we sold our first tickets in 1993, the Nebraska Lottery was dedicated to helping environmental needs. The scope and variety of projects funded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust are statewide reminders of our mission, and the support and loyalty of Nebraska Lottery players and retailers.” – Brian Rockey, Nebraska Lottery Director The photos below say a million words about these Lottery dollars that have come a long way to make a difference. Here are some memorable photos of projects funded in our amazing Nebraska over the last two decades. The corresponding pages will also give you insight on more projects and their unique features. A project at Indian Cave with the Nebraska Department of Roads Bluebirds of Nebraska Saltmarsh at the Saline Wetlands 4 Geographic Distribution of Awards (1994 - 2016) Raptor Recovery Project Pollinator programs with various agencies in Nebraska Willa Cather Prairie Restoration 5 Nebraska Land Trust Photo by Larry Radant Sowbelly Ranch: A Pine Ridge jewel where beauty is more than skin deep In 1983, the late Fred Thomas wrote a popular, well-informed column for the Omaha World-Herald titled “Your Environment.” On one occasion, he “asked a few veteran Nebraska travelers to select the prettiest places in Nebraska.” According to Fred, “Sowbelly Canyon drew more mention for No. 1 than any place else.” Sowbelly Canyon creases the north slope of the Pine Ridge in the northwest corner of Nebraska. With weather-sculpted sand- stone buttes, prairie, pine forest and a trout stream, it is easy to envision as the prettiest place in the state. All of these resources are found on the 1,304-acre Sowbelly Ranch north of Harrison in the heart of the canyon. Last December, its owners Jim and Chris Voeller, permanently conserved the land through a conservation easement with the Nebraska Land Trust. 6 Pines and Buttes Preservation Project Jim and Chris Voeller were especially keen on conserving the unfragmented habitat their ranch provides for elk and bighorn sheep. In 2012, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission gained per- mission to use their ranch as a reintroduction site for bighorns. Usually, release sites are on public land owned by the agency. The Voellers provided a rare opportunity to release bighorns in ideal habitat on private land. The land is also home to other creatures great and small, as the Pine Ridge is a biologically unique landscape where eastern and western species mingle at the edge of their range. It always takes willing landowners to permanently Photo by Larry Radant conserve private land, but in this case one could add the term “generous.” With limited funds to pur- chase the easement, the Voellers offered to donate more than half of the easement’s value to the NLT through a bargain sale at less than appraised value. The Nebraska Environmental Trust, which receives 44.5% of state lottery proceeds, provided most of the balance through a grant for conservation of bighorn habitat. Other funding partners included the Nebraska Big Game Society, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wild Sheep Foundation, and the Iowa chapter of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep. The diversity of partners speaks to the land’s value for wildlife. The Sowbelly Ranch is truly a place where beauty is more than skin deep. 7 Fontenelle Forest Fontenelle Forest (FF) is a private non-profit organization, a National Natural Landmark and a National Historic District. FF owns and manages 2053 acres which are comprised of upland oak/hickory woodlands with interspersed restored prairies, and floodplain wetlands. With 25 miles of hiking trails, 1 mile of wooden boardwalk trails, over 60 Nebraska Phase Earth Lodge sites, and the largest urban nature center in the region, FF provides exceptional opportunities for nature and history lovers to explore this beautiful landscape in Nebraska. Upon European settlement of the area, grazing by large herbivores and fire were eliminated from the landscape. As a result, FF properties have become severely degraded by an increasingly shade-tolerant canopy and sub-canopy, invasion by exotic plants, lack of fire, and little natural oak regeneration, all contributing to the decrease in native flora and fauna and reduced recreational opportunities. In 2015, FF was awarded a grant from NET to support oak woodland and savanna restoration efforts.
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    TOURIST INFORMATION CENTERS Grand Island/Hall County Convention & Visitors Bureau Central 2424 S Locust St, Ste. C • Grand Island, NE 68801 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday 308.382.4400 • 800.658.3178 visitgrandisland.com Nebraska Hastings/Adams County Convention & Visitors Bureau 219 N Hastings Ave • Hastings, NE 68902 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday WILDLIFE 402.461.2370 • 800.967.2189 visithastingsnebraska.com VIEWING GUIDE Kearney Visitors Bureau 1007 2nd Avenue • Kearney, NE 68847 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday (6 weeks during Crane Season) 308.237.3178 • 800.652.9435 • visitkearney.org US Fish & Wildlife Service Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District 73746 V Road • Funk, NE 68940 308.263.3000 fws.gov/refuge/rainwater_basin_wmd WILDLIFE VIEWING INFORMATION CENTERS Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center I-80 Exit 305 (Alda) 308.382.1820 • cranetrust.org Fort Kearny State Historical Park 1020 V Road • Kearney, NE 68847 308.865.5305 • outdoornebraska.gov/fortkearny Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary I-80 Exit 285 308.468.5282 • rowe.audubon.org US Fish & Wildlife Service Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District 73746 V Road • Funk, NE 68940 308.263.3000 fws.gov/refuge/rainwater_basin_wmd NebraskaFlyway.com 18CNWG_30K THE GREAT MIGRATION THE GREAT MIGRATION NEBRASKA’S PLATTE RIVER CRANE VALLEY TRUST Each spring, something magical happens in the The Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center welcomes guests to heart of the Great Plains. More than 80 percent of rare, protected lands year round—and to the great sandhill the world’s population of sandhill cranes converge crane migration in the spring.