Disclaimer:  The following news briefs were prepared for the Sandhills Task Force Board members prior to Board meetings to provide them with an update of projects or actions.  It contains the comments of the Secretary and do not necessarily reflect or imply the opinion or position of the Board.

 

Sandhills Task Force

"Where People and Land are One"

P.O. Box 1686

Kearney, Nebraska 68848                                       August, 2002

Next Task Force Meeting:

The next Task Force meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 12 at Stubs Restaurant in Thedford. The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m.

Greg Ibach to speak about the Beginning Farmer Program in Nebraska

    Al and I have made arrangements with the Assistant Director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture to talk to the Task Force about the Beginning Farmer Program. This was done in response to the Board’s interest in assisting young ranchers. Briefly, the Beginning Farmer Program provides a five percent tax incentive to retiring ranchers who lease their land and production property to a young rancher. Our hope is that Mr. Ibach will help stimulate discussion on what role the Task Force can serve in helping young ranchers.

 

Jim Van Winkle travels east to tell the STF story

    Jim has been invited to serve on a panel at an environmental course addressing effective ways to work with the public. The course participants are primarily government employees from local, state, and federal agencies. The instructor was aware of the work of the Task Force and was excited to get someone who could give the rancher perspective.

 

Update on Bird Study

    The first year of the Sandhills Bird Study is completed. Dr. Larkin Powell, UNL provided me with a report of progress so far. The field season summary will be posted on our website. The drought conditions definitely had an affect on nest numbers. Of the 58 nests they found and monitored. Eleven were grasshopper sparrow and ten were western meadowlark nests. Both of these species have experienced significant population declines in various parts of the country, but represented about 1/3 of the nests found in the Sandhills study.

    Larkin reported that he believed the survey crew made a positive impression with the ranchers and he was impressed with their performance. The disappointing news was that Matt Proett, the graduate research assistant, decided to quit graduate school. Larkin is advertising for his replacement.

 

Fire Learning Network video being considered

    The Fire Learning Network which the Task Force serves as a partner has been experiencing success. But, they see the need for providing a standard message about fire management in the Sandhills as a necessity. Jim Van Winkle is currently taking the lead on putting together a proposal to produce a video describing fire management in the Sandhills. One question the group would like to know is if the Task Force would consider contributing a third of the cost (up to $5000). The script and filming is expected to be done locally.

 

Task Force display setup

    Kyle Graham, a new FWS employee working in the Sandhills, designed and manned a STF display at the Cherry County Fair and at the Gudmundsen Tour. Kyle heard many positive comments about the Task Force.

 

Water_control_structureGordon Creek Structures being installed

   Jim and I have been working with landowners on the upper reaches of Gordon Creek to reduce down cutting on the stream. The projects have been challenging. The landowner had already installed a 10-foot steel culvert/tube. We modified the culvert by putting a 3-foot high weir on the front portion to raise the stream bed and water table in the meadow. The drop in water table in the meadow is quite noticeable.

 

The dimensions of the weir is such to allow more water to flow over the weir than would flow through the when water is at high flows. The original stream channel was only about seven feet deep so most of the tube was not used for flows. Once stream flows reach the seven foot elevation, is flows out across the meadow through the old meandering channel.  The contractor has had problems with seeps along the stream bank, making installation difficult.

 

NET inviting the Task Force to advertise

    At the last Task Force meeting, the Board approved purchasing an advertisement in an Omaha World Sunday supplement about the Nature Conservancy. The Nebraska Environmental Trust is planning to do the same with a December supplement telling about projects they have funded. Our organization received a letter from NET informing them of their plan and inviting us to consider placing an advertisement in it. It will be a topic at our next meeting.

 

Final report to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation completed

   I recently completed the final report associated with the $15,000 grant we received from the Foundation. The grant gave us until September 30, 2002 to complete the project on Higgins ranch. And, as expected, it was done much earlier than that. All the paperwork and invoices were properly accounted for: making my job a whole lot easier.

 

Gene testified on behalf of STF at NET Board meeting.

The state budget problems affected the NET funds by taking $2.8 million from that fund to pay legal fees in two court cases: low-level nuclear waste dump and water right suit between Kansas and Nebraska. I was in Lincoln when the NET Board met, so I attended and spoke before them on behalf of our Board. I am much aware of the STF position on lobbying, so I took the opportunity to thank NET for all the support they have provided us in the past. Below is a close rendition of my speech.

 

Members of the Environmental Trust Board:

    My name is Gene Mack. I serve as the Secretary/Treasurer for the Sandhills Task Force. On behalf of the Sandhills Task Force, I have come here today to thank you for your support through the years.

The Sandhills Task Force is a 15 member board made up of 9 ranchers and 6 non-ranching members. Our goal is to bring landowners, government and conservation organizations together to benefit the Sandhills’ resources and ranchers. We were formed at a time when ranchers were concerned that environmental groups were taking too much control of their land. And, their trust of government was very low.

    Our organization strives to find sound, scientific solutions to resource problems. We can only accomplish our goal by bringing partners together. The Environmental Trust has been one of our strongest partners. Through the years, your board has provided us with about $1.25 million to do projects throughout the Sandhills. You gave us that money because you trusted our ability to do what we promised to do. And, that money was doubled with matches from other partners who also trusted the Task Force would do what it promised to do. That money has restored and enhanced lakes, wetlands, streams, and grasslands. Last year, approximately 30,000 acres of grassland were enhanced; along with, over 1000 acres of wetlands and 8 miles of streams.

    But in my opinion, the greatest benefit our organization has received from this Board is the foundation to build our organization. Because of your trust in us, we are now a non-profit, grass-roots organization that has built trust within the Sandhills. Often times the work you do only shows up as numbers: numbers of acres and number of dollars spent. I am here to testify that those numbers represent, for me, a change in attitude, landscape, wildlife and people.

    We ask you to continue to do what you can to protect the Environmental Trust.

 

Structure placed on Betsy Creek

    A similar, but smaller structure than the one described above was also put on Betsy Creek, just south of Gordon Creek on the Kime Ranch. The seasonal stream is down cutting, confining high flows within the stream channel rather than flooding out over the meadow. Dry conditions this year allowed us to install the structure while the stream was dry.

 

STF working on developing projects

    Jim reported to me at the time of writing this newsletter that there are about a dozen projects that are in the works that involve the Task Force. The majority of them are planned grazing systems. This week, three of them were signed and obligated STF funds. They total Vinton LTD, Buchfinck and Sons, and Buffalo Head Ranch. Total area is over17,000 acres.

 

Ad being placed in TNC/Omaha World Herald

    Below is a copy of the ad the Task Force purchased to be placed in a supplement to the Sunday World Herald which will come out this fall.

 

Newspaper_advertisement