Our next Task Force meeting is: February 1, 2000 at Stub’s Restaurant in Thedford. Meeting will start at 9:30 am.

    One condition of our Nebraska Environmental Trust grant is that I provide them with a report of STF activities. I think this is also a great opportunity to assess what has been done and provide that information to Board of Directors. I added a permanent binding to make it more formal and had some extra copies made as an informative handout is the opportunity arises.

    The Job Description Committee met on December 9 to review a draft put together by Gus. The consensus of the group was that the task consisted of three parts: 1) position description; 2) the skills and knowledge we are looking for in an individual; 3) annual performance expectations. I expect this to be a main topic of the February meeting.

    At the meeting, there was some talk about how difficult it might be finding someone who would be interested and have the qualifications. Since that meeting, I have had two people (one living by Mullen, the other by O’Neill) contact me out of the blue; looking for a wildlife-type job in the Sandhills.

    The time is approaching that the Task Force will need to decide on what happens to the Fen property. The conditions of the grant identified the fens had to be restored, the Task Force had to receive a tax-exempt status from IRS, a conservation easement had to be placed on the property, and the property had to be resold to private ranching.

    The original time schedule would have us selling the property in about one year. We got about a one-year delay in collecting baseline information and starting restoration. Thus, delaying the sale for an additional year seems reasonable. Discussion should begin on what the conservation easement will say, who will hold it, and what type of time-table we are looking at. There has been interest in buying the property by the two ranchers presently leasing the ranch.

   The first year’s payment to NRCS for collecting data on the Thedford burn was made. The picture shows the burn site in late June. From the looks of things, it looks like the fire didn’t have much effect...BUT, it will be nice to have the numbers to prove it.

    We are at the final stage of applying for Tax Exempt status. I have ordered the check for $500 from our account. When it is received and Byron signs the application, it will be off to the IRS. John Detisch, our attorney who has worked very hard on this project also informed me that because of the unusualness of our organization, I should expect the IRS to want to ask me a few questions and to look at our books. 

    Cow Creek Project is formally completed and a final report is being drafted by our office to submit to Nebraska Environmental Trust.

    The study that has been in the making for nearly two years has been discarded and another is currently being finished. The project was continually plagued with problems: ranging from conflict with major advisor, loss of University funds, dissolving of the Geography Department, and the survey being too long in nature. Recently, Game and Parks pulled their portion of the funding and has given it to the State Museum. Amy Richert has made arrangements with the State Museum to do a similar survey (only shorter in length). Apparently, the Museum is also interesting in knowing the perception of people who live in the Sandhills. After talking with Byron, I have contacted Dr. Amedeo and terminated our contract with him and have diverted the funds to the Museum. To date, no contract has been signed.

    On January 3, Al Steuter, Doug Whisenhunt and I met with NRCS engineers and Kevin Hood to discuss restoration plans for Pullman Valley. Our plan is to install two water control structures like the ones in Jumbo Valley and one weir. Some lateral ditches would also be filled. It was agreed that no final decision(s) will be made until the elevation survey is complete. Two conditions need to be met: 1) the water control structures cannot raise surface water to a point where it floods Paul Coble’s property and 2) restoration plans have to be discussed with Paul Coble before we begin construction.

    Will Meeks, who used to work for me, called from North Dakota. He and his wife Cindy are first time parents to a baby girl. He also informed me that he is trying to develop a landowner-based cooperative program in North Dakota. He hopes to use the Sandhills Task Force as his model. I am reminded of the meeting we had in Hyannis when we talked about Will leaving. Someone on the Task Force made the comment that if we get the opportunity to educate a FWS employee and they leave...they may take the idea with them. Very prophetic!