What is the Sandhills Management Plan?

The Sandhills Management Plan is a document created in 1993 by a group of people concerned about the future of the Sandhills.  Their effort was in response to growing concerns in the early 1990's.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other resource organizations, were interested in developing a program in the Sandhills to ensure the future of the grassland and wetland resources.  Ranchers and Nebraska Cattlemen were concerned about government control, regulations, and land acquisition.  

Nebraska Cattlemen and the Fish and Wildlife Service joined together to form a group of 14 people who had an interest in providing input to the Service on what type of program would be both beneficial and acceptable in the Sandhills.  The group was referred to as the Sandhills Task Force and consisted of eight ranchers and 6 non-ranching members.  Although its original intent was to develop a management plan for the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Task Force evolved into an organization that wanted to help make certain the plan was followed and implemented.  For this reason, the Sandhills Management Plan was signed by the 14 members as well as by the Fish and Wildlife Service.  

The management plan marked the beginning of a unified effort by agencies and the Sandhills community to enhance the Sandhills for the benefit of all its resources, included its people.

SANDHILLS MANAGEMENT PLAN

A Partnership Initiative

The Sandhills of Nebraska is an ecosystem unique to North America. It encompasses 19,600 square miles of grass-covered sand dunes with 1.3 million acres of wetlands scattered throughout. This high wetland to grassland ratio (1:10) provides excellent habitat for resident and migratory wildlife. The fragile dunes are dependent on the grasses to keep the sands in place. Thus, ranching is the best economic and environmental use of the area. Underneath the dunes is a large groundwater reservoir (nearly one billion acre-feet) that reaches the surface and is vital to the grassland/wetland ecosystem. These resources draw the interests of the rancher and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service together. An opportunity exists to join talents and energies to enhance the Sandhills in a way that benefits wildlife and ranching.

A Sandhill Task Force, made up of public agencies and ranchers, combined the interests and concerns of both groups to develop a plan that would build a partnership. Management strategies outlined in the plan will encourage human creativity and provide the flexibility to apply appropriate solutions to individual problems. Management strategies include education, technical assistance, acquisition, legislation, financial support and lease agreement. These strategies are not equal in need or value, but do give a full complement of tools to accomplish specific tasks.

A Sandhills Coordinator (employed by Refuges and Wildlife) would facilitate its implementation. The Coordinator would serve as a liaison between rancher/landowner and agencies/organizations interested in enhancing wildlife habitat. Most importantly, he/she would continue the partnership philosophy this plan was created upon.

A copy of the Signature Page can be viewed by double clicking on the hyperlink.

The Sandhills is a contiguous 19,600 square-mile sand dune formation covered by grasses and located in northcentral Nebraska.  Approximately 1.3 million acres of wetlands, formed by groundwater discharge, are scattered throughout.  To some, the Sandhills appears to be a continual expanse of rolling hills with wetlands in the valleys.  However, a closer examination shows diverse habitats.  Dunes vary from high, steep hills in the western region to small mounds in the east. The groundwater recharge and discharge associated with various dune types and geographic locations influence the type and quality of wetlands.  Wetlands range from shallow, extremely alkaline basins, to deeper, freshwater lakes, to spring-fed streams.  Plant communities range from isolated deciduous and coniferous forests to extensive short and tall grass prairies. Plants associated with arid conditions inhabit the top of dunes while lush stands of aquatic plants are found in the valleys a few hundred yards away.  It is this broad diversity which provides homes and resting places for countless numbers of resident and migratory wildlife.  This same ecosystem supports a strong ranching economy.

Sandhill ranchers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service share much common ground.  Both desire to maintain a grassland/wetland ecosystem; both wish to improve wildlife numbers; both recognize the role ranching has played in maintaining the diversity and abundance of flora and fauna; and both are concerned about the level and quality of the groundwater.  The challenge to maintain a private ranching economy and enhance the biodiversity of plants and animals depends on a cooperative, joint effort between landowners and public interests.

Historically, however, each group has focused their energy on land management with little interaction with the other.  The results were not always optimal.  Landowners managed lands under their ownership while agencies looked at a larger landscape.  Conflicts arose because regulations aimed at protecting a broad resource affected individual landowners.  Each group viewed the situation from their perspective.  Today's research and technology demonstrates that actions or landuse of one area affect a much larger landscape.

The connectiveness of people and land resources makes it necessary to develop management options that are a cooperative approach.

Ranchers are becoming increasingly aware of changes in wildlife numbers and the role they, as individuals, play in maintaining their environment.  The Service recognizes that the future of wildlife populations relies on the actions of private landowners.  The basis of a Sandhills program should be in attaining a better understanding of all aspects of the Sandhills: the impact the hydrologic system has on ranching and wildlife; the positive and negative impacts of various ranching operations; the needs of the rancher to sustain a living; and the value of good grassland and wildlife diversity as a measure of the health of the ecosystem.

The first step in this direction was taken with the formation of a Sandhills Task Force.  It combined public agencies with Sandhill ranchers concerned with the future of the area.  The Task Force meetings provided an opportunity to discuss issues and concerns from both perspectives.  In the process, the group developed a Sandhills Management Program with a workable management approach aimed at building partnerships between landowners, the Service and public interests to work toward a common goal. The program, described in this plan, addresses education, technical assistance, acquisition, legislation, financial support and lease agreement. The strategies are not all equal in need or value, but do give a full complement of tools to accomplish specific tasks. No single strategy has the ability to enhance all parts of the Sandhills environment.

The goal of the Sandhills Management Program is to enhance the sandhill wetland-grassland ecosystem in a way that sustains profitable private ranching, wildlife and vegetative diversity, and associated water supplies.

The landscape and economics of the Sandhills are connected to the sands and gravels that formed the area over the past 38 million years. Ancient meandering streams deposited hundreds of feet of sands, gravels and some clays to create the Ogallala formation. Wind-blown sand dunes eventually covered the water-saturated deposits. The dunes became stabilized by vegetation. Within the last 100 years, the control of wildfires and managed grazing has reduced the amount of exposed sand.

The dunes remain fragile and depend on the grasses to keep the sands in place. Many of the grasses, in turn, are dependent on the groundwater accumulated under the sands. The groundwater, recharged by precipitation, slowly discharges its excess into lakes, wetlands, meadows and streams. About 90 percent of the stream flow (2.4 million acre-feet) comes from groundwater discharge (Bentall, 1990). Lakes and wetlands cover about 1.3 million acres (Turner and Rundquist, 1980) and provide economic stability and diversity of flora and fauna.

Lands with the water table about two feet below the surface produce lush stands of native grasses. As the distance to the water table increases or decreases, vegetation shifts toward more arid or aquatic plants, respectively. In the early 1900's, landowners ditched across the wetter meadows and open-water marshes to increase grass production. The rapid movement of groundwater (up to 500 feet per year, Bleed, 1990) creates an underground continuum between the lakes, wetlands and streams. So, an alteration in one area may easily affect vegetation and wetlands over a larger landscape. Winter (1988) states:

"Drainage lowers the hydraulic head at the wetland site, initially increasing groundwater gradients, which increases groundwater discharge to the site. However, over a long period of time groundwater levels generally decline with drainage....Because the hydrologic system is a continuum, any modification of the continuum will impact contiguous parts....One well or one landscape modification generally has only local effects, but multiple modifications or development can have extensive impacts."

Another alteration in the Sandhills is the conversion of grassland to cropland. Two attempts, one at the turn of the century (the Kincaid Act) and again in the 1970's, brought financial and environmental problems. In the late 1970's, cultivation in the eastern portion was encouraged by tax laws, center-pivot technology, low land values, and high grain prices. Nebraska Natural Resource Commission (1992) reports that from 1972 to 1981, irrigated land tripled (70,550 to 215,000 acres). Crop production dropped as organic material leached or eroded away. Loss of investment tax credits and low profit margins caused many of the fields to become idle. By 1990, irrigation had stopped on 50,000 acres; much was placed in the Conservation Reserve Program. Conversion back to grassland, however, has been difficult and slow. Lands broken eighty years ago have not regained the natural plant diversity or production.

The lands' brief time as irrigated cropland had a significant impact on the local area. Water tables were lowered in some areas while other areas experienced flooding. Groundwater contamination by agricultural chemicals began to show up in domestic wells (Natural Resource Commission, 1992). Wind erosion (10 times the rate of grassland) damaged young corn and covered neighboring pastures.

Ranching has proven to be the best economic and environmental use of the Sandhills. In the semi-arid climate, proper grazing plays an important role in improving decomposition of organic matter, compacting the soft soils, and stimulating plant growth and reproduction. More vegetative cover exists on the dunes today than occurred prior to settlement.

Plants present on any particular site are dependent on the type of ranching operation. Season-long grazing and annual mowing of the same sites cause plant diversity to decline and introduced plants to benefit. The types of ranching operations (e.g. cow-calf versus yearling, fall calving versus spring calving, season-long grazing versus short-duration grazing) are influenced by the size of the ranch, the ratio of dunes to meadows, and the history and philosophy of individual ranchers.

Concerns for foreseeable threats to profitable private ranching, wildlife and vegetative diversity, and associated water supplies include:

• Lowering of groundwater by wetland drainage and mining of groundwater,

• Shifts in plant composition,

• Introduction of exotic plant species,

• Misapplication of fertilizers and chemicals,

• Poorly managed feedlots on porous soils,

• Grassland conversion to cropland,

• Loss of landuse ethics,

• Decrease in the number of ranches, resulting in a decline in rural population,

• Decline in profit margin in the ranching industry,

• Loss of local input and control.

Each of these threats, if realized, contribute to the decline of the landscape and the socioeconomics of the area.

Five broad management strategies are identified as being appropriate in limited circumstances. They are education and technical assistance, fee and easement acquisition, legislation, financial support, and lease agreement. The list of strategies gives the program the flexibility to apply appropriate solutions to individual projects.

EDUCATION AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Justification

Education is the most cost-effective way to improve our people and land resources. The Sandhills is primarily in private ownership (about 95 percent). Large tracts of sparsely populated land are being managed by individual ranchers.

Benefits of an education/technical assistance program include:

• A holistic understanding of the grassland-wetland ecosystem,

• A partnership approach to management options,

• Management designed for specific problems,

• Improvement of relations between ranchers and environmental groups,

• Affecting management of large tracts of land by individual families,

• Long-term positive changes in land and water management.

Application

Educational strategies would:

• Provide information (both one-on-one and group meetings) about the inter-relationship between grassland, hydrology, livestock and wildlife in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.

• Identify and work toward obtaining research studies which would help guide future management. These would include but not be limited to groundwater movement, contamination, wildlife diversity and production success, economics of various management practices, and inventory of plant and animal distribution.

• Provide up-to-date information on regulations, programs, and technology which would affect ranching and wildlife management.

• Promote seminars, workshops, and training courses which improve management of natural resources.

• Organize programs which give schools and the public an interaction with ranching and wildlife. Programs would include tours, demonstrations, and field days.

• Encourage and develop educational films, literature, and public service announcements about various aspects of the sandhill ecosystem.

• Build and promote small community management/support groups.

• Identify and encourage outside support which adheres to the goals of this concept plan.

• Assist landowners and the public in identifying wetlands and wetland benefits to ranching and wildlife.

 

Technical assistance would be an extension of education, but would focus on specific voluntary range and groundwater management projects. Activities would:

• Identify weak wildlife links (e.g. lack of permanent water, overgrazing, poor survival, lowered water table) and management options which benefit wildlife and ranching operations.

• Assist in the development of grazing programs. This would include providing training, follow-up support, information on costs, financial assistance, contacts of people who could provide additional information, and benefits expected from the project.

• Assist in the development of water management plans which allow sustainable ranching and improve groundwater levels and wildlife.

• Provide guidance on what appropriate steps (legal and planning) must be taken to complete a project.

• Provide guidance on the cost/benefit associated with such projects as planned grazing, management for warm-season versus cool-season plants, fall calving versus spring calving and recreational enterprises.

• Develop and provide a resource directory of agencies and expertise to contact about various concerns.

• Work with community and outside interests to provide guidance on how they could most effectively improve wildlife in the Sandhills.

• Assist landowners with financially or technically difficult projects by finding the needed funds and expertise.

• Build a team attitude in all parties to promote good grassland/wetland management.

Two types of voluntary acquisition would be used, conservation easement and fee-title. The role of an acquisition program is to purchase the minimum amount of interest in lands necessary to preserve a specific resource need.

Conservation easements would monetarily compensate the landowner for specific rights purchased, such as the right to drain or fill wetlands and convert grassland to cropland. All other rights, such as grazing, haying, hunting and control of trespassing, would be retained by the landowner. The easement would not impact, but rather ensure existing ranching operations.

Fee acquisition would be a limited part of the Sandhills program. Its use would be a last alternative to ensure that unique ecosystems will remain. Land in public ownership carries with it management responsibilities and costs. Management considerations can usually be accomplished without purchasing interest in the land, such as, developing some type of cooperative agreement with the owner.

Application

All acquisition would be based on sound biological and ecological criteria, not on a "first come" basis. A criteria system would consider such things as the ecological significance of the site, the value to wildlife, the threat of change in landuse, the elevation of groundwater, the proximity of other lakes and wetlands, the size of wetlands, and the dune formations. Natural resource information would be collected from various sources and mapped to facilitate management decisions. Maps and data would be stored using a geographic information system.

Easement acquisition would focus on protecting groundwater, wetlands, and unique grassland habitat types. Placement of easements would be on those sites most vulnerable to loss or alteration.

The focus of fee-title acquisition would be on unique areas containing rare flora and fauna, high concentrations of migratory birds, or lands necessary to protect neighboring areas. Examples of areas that may be considered for acquisition would be fens containing a diversity of fen-specific plants and invertebrates, large lake/wetland complexes which sustain traditionally large numbers of migratory waterbirds, and isolated areas containing endangered or threatened species that cannot be adequately protected by any other manner.

Loss of tax revenue to counties by fee acquisition would be offset with a revenue sharing payment. The payment is based upon 3/4 of 1 percent of market value, 25 percent of net receipts from the property, or $0.75 per acre, whichever is greater. The payment is subject to congressional appropriations. The value of the property is reappraised every 5 years.

A remote sensing wetland survey conducted by Turner and Rundquist (1980) identified 112,478 acres of open water, 64,521 acres of marsh, and 1,130,954 acres of subirrigated meadow. McMurtrey, Craig, and Schildman (1972) noted that 15.3 percent of the original wetlands have been destroyed. Using these estimates, a realistic 10-year goal would include:

• Protecting, with easements, 50 percent of the existing open water and marsh basin acreage (50% of 177,000 acres or 88,499 acres),

• Improving ground water management on about 67,000 acres of partially drained basins,

• Restoring 10 percent of the destroyed acreage to enhanced or original status (assuming 15.3 percent or 229,000 acres of the original wetlands have been destroyed. Then, 10 percent would equal 22,900 acres.)

 

Lease agreements fit the mission of various government programs (CRP, Water Bank, and WHIP) and special interest groups (Ducks Unlimited or Pheasants Forever). They give more flexibility in developing individual habitat projects. Leases may make it possible to do special projects on private land that would benefit both wildlife and the landowner. An example may include leasing of a meadow to shift plant composition from cool to warm-season grasses and improve nesting cover. After a period of years, the money and effort may be directed to another site.

Monetary lease agreements (beyond established government programs) would be used under established criteria such as, areas where the project is of great benefit to wildlife but the cost to the landowner is prohibitive.

Leases would be voluntary, negotiable, and limited in length.

Although the strength of a Sandhills Program is in its grassroots/partnership approach, legislation cannot be denied as a possible management strategy. As the demand for water in agricultural and populated areas increases, it will take legislation to control water transfers' impact on the Sandhills. No other management strategy would have the ability to ensure the integrity of the Ogallala Aquifer.

Application

Legislation as a management strategy has some strengths and weaknesses. Its strengths include:

• It may encompass a broad geographic region or natural resource,

• It is legislated as being good for the general public,

• Its cost per benefit can be quite low.

Its weaknesses include:

• It uses broad regulations that may not be the best solution for specific areas or situations,

• Its forced regulation may undermine property rights and create "individual versus government" conflicts,

• It restricts management alternatives.

Beneficial legislation would: 1) not undermine property rights, 2) consider the impact of the local people, 3) support the goal of the Sandhills Management Program, and 4) be flexible enough to fit unique situations. Developing legislation which meets these criteria and still be effective would be difficult.

Beneficial legislation to consider would include:

• State and/or federal legislation that controlled groundwater mining and transfer,

• Stand and/or federal legislative appropriations which provided support and funding for various parts of the Sandhills Management Program.

The intent of a financial support strategy is to build a coalition of people and agencies who support the Sandhills Program and its goal. It will help match conservation needs with available people and financial resources.

Support would be in the form of money, man-power and land resources. It could include single landowner habitat projects, organization of educational programs, two or three ranchers joining together to protect an upper portion of a watershed, or multi-agencies/landowners joining money and resources together to restore local water table or stream habitat.

Funding for the program and individual projects could be total, cost-share, or challenge grants from various sources including:

• Federal government

  Congressional appropriations,

  Land and Water Conservation Fund,

  Migratory Bird Commission,

  North American Wetland Conservation Act,

  Partners For Wildlife Program,

  Environmental Education funding,

  Water Bank,

  Wetland Reserve Program,

  Conservation Reserve Program,

  Water Quality Incentive Program,

  Great Plains Program,

  Bureau of Reclamation Wetland Initiative,

• State government

  Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program,

  Wetlands Initiative Program

  Nebraska Soil and Water Conservation Program,

  Other state environmental funds,

• Private organizations

  Ducks Unlimited,

  The Nature Conservancy,

  Pheasants Forever.

  Natural Resource Districts

  Resource, Conservation and Development Districts

The concept of the Sandhills Program was formed from open dialogue with the people who live in the Sandhills. The needs, issues and concerns of both wildlife and ranching were addressed so a program that benefits all could be developed. The success of the Program is dependent on maintaining a "partnership" approach to resource management in the Sandhills.

Each year, opportunities arise within agencies or organizations but are foregone because there is no one individual to contact for direction or guidance. Many tasks are simple things, like being a spokesman on the ecology of the Sandhills or helping an organization find funding or support for small educational or research projects. For example, this past year, the Nebraska Cattlemen organized an environmental workshop. Such projects would have been easier to accomplish and built more bridges if it was a joint effort between cattlemen and environmental groups. A Sandhills Coordinator would become a central point where resource needs, landowners and conservation agencies would be brought together.

Benefits of a Coordinator would include:

• Improved landowner/Service relationships,

• Easier access to wildlife expertise and assistance,

• Coordination of resource management between the Service, individuals and various agencies.

The Sandhills Coordinator would be part of Refuges and Wildlife. His/her role would be:

• To over-see all aspects of the Sandhills Program outside the Service's refuge boundaries,

• To serve as a liaison between rancher/landowners and agencies/organizations interested in enhancing wildlife habitat,

• To serve as an information source between the Sandhills Task Force, the Service and other resource agencies,

• To form partnerships in education and technical assistance,

• To obtain multiple sources of funding.

As funding and need increased, staffing would be adjusted to meet the conditions. The long-term potential for staffing could include, as many as, two additional extension biologists and one clerk.

Funding is a vital part of initiating a new program. This program was developed not as a Service program but as the basis of a partnership approach. The Service will initially fund the staffing and implementation of various management strategies to demonstrate what can be done. But, the continued existence and expansion of the program would depend on partnerships, cost-share programs and challenge grants.

Funding for specific projects would be a separate funding from the staffing of a Coordinator. Monies for specific projects would go directly toward the project, according to the desires of the funding organization.

Bentall, R. 1990. Streams. Pages 93-114 in Bleed, A. and C. Flowerday, eds. Atlas of the Sand Hills. Resource Atlas No. 5a. Conserv. and Surv. Div., Univ. Neb. 265pp.

Bleed, A. 1990. Groundwater. Pages 67-92 in Bleed, A. and C. Flowerday, eds. Atlas of the Sand Hills. Resource Atlas No. 5a. Conserv. and Surv. Div., Univ. Neb. 265pp.

McMurtrey, M. D., R. Craig, and G. Schildman. 1972. Survey of habitat, Nebraska wetlands survey. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. 78pp.

Nebraska Natural Resources Commission (NRC). 1992. Report on the Sandhills Area Study (Draft). State Water Plan. Rev. Process. Lincoln.

Turner, J. K. and Rundquist, D. C. 1980. Wetlands inventory of the Omaha district. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha district.

Winter, T. C. 1988. A conceptual framework for assessing cumulative impacts on the hydrology of nontidal wetlands. Environmental Management 12(5):605-620.

Success follows dedication and conviction. These traits were true in those who served on the Sandhill Task Force. I wish to personally thank them for their willingness to work with me and the Service to look into the future of the Sandhills. The group is a great example of how stewards of the land care for the natural resources.

I would also like to express a special thanks to the Thedford Art Guild members: Martha Peters, Pat Johnston, Mary Eatinger, Phyllis Kramer, Jane Hodges, and Florence Goehring. Their willingness to contribute sketches to this document demonstrates the partnerships that will make the plan a success.

Gene D. Mack, Wildlife Biologist

P.O. Box 1686

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Kearney, NE 68848

(308) 236-5015