The Rainwater Basin Joint Venture

Transcription

1 The Rainwater Basin Joint Venture Annual Report October 1, 2008-September 30, 2009

2 Coordinator, Andy Bishop The Rainwater Basin Joint Venture Eric Fowler In 1990, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Ducks Unlimited collaborated to draft a Concept Plan, calling for the creation of a Joint Venture to bring south-central Nebraska s Rainwater Basin region under the aegis of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. The document described the Rainwater Basin s importance as a spring staging area for migratory ducks and geese. It also reported that only 10% of the region s wetlands remained capable of providing waterfowl habitat. Since that initial partnership effort, the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture has grown in both size and scope. Partners have restored, protected, or improved over 20,000 acres of wetland and upland habitat. The partnership has expanded to include conservation organizations, landowners and agriculture producers, natural resources districts, researchers, and government agencies from the federal and state level to county and local levels. While we remain focused on the wetland-habitat needs of waterfowl migrating through the Rainwater Basin, the Management Board has expanded the Joint Venture s mission to include conservation actions for all priority bird habitats in a geographic area covering most of Nebraska. Whatever else has changed, though, one thing remains the same: the Joint Venture s commitment to cooperative, mutually beneficial partnership initiatives that advance our common goals while improving the habitats upon which so many birds depend. Management Board Bob Bettger, Chair Fillmore County Landowner Peter Berthelsen Pheasants Forever Steve Donovan Ducks Unlimited Ardell Epp Hamilton County Landowner Gloria Erickson Phelps County Landowner Mace Hack, Ph. D. The Nature Conservancy Kirk Nelson Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Michael Onnen Little Blue Natural Resources District Randy Stinnette Clay County Landowner Mel Taylor Fillmore County Landowner Britt Weiser Natural Resources Conservation Service E.J. Williams Technical Committee Ted LaGrange Nebraska Game & Parks Commission James Dubovsky Jonas Davis Ducks Unlimited Kenny Dinan Gene Mack Ritch Nelson Natural Resources Conservation Service Chris Rundstrom The Nature Conservancy John Thorburn Tri-Basin Natural Resources District Mark Vrtiska, Ph. D. Nebraska Game & Parks Commission

3 The Year in Review The early months of the 2009 fiscal year were dominated by preparation for the first leadership change at the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture, as the Joint Venture s first coordinator, Steve Moran, prepared to retire after 15 years in the position. In December, six members of the Conservation Planning work group attended a week-long workshop on Strategic Decision Making (SDM) at the National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia. The SDM workshop was a first step in developing a structured, adaptive approach to managing and monitoring vegetation on conservation lands. Effective vegetation control and monitoring will help land managers maximize the habitat value of every wetland acre managed by RWBJV partners. In January, the Joint Venture announced that, after a nationwide search, Andy Bishop of Grand Island had been selected as the new RWBJV coordinator. Since 2003, Andy had worked first for the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture, and then the. Much of his work during that time involved developing biological and geographic models that help quantify the habitat needs of waterfowl migrating through this region, and target locations that will provide the greatest habitat value. The 14 th annual RWBJV Informational Seminar in Hastings drew a record 146 attendees in February. Featured speakers were Chip Eulis, Ph.D., of the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, who spoke about the effects of agriculture on wetlands, and John Matthews, Ph.D., of the World Wildlife Fund, who discussed the potential effects of climate change on the Rainwater Basin region. A Public Information and Education Grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust helped fund the seminar. In early March, the Joint Venture conducted the Annual Habitat Survey for the 5th time in 6 years. The survey uses color-infrared aerial photography to document spring habitat conditions each year in the Rainwater Basin s wetlands. We are at the forefront of the nation s Joint Ventures in using this type of technology for habitat planning, design, and monitoring. The 2009 Wetland Tour in mid-march was an opportunity to show legislators, legislative staff, and Nebraska Environmental Trust representatives some of the Joint Venture partners accomplishments, and to demonstrate future habitat needs. Spring wetland tours had not been held for a number of years; we look forward to re-instituting the tour as an anticipated annual event. Andy Bishop, Steve Moran, and several management board members traveled to Washington, DC in March to meet with Nebraska legislators and describe the Joint Venture s accomplishments. They also meet with the NRCS Chief to discuss the value of EQIP and other USDA programs to restore wetland function as a means to adapt to climate change. In late March, the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network officially designated the Rainwater Basin as a Landscape of Hemispheric Importance to shorebirds. This was only the second Great Plains site to be deemed of hemispheric importance and the firstever landscape to receive the designation. Recognition from WHSRN highlights the importance of the Rainwater Basin s migration habitat in the annual life cycle of many shorebird species, especially the buff-breasted sandpiper. Research indicates that virtually the entire

4 The Year in Review, contd. population of this rare bird relies on RWB wetlands as a spring stopover. The Nebraska Environmental Trust announced 2009 grant awards at the beginning of April. The Joint Venture received funding for two new grants, plus second-year funding on two 2008 grants. The Wetland Habitat Restoration, Protection, Enhancement grant, funded at $400,000, contributes to habitat projects throughout the Rainwater Basin region, including incentive programs that assist private landowners with water and vegetation management in wetlands on their property. A Working Landscape Conservation Easement grant, funded at $183,489, helps restore and permanently protect RWB wetlands and adjacent grasslands. The Hiebner Working Landscape Easement, a project to restore and permanently protect 300 acres of wetlands and grasslands in Fillmore County, received $30,300 in addition to 2008 s $316,174 award. The South-Central Nebraska LIDAR project received $28,000 in 2009, in addition to the $560,000 awarded by NET in LIDAR data collection, which began in December 2008, was completed in late April The project, funded by major contributions from NET, an NRCS Conservation and Innovation grant, and the U.S. Geological Survey, collected finescale topographical data on an area of nearly 17,000 square miles in southern Nebraska and northern Kansas. We will use the results from data collected in the RWB to delineate watersheds when restoring wetland hydrology. At the Management Board meeting in early June, discussion centered on the need to increase staffing for private land projects, which will become an increasingly important element of our landscape-based habitat improvement strategy. Several partners Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Ducks Unlimited, the USFWS Partners Program, and NRCS agreed to jointly fund a position for a Habitat Management Specialist. In addition, NRCS agreed to create a new position for a Wetland Reserve Program Resource Conservationist dedicated to projects in the Rainwater Basin. During the summer, field work continued on several research studies that will contribute to our knowledge of Rainwater Basin wetland function. Dr. Ed Harvey of University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Dr. Loren Smith of Oklahoma State University are investigating the role of RWB wetlands in groundwater recharge and water quality improvement. They are also assessing the impact of sediment on wetland vegetation. Heidi Hillhouse, Ph.D., of University of Nebraska-Lincoln is study- Management Board member Steve Donovan discusses hydrology improvements on DU s Dedrickson wetland at the 2009 Wetland Tour. Buff-breasted sandpipers were the highlighted species in WHSRN s designation of the Rainwater Basin as a Landscape of Hemispheric Importance.. Photo J. Jorgensen Prescribed fire is one of the vegetation management tools used by public land mangers, and evaluated under the SDM process. Photo G. Mack

5 The Year in Review, contd. ing the seed production of Rainwater Basin wetlands under various grazing regimes. In August, Nebraska was one of two states chosen by NRCS for a pilot project to allow a Reserved Grazing Rights option within its Wetland Reserve Program. Former RWBJV coordinator Steve Moran and DU s Steve Donovan invested many months of effort to promote the creation of this program; we re confident it will help to demonstrate the value of grazing as a versatile management tool for wetland vegetation. Nebraska Environmental Trust grant funds helped to pay for fencing and an electric well that allowed for grazing on this wetland, which is part of the working landscapes program. Photo T. Horst The Coordinator s Corner As I look back on my first year as the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture coordinator, I would like to commend the partners for their great accomplishments. The new conservation opportunities like the Working Lands Initiative and Watershed Initiative promise to make next year even more successful. These initiatives highlight the partnership s innovation and dedication to developing new conservation tools and strategies to effectively deliver conservation across the landscape. Additionally, the partnership continues to integrate new science to guide these conservation actions. At the end of the fiscal year, we began planning the 15th Annual Informational Seminar, which will include new findings from recently completed research. Presentations will highlight the ecosystem benefits associated with RWB wetlands, including groundwater recharge and nutrient cycling to enhance water quality. These findings will again highlight the importance of RWB wetlands, not just for wetland dependent birds, but also for the Nebraskans who live in the communities throughout the RWB region. The Working Lands Initiative demonstrates the commitment of the RWBJV partnership to find innovative tools to integrate wetlands into the RWB landscape. This initiative prioritizes floodprone cropland with a poor cropping history for grassland and wetlands restoration. The program offers landowners incentives to restore wetland hydrology, and re-establish upland grasslands. The partners also provide financial incentives to install fencing and watering features. These incentives help agriculture producers seamlessly transfer these acres from crop production to cattle production. This process represents a win-win for the producer, but also for wetland and upland dependent wildlife, and groundwater that sustains the economy and communities throughout the RWB. Andy

6 The RWBJV: More than Waterfowl; More than Wetlands 2009 marked the tenth year since creation of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, a nationwide plan that expanded the role of Joint Venture partnerships to address the conservation needs of all North American birds. The NABCI committee recommended that the geographic boundaries of existing joint ventures be broadened and new joint ventures formed to cover every part of the United States. The geographic expansion of responsibility gave the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture an administrative area that includes portions of the Central Mixed-Grass Prairie (BCR 19) and Prairie Pothole Region (BCR 11) that lie within Nebraska. An important tool in the biological planning and conservation design processes is a 2009 report developed by the Nebraska Bird Partnership, a Joint Venture partner that works cooperatively with the Great Plains GIS Partnership (G 2 P 2 ). Planning for Bird Conservation in Nebraska: The Biological Foundation identifies priority species, their habitats, and population trends, and it estimates the landscape s present carrying capacity for each species. G 2 P 2 and the Joint Venture have also developed models to identify and prioritize potential habitat sites for whooping cranes and for greater prairie-chickens. The latter model uses the greater prairie-chicken as a proxy for numerous other bird species with specific tallgrass-prairie requirements. We will continue to develop additional conservation planning tools to improve the habitat of Nebraska s priority bird species.

7 Income and Expenses Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 2009 Income U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Allocation Total Allocation 420, or - Allocation Net Allocation 420, Grants Received in 2009 Nebraksa Environmental Trust Grants Hiebner Working Landscapes Easement, year 2 funding 30, South-Central NE LiDAR Project, final funding 28, Mae Carey Estate Working Landscape Easement 183, Wetland Habitat Restoration, Protection & Enhancement 400, PIE Grant 2, Grant Funds Remaining 334, Total Grants 979, Total Income $1,399, Expenses U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Allocation Staff and Expense 265, Nebraska Community Foundation Cooperative Agreement Administration/Coordination 57, Communication, Education, and Outreach 30, Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation 15, Project Planning and Development 51, Total NCF Cooperative Agreement 154, Net USFWS Allocation 420, Grant Funds Committed or Spent Nebraksa Environmental Trust Grants Wetland Habitat Restoration, Protection & Enhancement , Conservation Easement Initiative 64, Hiebner Working Landscapes Easement , South-Central NE LiDAR Project 25, Mae Carey Estate Working Landscape Easement , Wetland Habitat Restoration, Protection & Enhancement , , PIE Grant 2, , , Total Grants 979, Total Expenses 1,399,683.25

8 Rainwater Basin Joint Venture Partners include: Rainwater Basin landowners Nebraska Environmental Trust Ducks Unlimited National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Natural Resources Conservation Service Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Pheasants Forever The Nature Conservancy Local Natural Resources Districts County Highway Departments.and many other groups and individuals