Little Blue NRD

District Conservationist Biographical Sketch



Janet Valasek
District Conservationist
Little Blue NRD

¨     Childhood was on a livestock and grain farm located southwest of Spalding in Greeley County.

 ¨     1984 – Graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor of  Science Degree
        in Agriculture.

 ¨     1988 - Began career with NRCS (SCS) as a Soil Conservationist at the Stanton Field Office.

 ¨     1991 - Moved to Iowa and started working with the NRCS (SCS) as a Soil Conservationist in the
                  Carroll Field Office.

 ¨     1993 – Transferred to the Audubon, IA Field Office as a Soil Conservationist.

 ¨     1997 – Transferred to Nebraska to the Clay Center Field Office as a Resource Conservationist.

¨     2003 – Promoted to the Little Blue NRD District Conservationists position located at the Nelson
           Field Office for the five counties located in the Little Blue NRD.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides assistance to our customers through natural resource districts. The Little Blue Natural Resources District (LBNRD) covers all or parts of 7 counties in southcentral Nebraska. NRCS provides assistance generally to a whole county through USDA SERVICE CENTER offices located in the county seat. The five counties of Adams, Clay, Nuckolls, Thayer and Jefferson, which comprise the majority of the LBNRD, are covered by NRCS offices in Hastings, Clay Center, Nelson, Hebron and Fairbury. Supervision, management and liaison activities are headquartered at the Nelson Office.

In general, three employees staff each field office to assist customers with their conservation needs in that county. However, employees regularly help farmers throughout the LBNRD without regard to county boundaries. The offices also have access to several other professionals located throughout the state. Some of the disciplines include engineers, soil scientists, biologists and range management specialists. Using the team concept, employees go to wherever the workload is in the LBNRD without being restricted by county boundaries.

The Little Blue NRD Team's mission is "To conserve and improve our natural resources one field at a time with our partners by leading our customers where they want to go".

Resource Needs and Concerns

Over 90 per cent of the land in the NRD are used for agricultural purposes with approximately 70 per cent being cropped. Much of the land being cropped is on highly erodible soils. Therefore, erosion control on cropland and flood control have always been high priority resources concerns. In the Eighties, declining watertables made water quantity a major concern. Water quality has surfaced as the District's main focus in the Nineties due to increasing levels of nitrates in the groundwater.

The following is a list of the needs and concerns within the LBNRD listed in priority order as determined by the local Board.

1. Groundwater Quality Protection/Well Head Protection
2. Groundwater Quantity Protection/Irrigation Water Management
3. Livestock Waste Management
4. Reduce Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Damages
5. Flood Control & Flood Damages Reduction
6. Protect and Restore Riparian Areas, Buffer Strips, Stream Bank Protection
7. Waste Management and Recycling Efforts
8. Tree Planting, Windbreak Renovation and Improved Timber Management
9. Rural Water Development and Management
10. Public Recreation Development and Maintenance
11. Grazing Land Improvement and Management
12. Wildlife Protection and Habitat Improvement

Of these twelve major areas of emphasis, priorities 1,2,3,4,5,6,8,11 & 12 can best be addressed by NRCS. Landusers can receive technical assistance for planning, survey, design and construction inspection for numerous conservation practices. Assistance is also available to assist the landowners with applying for various programs to assist with defraying part of the cost of installing the conservation practices.

Several local, state and federal programs are available. The Little Blue NRD annually funds approximately $300,000 for conservation cost share programs. These funds assist producers with a variety of practices including terraces, waterways, dams, grass and tree plantings, well abandonment/decommissioning, livestock wells, pipelines and fencing, irrigation pipelines, flowmeters, tailwater recovery systems and center pivot conversions. The Nebraska Soil and Water Conservation Program is annually funded at approximately $180,000 for many of the above mentioned practices. The state also funds special projects through the Environment l Trust Fund. There are several new and existing federal programs that provide assistance for wetland creation and restoration, irrigation variable flow return systems, riparian buffers and other special or unique practices as well as the traditional conservation practices. Some of the primary programs include the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Wetland Reserve Program (WRP), Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), and Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP). The Coordinator for the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture (RWBJV) also assists with unique wetland habitat projects by obtaining both funding and technical expertise from numerous conservation partners interested in wetland issues. Partners include the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission (NGPC), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (F&WS), Army Corp Of Engineers (COE), Ducks Unlimited, and the Nature Conservancy.

Priorities Addressed by NRCS

EQIP Priority Areas

 

1. Deweese Tribs
   
   This project area consists of approximately 65,000 acres of farmland in the lower portion of Buffalo, Liberty, Oak and Pawnee Creek Watersheds which empty into the Little Blue River which flows directly through the northern portion of the area. Approximately 50,000 acres are currently cropped with 30 per cent of those acres under irrigation. The remaining area is in native rangeland and pasture. The area consists of average size combination livestock and cash grain operations. Livestock include small cow/calf herds, feedlots, and swine operations. Concerns in this area are related to severe soil erosion, overgrazed rangeland, streambank erosion and groundwater contamination. NRCS has provided technical assistance and cost share through EQIP to assist producers with installing a dam, cross fencing, livestock pipelines, irrigation pipelines, terraces, waterways, underground outlets and waste storage ponds for confined hog operation.
2. Republican River Alluvial Area
   
   This project area stretches from western Furnas County to the point where the Republican river enters Kansas in eastern Nuckolls County. The area is a mix of irrigated cropland; grazing lands; dryland cropland and riparian areas. The primary farm operation is crop production, irrigated and dryland cropland. There are scattered livestock operations throughout the alluvial area. The primary resource concern in this area is water quality and quantity. The environment impacts will include reduced irrigation water use and better nutrient and pesticide management. Irrigation development has caused overuse of the water supply in the Republican River alluvial area (94,000 acres). This area will need to more efficiently utilize and closely monitor use of their water. The Republican River Alluvial Area is a priority area at the local, state and national level because of the Republican River Compact. This compact addresses minimum flows in the River. NRCS in the Little Blue NRD is providing assistance to landusers in the approximately the last 20 miles of the Project. The main technical and cost share assistance has been provided to install irrigation flow meters, irrigation pipelines, center pivot conversions, irrigation water management and nutrient and pesticide management.