Lower Platte North NRD

District Conservationist Biographical Sketch

Grew up on a small farm just north of Humphrey, Nebraska. Graduated from Humphrey St. Francis High School in 1984.

Resource Needs and Concerns

The Lower Platte North covers 5 counties in East Central Nebraska including Platte, Colfax, Dodge, Butler, and Saunders. The district includes parts of the following five Natural Resource Districts:

1. Lower Platte North
2. Lower Platte South
3. Lower Elkhorn
4. Lower Loup
5. Central Platte

The population of the district is approximately 90,000, divided almost equally between rural and urban residents. The largest communities in the district are:

• Columbus
• Fremont
• Wahoo
• Schuyler
• David City
• North Bend
• Valparaiso
• Ceresco
• Ashland

The land use in the district is divided as follows:

• Dry Cropland, 1,200,000 acres
• Irrigated Cropland, 485,000 acres
• Pasture, 190,000 acres
• Rangeland, 27,000 acres
• Forest, 32,000 acres
• Urban, 32,000 acres
• Other rural land, 53,000 acres
• Water, 27,500 acres

Primary resource concerns within the NRD include the following in priority order:

1. Soil Resources
   
   -- Cropland erosion control
   -- Improve soil health
   
    
2. Water Resources
   
   -- Prevent contamination of groundwater supplies
   -- Reduce chemical and sediment loading on surface water
   -- Irrigation water management
   -- Flood control
   
    
3. Grazing lands
   
   -- Improve range condition
   -- Implement waste management systems
   
    
4. Wetlands
   
   -- Protect, restore, and enhance
   
    
5. Fish and Wildlife Habitat
   
   -- Increase size and diversity of habitat areas
   -- Reduce turbidity and chemical levels in surface water

Priorities Addressed by NRCS

The priorities are listed in order from one to five in the previous section. However, programs are ongoing to address parts of all concerns. The NRCS plays a major role in reducing cropland erosion through the planning, layout, and design of terraces, diversions, waterways, filter strips, sediment and erosion control structures, dams, and many other practices. The water resources concerns are addressed by reducing sedimentation into lakes and streams with the application of conservation practices and Irrigation Water Management planning. The grazing lands are addressed through technical assistance with livestock producers to plan and apply grazing systems. The wetlands and wildlife concerns are addressed by NRCS through conservation compliance activities and implementing Federal programs such as WHIP, CRP, and EQIP.

Primary Programs and Services

The NRCS cooperates with all six of the NRD's to implement a strong NSWCP, NRD and Environmental Trust funded program to apply conservation practices to cropland within the district. Over $400,000 of cost share is provided to producers on an annual basis to install over 800,000 feet of terraces with pipe and grass outlets as well as approximately 20 erosion control dams, 50 sediment basins, and other practices such as filter strips.

One EQIP priority area, Wahoo Creek, has been approved and applications for other areas have been submitted. The CRP program is popular with over 600 active contracts in five counties. This district leads to the State in WRP activity to restore and preserve wetlands, most notable is the recently completed "Wilkensen Wildlife Management Area" in Platte county. This area was restored using WRP funds in combination with other private, state, and local government funds to restore 640 acres of wetlands. The WHIP program is also used to restore wildlife habitat.