District Conservationist Biographical Sketch

Verlon Barnes
District Conservationist
Papio-Missouri River NRD

Verlon serves as liaison to the Papio-Missouri River NRD and other local agencies.

Verlon leads the NRCS Natural Resources Conservation team that addresses the resource needs in the six northern counties along the Missouri River bluffs. Those counties include:

• Dakota
• Thurston
• Burt
• Washington
• Douglas
• Sarpy

The team includes Resource Conservationists, Soil Conservation Technicians, Civil Engineering Technicians, a Civil Engineer, NRD Field Representatives, and NRD District Secretaries.

The Papio-Missouri NRD's team mission is "To provide leadership, technology, and education to preserve our natural resources for all generations."

Priorities Addressed by NRCS

The NRCS's priorities in the Papio-Missouri River NRD are most often closely related to soil and water resource management issues. High priority issues include:

• Soil erosion (water) on cropland in the steep loess hills
• Water quality issues related to our streams and lakes
• Resource conservation in state and locally identified priority watersheds that are impaired
• Enhancement of the quantity and quality of wildlife habitat
• Urban resource conservation issues including erosion and sediment control, and stormwater management
• Improvement of, and better utilization of, the grassland resources
• Re-establishment and improvement of the forest resource

The NRCS, in partnership with the NRD and many other agencies, is the primary source for technical expertise and assistance required to address the resource needs and priorities identified by the locally led conservation effort.

Special Project Areas

The NRCS, NRD, and other cooperation agencies, have established priority areas within the district to address special resource needs. The following projects are active in the district:

• The Silver Creek Watershed in Burt County is an Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) Geographic Priority Area and NRD Special Project area addressing resource concerns related to water quality.
• The Boyer Chute National Wildlife Area expansion area in Washington County hopes to re-establish thousands of acres of wetlands.
• The Pigeon Creek Watershed in Dakota County was established to address flooding and sedimentation concerns.
• The Walnut Creek Watershed special project is designed to protect the water quality of the new recreational lake near Papillion in Sarpy County.