A Method for Moving Piping Plover (Chadrious melodius) nests on Reservoir Shorelines
Mark M. Peyton, Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District, P.O. Box 188, Gotthenburg, NE 69138, (308) 537-3582 (3582), mpeyton@nrcdec.nrc.state.ne.us
During 1995 and 1996 the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District, in order to prevent the inundation of piping plover (Chadrious melodius) nests along the shore of Lake McConaughy in west-central Nebraska, successfully moved 37 nests a total of 96 times. Presented here is a methodology developed by Rodger Knaggs and Sol Britch to move these nests quickly and efficiently with no damage to the nests.
Central Platte River Biodiversity CD-ROM
Doug Steinke, Central Platte NRD, 215 No. Kaufman Ave., Grand Island, Nebraska 68803, (308) 385-6282 (6285), steinke@nrcdec.nrc.state.ne.us
The purpose of this project is to develop a CD-ROM for distribution and use by agencies, organizations, schools and the public. The CD-ROM provides an exchange of data and information relating to the biodiversity of the Platte River valley and relevant socio-economic information in the Central Platte Natural Resources District. This project was made available by funding from the Central Platte Natural Resources District, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Platte River Ecology Workshop, SOAR Program (Summer Orientation About Rivers),
and Ecological Restoration
Bill Whitney, Prairie Plains Resources Institute, 1307 L Street, Aurora, NE 68818-2126, (402) 694-5535
This presentation relates scenes and information from three Prairie Plains Resource Institute (PPRI) projects taking place along the Platte River.
The Platte River Ecology Workshop in 1996 was a pilot project funded by the Central Nebraska Math and Science Coalition and carried out by partners that included in addition to PPRI, the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Crane Meadows Nature Center, and the Platte River Trust. Teachers from central Nebraska took part in an intensive curriculum of ecological field study and activity development. Funding has been received from the Eisenhower Fund to do the workshop in 1997 and lengthen it to two weeks. It will be open statewide to educators and people working in the natural resource field.
SOAR has been held for five years at Aurora. It is a two-week natural science field daycamp for 120 elementary- age students; much of the week is spent at the Platte River. Studies integrate science, art and language, with heavy emphasis on developing observation skill and teaching ecological relationships. The program is in the planning for its sixth year in 1997, and is expanding to an additional site as well. The new site is centered at Gibbon and will be known as the Buffalo Area SOAR. It will be run by teachers from several area schools and utilize Rowe Sanctuary extensively.
Ecological restoration of Platte Valley grasslands, which began in 1991, is continuing in 1997. To date more than 400 acres have been planted to a high-diversity mix of grasses and forbs, and a number of wetlands have been created. In 1997 we will plant 70 acres of new prairie on Nature Conservancy land and may create another wetland.
Land Cover Mapping for Nebraska Gap Analysis
Julie Giandinoto, Marlen D. Eve, Jiuming Li, Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies (CALMIT), Conservation and Survey Division, 113 Nebraska Hall, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68588-0517, (402) 472-2565 (2410), julieg@tan.unl.edu
The Nebraska Gap Analysis Project is a cooperative statewide effort which seeks to identify the degree to which native plant and animal species and natural communities are or are not represented in Nebraska's current mix of conservation lands. The Platte River watershed is extremely vulnerable to a number of outside pressures which threaten the flora, fauna, and ecological processes of the river. Therefore, the distribution of conservation lands within the watershed and their effectiveness in conserving the biological diversity of the area are of critical importance. Using geographic information system analysis of land cover, land ownership and management status, and distribution of vertebrates, the Nebraska Gap Analysis Project will provide the tools and information to assist land managers, public policy makers and others in making wise conservation decisions. The first step in Gap is the development of a statewide land cover database. A preliminary land cover classification was performed in Erdas Imagine using multi-data Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery provided through the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics project (MRLC). The result of this classification is a preliminary land cover map of Garden County, including the North Platte River valley. Ancillary data sources and extensive field verification will be used to further refine and assess the accuracy of the methods used in the classification, and to develop a methodology to be used to characterize the land cover across the state.
A Comprehensive Study of the Middle Loup River Basin
Patrick C. Larsen, L. Cody Cohn, and Darla E. Eisenhauer, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Biology Department, Kearney, NE 68847, (308) 865-8549 (8157), plars@KDSI.net
Of all of the major rivers in Nebraska, one of the least studied is the Loup River. The Loup River is an important part of the Platte River Ecosystem. It is one of the Platte River's principal tributaries. It originates in the Sandhills and flows southeastward across central Nebraska. The Loup Basin contributes about 60% of the Platte's flow at North Bend Gage.
We are currently involved in a two year study to locate and evaluate high quality sites in the Loup flood plain and also to locate rare plants and animals. Thirty-three sites along the Middle Loup river from Dunning, NE southeast to Columbus, NE were sampled. These areas consisted of wet meadows and riparian forests. Both one by one meter and ten by ten meter quadrants were sampled for percent plant species composition. Seven rare plant species were found. Despite the project being incomplete, much has been learned about the impressive state of the basin. The project is a multi-factor investigation including invertebrates to small mammals and mycorrhizae. A hypothesis to be tested is; does the ground water level and invertebrate communities affect plant diversity.
Return to 1997 Platte River Basin Ecosystem Symposium
Last updated by Darren A. Jack on 4/30/97