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Fish & Wildlife Conservation

 

Our Fish & Wildlife Conservation work is designed to help Nebraskans get involved in fish and wildlife conservation projects in their backyard or community. Some examples:

 

Tallgrass Prairie Project

 

Nebraska has lost some 98% of the 15 million acres of native tallgrass prairie that once dominated the eastern one-third of the state. Remaining areas of Nebraska tallgrass prairie -- perhaps 300,000 acres in all -- are scattered, the habitat fragmented, across 42 counties. These remnant prairies are owned by a variety of private, public, and non-profit entities, and managed for a variety of purposes like livestock production, research, and environmental education.

To provide help to agencies and organizations trying to restore and protect tallgrass prairie, the Nebraska Wildlife Federation developed a Tallgrass Prairie Database. With funding from the  State Wildlife Grants program, the Federation identified over 1,000 native prairie remnants scattered throughout 42 counties in eastern Nebraska. We also published a map in 2005 with directions to 75 prairie remnants that are on public land, or on private land but with some public access. 

 

We shared the database of 1,033 native prairie remnants to the US Fish & Wildlife Service, which used the information in a project to digitally map remnant native prairies. We are looking for volunteers interested in updating our map of publicly accessible prairies, making the map accessible online, and/or continuing the search for remnant prairies. If you are interested, contact the Federation office (see below).

 

Backyard Habitat

 

The National Wildlife Federation's Backyard Habitat program has certified over 125,000 backyard, schoolyard, churchyard, and community habitat areas over the past 35 years. The program helps people understand that by providing food, shelter, water, and a place to raise young, anyone can make a place for wildlife. Certified habitats have been as small as an apartment patio, and as large as several hundred acres. For more information, visit NWF's Gardening for Wildlife web page here.

 

Nebraska Wildlife Federation helps Nebraskans understand how to use the native plants of our state to attract and sustain birds, butterflies, mammals, and other wildlife. We are currently looking for a volunteer or volunteers to turn the information we have into a readable Nebraska Backyard Habitat Guide. If you are interested in volunteering, contact the Federation office (see below).

 

Adopt a Stream

 

Nebraska Wildlife Federation's Adopt a Stream program teaches Nebraskans how to

understand, enjoy, monitor and conserve their neighborhood stream. Through a series of workshops held across Nebraska, we have trained over 220 Nebraskans in basic stream monitoring and conservation techniques. While some of our Adopt a Stream participants focus their efforts on monitoring streams and recording data, many take the next step by developing steam conservation projects that restore and protect habitat for fish, amphibians, and other wildlife that depend on Nebraska rivers, creeks and wetlands. See more information here.

 

Master Naturalist

 

Nebraska Wildlife Federation joined with other Nebraska conservation organizations and agencies to create a Master Naturalist program in our state. If you have the desire to experience Nebraska's natural legacy up close, meet people who share your passion for the outdoors, and give back to your community through exciting volunteer opportunities, the new Nebraska Master Naturalist Program is for you!

 

The program provides volunteers with more than 60 hours of science based natural resources training taught in the field by Nebraska's best and brightest. Participants will learn hands-on about the natural history of Nebraska through topics such as ecosystems, plants and animals, conservation biology, and much more. More information here.
 

To volunteer to help with Nebraska Wildlife Federation fish and wildlife conservation programs, contact us at:

 

Nebraska Wildlife Federation

PO Box 81437, Lincoln, NE 68501

402 477-1008

or email your interest to: NebraskaWildlife@windstream.net