News

The Rainwater Basin Joint Venture (RWBJV, rwbjv.org) is looking for an entry-level contractor interested in gaining on-the-job GIS skills and field experience. This will be a full-time, 40 hr/week position located at the RWBJV Science Office in Grand Island, NE. Contractors will gain proficiency in ArcGIS, python scripting geoprocessing workflows with ArcGIS Pro, eCognition/Definiens Developer, […]

The RWBJV GIS office has been creating tools to help identify areas where conservation investment will have the largest impact. Using Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data, we created statistical models to estimate relative abundance for our target species identified in the RWBJV Landbird Plan. These models can be used to produce ‘heat maps’ (Fig. 1)for […]

RWBJV partners (Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District [CNPPID], Ducks Unlimited [DU], Nebraska Department of Natural Resources [NDNR], Tri-Basin Natural Resources District [TBNRD], and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District [USFWS RWB WMD]) have completed multiple project elements associated with Phase I of the Western Basin Recharge Project. In Phase […]

In 2012 Richard “Dick” Reeben rolled 71 acres into the Wetlands Reserve Program(WRP). Dick’s easement is part of a larger wetland basin that also contains Miller’s Pond Waterfowl Production Area and a couple Ducks Unlimited revolving properties. It is important to protect and maintain multiple properties throughout these basins to provide adequate habitat to waterfowl […]

The National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) is a program that comprehensively maps wetland footprints and other water bodies throughout the United States. The NWI was initiated in the mid-1970s by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Today, these data are primarily used to aid in conservation, planning, and research efforts. The most recent maps can be […]

In 2013, the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture (RWBJV) adopted a revised Implementation Plan. This plan incorporated habitat objectives for the priority species for the mixed grass prairie region of Nebraska. Playa wetlands in the Rainwater Basin Wetland Complex (RWB) remained a priority habitat with additional recognition o n the importance these features for waterfowl, shorebirds, […]

By 1984, over half (54%) of all the wetlands in the U.S. had been drained or filled for development or agriculture. Congress responded to these alarming figures by passing the 1990 Farm Bill, which introduced the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP). WRP was a voluntary program to restore and protect wetlands through 30-year easements or permanent […]

Waterfowl stopping over in the Rainwater Basin region during spring migration are looking for two basic resources, food and water. Since playa wetlands are strictly rain-fed, aside from some groundwater pumping on a few public properties, we have little control over how much water is available for waterfowl each year. Measuring the amount of water […]

By Randy Stutheit, Wetland Biologist, NE Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln, NE The Whitefront Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is owned by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) and is located 2 miles west and 2 miles north of Clay Center in Clay County. This WMA contains approximately 212 acres of wetland and 68 acres […]

In 2017, James “Hank” McGowan enrolled 154.4 acres into the Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP) program. This is one of the largest private land projects in the Rainwater Basin with about 120 acres of wetland and 34 acres of upland. Prior to enrolling his property in WREP, the entire quarter section was irrigated by a […]