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During 2011, Ducks Unlimited protected or acquired more than 1,000 acres and restored or enhanced more than 4,000 acres in Nebraska. DU completed several projects along the Platte River and in the Rainwater Basin, as well as providing technical assistance to conservation partners along the Missouri River.

The Platte River remains the focus of property acquisition and conservation easement efforts. DU continues to successfully secure funding from major sponsors and partners, including the Nebraska Environmental Trust and the North American Wet-lands Conservation Council.

CONSERVATION SUMMARY

State Report 2012

Nebraska

CELEBR ATING 75 YEARS OF CONSERVATION.. .

PLATTE RIVERAlong the Platte River, DU acquired two important properties, the 387-acre Beam property near Oshkosh and the 246-acre Anest property near Bridgeport. The Anest property is the first phase of a larger acquisition and restoration effort. DU purchased the Beam property as part of its Revolving Habitat Strategy. DU will enhance important wetlands on the tract, protect it with a conservation easement and then

sell it to a conservation buyer. The funds will then be reinvested into future acquisitions and restorations.While DU owns the property it will be open to hunting and other outdoor activities. First envisioned more than 10 years ago, DU completed a water-delivery system on the Spotted Tail Complex, along the North Platte River, near Mitchell. This new system provides a significant source of water to manage several hundred acres of wetlands. Restoration crews

had water flowing through the restored channels and wetlands late last summer. Local conservation organization and DU partner, Platte River Basin Environments, owns the property and will manage the site. The complex is open to hunting and other outdoor activi-ties. On April 28, 2012, DU will hold a public dedication for the project with activities for conservationists of all ages.

RAINWATER BASINIn the Rainwater Basin, DU acquired the Morgan prop-erty near Smith Waterfowl Production Area (WPA) in Clay County. DU will restore wetlands on the property, which will help round out the WPA’s wetland habitat. DU also acquired the 87-acre Hinze property in Butler County and will begin restoration soon. In Polk County, DU permanently protected the 80-acre Keil property with a conservation easement. Dry weather during the summer created perfect conditions for DU’s Land Manager Tim Horst to enhance several hun-dred acres in the Rainwater Basin using the “Big Red” tractor to remove dense stands of reed canary grass and cattails. The disked wetlands will now support more favorable plant communities that provide the food resources waterfowl need, particularly during the important spring migration period.

DID YOU KNOW?

Nebraska had 10,298 adult and 1,445 Greenwing members in 2011!

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One of the numerous shallow wetlands located on the DU Anest acquisition in Morrill County

CAN LAND PROTECTION AND WORKING FARMS COEXIST IN THE RAINWATER BASIN?A win-win for landowners and conservation

In 2011, DU worked with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to complete the acquisition of a conservation easement on the Votipka property in Fillmore County. The property is located in the heart of Nebraska’s Rainwater Basin, a continentally significant landscape that provides migration stopover habitat to more than 12 million waterfowl each spring. The 80-acre property includes mostly grasslands and drained wetland soils, with 20 acres of marginal cropland, which DU will restore to native shallow wetlands. The Nebraska Environmental Trust, Rainwater Basin Joint Venture and North American Wetlands Conservation Council also contributed to this conservation effort. The landowner will manage the property by grazing cattle, a management technique that is highly compatible with DU’s efforts to provide shallow, food-rich wetland habitat for migrating waterfowl. Grazing positively impacts wetlands by promoting growth of annual wetland plant species like barnyard grass and smartweed, which provide abundant seed resources for hungry waterfowl. Conservation easements are an important tool, and often the only one available to DU and its partners to ensure long-term protection of key habitats on privately owned land. The conservation easement on the Votipka property ensures the natural resources here will be protected, forever providing benefits to waterfowl and other wetland-dependant wildlife species.

Marginal cropland on the Votipka conservation

easement that will be restored to seasonal wetlands for

waterfowl and grazing habitat for cattle

Ducks Unlimited has acquired the Anest property in Morrill County, west of Bridgeport. The property is 246 acres and includes native grasslands and wetlands important to migrating waterfowl and other wildlife. In 2012, DU plans to acquire an adjoining 434-acre parcel from the Anest family containing equally important waterfowl habitats. The properties have a rare mix of freshwater and alkaline wetlands, providing a diversity of habitats that benefit waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, upland game and unique species such as the tiger beetle. The shallow, ephemeral wetlands on the property are particularly important during spring migration, when they provide abundant food resources for waterfowl migrating north to the Prairie Pothole Region and other breeding areas. Platte River Basin Environments is an important DU partner along the North Platte River and will eventually own and manage the Anest properties. Additional partners contributing to this acquisition include the

North American Wetlands Conservation Council, Nebraska Environmental Trust and Pheasants Forever. DU volunteers and members in the Bridgeport area are excited about the Anest acquisitions, not only because of the important waterfowl habitat that will be restored and protected, but also because the land will be open for a variety of public uses beginning fall 2012.

NORTH PLATTE RIVER PROPERTY ACQUIRED BY DUCKS UNLIMITED

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MEET YOUR NEBRASKA CONSERVATION STAFF

thorst@ducks.org/402-364-3135

PARTNER HIGHLIGHT The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) is a natural partner for Ducks Unlimited. With parallel waterfowl habitat conservation goals, the two organizations have worked together for 20 years to positively impact thousands of acres of wetlands in Nebraska. One of the driving forces behind NGPC is Director Rex Amack, who is a staunch supporter of the partnership with DU. “We have a complete conservation partnership with DU,” Rex said. “Both sides bring equal resources to the table for waterfowl conservation.”

Director of Nebraska Game and Parks

Commission Rex Amack

Restored wetland on the Rempel Tract, an addition to the Kirkpatrick

Basin Wildlife Management Area. The project was dedicated in honor of

Joe Gabig, former Waterfowl Program Manager for NGPC.

Tim Horst is a Husker through and through. Raised in the Rainwater Basin of south-central Nebraska, Tim attended the University of Nebraska and then accepted a position with Superior-Deshler Inc. as a crop advisor, agriculture salesperson and equipment operator. Tim later returned to his family farm and took a position with Little Blue Natural Resource District as a wetland program consultant. This position was a partnership between the Little Blue NRD, Rainwater Basin Joint Venture, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Tim joined the DU team as land manager in 2007. His duties include landowner outreach in the Rainwater Basin, management of DU lands, upland restoration projects and managing the DU wetland-disking effort to control invasive species in Rainwater Basin wetlands. Tim is the primary operator of the “Big Red” tractor. “In my position I have the distinct advantage of knowing I am where I should be, working with individuals and an organization that give me the opportunity to improve habitat conditions on a landscape level in an area of significant importance to waterfowl,” Tim said.

Rex has been with NGPC for 45 years and has been director since 1988, a tenure he is proud of. The director is set to retire in April, but is quick to say, “I’m not going anywhere; I’m just retiring.” Of the conservation work the organizations conduct together, Rex highlights the value of the projects in the Rainwater Basin. There are many collaborative projects in this region that, combined, have a significant impact on the landscape and provide the necessary resources for ducks visiting Nebraska. “I’ve supported DU from day one,” Rex says of his relationship with DU outside NGPC. He is a DU sponsor and has helped with fundraising efforts and encourages friends and fellow conservationists to support DU’s efforts. DU staff in Nebraska thank Rex for his support throughout his career and wish him a relaxing and prosperous retirement. “Rex has been a tremendous support for all the conservation work we do in Nebraska,” said Steve Donovan, DU manager of conservation programs. “We hate to see him leave but we know his retirement is well deserved.”

DU PROJECTS

27 completed projects

6,925 acres conserved

3,250 acres of technical assistance

$3,042,947 million invested

2011ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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NAWCA NEEDS FUNDING, YOUR VOICE CAN HELPDucks Unlimited has provided a strong voice on public policy issues impacting wetlands and waterfowl conservation across North America for 75 years. The North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) is the most significant federal program that DU partners with to protect and conserve habitat for North America’s migratory bird populations. This program provides grants to partner groups—private landowners, local companies, conservation organizations, and more—who have matched the grant funds by raising money from non-federal sources. These funds are then used to impact wetlands that are in need of restoration and enhancement, and competition for these funds means the match is typically two to three times the grant amount. 2012 will be critical for NAWCA in two ways. First, NAWCA requires reauthorization every five years, with the current bill expiring in 2012. DU is seeking congressional support for bills in the Senate and the House that would reauthorize the program until 2017. This would allow the Congress to fund these wetland grants. Second, federal budgets are lean this year and funding for programs such as NAWCA is at risk. NAWCA brings in more money to the federal treasury than it costs. It also creates

Please help by visiting www.ducks.org/nawcaor by calling your Senators and House member to express your support for NAWCA

thousands of jobs each year, and creates business for hotels, restaurants, plant nurseries, construction companies and many others. This program is an incredibly valuable tool for natural resource protection in this country. It deserves strong, active support from DU supporters.

MALLARD HEN AND BROOD

2525 River Road, Bismarck, ND 58503701.355.3500 • www.ducks.org

The minimum conservation goal for each state is to spend the equivalent of 7.5% of total grassroots income raised in that state. This is based on a five-year average.

DU NEBRASKA GRASSROOTS & CONSERVATION2006 - 2010

5-Year Average Conservation Expenditure Minimum Goal

5-Year Average Conservation Expenditure Actual

$2,200,824

$63,660

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Ducks Unlimited • Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office 1

CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF CONSERVATION SUCCESSBy Dale HallDucks Unlimited CEO

This year marks a very special time for Ducks Unlimited. On Jan. 29, 1937, the More Game Birds in America organization transitioned into what would become the greatest wetland and waterfowl habitat conservation organization in the world! Throughout this year, we will be celebrating our 75th anniversary, and we have a great deal to celebrate.

From our beginnings in Manitoba at Big Grass Marsh with a project impacting 100,000 acres, to our current partnership with the Pew Charitable Trusts to conserve 1 billion acres in the vast boreal forests, our work has been based on the simple principle of cooperation with others. During DU’s first years, struggling farmers were DU’s best partners; the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression were in full swing and significant acres of wetlands were being converted to farmland. The partnership with farmers was based on “water on the ground, ducks in the air,” and immediately elevated DU’s status as a group of people who wanted to roll up their sleeves and solve problems.

The very first volunteers to answer the call were hunters. Hunters know that to have enough ducks to enjoy our passionate pursuit, there must be healthy habitats. In 1934, when the Depression had more people in bread lines and westward caravans than were employed, duck hunters lobbied Congress to require them to pay to go hunting! This was followed in 1937 by hunters and firearm and ammunition industries lobbying for a tax on these items used solely for conservation. This law is still in place today and supports state fish and wildlife agencies. Also in 1937, Ducks Unlimited Incorporated and Ducks Unlimited Canada were born.

With DUC as the original mechanism to deliver projects on the ground in Canada, our partnership has been long and rich with science-based decisions and volunteer-driven passion. Until the 1980s, all DU’s work was done in Canada. Then science unveiled the importance of migratory and wintering habitat. DUI has continued its partnership with DUC to conserve valuable nesting grounds, but has expanded to include projects in all 50 states. We are rapidly closing in on 13 million acres conserved in North America, with a target of 750 million to 1 billion more acres conserved in Canada’s boreal forests. What an accomplishment to celebrate!

But as we and our numerous partners celebrate these great successes , we must not rest on our accomplishments. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we still lose more acres than we are able to conserve each year in the U.S., and across North America the pressures to convert valuable waterfowl habitat to other uses is greater than ever.

Our challenges are great, but with the continued dedication of our volunteers, members and staff, Ducks Unlimited WILL NOT FAIL! I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible over the next 12 months as we celebrate 75 years of phenomenal accomplishment. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, DUCKS UNLIMITED!

Ducks Unlimited conserves, restores

and manages wetlands and associated habitats for North

America’s waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other

wildlife and people.2525 River Road, Bismarck, ND 58503

701.355.3500 • 701.355.3512 (Fax)

S U P P O R T I N G T H E V I S I O N

DU CEO Dale Hall (left) and USFWS Acting Director Rowan Gould assist researchers with a duck banding project in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota.