Rhea Landholm, brand marketing and communications director, rheal@cfra.org, 402.687.2100 ext 1025
SANDHILLS, NEBRASKA - The Center for Rural Affairs has released the Practical Guide to Common Sandhills Conservation Practices, a booklet that provides information on the most common conservation practices used by landowners in Nebraska’s Sandhills; the general benefits of such practices for landowners, grassland birds and other species; and some funding sources for such practices.
“The grassland prairie in Nebraska’s Sandhills provides amazing grazing habitat for cattle and is also home to a significant community of bird and other species, including many species at risk,” said Becky Keim, of the Center for Rural Affairs, “These factors create a unique opportunity for conservation efforts designed to address priority resource concerns on area ranches while simultaneously delivering environmental and economic benefits.”
To view or download a copy of Practical Guide to Common Sandhills Conservation Practices, go to cfra.org/publications.
The guide outlines practices from USDA’s Conservation Stewardship Program and Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
“Highly technical information describing these conservation practices is readily available; however, it can sometimes be difficult to discern what each conservation practice entails or what specific benefits can be achieved through use of that conservation practice,” Keim said. “The management practices set forth in this guide are practices that Sandhills landowners can implement on their properties to benefit species at risk while also creating financial benefits to the landowner.”
This guide was made possible with support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation. The content was developed by the Center for Rural Affairs based on information provided by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Audubon Nebraska and the Sandhills Task Force, as well as the following Sandhills ranchers: Henry Beel of the Beel Ranch, Homer Buell of the Shovel Dot Ranch, Sarah Sortum of the Switzer Ranch, Al Steuter of Sandhill and Sun Ranch and Max Wilson of the Wilson Ranch.
