Nebraska's Natural Legacy Plan

Conserving Our State's Biodiversity

Over the last century, most conservation efforts in Nebraska focused on protecting game species and, more recently, endangered species. These efforts had notable successes. Mule deer, pronghorn, wild turkey and

Nebraska's biodiversity includes its native wildlife, plants, other wild.

bald eagles, all once nearly extinct in Nebraska, have been restored. Game and endangered species, however, comprise only a fraction of Nebraska's biodiversity and past conservation work has not stemmed the decline of many species and habitats.

Last September, the Nebraska Natural Legacy Plan was completed. The plan is a comprehensive blueprint for conserving our state's biodiversity - its native wildlife, plants, other wild organisms and, perhaps most importantly, their habitats. It is unique in that it was developed by a variety of partners that included farm, ranch and sportsmen groups, conservation agencies and the public. Being a grassroots effort, the legacy plan differs from past government-directed conservation plans and attempts to conserve Nebraska's full array of biodiversity by reversing the decline of rare species and ensuring that common species stay common.

The Great Plains evolved under the influence of the region's geology, climate, fire and other environment-shaping forces. For nearly 12,000 years the area's plants and wildlife coexisted with indigenous

Most Nebraska species, such as the great spangled fritillary, an inhabitant of native prairies, are dependent on wild landscapes.

Native Americans. Since the mid-1800s, however, Euroamerican settlement, a swelling population, and intense agriculture and industry have radically changed Nebraska's landscape and the species living in it.

These changes eliminated some species and sharply reduced the populations of others that lived on the Great Plains. Some, such as the wolf, river otter and bison, were extirpated by unregulated shooting and trapping. Most species, though, saw significant population decreases due to habitat loss and degradation. For example, since settlement, 99 percent of Nebraska's tallgrass prairie has been converted to cropland or other domestic and commercial uses. Wildfires and bison grazing no longer maintain the prairies in their natural state and improper livestock grazing, invasive plants, and herbicide and pesticide use degraded remaining prairies. In response, prairie species from compass plant to the greater prairie chicken have declined in abundance or vanished.

A semiarid climate, rough topography and less fertile soils saved more of central and western Nebraska's mixed-grass prairies from the plow, though large expanses have been developed in recent decades with the advent of center pivot irrigation.

Nebraska's streams and wetlands were also altered by settlement. The Missouri River was channelized throughout most its Nebraska reach and its flows altered by upstream dams and diversion. As a result, some big-river fish, such as lake sturgeon and pallid sturgeon, now teeter on the brink of extinction. Nebraska is fortunate, though, as most of its native species remain relatively common and it has nearly 1,500 vascular plants, 650 vertebrates, thousands of insect species and countless varieties of fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms. Six hundred of the plant and animal species are considered rare in the state, and only 27 species are listed as threatened or endangered.

Some Nebraska species, such as the box elder bug, robin and white-tailed deer, thrive in farm and urban landscapes. Most, however, including lesser-known species such as the Ottoe skipper, plains topminnow, massasauga rattlesnake and cerulean warbler, are dependent on wild landscapes - our remaining prairies, woodlands, wetlands and streams.

The Natural Legacy Plan is vital not only to conserve our state's biodiversity, but also our quality of life. Natural ecosystems perform a multitude of ecological functions

One Legacy Plan goal is to keep common species common, such as Sullivan's milkweed, a native of lowland tallgrass prairies.

on which humans depend. Native plants built Nebraska's rich cropland soils and they provide the forage base of our rangelands. Native insects recycle nutrients and pollinate our crops and range plants. Wetlands recharge and purify groundwater.

Biodiversity has other direct human benefits. Nearly half of all prescription drugs have active ingredients originally derived from wild plants or animals, and wild plant genetic material has great potential for crop development. For example, the hybridization of a wild species of potato from Peru with domestic potato varieties resulted in a blight resistant variety. Wild landscapes have intangible values as well - Nebraskans find wild places and creatures interesting, beautiful and spiritually fulfilling, spending millions of dollars annually on nature-related activities.

Who knows what unforeseen values might our native flora and fauna have for our children and grandchildren? Would anyone have predicted that compounds from the purple prairie coneflower would be used to treat cancer, or that plants efficient at accumulating heavy metals such as mercury and lead in their tissues would be used to clean toxic sites? Harvard ecologist E.O Wilson wrote "We should preserve every scrap of biodiversity as priceless while we learn to use it and come to understand what it means to humanity."

In the early 1990s,"Teaming with Wildlife," a national coalition of nearly 3,000 organizations including hunting, angling and conservation groups, formed to advocate increased federal funding for the conservation of rare wildlife and their habitats. Funds derived from federal excise taxes on hunting and fishing equipment and revenue from state hunting and fishing licenses sales are the primary sources of the money used to fund game species conservation and management. In response to the Teaming with Wildlife effort,

Another Legacy Plan goal is to restore populations of rare species such as swift foxes, inhabitants of western Nebraska.

Congress established the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program and the State Wildlife Grants Program, both of which are administered the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Since 2001, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and its conservation partners have received more than $5 million from these programs. To ensure efficient use of these limited funds, Congress required each state to develop a comprehensive wildlife conservation strategy for conserving biodiversity. States were required to identify species and habitats in greatest need of conservation, important conservation areas, threats to species and their habitats, conservation barriers and the conservation actions needed to address the threats and barriers. They were also required to monitor their plan's effectiveness and review and revise plans at least every ten years.

Development of the Natural Legacy Plan began in early 2003. To ensure the plan represented a diversity of views, a 20-member team (see sidebar) was established. The team included representatives of conservation groups such as The Nature Conservancy, sportsmen groups such as Pheasants Forever, and farm and ranch groups such as Nebraska Cattlemen and the Farm Bureau.

"Because Nebraska is mostly privately owned and most conservation will occur there, farmers and ranchers needed representation," said Craig Utter, Sandhills rancher and Natural Resources and Environment Committee Chairman for the Nebraska Cattlemen. "I think groups like the Farm Bureau and Nebraska Cattlemen filled that role well."

The partnership team developed the plan's guiding principles and helped facilitate sixteen public input meetings held across the state in 2004. At these meetings and a two-day workshop attended by nearly 100 conservationists, threats to Nebraska's biodiversity, barriers to conservation and needed conservation actions were identified for four ecoregions - the tallgrass prairie, mixed-grass prairie, Sandhills and shortgrass prairie. Each of these ecoregions has unique geology, soils, climate, flora, fauna and conservation needs.

A team of biological experts proposed conserving Nebraska's biodiversity at two levels - overall habitat protection and species protection. Nebraska's 69 native plant communities, such as tallgrass prairie and western alkaline marshes, are examples of protecting entire biological systems. By conserving several high-quality examples of each plant community, most common species inhabiting that community will also be protected. If several high-quality

Northwestern Nebraska's Pine Ridge supports pine woodlands, mixed-grass prairie, rocky outcrops and several rare species. It is one of the Legacy Plan's 40 unique biological landscapes.

Missouri River bluff forests are conserved, most common forest species, such as May apple and tufted titmice, will also be protected. However, some rare forest species, such as the yellow lady's-slipper orchid and southern flying squirrel, occur in only a few bluff forests. Rare species may require separate conservation efforts. Therefore, the science team selected 612 rare plant and animal species as conservation targets, with priority given to the 80 species under greatest threat of global extinction.

The Natural Legacy Plan calls for conserving one to 20 examples of each plant community type and one to 10 populations of each rare species to ensure their long-term survival. Plant communities and species more abundant outside Nebraska require less conservation here because they will also be protected in other states, an example being the swift fox that is uncommon in Nebraska but more abundant in neighboring western states.

The Legacy science team selected forty "biologically unique landscapes" - areas with intact native plant communities, waterways or concentrations of rare species - on which to focus conservation efforts (see map on pages 24-25). Examples of these biologically unique landscapes include the Pine Ridge, a northwestern Nebraska escarpment supporting a mosaic of pine woodlands, mixed-grass prairie, rocky outcrops and several rare species; and the Willow Creek Valley landscape in Pierce County, with floodplain meadows supporting large populations of the threatened western prairie fringed orchid.

The Legacy Plan identifies threats to biodiversity and needed conservation actions for each ecoregion and biologically unique landscape. The most prevalent threats to the landscapes are altered natural fire and grazing regimes, invasive species, habitat fragmentation, altered hydrology and pollution. Lack of appreciation for the importance of biodiversity, inadequate environmental education, lack of trust between conservationists and farmers and ranchers, and limited funding are the principle obstacles to protecting these landscapes.

Though not required by Congress, Nebraska's Legacy Plan includes strategies for increasing environmental education and nature-based recreation in the state. The plan recognizes that knowledgeable citizens are better stewards of the land and make wise, long-term political

Because 97 percent of Nebraska is privately owned, working with landowners to conserve biodiversity will be vital to the Legacy Plan's success.

decisions regarding conservation. A 2003 survey done by the University of Nebraska indicated that 98 percent of Nebraskans support environmental education in schools. Encouraging Nebraskans to participate in hunting, fishing, hiking, birdwatching and other nature-related activities will build appreciation for nature and provide economic diversification.

The primary focus of the Legacy Plan is to implement conservation practices on private lands by providing interested landowners with financial incentives and technical advice. Control of invasive species, improved grazing plans and prescribed fire benefit biodiversity and keep working lands productive. The Legacy Plan also calls for using conservation easements to protect natural areas from development, increasing and improving biodiversity management on public lands, and increasing research and monitoring of native plant communities and species.

The Legacy Plan's development brought together diverse partners, but to be successfully implemented the plan will require additional collaboration, creativity and hard

Understanding biological diversity is key to its conservation. The Legacy Plan calls for increased research and monitoring of native plan communities and species, such as ornate box turtles.

work. The full implementation of the plan in all 40 biologically unique landscapes may take decades. New conservation partnerships will need to be developed and some existing partnerships refocused. Luckily, several models already exist for landscape-level conservation partnerships in Nebraska, including the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture, Sandhills Task Force and the Nebraska Tallgrass Prairie Partnership, a coalition of conservation groups and landowners that has improved habitat on nearly 10,000 acres of privately owned prairie in southeastern Nebraska through tree clearing, planned grazing and prescribed fire. The legacy project will soon begin a similar tallgrass prairie effort in northeastern Nebraska.

The Legacy Plan recognizes that knowledgeable citizens are better stewards of the land and make wiser, long-term political decisions.

Successful implementation of Legacy Plan projects will require creative funding partnerships between federal, state and private sources. The Nebraska Environmental Trust Fund has provided $250,000 over three years to initiate Legacy programs. Nationally, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has made biodiversity conservation a priority and funded several multi-state projects including a Legacy-related tallgrass prairie project involving Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri.

The clock continues to tick for our state's biodiversity as natural habitats are lost at a faster pace than they are conserved. The economic, ecological and social importance of landscape and species biodiversity requires action to protect it. The Natural Legacy Plan can provide a road map for our course.