Nongame Wildlife

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Goals and Objectives

Nongame wildlife includes thousands of species.  Conservation becomes challenging when considering the vast array of wildlife in Nebraska; from butterflies to the swift fox.  Goals are necessary to ensure efficiency.

• To maintain the diversity and abundance of Nebraska's nongame wildlife and their habitat
• To preserve or increase populations of Nebraska's endangered and threatened species of wildlife and plants
• To broaden and promote public support and appreciation for maintaining and enhancing our wildlife resource

The nongame wildlife program strives to build the resiliency of Nebraska’s ecosystems by enhancing the habitat that wildlife need to survive and thrive.  Habitat projects such as high diversity prairie seeding benefit a multitude of wildlife, including both nongame species such as the regal fritillary and game species such as greater prairie chicken.

Special consideration has to be given to the very rare species.  Those species that face extinction are a high priority.  This program strives to prevent future threatened and endangered species listings, and to recover species such that they can be removed from these two categories.  The very rare species may exist in limited locations, so more targeted conservation is necessary to be effective.  For example, in appropriate locations a host plant like the prairie violet may be planted to ensure habitat is suitable for the at-risk regal fritillary.

The program also recognizes the many native species that have disappeared from Nebraska, and that reintroduction will be necessary to restore them as viable components of the state's fauna and flora. Reintroductions will be made only if habitat capable of supporting a self-sustaining population still exists, or if it is economically feasible to restore the needed habitat.

There is a continual need to collect and evaluate biological information so as to develop a comprehensive understanding of the biology and ecology of certain species and the factors which limit their population. Such information is used to:

• Influence management by other state and federal agencies that have an impact on the environment.
• Integrate species' needs into other Game and Parks Commission programs.
• Complete environmental impact analyses.

The Nongame Wildlife Program is designed to share its projects and successes with Nebraskans to connect citizens with Nebraska’s wildlife.  This is done by increasing people's enjoyment, appreciation and understanding of our wildlife resources. The Nongame Wildlife Program can and will help direct responsible conservation in the face of hard economic conditions and deterioration of many of the habitats that living creatures depend upon.