This report is a summary of activities completed or ongoing by the Sandhills Task Force (STF). A total of 19 different projects are identified. The majority (13) are conservation projects directly affecting the natural resources of the Sandhills. Total acres enhanced by these 13 projects are 40,501 acres (32,971 acres of upland grasses, 4,260 acres of riparian habitat, 18.6 miles of streams and rivers, and 3,270 acres wetlands and wet meadows). Three projects are associated with research and monitoring; ranging from people’s perception of the Sandhills resources, to the affect land management is having on grassland birds. The Task Force supported three projects associated with providing education and information to the public, primarily the ranching community.

The Task Force successes began with a 1996 grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust. Their contribution allowed the Task Force to provide leverage and financial assurance needed to ensure land use practices benefited both ranching and wildlife. Cooperative agreements with other agencies and organizations have brought funding for conservation. The Appendix reports the financial activity of the Sandhills Task Force in 2001.

A.B. Cox	Rancher	Mullen
Al Steuter	The Nature Conservancy, Rancher	Ainsworth
Barb Cooksley	Rancher	Anselmo
Byron Eatinger	Rancher	Thedford
Craig Utter	Nebraska Cattlemen, Rancher	Lincoln
Dean Funk	Rancher, Holt County Commissioner	Atkinson
Gene D. Mack	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service	Kearney
Gene Lehnert	North Central R, C & D	Bassett
Kim Stine	Natural Resources Conservation Service	Lincoln
Mick Knott	Rancher	Hyannis
Mike Kelly	Rancher	Sutherland
Richard Lackaff	Rancher	Bassett
Rob Ravenscroft	Rancher	Valentine
Ron Dobbins	Rancher, Chairman Upper Loup NRD	Tryon
Ted LaGrange	Nebraska Game & Parks Commission	Lincoln

In November, Troy Bredenkamp resigned from Nebraska Cattlemen and took a position with the Colorado Livestock Association. Troy’s Board position is set by the bylaws–to be filled by an employee of the Nebraska Cattlemen. The position has to recommended by Nebraska Cattlemen, but approved by the STF. The Cattlemen recommended Craig Utter as the replacement. He was approved by the Board at the November Board meeting. Kim Stine was recommended by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to fill a position vacated by Gus Hughbanks. She was approved at the August Board meeting. Prior to Kim filling the position, Kenneth Noonan represented NRCS’s interests.

Barb Cooksley resigned her position on the National Invasive Species Committee (formed by the Secretary of Interior) shortly after she was hired by Congressman Tom Osborne as Agricultural Field Representative.

The Sandhills Task Force, through a grant (#00-126) from Nebraska Environmental Trust, joined in a cooperative agreement with Nebraska Cattlemen to hire a full time employee who would provide assistance to ranchers on various conservation practices. Jim Van Winkle was hired and began working in December, 2000. During 2001, Jim has been instrumental in building working partnerships with government agencies, as well as, providing a greater level of trust between ranchers and the Task Force.

Marcelle Franke, a Fish and Wildlife Service employee who provided technical assistance to landowners, resigned to pursue her master’s degree. The Fish and Wildlife Service plans to fill the position in early 2002.

At the April Board meeting, the Board passed a motion to become a land trust. This decision was made after extensive research and discussion. The administrator of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Land Trust met with the Board to explain the roles and responsibilities required of land trusts. The first easement to Board will acquire is the Jumbo and Pullman Valley easements.

On April 26, 2000 the Board was notified by the Internal Revenue Service that they had been granted 501 (c) 3 tax-exempt status. Since that time, the Task Force has done its own banking and financial transaction. The Task Force has invested in short-term Certificates of Deposits at Purdum State Bank, Commercial Bank of Bassett, and Pinnacle Bank in O’Neill.

A checking account exists with Tri County Bank in Stuart, Nebraska. The Board chose to bank with locally-owned, Sandhills banks.

In 2001, the Sandhills Task Force was involved in the initiation or completion of 13 conservation projects in the Sandhills. These 13 represent only those which have signed wildlife agreements between the Task Force and the landowner. Each of the agreements outlines a conservation strategy that meets the needs of the landowner while providing conservation and wildlife habitat. The length of the agreements are for a period of 10 years. The amount cost-shared by the Task Force and its partners is based on the amount of benefit for wildlife. Projects that predominately benefit ranching with limited benefit for wildlife received a lesser amount of cost share. Likewise, projects that greatly benefitted wildlife with marginal benefit to the landowner were provided a larger amount of cost share. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service serves the role of assuring compliance with the agreements.

In all instances, projects were initiated by landowners who requested assistance from one or more members of the Sandhills Task Force. No agreements were entered into unless the landowner/cooperator shared the same resource concerns and agreed that the management plan developed for their specific landscape was best for their operation and the land. For this reason, compliance with the cooperative agreement has been 100 percent.

Funding by Sandhills Task Force, as shown in the following projects, came from grants (through cooperative agreements) with the Nebraska Environmental Trust, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Each year, the FWS grants between $20,000 and $30,000 to the STF for conservation projects within the Sandhills. This money is part of the Service’s "Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program." The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission provided funding either directly to the landowner or through a $25,000 cooperative agreement with the Task Force. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s contribution was $15,000.

NET past grant: $ 585,000 (land acquisition)

NET grant (1998): $ 315,000 (land acquisition)

TNC/STF: $ 198,000 (Surveys and land management)

TNC: $ 61,000 (In-kind administration)

STF: $ 7,000 (In-kind administration)

USFWS: $ 17,000 (Fencing)

NRCS^a: $ 12,000^a (In-kind technical assistance)

NGPC: $ 18,000 (Control Structures)

Nebraska Cattlemen: $ 3,000 (In-kind administration)

Total:   $1,201,000

One of the four was constructed in Jumbo Valley, in the north drainage ditch. The remaining three were constructed in Pullman Valley. The one in Jumbo and the two westernmost structures in Pullman are weir-tube structures which hold the water level in the channel within a few inches of the valley surface. The remaining, or easternmost structure on Pullman is a straight culvert with no modified weir on the upstream end. Elevation surveys showed that only about two inches of water could be flooded onto the eastern portion of the Pullman fen before it would begin to impact neighboring lands. Two inches of water would promote the spread of reed canarygrass, rather than control it. A potential buyer of the property has expressed interest in selling an easement (including the right to restore) on a drained lake located near the fen. This is on condition that eastern Pullman fen is not flooded with two inches of water. If this transaction happens, it will benefit both the neighboring rancher as well as wildlife.

Two neighboring landowners are interested in purchasing portions of the fen property. A boundary was drawn up that meets the wishes of each potential buyer. An appraiser was contracted by The Nature Conservancy to appraise each portion and the property as a whole. The Task Force has agreed to sell the property at appraised value to either or both of these neighbors. If neither wishes to purchase at appraised value, the land will be offered on the open market.

The Task Force has drafted a conservation easement which will be considered in the appraisal. The easement allows current ranching operations but prevents drainage or development. The Nature Conservancy will transfer the easement to the Task Force at the time of the sale of the property.

Accomplishments: Project was initiated in 2001. Completion is expected in 2002.

Accomplishments: Construction has begun, but has not reached completion.

Elliot Grazing Project

Project: The project will improve grassland management (through grazing) on 1,956 acres in Cherry County. The landowner's primary objectives are: to improve native vegetation; reduce over_utilization of wetland areas; encourage warm_season grasses; provide residual vegetation for spring nesting; and encourage wildlife production and use of the pastures. Cross fencing and additional wells and tanks were installed to better manage livestock grazing. A grazing plan was developed by NRCS to provide residual cover for wildlife and promote plant vigor. Habitat enhanced included 1,942 acres of grassland and 14 acres of wetland.

Accomplishments: Project and payment were completed in 2001.

To accomplish these objectives, buried pipelines were installed to provide adequate amounts of water for the large herd during hot summer months. The majority of the project cost is associated with providing livestock water. Total area enhanced is 9,140 acres: 1,000 acres of sub-irrigated meadows, 200 acres of wetlands, and 7,940 acres of upland.

Accomplishments: The wells, pipeline, and a portion of the tanks and fencing were completed in the fall of 2001. The remaining work is expected to be completed in the spring (2002). The grazing plan will be initiated in the spring of 2002.

Accomplishments: Project was completed during the summer and payment was made.

Accomplishments: The project and payment was completed in 2001.

Accomplishments: A wildlife extension agreement has been signed, and a bid has been received from the local contractor. Project is expected to be completed in 2002.

Accomplishment: The project was completed and final payment was made in 2001.

Accomplishments: Project and payment was completed in 2001.

The Task Force decided to join the newly formed Sandhills Natural Resources Education Cooperative. Its goal is to provide information and structured educational programs to increase public awareness of Sandhill resources. The Cooperative is organized through the Cooperative Extension Service and Halsey 4-H camp. Al Steuter is the STF’s representative. In 2001, $1,500 was provided toward student tuition for youth attending the Sandhills Academy. It is a week long camp that exposes youth to the numerous natural resources, as well as, socioeconomic and environmental concerns of the Sandhills.

Accomplishments: Dr. Amy Richert presented preliminary findings from her study to the Task Force in August. Some key points she brought out included: 61 ranchers, 38 recreationists, 24 commercial operators were interviewed. Family and heritage are extremely important to ranchers and commercial operators when defining the meaning of the Sandhills to them. Recreationists associated the Sandhills with low population, solitude and the environment. Ranchers expressed their strongest concerns with out-of-state buyers and fewer small ranch families. Most people interviewed were very supportive of local input being included in developing a balance between culture and the environment. A formal presentation was presented by Dr. Richert at the Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference in Iowa this fall. Final payment was made on this project.

Funding:

Accomplishments: Two years of field data were analyzed at the end of this year’s growing season. Preliminary reports suggests that the fire had no significant impact on the following years’ forage production. The data did suggest that past grazing practices had a strong influence on how the grasses responded to a March fire. Those areas that were season-long grazed appeared to recover at a slower rate. The only significant fire impact was a reduction in litter covering the sandy soil. A final report is expected in the spring of 2002.

Funding:

Accomplishments: Project and payments were completed in 2001.

In 2001, the Sandhills Task Force purchased two Garmin Global Positioning System (GPS) units for use by the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Valentine. The equipment will be used to mark and record property and fence line boundaries needed in developing grazing systems. Information collected on the GPS units will be downloaded into Geographic Information System software.