Fen Restoration                                                       

Below is an excerpt from the grant application submitted by the Sandhills Task Force to the Nebraska Environmental Trust.  It outlines the project and how it will be implemented.  Click on "What is a fen" for a description of these unique wetlands.  On April 2, 2002 the property was sold back to private ranching.  Click on "Sale of Property" for details.

Project Design and Implementation

Phase I. Acquisition, Restoration, Outreach, Resale of Land 

Overview.   Jumbo Valley and Pullman Valley Fens will provide an excellent opportunity to test, demonstrate, and compare wetland restoration techniques within the Sandhills rangeland economy.  Fens are unusual wetlands characterized by a high water table, peat soils that take thousands of years to form, and high biodiversity (see Figure 1).  Many of the fens in the Sandhills have been ditched and drained in an effort to increase hay production. Because fens are constantly reabsorbing water from the surrounding water table--imagine a sponge sitting in a pan of water--these efforts have met with limited success. 

    These alterations have had an impact on the quality and health of these wetlands.  Because plant species have differing tolerances for water, the lower water levels have altered the vegetation in the fens.  Annual haying and the introduction of aggressive, non-native plant species, such as reed canarygrass, also reduce native plant diversity. Drainage has reduced the amount of stream habitat for a number of fish species.

Acquisition.   The Nature Conservancy is in the process of acquiring the 3,827-acre Lawrence Hansen Ranch in west-central Cherry County (see maps in Real Estate section).  The tract encompasses two fens, called Jumbo Valley Fen and Pullman Valley Fen. To obtain the land, the Conservancy will purchase a suitable and comparably-priced exchange property for Mr. Hansen. He in turn will transfer title of his land to the Conservancy.  This type of transaction allows a landowner to forego paying capital gains taxes on appreciated property.

    Of the 3,827 acres, approximately 1,100 acres will be immediately sold to neighboring ranchers. The Conservancy will retain ownership of the remaining acreage. Of this, 2,000 acres of uplands adjacent to the fens will be leased for grazing, and restoration work will begin on the two tracts, totaling about 700 acres, that contain the fens.

Restoration.   Over a 5-year period, the Sandhills Task Force and The Nature Conservancy, working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, will use a variety of management practices to restore the hydrology and biodiversity of the fens.

Year 1.  We will conduct baseline inventories in these areas: ground water hydrology in the peat areas; local and regional ground water levels; fen boundaries; plant compositions in fen habitats; wetland wildlife populations; hay production; and grazing potential.  Based on these inventories, a restoration plan will be developed for each fen.  Management practices during the first year will be the same as those traditionally employed on this and other Sandhills fens.

Year 2.  Fen restoration and alternative management will be initiated.  Methods used to restore Jumbo Valley Fen will be more active, while methods employed to restore Pullman Valley Fen will be of a more passive, non-intervention type (see Figure 2).  By developing two restoration plans, we will be able to compare and quantify the costs and benefits of each method. This information will be helpful to an array of people, from livestock producers to resource conservation agencies, all of whom must work within their own time and budget constraints.

Years 3- 5.  Restoration and alternative management will continue.  Information will be collected in the same areas as the baseline study to monitor the progress of the restoration work. This information will be used in the outreach program.

Outreach.   During the restoration phase, the Sandhills Task Force and The Nature Conservancy will conduct field days on the site. Fact sheets and other educational materials on the project will be produced. Recommendations and ideas about the project will be sought from ranchers. The two-way sharing of information will be a critical component of the project's success.  The site will also provide a study area for research in plant and wildlife ecology.

Resale of the property.   The intent of this project is to resell Jumbo and Pullman Valley Fens and the surrounding uplands, which total approximately 2,720 acres, to private landownership.  After restoration criteria have been met, The Nature Conservancy will place two conservation easements on the property, and it will be offered for sale. (Due to the fragile nature of the fens, the easement applying to their management will be more restrictive than the easement on the 2,000 acres of uplands.)  These easements will afford ongoing conservation management of the wetlands and surrounding uplands while allowing livestock production on the property. 

    By striving to return Jumbo and Pullman Valley Fens to local ownership, The Nature Conservancy and Sandhills Task Force will demonstrate a firm commitment to locally-based, locally-supported resource conservation management.

Phase II. Establish the Sandhills Resource Conservation Fund

Overview.  Creation of the Sandhills Resource Conservation Fund will provide the critical local capacity for private landowners and resource managers to work toward a community-based, whole-ecosystem approach to resource conservation management in the Sandhills. The Fund will be established in Year 3 and supplemented in Year 5, with monies from the resale of specific portions of the Hansen Ranch. Budget Supplement #l-A details the method for, and timing of, establishing the Fund.

Purpose of the Fund.  The Conservation Fund will support a variety of projects developed by individual landowners, groups of landowners, and resource agencies working with landowners. The monies in the fund will also be used to leverage additional money for conservation projects.

Management strategies.  The Nebraska Community Foundation will provide the financial management of the fund.

    The Sandhills Task Force will administer the project grants.  The Task Force has an established record of bringing ranchers and resource managers together, and its membership will ensure that resource and private property issues are addressed in developing conservation projects (see Project Partners section) .The Sandhills Management Plan will provide the guiding principles for addressing resources issues throughout the Sandhills.

General guidelines for funding projects.

Grazing.  Grazing will be used in ways that provide sustained production of livestock forage, retain residual cover, and improve the biodiversity of the grassland. Area landowners and resource agencies will work together to establish guidelines. The Grazing Lands Applications computer program will be a useful tool in establishing these guidelines.

Wet meadows.  Haying will be used to provide forage production and to benefit cool and warm season grasses (e.g., by staggering haying season over a period of years) .

Riparian areas.  Management would encourage the natural succession of grasses and woody plants, which function to slow spring stream flows and reduce erosion. Examples may include fencing portions of the stream to restrict runoff from adjacent meadows; limiting grazing within the area to every other year during rapid grass growth; restricting grazing of riparian areas to minimize impact to leafing willows. 

Control structures.  Control structures would be constructed in streams where natural vegetation is unable to control accelerated erosion. Location of the structure would be at a site that has a natural overflow and a flat water-hold area upstream of structure. Fencing would exist around the earthen dam and stream immediately below structure for a minimum of 5 years or until vegetation has become reestablished.

Wetlands.  Wetlands would be restored to natural or legal elevation. Impact on neighboring land would not be allowed without written consent or easement. Wetlands with annual overflow will contain a control structure to allow for overflow.

Plantings.  Planting of native shrubs and trees, such as willows, plums, and chokecherry, would be supported.

Acquisition/Restoration.  Projects similar to Phase I (acquisition, restoration, resale to private sector) would be used when other management options are not possible.