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GUIDE TO NEBRASKA'S WETLANDS
management. Management might include water-level
changes, tree removal, burning, prescribed grazing
and haying, and sediment removal. There is a need to
increase management assistance, especially to private
landowners.
Inventory — For many of Nebraska's wetland
complexes, our knowledge of the number and
distribution of wetlands is very limited. This is
especially true for many of our riparian, or streamside,
wetlands. Inventories need to be completed and/or
analyzed for these areas. National Wetland Inventory
maps for parts of Nebraska are based on aerial
photography from the early 1980s, and maps in these
areas need updating.
Research — There is a need to obtain better
information on how wetlands function. This is
especially true for some of the lesser-known wetland
complexes.
Education — Wetlands will be conserved only if we
all understand the benefi ts provided by wetlands.
Emphasis on, and support for, wetland education
needs to continue.
Participants in Girls, Inc., from Omaha, discover the wonder of
wetlands, including this freshwater mussel, at Two Rivers State
Recreation Area in Douglas County. Wetlands are great places to
explore and learn. AMBER SCHILTZ, NEBRASKA GAME AND PARKS COMMISSION
There is still a lot to learn about wetlands and the wildlife
that use them. Here researchers capture and place radio
transmitters on Trumpeter Swans in the Sandhills to learn more
about their habits and movements. MICHAEL FORSBERG
