OutdoorNebraska

28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 GUIDE TO NEBRASKA'S WETLANDS in the Conservation Reserve Program for wetlands. Ducks Unlimited also has worked with landowners to restore several playas. Website: nrcs.usda.gov, search "wetland reserve easements." Contacts The Playa Lakes Joint Venture is a multistate partnership for wetland and bird conservation that covers portions of western Nebraska. Contact the Playa Lakes Joint Venture coordinator, 2675 N. Park Drive, Suite 208, LaFayette, CO 80026, (303) 926-0777. Other contacts include the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission offi ce in North Platte, (308) 535- 8025, or Alliance, (308) 763-2940. Select Public Use Areas None TODD VALLEY Profi le The complex is split into two regions. The region south of the Platte River is in an ancient valley of the Platte River (termed the Todd Valley) that runs northwest to southeast through part of Saunders County (Lueninghoener 1947). The valley has partially fi lled with sand deposits and fi ne, windblown loess soils after the river moved to its present location. The region north of the Platte River is located on an ancient fl oodplain terrace between the Platte River and Shell Creek and along Logan Creek. Todd Valley wetlands occupy small, clay-lined, closed depressions located in loess soils. They are mostly fresh-water, seasonally and temporarily fl ooded wetlands that receive most of their water from runoff. Loss and Threats Losses within this wetland complex have not been quantifi ed. However, examination of soil maps and wetland maps, combined with limited site visits, suggest that many Todd Valley wetlands have been altered or eliminated. These losses have been caused by concentration pits, drainage and road ditches, tile lines, and in some areas by agricultural drainage wells that drain water into the underlying sand layers. The principal threat facing Todd Valley wetlands is continued conversion to agricultural production. Benefi ts Todd Valley wetlands provide benefi ts like those of Rainwater Basin wetlands. Because the individual wetlands tend to be smaller than Rainwater Basin wetlands, and the total complex size is smaller, overall, they do not attract concentrations of migratory waterbirds as large as the Rainwater Basin wetlands do but may be proportionally similar. A recent study did document use of these wetlands by 26 waterfowl species, 24 shorebird species and 13 waterbird species (Jorgensen and Brenner 2020). Little is known about the hydrologic functions of the Todd Valley wetlands. Conservation Success Stories As with our other playa wetland complexes, there are USDA programs available to help restore playas and several landowners have participated in these programs. More work is needed to try and fi nd the best program options for landowners in this area. There were several playa wetlands restored on the east side of Lake Wanahoo. The Wilkinson Wildlife Management Areas is an excellent wetland that was restored through the work of the Todd Valley Wetland Association. Website: nrcs.usda.gov, search "wetland reserve easements". Contacts Nebraska Game and Parks Commission offi ce in Lincoln, (402) 471-5561, or Norfolk, (402) 370-3374. Select Public Use Areas • Wilkinson WMA, 2 miles south of Platte Center; not a playa wetland, but adjacent to some. Platte County. • Lake Wanahoo, 2 miles north of Wahoo; has several small playas on the east side. Saunders County. A monarch caterpillar feeds on swamp milkweed fl owers in a small wetland at Bobcat prairie in Lancaster County. DAKOTA ALTMAN, PLATTE BASIN TIMELAPSE

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