OutdoorNebraska

he Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch is a tallgrass prairie passage and trail. It will build on Lincoln's nationally recognized trail and greenway system and link two of Lincoln and Lancaster County's premier environmental resource and education centers. It will follow the Haines Branch of Salt Creek from the Pioneers Park Nature Center to the Conestoga State Recreation Area (SRA) and then pass through the Village of Denton and on to the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center. Less than 1 percent of tallgrass prairie once found in the United States remains today, but Lincoln and Lancaster County have an opportunity to restore wildlife habitat and offer a unique tallgrass prairie experience. The Prairie Corridor is being implemented by a public/private partnership with most funds coming from grants and private donations. To view a list of partners, visit: prairiecorridor.org. This project will conserve and develop habitat through a voluntary, incentive-based approach. Tallgrass prairies, woodlands, wetlands and the stream corridor will be enhanced to provide valuable habitat for pollinators, grassland birds, and other native animals and plants. Habitat will be evaluated by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's School of Natural Resources to increase pollinator species and the diversity of plants and animals. This project also includes a 20-mile round-trip trail ride that will take people from Pioneers Park south through the Village of Denton to Spring Creek Prairie. An additional link to the west will connect to Conestoga SRA. The Prairie Corridor will benefit children and adults by building on the programs at the Pioneers Park Nature Center and Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center, and offering interpretive signage and interactive activities along the trail route. The Prairie Corridor began in 2013 with an award from the Nebraska Environmental Trust and funding from matching partners, including the Nebraska Wildlife Conservation Fund. Although this is a long-term project, early accomplishments include the: ● conservation of 492 acres ● development of habitat management plans and the completion of a phased prairie re-establishment on 38 acres of land ● completion of the first of nine trail segments at the north end of the corridor in Pioneers Park, and engineering for the second segment to make a connection to the west edge of Pioneers Park in 2016 For more information about the Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch project, contact Nicole Fleck-Tooze or Sara Hartzell at the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department at ntooze@lincoln. ne.gov or 402-441-8263 or shartzell@lincoln.ne.gov or 402-441- 8261, or visit prairiecorridor.org. ✔ h B p on Lincol T Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch 4 PHOTOS BY NICOLE FLECK-TOOZE Mike Bullerman from the Prairie Plains Resources Institute discusses the native prairie seed to be planted on the Prairie Corridor conservation property near Denton. The Prairie Corridor Technical Team assesses the virgin prairie on the Prairie Corridor conservation property at SW 84th and Kolbrook Road. By Nicole Fleck-Tooze, Lincoln Parks and Recreation, Special Projects Administrator Mike Bullerman from the Prairie Plains Resources Institute The Prairie Corridor Technical Team assesses the virgin prairie on

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