OutdoorNebraska

17 • Improve habitat on private lands surrounding high priority WMAs to maximize pheasant popula on responses to WMA improvements • For WMAs that are not high priori es for pheasant management, manage to the strengths of each WMA such that wildlife produc on and quality hun ng opportuni es are op mized (this may or may not include managing for pheasants, depending on the area) Tactics Con nue the WMA Early Successional Ini a ve, with the goal of rese ng succession (through herbicide treatment, disking, or other managed disturbance) to the annual weed stage on 25% of the llable acres available on WMAs each year (more than 37,000 acres were so treated in 2014) Con nue to conduct more intensive management (e.g., crea on of early successional habitats, improving grasslands through invasive tree and cool-season grass removal, etc.) for pheasant habitat on the 17 WMAs selected as part of our Focus on Pheasants and Focus on Quail programs (more than 11,000 acres were so managed in 2014) Con nue the Habitat Share program in coopera on with Pheasants Forever and other conserva on partners (nearly 2,000 acres on 28 WMAs were managed through Habitat Share in 2014), and grow the program to its financial and logis cal limits Con nue to develop agreements with non-NGPC en es owning WMA lands to more efficiently manage those lands for pheasants and other grassland wildlife Con nue our partnership with Pheasants Forever to manage several WMAs in central Nebraska, and look for other poten al opportuni es to expand that model elsewhere Con nue to iden fy addi onal NGPC-owned lands (State Parks, State Recrea on Areas, and trails) where pheasant habitat could be created or improved Begin to secure Nebraska Environmental Trust and other outside funding for key habitat work (e.g., a project focusing on providing pheasant, quail, and pollinator habitat on public and private lands) Begin construc on of a spa al assessment tool capable of more reliably iden fying areas where addi onal habitat management is likely to yield the greatest results Begin discon nuing use of food plot seed treated with neonic noid insec cides where untreated seed can be obtained, such that risks to pheasants and the food supply for their chicks (i.e., insects) are minimized Begin discon nuing the plan ng of Canada wild rye due to its poten al to cause nocardia and similar infec ons in dogs Assess the feasibility of alterna ve approaches to expanding our capacity to accomplish work on WMAs (traveling work crews, "Adopt a WMA" programs, etc.) Assess the apparent suitability of current and addi onal WMAs to be included in the Focus on Pheasants and Focus on Quail programs based on WMA size, surrounding landscape condi on, and available staff and funding, and adjust priori es accordingly Assess the feasibility of an upland game focus area spanning public and private lands in the Pla e River valley

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