16 Nebraska Game and Parks Commission • 2016 Annual Report
L E G A C Y P R O J E C T H A B I T A T A C C O M P L I S H M E N T S
The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project implements voluntary, incentive-based
conservation actions for the benefit of at-risk and common species. Sustainable
biodiversity conservation over the long term requires habitat improvement,
research and evaluation, and communication and education. The Legacy Project
addresses these components through an effective structure of partnerships and
by securing funding from external sources. Ground-level habitat improvements
are focused primarily in Biologically Unique Landscapes (BUL), which contain
relatively intact habitat and higher concentrations of declining species. The
most common actions to enhance and restore habitat include invasive species
removal, re-introducing natural disturbance such as prescribed fire and modifying
existing management tools such as grazing. Over the last three years, thanks
to the Nebraska Environmental Trust and State Wildlife Grant Funding from the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 159,345 acres were enhanced (97 percent private
land), 1,138 landowners were engaged in projects and ultimately habitat was
improved for 89 at-risk species.
BULL
ELK
SPAR
IN
A
PASTURE
NORTH
OF
THE
NIOBRARA
RIVER
SWIFT
FOXES
AT
OGLALA
NATIONAL
GRASSLANDS
