LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLERS COMPETE IN NATURAL RESOURCES COMPETITION PUT ON BY NATURAL RESOURCES DISTRICTS (NRDs)

The Upper Loup NRD would like to congratulate Mullen High School’s Envirothon Team on qualifying for the state competition. This is Mullen’s first appearance at the State Envirothon. Members include Liddy Vinton, Brittney Emerson, Brodie Baum, Morgan Rice, and Jessica Starr. Team members have interests in soils, range, and aquatics. The team is made up of Mullen FFA members that have experience competing in Agronomy and Range Judging. Good luck Mullen Envirothon Team!

(Scottsbluff, NE) Seventy high school students from across Nebraska are preparing to compete in the 25th annual Nebraska Envirothon on Wednesday, April 26th at the Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area in Gering, NE. Media is welcome to attend.

The natural resources competition tests high school students’ knowledge of Nebraska’s natural resources on topics of soil, aquatics, forestry, wildlife, range and policy. The competition also gives students an opportunity to create a proactive plan to solve an agricultural soil and water problem in Nebraska.

The Nebraska Envirothon demonstrates that no matter how young or old you may be, you can always make a difference in protecting people’s lives, property and the future of Nebraska’s natural resources.

“I’m always impressed with the knowledge and insight these students bring to this competition,” said Jim Johnson, Information and Education Committee chairman of the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD) Board of Directors. “It’s students like these that will make a positive impact in this world as we continue to conserve our natural resources.”

Teams consist of five members. Each team first competed in one of seven regional contests around the state. The winners of each region and the next seven overall highest scoring wildcard teams get the opportunity to compete at the state level. Test questions are not only written, but many require hands-on observations, measurements and calculations at the test sites.

This year there will be 12 schools and 14 teams competing at the State Envirothon. High schools participating are: Southern Valley, Sumner-Eddyville-Miller (SEM), Sidney, Norris, Ord, Concordia Team 1 and Team 2, Pender, St. Paul, Mullen, Burwell, Millard South, Aurora and Arapahoe High School.

The winning team will receive recognition from the NARD Foundation. They will then compete in the NCF Envirothon in July in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

The NARD is the annual sponsor of the Nebraska

Envirothon. The winning team receives $1,500 to go to their Envirothon program, second place receives $1,000 and third place receives $500. Each team member on the winning team is also awarded a $500 scholarship by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to be used towards a major in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at the university.

Other sponsors and supporters for this year’s Envirothon include: Smithfields Foods’ Omaha, Lincoln and Crete campuses, FYRA Engineering, Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), Midwest Laboratories, Nebraska Forest Service, Farm Credit Services of America, Platte River Recovery Implementation Program, HDR, Olsson Associates, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, FFA Foundation and University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources.

Please call Jeanne Dryburgh’s cell or Dave Wolf’s cell on April 26 and April 27 as she won’t be in the office those days. She’ll be at Wildcat Hills Recreation Area at 210615 NE-71, Gering, NE 69341. Again, her cell number is 402-416-5245. Or you can contact Dave Wolf, Public Relations Specialist for the North

Platte Natural Resources District at 308-660-5830.

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The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD), the trade association for Nebraska's 23 natural resources districts, works with individual NRDs to protect lives, protect property, and protect the future of Nebraska’s natural resources. These districts are unique to Nebraska. NRD’s are local government entities with broad responsibilities to protect our natural resources. Major Nebraska river basins form the boundaries of the 23 NRDs, enabling districts to respond best to local conservation and resource management needs. To learn more about Nebraska’s NRDs visit www.nrdnet.org. Or you can head to the Natural Resources Districts’ Facebook page at www.facebook.com or follow NARD’s Twitter page at www.twitter.com @nebnrd. NARD is located at 601 S. 12th St. Suite 201, Lincoln, Nebraska 68508. Email NARD at nard@nrdnet.org or call NARD at (402) 471-7670.

MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS GET CHANCE FOR ADVENTURE AND OUTDOOR EDUCATION THROUGH ACE CAMP

For Immediate Release

Contact: Desarae Catlett

Phone: (308) 645-2250

Email: ulnrd@upperloupnrd.org

Email: dcatlett@upperloupnrd.org

Middle School Students Get Chance for Adventure and Outdoor Education Through ACE Camp

Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts are excited to offer Adventure Camp about the Environment (ACE) again this year. The NRDs are encouraging middle school students interested in the outdoors, to sign up for this educational and action-packed camp.  ACE is for students who have completed 6th, 7th and 8th grades in the 2016-2017 school year.

ACE is hosted at the State 4-H Youth Camp near Halsey, Nebraska, Sunday, June 11^th through Wednesday, June 14^th.  It’s organized by Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts (NRD).

“The four-day adventure camp gives students an opportunity to dive into many different hands-on activities,” Anna Baum, general manager of the Upper Loup Natural Resources District said. “Each activity educates our youth on Nebraska’s water resources, wildlife, soil types, trees, range and grasslands.”

Students will also learn about the state’s wildlife and why it’s important to protect our natural resources.  ACE Camp gets kids outdoors and excited to explore the beautiful world around them.

Campers will also get the opportunity to go tubing, experience archery, zip line, build water rockets, and much more.  They’ll take home a better awareness of possible careers in natural resources from the professionals who work to conserve them every day.

Fees and registration are $190.00 per camper. Many NRDs offer full-ride scholarships for the four-day camp.  Contact your local Natural Resources District to see if assistance is available.  You’re encouraged to sign up early because space is limited. The registration deadline is May 26, 2017.

ACE is sponsored by Nebraska NRDs and Nebraska Association of Resources Districts Foundation.  Nebraska NRDs and the NARD partnered with several organizations to help make the camp a success including Nebraska National Forest, Bessey Nursery, Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, Nebraska Forest Service, Nebraska State 4-H Camp, Hooker County Turner Youth Foundation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Services.

To find out more information about ACE or to get a copy of a registration form, contact your local NRD or visit www.nrdnet.org or find us on Facebook at Adventure Camp about the Environment.

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The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD), the trade association for Nebraska's 23 natural resources districts, works with individual NRDs to protect lives, protect property, and protect the future of Nebraska’s natural resources. These districts are unique to Nebraska. NRD’s are local government entities with broad responsibilities to protect our natural resources. Major Nebraska river basins form the boundaries of the 23 NRDs, enabling districts to respond best to local conservation and resource management needs. To learn more about Nebraska’s NRDs visit www.nrdnet.org. Or you can head to the Natural Resources Districts’ Facebook page at www.facebook.com or follow NARD’s Twitter page at www.twitter.com @nebnrd. NARD is located at 601 S. 12^th St. Suite 201, Lincoln, Nebraska  68508.  Email NARD at nard@nrdnet.org or call NARD at (402) 471-7670.

WANTED: Weather Watchers

The Upper Loup NRD is in need of NeRAIN volunteers in all of our Counties (Grant, Hooker, Blaine, Brown, Cherry, Thomas, Logan, and McPherson). It only takes a few minutes a day to record measurements using backyard gauges provided to you at no cost. Some of you already collect this information on your own but you can now become part of the NeRAIN network that will affect local, state, and even National Weather Service reporting.

NeRAIN is an acronym that stands for the Nebraska Rainfall Assessment and Information Network. This is a project that records and monitors precipitation trends across the state and has been funded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust. Information gained is used for decision making in agriculture, industry, home water use, utility providers, insurance companies, resource managers, and educators. Nebraska has continued to battle drought in recent years and the NeRAIN project is one of many that help to expand our knowledge on the impact that precipitation events have on individual watersheds within Nebraska.

The Upper Loup NRD is providing participants with high quality precision rain gauges at no cost. In return, participants record precipitation measurements such as hail, rain and snow. Observers will also be asked to keep notes on storm details and characteristics and related weather conditions. The precipitation reports will be transmitted by computer using a web site designed to allow you to enter your precip data. For the data to be considered accurate and precise volunteers must understand that this is a long-term commitment of daily reporting.

To be a part of this unique project and to get your rain gauge contact the ULNRD office at 308-645-2250 and ask for Jake.

Boater Saftey Education

   Boating Safety Courses teach students how to safely operate a motorized boat while following all rules and regulations. Topics covered include navigation and safe operation, Nebraska laws, and emergency preparedness. Anyone born after December 31, 1985 is required to successfully complete a Boating Safety Course and possess a course certificate while operating a boat or personal watercraft. You must be at least 14 years of age to operate a motorboat or personal watercraft in Nebraska.
   A homestudy option boater safety course will be offered Saturday, April 29th from 9 am to 12pm CST at the ULNRD office. This course will require 3 hours of study prior to the 29^th . Study materials are available online. The session on the 29^th will then be a short review and test session. There is no fee to attend this training. Please preregister by April 21st by calling Kevin Bergstrom at 308-520-1031 or email kevin.j.bergstrom@nebraska.gov

Chemigation Training for 2017

Chemigation is the injection and application of agricultural chemicals into an irrigation system to be applied to soil, crops, or both. Several irrigators across our district use chemigation to apply fertilizers, pesticides, or fungicides to their fields. Chemigation insures that the rate of application is precise and the application timing is exactly when the plant needs it to maximize results.

A benefit of chemigation is that it can be used to apply nitrogen fertilizers. When this method is used, nitrate leaching is reduced as well as the possibility for nitrate contamination.

Chemigation also has its risks, including the protentional for accidental groundwater contamination through backflow into the well. Backflow happens when water and chemicals are siphoned back into the well when normal operations are interrupted. To avoid this contamination, the appropriate chemigation equipment and system must be set-up, operated and maintained. Without the right equipment, a chemigation permit will be denied.

State law requires that irrigators obtain a permit from the local Natural Resource District yearly before chemigation can begin. Permit fees are due by June 1 and expire at midnight May 31 the following year. To view the permit fees through the Upper Loup NRD please visit our website at www.upperloupnrd.org  or call the office at 308-645-2250.

New permits for wells must be inspected before a permit may be issued. If you will be putting in a new system, please contact Shane at 308-645-2250 to set up an appointment for inspection. Current chemigation systems need to be inspected every 3 years. The Upper Loup NRD will be mailing out renewal permits May 1, 2017 and are due back to the office NO LATER than June 1, if permits are not in the office by that date the operator will be considered non-compliant.

If you plan to apply chemicals, you MUST ATTEND one of the courses and pass a written exam to be certified. Certification is good for four years and can be renewed though a course. The local dates for chemigation training this year are:

Feb. 23, 9:00 AM @ Courthouse, Stapleton, contact Chuck Burr 308-696-6783

Feb. 27, 1:00 PM @ Custer County Fair Grounds, contact Troy Ingram 308-754-5422

Feb. 28, 1:00 PM @ West Central Res. & Ext Center, 402 West State Farm Rd, North Platte, contact Chuck Burr 308-696-6783

Mar. 1, 8:30 AM & 1:30 PM @ Extension Office, Alliance, contact John Thomas 308-762-5616

Mar. 10, 1:00 PM @ West Central Res & Ext Center, 402 West State Farm Road, contact Chuck Burr 308-696-6783