ULNRD Offers Trees and Shrubs for Fall Planting

Fall is an ideal time for planting trees and shrubs.  The soil is warmer now than in the spring, and there's still time for roots to get established before the snow flies. Roots can grow in soil as cold as 40 degrees, and soil remains warm long after the air temperature drops.  By planting in a cooler time of year, the root growth will be ready to take up water during our hot spring temperatures. When leaves unfurl and expand, the increased roots are better able to access the reservoir of water, and the stress of transplanting is drastically reduced.  You will need to plant trees and shrubs now through mid-October.

This year, Bessey Nursery has a wide variety of small potted plants and shrubs that will be available for fall planting.  Some of the species include; Colorado blue spruce, several pine varieties, Silver Maple, Amur Maple, Red Oak, Bur oak, American Hazelnut, Buffalo Berry, Sand Cherry, Snowberry and several more.  For more information on the available species and container sizes available you can contact the Upper Loup NRD at 308-645-2250.  The NRD will take orders now through Tuesday October 13^th.

We recommend following these planting tips. 1) Do not amend the soil or add compost into the planting hole. This is especially crucial for trees and larger shrubs. If the soil in the planting hole is much more nutrient-rich than the surrounding soil, the roots won't want to spread beyond it and will grow in circles instead of out like a web. This will cause the plant to become less stable. Adding compost as a top dressing is fine, as it will work its way down.  2)  Do not fertilize the tree or shrub. Since it is fall, we do not want to encourage foliage to grow, as it will only weaken the plant and take energy away from root establishment. The best time to fertilize is in the spring.  3) Do not prune the tree or shrub. Pruning encourages new growth, which has the same detrimental effects in the fall as fertilizer (above).  Adding a rooting hormone, which encourages only roots to grow, not foliage, is fine. 4) Press the soil down lightly, but do not stomp it down. You will want air pockets so rain can get through, roots can grow, and worms can do their jobs. 5) Mulch around the planting hole, at least two inches. You do not want to mound it up to look like a volcano. Keep the mulch from directly touching the trunk(s) or stem(s).  6) Lastly, don’t forget to water newly planted trees or shrubs, daily, until the ground freezes (generally early December). Trees and shrubs are thirsty, big drinkers. Not watering them properly is a big mistake, especially in fall when they really need to establish roots in a short time.

Upper Loup NRD Recycle Update

From April 1 to June 30, 2015, the Upper Loup NRD has recycled 43,560 pounds of materials! This amount of materials has impacted the environment in multiple ways. The illustration below demonstrates the positive outcomes that originated from our recycling efforts. Thank you to the community for your continued support in making our recycling program successful!

Upper Loup Natural Resources District Receives Grant from Nebraska Environmental Trust

The Upper Loup Natural Resources District announced that it will receive $103,000 from the Nebraska Environmental Trust for the “Investigating the Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Groundwater Discharge in the Loup River Basin” project. The Trust Board announced funding for the project at its meeting on April 2, 2015 in Lincoln. This is the first year of award with a potential for 2^nd and 3^rd year funding totaling $95,000 and $110,000 respectively.

The Upper Loup and Lower Loup Natural Resources Districts requested funds to facilitate the collection of airborne thermal infrared data, purchase of additional instrumentation to measure and record groundwater levels and temperature, and to oversee a study to enhance the understanding of spatial and temporal characteristics of groundwater/surface-water interaction in the Loup River basin. Additional information is needed for the management and development of water resources to sustain supplies needed for agriculture, fish and wildlife, recreation, and domestic uses.

Streams in the Loup River basin are sensitive to consumptive groundwater use because of the close hydrologic connection between groundwater and surface water. Four stream reaches, totaling approximately 320 river miles, have been identified by the project sponsors as priority streams where additional groundwater/surface-water interaction information is needed. Over these reaches airborne thermal imagery will be collected and used to map stream surface temperatures to identify thermal anomalies, which may be indicative of focused groundwater discharge. Airborne thermal data will be verified with continuous water-temperature logging at existing stream-gaging stations and with self-logging thermistors.

Mapped thermal anomalies will be investigated with a variety of techniques including water temperature, potentiomanometer, and seepage meter measurements. Within four stream reaches, four coupled groundwater/surface-water gages will be instrumented at existing stream-gaging stations. Coupled groundwater/surface-water gages consist of a streamgage coupled with an observation well that has been completed below the elevation of the streambed and instrumented with a water-level recorder. The information provided by a network of coupled gaging stations will allow scientists and managers to analyze streamflow and groundwater discharge patterns, both temporally and spatially.

Registration Open for 2015 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 2014-2015 school year.

ACE is hosted at the State 4-H Youth Camp near Halsey, Nebraska, Sunday, June 14^th through Wednesday, June 17^th.  It is organized by Nebraska Natural Resources Districts (NRDs).

The four-day adventure camp gives students an opportunity to dive into many different hands-on activities. Each activity educates our youth on Nebraska’s water resources, different soil types, trees in the forest, and 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.

That’s not all! Campers may be seen grinning ear to ear after experiencing other adventurous activities such as tubing, archery, zip line, water rockets, and the legendary water slide!  Campers will get to learn about possible careers in the area of natural resources from the professionals who work to conserve them every day.

Fees and registration are $190.00 per camper. The Upper Loup NRD offers five full scholarships to cover the cost of camp for students who live within in the district boundaries.  For more information contact the NRD office at 308-645-2250, or you can find the ACE brochure and a scholarship application on our website at www.upperloupnrd.org/camps-scholarships/ Please sign up early because space is limited. The registration deadline is May 31, 2015.

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.

Groundwater Rules and Regulations Updates

A full copy of the proposed Groundwater Rules and Regulations will be posted on our website by the middle of January.  Here is a summary of the changes to Upper Loup NRD’s current rules and regs which the public hearing will be on in February:

• Variance application fee increase to 50 dollars
• Addition of Rule 9 which covers “complaints” against landowners or operator’s within the District
• The requirement that all industrial and commercial well applications must provide a hydrological evaluation showing a 20 year potential impact of the withdrawal to water quality and quantity to both ground and surface water users in the District
• No high capacity wells will be allowed to be drilled within 300 feet from an existing active domestic well
• Flowmeters will be required on all high capacity wells in sub-district 5 by May 1 of 2017, in sub-district 4 by May 1, 2018 and sub-districts 1-3 by May 1 of 2020
• Transfer permit fee increase to
• The Board reserves the right to approve less than 2500 acres annually at the June Board meeting
• A minimum score of 15 points (out of 70) will be required on an irrigated acre ranking sheet before the application will be considered for approval
• Application period to apply for new groundwater irrigated acres shall be during the months of July, August and September
• A maximum of 260 irrigated acres per individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, or other entity or trust will be allowed per application period for expanded irrigated acres 
• Chemigation permit fee changes - renewal 30 dollars, new 60 dollars, special 60.00 dollars and emergency 250 dollars
• The Board reserves the right to establish a subarea, place a temporary moratorium on new acres in that area as well as begin hydrological studies in efforts to prevent any potential groundwater quantity problems