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Nebraska's Natural
Resources Districts- |
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The 23 NRDs: Central Platte Lewis & Clark Little Blue Lower Big Blue Lower Elkhorn Lower Loup Lower Niobrara Lower Platte North Lower Platte South Lower Republican Middle Niobrara Middle Republican Nemaha North Platte Papio-Missouri River South Platte Tri-Basin Twin Platte Upper Big Blue Upper Elkhorn Upper Loup Upper Niobrara White Upper Republican
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Nebraska’s NRDs are unique in the nation. Because NRDs are based on watershed basins such as county lines, they are equipped to deal with a broad range of natural resources issues. The result has been a wide variety of innovative projects and programs, uniquely tailored for the areas they serve. History Prior to the creation of the NRD system in 1972, responsibilities for soil and water conservation were split between hundreds of special-purpose conservation districts, which suffered from funding problems and overlapping authority. To streamline Nebraska’s approach to conservation, LB 1357 was introduced in the 1969 Unicameral by Senators Maurice Kremer of Aurora, C.F. Moulton and George Syas of Omaha, and Herb Nore of Genoa. The bill merged or eliminated most of the existing special-purpose districts, creating new multipurpose districts in their place that would have the funding and authority to deal with a broad range of natural resources issues. After the passage of LB1357, the senators spent three years working with the existing conservation districts and other interested parties to hammer out the details of the new system. Realizing that natural resources issues didn’t respect artificial political boundaries such as county lines, they decided to take an innovative approach. NRDs would be based on the major river basins in the state, but still governed by locally-elected boards of directors. This approach combined the flexibility of local government with a broader watershed approach to conservation. NRDs were also given the authority to collect property taxes, which helped alleviate the funding difficulties that plagued the earlier special purpose districts. The NRD concept proved somewhat controversial, and had to survive a last-minute court challenge before the 1972 launch date. However, the Nebraska Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the NRD legislation and the districts were officially formed on July 1, 1972. Within the framework of 12 statutory responsibilities assigned to NRDs, each district set its own priorities according to local needs. At first, most NRDs simply continued programs begun by the previous soil and water conservation districts: primarily tree planting, flood control, and land treatment. Gradually, though, NRDs evolved into the multipurpose districts envisioned by their founders, becoming involved in groundwater management, outdoor recreation, and other programs. Today, this unique system of locally-controlled, tax-funded, watershed-based conservation is widely admired throughout the nation. The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD) provides administrative services, legislative representation, and statewide communication and coordination to the 23 independent districts. For more information about Nebraska’s unique NRD system, contact NARD at 402-471-7670 or visit their website at: www.nrdnet.org. Click here to view map of all 23 NRDs.
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