WILD NEBRASKA 
HABITAT PROGRAM

WILD Nebraska Cost Share Program                                                                                           
The Nebraska Game & Parks Commission has merged the following programs to consolidate the components to create one program called WILD Nebraska: 
    -Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP)
    -Wildlife Shelterbelt Program (WSP)
    -Wetland Initiative Program (WIP)
    -Roadside Seeding Program (RSP). 
Activities are grouped by habitat type: Wetlands, Grasslands and Woodlands.

**WETLAND PRACTICES--Drain closure, stream weir installation and vegetation management. GOALS: restore altered wetlands, conserve existing wetlands, encourage sound wetland stewardship and long-term sustainability, conserve wetland dependent plant and animal communities.

*GRASSLAND PRACTICES--Grass/forb establishment, planned grazing, legume/forb interseeding, prescribed burning, disking, prescribed haying/shredding, prescribed herbicide treatment.   
 GOALS: promote good land stewardship, conserve existing native grasslands, conserve large or aggregated grassland systems, emphasize long-term sustainability and conserve rare and vulnerable plant communities.

*WOODLANDS--Native woodland enhancement, riparian forest buffers, wildlife shelterbelts, native shrub plantings, woody vegetation management.                   
 GOALS: focus on habitat management opportunities in natural forest communities, utilize woody vegetation removal to restore native grassland and wetland habitats, provide opportunities to develop woody cover to enhance habitat and foster an appreciation of woodland communities.

A variety of other activities fall under WILD Nebraska including:  
 *    Hunting Habitat & Access      *    Rare/Unique Community Management    
*    Habitat Protection by Fence Construction               
*    Food-and-Cover Plot Establishment (will provide seed where available)

For those landowners interested in creating wildlife habitat, you may be eligible to receive:  
*Up to 100% cost share on habitat development materials materials    *Technical assistance   
*Transition payments on cropland conversions for 3-5 years of a 5 or 10-year contract
**Cost share for all activities is based on a percentage of the established county average cost.

To sign up for the above practices, contact:
 Kelly Cole, Central Platte NRD: (308) 385-6282 or
Laurel Badura, NE Game & Parks Commission: (308) 865-5332.

Corners For Wildlife 
This program is in cooperation with Pheasants Forever, Environmental Trust and the NRD. The Program gives landowners the option of enrolling in a program to help establish wildlife habitat on center pivot corners not capable of sustaining high yields when planted to row crops. 

Cover Practice #1:
 Landowners will select from one of 23 grass seed mixtures.  This cover practice will be seeded by May 15th of the first year of the contract.  Yearly rental payment is a maximum of $40.00 per acre.
Cover Practice #2:
Landowners adding 400 or more trees/shrubs to cover practice #1 will receive a rental payment of a maximum of $75.00 per acre.  A 75% cost-share rate is available for the 400+ trees/shrubs and planting, which will be completed by NRD personnel by June 1st.  Landowners can choose from among cedar/juniper trees and a wide variety of wildlife shrubs.

Project Payments: Projects will be inspected at least one-time per year to ensure compliance with project requirements. Following project inspection, rental payments will be made in five payments on the anniversary date of the planting and establishment of the project. (Planting in May 2005 will mean payment #1 is made May 2006.)

Payment #1 - payment for contract year l on the first anniversary date of planting and establishment of the project.
Payment #2 - payment for contract year 2 on the second anniversary date. Payment #3 - payment for contract years 3, 4 and 5 on the third anniversary date.

 Project Requirements:

  1. Landowners agree to pay 25% of material costs.
  2. Landowners are responsible for site or ground preparation and planting of the seed.
  3. Cover practices must be maintained for 5 years and may not be grazed, hayed or mowed.
  4. Two "Corners for Wildlife" signs are required to be posted on each project.
  5. Fabric weed barrier is available for tree plantings at a 50/50% cost share.
  6. Landowners are responsible for performing either mechanical, or chemical weed control of tree plantings 3 times per year for 5 years unless fabric weed barrier is applied to tree plantings.
  7. Violation of contract requirements could result in forfeiture of funds.
    **Pivot corners containing native grasses and/or trees are not eligible for the program as the object of the program is to establish wildlife habitat. Pivot corners on a four-way intersection are not eligible for safety reasons.**

Your staff contact on this subject is Kelly Cole.

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