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Nebraska: Equal Opportunity Partnering Renews the Face of the Prairie
If you work with prairie restoration in Nebraska—in either the public or
private sector—chances are you have worked with Michael Kelly to add a
conservation practice or system somewhere on his 20,000 plus acres of owned and
leased land in the southern Nebraska Sandhills.
The list of practices Kelly has tackled reads like a conservation catalogue for
prairie ranching: Seven miles of cross fencing, 11 livestock water wells, 7500+
feet of livestock water pipeline, 12 new windmills, 19 livestock water tanks,
11,000 trees for livestock and wildlife windbreaks, rotational grazing.
Kelly and his wife, Cynthia, third generation owners of the ranch, have worked
with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Nature Conservancy,
Sandhills Task Force, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and Central
Nebraska Public Power, among others.
Why so many organizations? Is this their unique way of meeting people, given the
vast expanses of their ranch? Only partly, Kelly says. “Partnerships help me
financially do things I couldn’t afford to do myself. Improving…forage
production, restoring riparian areas along the North Platte and Birdwood Creek,
enhancing wildlife habitat and protecting the water quality…are things I wanted
to do…they are the right things to do,” he explains.
Their many partners agreed. In January the Kellys were chosen from among the
many exemplary regional winners, as the national winner of the Environmental
Stewardship Award.
Rancher’s Quote: “Because the native grasslands on our ranches have
improved under our rotational grazing systems, we believe we provide ample
proof, along with other sustainable producers, that properly managed livestock
can benefit our native grasslands.” –Michael Kelly
NRCS Quote: “Mr. Kelly has taken the time and put forth the effort to
understand the natural resources on his ranch. …He is a committed life long
learner willing to change with the times. He passes this ethic on to his
children…frequently including them in opportunities to learn from resource
professionals visiting the ranch.”--Jeffrey Nichols, Rangeland Management
Specialist
Conservation At-A-Glance: 1) Model of partnership and conservation
outreach; 2) prescribed grazing (rotational); 3) windbreak plantings; 4)
restoration of cottonwood savanna; 5) fencing; 6) watering facilities (wells,
waterlines, and tanks); 7) 12 windmills; 8) conservation easement
NRCS Program Participation: NRCS Conservation Technical Assistance,
Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program
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