News

News

Student's soil health project on display at NRD

Student's soil health project on display at NRD

When local student Alex Morner was searching online for interesting topics for a science fair in spring 2021, information about soil health and erosion caught his eye. Morner’s family grows corn and soybeans near McCool and have implemented soil health practices including cover crops and no-till. When he saw instructions for a rainfall simulation...Read More

​Catch and Release

​Catch and Release

Youth fishing clinic held at Recharge Lake

 
Teaching kids to love nature can be a challenge in this digital age, but Mary Kay Wolf, a volunteer youth fishing instructor with Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, is giving it her best shot. She’s been working with youth across the state for five years to encourage them to do more...Read More

Burke Scholars Named

Burke Scholars Named

Upper Big Blue NRD Awards Scholarships to District Residents


The board of directors of the Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District has named Alena Carlson of Aurora, Blake Frink of Hastings, and Makennen Havlat of Seward as the 2021 recipients of Burke scholarships. Keeley Conrad of York was named as the alternate for the award...Read More

Educational Garden Project Awarded Grant from NRD

Educational Garden Project Awarded Grant from NRD

The board of directors of the Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District has recently approved a $1,900 grant for Cross County Public Schools for the creation of a sensory garden. The purpose of the Educational Capital Projects Fund is to create, develop, or enhance natural resources related educational capital projects that create experiential...Read More

​A Visit to Teal View

​A Visit to Teal View

Public Wetland Education Area Under Development

The sun is shining and frogs are chorusing their songs on a breezy day in May in a field in Hamilton County, about five miles north of Hampton, Nebraska. Spring rains have saturated a low area in what was previously a cornfield. Beetles creep through the lush vegetation, an early Monarch...Read More

What’s Water Worth?

What’s Water Worth?

In an era of extreme weather, growers across the globe are more focused than ever on adequate irrigation to sustain crops through periods of drought. Severe drought can threaten a farmer’s livelihood, as it leads to crop damage and reduced yield.

While everyone recognizes that water is valuable, it is challenging to come up with a...Read More

Pediatric Cancer Study Looks for Possible Link to Common Water Contaminants

Pediatric Cancer Study Looks for Possible Link to Common Water Contaminants

By Erinn Wilkins, NRD Water Technician


Why is the rate of cancer in children so high in Nebraska?

The Upper Big Blue NRD is partnering with the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) to conduct a groundwater quality study on domestic wells to see if elevated levels of common agricultural...Read More

Vadose Zone Study Examines What Lies Beneath

Vadose Zone Study Examines What Lies Beneath

The soil under your feet can tell you a lot about the quality of the water hundreds of feet below. A new research collaboration between the Upper Big Blue NRD and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will focus on measuring indicators in the vadose zone across the district. The vadose zone is the area beneath the plant root zone and above the...Read More

District Water Levels Rise

District Water Levels Rise

During March and April 2021, NRD staff measured roughly 500 observation wells throughout the district. The goal of these well measurements is to determine an average water level change for the district, based on a weighted change from each well.  For spring 2021 water level measurements, the NRD has determined that the average groundwater...Read More

Soil Health Still GROWing in Demonstration Fields

Soil Health Still GROWing in Demonstration Fields

Now in its fourth year, the Project GROW (Growing Rotational crops on Wellfield) demonstration fields on the City of York wellfield are trying something new: alfalfa and sorghum. 

The five-year collaboration between the city and the NRD involves farming 120 acres using soil health practices including diverse crop rotations, cover...Read More

Pages