BRD scientists are assisting other U.S. Geological Survey staff in developing and implementing a wetlands study in central Nebraska. The rivers under study include the North and South Platte and their major tributaries from western Nebraska to the Missouri River. The wetlands associated with these rivers are critically important for many species of migratory birds, including sandhill cranes, ducks and shorebirds, and endangered species. The Conservation Reserve Program was established as a visionary program to take acres of marginal farmland out of production and enhance its value as food and cover for wildlife. The BRD cooperates in a number of integrated studies to identify the benefits of this program to ducks, hawks, songbirds, and pheasants.
Results are of interest to hunters, farmers, and conservation groups.
Scotts Bluff National Monument will serve as a research site for BRD and National Park Service scientists testing methods for mapping the vegetation in the park. Private organizations, including the Environmental Systems Research Institute and The Nature Conservancy , assisted in developing the methods and standards for this project. Ultimately, under the USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program, the National Park Service and the BRD will develop a vegetation map for each of our National Parks for use in planning and making management decisions.