UNL Extension seeks NeRAIN volunteers

Nebraska

Several hundred weather watchers are needed in Nebraska to help monitor daily precipitation trends as a part of the Nebraska Rainfall Assessment and Information Network, or NeRAIN.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension is working with the state's Department of Natural Resources and Natural Resource Districts on the project that records and monitors precipitation trends across the state, said Al Dutcher, UNL state climatologist. Information then is used for decision making in agriculture, industry, home water use, utility providers, insurance companies, resource managers and educators.

"Currently, several hundred volunteers are monitoring precipitation, but several hundred more are needed," said Dutcher, who is coordinating the effort for the Lower Platte South NRD.

A Nebraska Environmental Trust fund grant to the state's DNR and NRDs allowed for expansion of the precipitation monitoring to NRDs not previously covered under the prior program grant, Dutcher said. Volunteers are needed in the following NRDs: Upper, Middle, and Lower Niobrara; Upper and Lower Elkhorn; Lewis and Clark; Papio-Missouri River; Lower Platte North and South; and Nemaha.

"With Nebraska continuing to battle drought conditions that have lasted in excess of six years, the NeRAIN project will help to expand our knowledge on the impacts that precipitation events have on individual watersheds within Nebraska," he said.

Those interested in spending a few minutes each day recording daily measurements of precipitation using backyard rain gauges provided by local NRDs should contact their local NRD office, their local NRD coordinator or visit the NeRAIN website at http://dnrdata.dnr.ne.gov/NeRAIN/.

NeRAIN coordinators are:

--Upper Niobrara White NRD: Rachel Weatherly, 308-432-6190, weatherly@unwnrd.org;

--Middle Niobrara NRD: Mike Murphy, 402-346-3241;

--Lower Niobrara NRD: Duane Filsinger, 402-775-2343, dfilsinger@nntc.net;

--Lewis & Clark NRD: Terry Julesgard, 402-254-6758, terryj@hartell.net;

--Papio-Missouri NRD: Sonya Jungjohann, 402-444-6222, intern@papionrd.org;

--Upper Elkhorn NRD: Tyler Tylrnaprstek, 402-336-3867, tnaprstek@uenrd.org;

--Lower Elkhorn NRD: Steph McCarthy, 402-371-7313, smccarthy@lenrd.org;

--Lower Platte North NRD: Larry Angle, 402-443-4675, langle@lpnrd.org;

--Lower Platte South NRD: Al Dutcher, 402-472-5206, adutcher1@unl.edu;

--Nemaha NRD: Mark McDonald, 402-335-3325, mcdonald@nemahanrd.org.

The ultimate goal of NeRAIN is to have one volunteer per township, with higher densities in metropolitan areas, Dutcher said. Project coordinators will make the final determination as to who is selected as a volunteer, along with spatial density of observers within their resource district.

Volunteers will be asked to participate in a 60 to 90 minute training session that includes proper measurement techniques, locating rain gauge sites for maximum exposure, and how to submit precipitation observations. Training session dates will be determined after a final list of volunteers is determined.

UNL Extension is in the university's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Date: 5/22/06

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