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Restored wetland provides landowner many benefitsLandowner creates recreational haven through WRP Nebraska Randy Hoff, a businessman from Wisconsin, was looking for his own little slice of heaven. He found it in Rock County, Neb. An avid outdoorsman and wildlife enthusiast, Hoff wanted a large piece of property that he could use for hunting and recreation. But more than just having a place to hunt, Hoff wanted a place he could restore back to its natural state and would provide exceptional wildlife habitat. Hoff found what he was looking for when over 1,600 acres that had recently been enrolled into the Wetlands Reserve Program came up for sale. WRP is a program available from the Natural Resources Conservation Service that works with private landowners to restore and enhance wetlands on their property. Participating landowners can establish permanent or 30-year conservation easements, or can enter into restoration cost-share agreements where no easement is involved. The property Hoff purchased had a permanent WRP conservation easement attached to it, which matched Hoff's goals. He wanted to not only keep the property functioning as a wetland permanently; he wanted to fully restore the wetland and the surrounding upland acres. "My goal is to have the best carrying capacity for wildlife possible. This property has so much potential for wildlife habitat, and I want to help it reach its full potential," Hoff said. Jerry Kovarik, district conservationist at the NRCS office in O'Neill, Neb., has been working closely with Hoff. Kovarik has seen the property make several transitions over the past 20 years, but is happy Hoff wants it fully restored. "WRP will ensure this land remains in its natural state, which will provide wildlife habitat, flood control and water quality to the area," Kovarik said. To design Hoff's wetland restoration plan NRCS assembled a "bioengineering" team or a team of experts from different conservation agencies. Kovarik's team included Bill Vodehnal with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Mark Lindval with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "By working as a team and sharing our expertise we can create the best plan for the landowner and the resource," Kovarik said. The wetland restoration plan designed for Hoff's property included plugging the old drainage ditches used to drain the wetlands. Water control structures were then installed to help regulate the depth of the water held in the wetlands. "Controlling water depth is an important wetland management tool when it comes to controlling vegetation or waterfowl use. Water control structures give the landowner control and help mimic the way a wetland's water level would fluctuate naturally. It's a natural function for wetlands to periodically go dry, which is something we might incorporate into our wetland management plan," Vodehnal said. Hoff is doing his part to make sure the wetland acres are fully functioning. Since the land had previously been irrigated cropland there are two irrigation wells on the property. Hoff uses the wells to pump water into the wetlands when there isn't adequate precipitation to fill them. He has also planted food plots to attract wildlife, planted shrubs for wildlife cover and installed wood duck boxes. And Hoff has much more planned. "I want to do whatever I can to restore this area," Hoff said Hoff has already seen positive results on his property. The amount of wildlife using his land has greatly increased. During a brief tour of the WRP site several pheasant, deer, and ducks were seen. Prior to being enrolled into WRP the property had been in the Conservation Reserve Program for several years. No haying or grazing was allowed under CRP's rules. This resulted in the invasion of eastern red cedar and cottonwood trees and poor grassland quality causing the land to loose wildlife habitat potential. To help improve the property's upland acres Hoff wanted to implement an intensive grazing plan. The bioengineering team drew up a compatible use agreement which allows cattle to graze the WRP property. Unlike other conservation easement programs WRP contracts can have compatible use agreements allowing practices to occur that don't reduce the wetland function of the property. According to Kovarik, grazing the property will actually help improve the grass' condition. "Cattle will graze and trample down some of the grass and litter. That will help open up the grass stand, allow better weed control, increase species diversity and create more competition between grass species," Kovarik said. As part of the compatible use agreement the team developed a planned grazing system which will ensure that the cattle do not overgraze the property. The property is divided into five pastures. Only three pastures are grazed in one growing season. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission through a Nebraska Environmental Trust Fund grant installed cross fence to create the pastures used in the rotational grazing system. Rotational grazing allows the pasture to rest and recover before the cattle come back around to graze it again in about 120 days. Another improvement that is being considered for the property is the removal of some of the trees that have invaded the wetland acres. According to Vodehnal, this would greatly increase the amount of waterfowl using the wetland. "Most waterfowl and water birds like wide open spaces, so fewer trees adjacent to a wetland would make the area more attractive to waterfowl. Generally, for every acre of wetland you need three to four acres of upland grasslands to provide suitable waterfowl habitat. Trees provide a roost for predatory birds and cover for other predators. It's difficult for a lot of landowners to think about removing trees as a benefit to their property. But in a prairie habitat, it's critical," Vodehnal said. Hoff wants to see both deer and ducks using his property, which can create a wildlife management challenge, according to Vodehnal. "Managing for waterfowl entails managing for a grassland and wetland system. Managing for big game entails managing for more woodland acres. The challenge is finding the right balance," Vodehnal said. Hoff admits that he is not a wildlife or land management expert, but he has a deep desire to make his little slice of heaven all it can be. Hoff said, "These guys have been great to work with. Their help has been critical in helping making this land function like it used to. It wouldn't look like this or be this full of wildlife with out their help." Those interested in the Wetlands Reserve Program should contact their local Natural Resources Conservation Service. Applications will be accepted at any time, but landowners and operators are encouraged to sign up before March 15, 2008. For more information about WRP and other programs offered by NRCS visit www.ne.nrcs.usda.gov/programs. 3/10/08 Date: 3/4/08 Advertisement
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