Education
University of Nebraska School of Technical Ag.
Volunteer experience
Groundwater Management District Association (Past President)
Groundwater management education and costshare assistance for agricultural producers and community officals. Some regulations may be needed but only with community support. Soil conservation is best accomplished through costshare assistance. Traditional practices such as terraces and waterways have proven very successful. Improved farming practices such as no-till have also proven to save soil and reduce sediment issues in streams and lakes.
Flood control is critical to LPS watershed. Green space along creeks can be affective to stop flood damage. Dams are also effective in protecting high value lands and facilities. Green
space and flood control dams also provide recreation opportunities and wildlife habitat. Drought management is a very difficult issue to address. Education on methods of water conservation can help with drought issues.
When flood control involves construction of dams. There are several factors involved to determine the appropriate secondary uses when public funds are used it would seem appropriate to allow other public use. In some cases private funding provides considerable contribution to a project. These funds need to be considered.
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Education
B.S. Biology, Marquette University. B.S. Biological Systems Engineering, Iowa State University. M.S. Environmental Science, West Texas A&M University
Volunteer experience
Lincoln Public Schools. Friends of Wilderness Park. Lincoln Earth Day. Adopt-A-Highway Program. Prairie Plains Institute Youth Naturalist Program.
Specific solutions to help improve water quality and quantity include assistance programs for well decommissioning, cover crops, vegetative filter strips, conservations easements, installation of water and fertilizer meters, soil sampling, tree-planting, wellhead protection planning for safe drinking water, and landscaping projects that improve stormwater flow. Educational programming for both youth and adults is essential for the long- and short-term success of these efforts.
Holding water and soil in the uplands of the watersheds and promoting healthy soils helps to buffer the impacts of both drought and excess rainfall. Measures that can be taken to promote healthy soils and hold water and soil in the uplands include assistance for best management practices such as cover crops, filter strips, terraces, grassed waterways, diversions, and water/sediment control basins. Through partnership programs with federal and state agencies, cities and towns, the NRD can leverage funds for watershed planning, drinking water protection, and cost-share assistance for these best management practices.
To assure public access to recreation for flood control projects, tools may be utilized such as conservation easements and cooperative agreements with partner agencies.
