NRD Certifying No More Acres

McCook –The Middle Republican Natural Resources District will no longer certify irrigated acres for the current allocation period. The decision was made at the January Board of Directors Meeting in McCook. The board has continued receiving requests for additional certified acres long after the deadline. Director Stan Moore said, “The rules required all acres were to be certified by January 1, 2004.” In addition, the board decided that the appropriate time for landowners to request changes in certified acres was prior to each allocation period. The next allocation period starts in 2008. Irrigators who wish to make changes in their certified acres can ask for a variance at that time.

The agenda for the upcoming Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD) Legislative Conference was circulated. Directors Anderjaska, Dodson, Moore, Wertz, Roberts, and Spencer will be attending the conference in Lincoln, along with some District staff members. The conference will provide the directors an opportunity to meet with area senators. Additionally, Manager Dan Smith and Directors Haag, Fornoff, and Wertz will be meeting with Governor Heineman on January 17 in Lincoln.

Six Directors are up for re-election in 2006, including Dodson, Fornoff, Hoyt, Peters, Roberts, and Wertz. Roberts indicated that he does not plan on filing for re-election. The filing deadline is February 15 for incumbents and March 1 for non-incumbents.

District Conservationist Doug Whisenhunt reviewed NRCS activity. NRCS is still under a hiring freeze. The first EQIP signup was completed November 30. The second EQIP signup will end February 28, 2006. A total of 137 applications have been received for the first signup in 2006. There are still funds available from NRCS to change acres from irrigated to dryland. Whisenhunt added that there are currently approximately 150 CREP applications approved. Whisenhunt told the board that a Prescribed Burn School is scheduled to be held in Curtis on March 1,2006. Additionally, the Loess Canyon Range Alliance (LCRA) has gathered equipment and will begin working on the black line for Pilcher’s burn north of Curtis.

Information and Education Coordinator Gall reviewed plans for the upcoming Envirothon contest. A training session for high school students is scheduled for North Platte on February 1. The contest itself will take place February 22 at NCTA in Curtis. Plans are also underway for the Southwest Nebraska Water Conference. The Conference will be held Wednesday, March 8 in McCook.

The next regular meeting will be on February 14 at the NRD Office in Curtis at 1:30 p.m.

Full text of the meeting minutes, kept current, is available during regular business hours at the NRD office in Curtis or on the web at www.mrnrd.org.

January 12, 2006