Inventory for Endangered, Threatened, and Rare Plant and Animal Species Within the Floodplain Corridor of the Middle Loup River Basin

Authors

Nebraska Natural Heritage Program, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

Date of this Version

1996

Document Type

Technical Report

Citation

Nebraska Natural Heritage Program. 1996. Inventory for Endangered, Threatened, and Rare Plant and Animal Species Within the Floodplain Corridor of the Middle Loup River Basin. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. 41pp.

Abstract

In April 1996 the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) entered into agreement with the U. S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) to conduct inventory work for endangered, threatened, and rare plant and animal species within the floodplain corridor of the Middle Loup River basin in Nebraska. This district includes the Farwell and Sargent Irrigation Districts. The impetus for such inventory work is the renewal of current water services contracts between BOR and irrigation districts that will expire in 1988. BOR has stated the need to balance the interests of the irrigation districts and their clients, with other resource management interests including ecosystem functions, instream flow needs, and recreation. As part of the contract renewal process BOR will develop an integrated Resources Management Assessment (RMA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance document.

As the state agency responsible for the protection and management of nongame wildlife and endangered, threatened, and rare species, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, through its Natural Heritage Program, has compiled an Element List for Nebraska. On this list an element is any species of plant, animal, or plant community that research has indicated to be rare, or that is listed as threatened or endangered at the federal and/or state level. Data on element occurrences and distribution throughout the state is collected by Natural Heritage biologists and other researchers and entered into the Heritage Program’s Biological Conservation Database (BCD).