Lincoln – On the outskirts of this city is a state and national treasure, unfortunately under-recognized and under-appreciated. Perhaps that is about to change, thanks to several University of Nebraska and local public agency leaders.
Nine Mile Prairie is one of the last remaining tallgrass prairies on the continent. It has been spared the plow and carefully maintained for the past few decades by the University. It is a marvel of bio-diversity and a scenic wonder.
But it is more than that. For a century it has been a site for University teaching and research by faculty botanists, ecologists, and agronomists who earned world-class reputations for their scientific work.
All of this is laid out in a new document that notes the past but is pointed toward the future. The Nine Mile Prairie Environs Master Plan, prepared for the University by the Flatwater Group, seeks to protect the site for future teaching and research by recognizing potential threats in the prairie's immediate neighborhood and outlining how they can be addressed.
Currently, most of the environ's properties are in compatible uses and are, in a scientific sense, part of the greater NMP ecosystem. One of the strengths of the Master Plan is that it quantifies the importance of neighboring properties in terms of plant and animal corridors, recognizing the need for overall connectivity in the environs' watershed. Some of the neighboring properties contain unplowed tallgrass relicts themselves, which must stay connected to NMP.
The importance of following through on this Master Plan cannot be overstated. Bird and insect populations are down alarmingly, including all-important pollinators. Grassland systems everywhere are being altered rapidly. The Master Plan lays out the stakes in an admirable description of the "Land-Grant University Role in Tallgrass Prairie Protection and Preservation." See excerpts from the plan, in italics below.
Much credit for the Plan is due Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Vice-Chancellor Dr. Michael Boehm, former dean of the College of Agriculture and director of the Center for Grasslands studies Dr. Steven Waller, and agronomy professor Dr. David Wedin.
The Plan is carefully coordinated to be part of the larger Salt Valley Greenway, already established through local comprehensive planning. It also involves local, state, and federal agencies to recognize their efforts and programs, especially those designed for grasslands and wetlands.
It is fitting that a current Public Art Lincoln project extolls the word "resilient" in billboards across the city. The symbols pictured are birds and prairies, as noted in a newspaper editorial about a message of hope for The Nation's Prairie Capital in a challenging time.
The NMP Environs Master Plan is a way forward to demonstrate just how resilient we can be when faced with even the most daunting adversity.
Excerpts:
5.2 Land-Grant University Role in Tallgrass Prairie Protection and Preservation
As part of its mission as a land-grant university, UNL’s Center for Grassland Studies will continue to work beyond the formal boundaries of NMP with public and private neighbors. Part of the approach outlined in this planning document addresses each of the core mission areas of a land-grant university: teaching, research, and outreach (extension).
Teaching. The newly created UNL undergraduate program “Grassland Systems” within CGS trains students broadly in both the conservation of prairie heritage and the stewardship of working grasslands and rangelands. Furthermore, the capstone Grassland Conservation course for seniors 1) demonstrates the tools in the grassland management “toolbox”..., 2) introduces students to diverse agency partners (NRCS, City of Lincoln Parks and Recreation, NGPC, TNC, Prairie Plains Research Institute, Pheasants Forever), and 3) has students develop management plans that go beyond individual fields and address grassland conservation challenges at the landscape scale.
Research. Regarding ongoing research needs, the scientific community points to global changes for climate, invasive species, altered nutrient cycles and an expanding human population. Conservation strategies used on small prairie preserves 50 years ago are arguably no longer adequate today. Research will play a key role in determining how grasslands can continue to provide ecosystem services for themes such as pollinator habitat, clean water resources and carbon sequestration in a time of increasing demand from society.
Outreach. Nebraska is a grassland state with over 50% of its land area in grasslands (rangelands, pastures, prairies) but the overwhelming proportion of the land (>95%) is privately owned. A challenge for Nebraska’s grassland management in the 21st century will likely be conserving its grassland biodiversity and diverse ecosystem services on working lands.... The mission of extension and outreach of UNL’s IANR will address these working grassland challenges. The work with stakeholders outside the NMP boundary is arguably just as central to UNL’s land-grant mission as protecting and preserving NMP itself.
