The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project has developed and is implementing a blueprint for conserving Nebraska's flora, fauna and natural habitats through the proactive, voluntary conservation actions of partners, communities and individuals.  

We Need Wildlife and Wildlife Needs Our Help

Wildlife and their habitats play an integral role in Nebraskan's daily lives. Without wildlife we could not experience the thunderous roar of ten thousand sandhill cranes, the agility of a swift fox prancing across the shortgrass prairie, or the nervous back-stroke of the rainbow-colored finescale dace. These precious examples of wildlife along with the prairies, woodlands, and streams that provide essential habitat would not exist without the passionate commitment of Nebraska's conservation community and the support of its citizenry.

Still, despite more than a century of conservation work, much remains to be done. More than two dozen species of plants and animals in Nebraska are listed as threatened or endangered and another 500 species are considered rare enough to warrant concern by the conservation community. Without new sources of funding and a well thought out plan, the future of our rich wildlife legacy will be in jeopardy.

In 2000, the US Congress began to address the enormous challenge of conserving "all" wildlife by creating the State Wildlife Grants Program. This program was developed to assist states in conserving rare and declining species and to promote proactive conservation to avert future declines of more common species. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is using this program to award grants to dozens of organizations working to conserve wildlife.

As a condition to receiving this new federal funding, Congress is requiring each state to develop a comprehensive wildlife conservation strategy. In 2003, The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission launched the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project to meet this requirement. More importantly, the Natural Legacy Project is providing a seat at the table for all interests to join forces and build an effective plan to conserve wildlife in Nebraska.

Building Partnerships

The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project is a project for all Nebraskans. Through decades of trial and error, government agencies, conservation and agricultural organizations have learned that conservation is too big a task for one entity to do it alone. The Natural Legacy Project is bringing together dozens of organizations representing all facets of the conservation and agricultural community to develop a shared vision for the future. Over the coming months, we will be collaborating to develop the strategies necessary to conserve the broadest array of wildlife possible. Through this effort we hope many of the controversies that have plagued us in the past will be replaced by a new commitment to work together on behalf of the wildlife resources Nebraskans cherish so deeply. There are unprecedented new opportunities for involvement throughout this planning process.

Partners involved in developing the blue print include:

• Audubon Nebraska
• Conservation Alliance of the Great Plains
• Ducks Unlimited
• Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Nebraska Alliance for Conservation and Environment Education
• Nebraska Association of Resources Districts
• Nebraska Cattlemen, Inc.
• Nebraska Department of Agriculture
• Nebraska Farm Bureau
• Nebraska Farmers Union
• Nebraska Forest Service
• Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
• Nebraska Partnership for All-Bird Conservation
• Nebraska Wildlife Federation
• Pheasants Forever, Inc.
• Ponca Tribe of Nebraska
• Rainwater Basin Joint Venture
• The Nature Conservancy
• US Fish and Wildlife Service
• US Forest Service

To see others involved, click here.

If you or your organization would like to become involved, contact the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project to find out how you can help. For more information, contact: