R-Project Contractor Crew Trespassing and Destroying Private Property on Ranches

November 28, 2019. R-project contractor crew trespassing and destroying private property on ranches. Grant County News 135(18): 1. With one photograph of a flowing well.

A contractor crew working on the r-project for the Nebraska Public Power District has trespassed and destroyed private property on a ranch along the southern edge of Holt county.

On November 16th, Marlene Haake of the Haake family ranch found some workers installing a new gate along the proposed right-of-way of the industrial powerline. She had been "patrolling" and on her fourth go around found where the fence that had been present was cut away and a short portion removed. New box corners for the gates had already been placed.

“We have not signed any easement to allow the placement of the powerline on our property, yet they were installing a new gate to provide vehicle access,” she said later. “They had no right to be there.”

The contractor not only violated private property rights by trespassing, but destroyed fence and appeared to have the intent to take the removed fence posts from the property, which should be considered “stealing,” she said. There was no proof shown that would give them any right of access. They had not even stopped by the ranch house to indicate their intent to encroach upon the property.

Haake made the contractors remove the newly built gate features and rebuild what was the current fence.

Elsewhere steel fence posts had been placed to mark the right-of-way. One was partially run over by a farm implement.

“I pulled six posts from our property,” she said.

The sheriffs of Garfield county and Holt county were called but no action in response to the trespassing and property destruction has yet to occur.

Haake insisted to the contractors that they could not ever intrude on the ranch again.

Along the r-project alignment in Thomas county in 2016, NPPD workers were found trespassing on the south unit of the Brush Creek Ranch, owned by Barbara and Dan Welch. The utility company people were evicted from the ranch and since then the pasture gates have been locked closed.

Both ranches have had similar results with NPPD in dealing with medical conditions associated with Ronald Haake and Dan Welch.

Physicians for both men have advised them that they need to avoid prolonged exposure to any “stray voltage” especially associated with a 345 kV industrial powerline.

At the Haake place, the powerline would be in the immediate proximity of an eight mile travel route from the east end home place to the west end of the ranch. To avoid any exposure, an alternate route would necessitate going 8 miles north, then six miles west and another eight miles south.

At Brush Creek, the transmission line would go over the cattle shipping pens and a heifer development pasture. Welch would not be able to help ship his stock since the prolonged exposure would be dangerous to his health. Welch did receive a brochure regarding stray voltage that was completely out-dated.

NPPD officials have told both that the powerline would not be any threat. The utility company did offer to provide a doctor’s consultation but both ranchers did not want to meet with a physician hired by the project builder.

Steel monopoles would be used at both ranches, and they require a 200 foot square work area to establish a seven-foot foundation, according to NPPD documents. The auger hole depth would be from 25 to 40 feet.

These constructs would be a threat to unique natural resources.

At the Haake place, groundwater has provided a steady and reliable source of water for stock tanks and ponds used by livestock since the ranch was established in 1883. For centuries, wild birds have appreciated associated wetlands. There are numerous artesian wells in the vicinity, Marlene Haake said. “We do not know how the monopole holes might influence groundwater characteristics and subterranean flows.” The extent of sub-surface water is obvious since by the time a hole is dug for a fence post, the bottom very soon has standing water.

Rangeland at Brush Creek is considered “pristine native prairie,” according to a floristic evaluation completed by a Kay Kottas, professional botanist. There were only two non-native species recorded, and they were associated with the Highway 83 corridor. Any disturbance from power pole construction and vehicular traffic would locally degrade prairie conditions.

“I don’t think any restoration activity of disturbed sites can replace a prairie setting that has evolved over centuries,” said Welch.

The Haake and Welch families continue to “stand strong” in their opposition to the unwanted and tragically intrusive r-project. Our private property rights and personal health are being threatened by the r-project, they agree.

Avifauna Taxonomy for the Great American Sand Hills

This is a list of the known species of birds that occur with the sandhills of northern Nebraska and the edge of south-central Nebraska.

It has been several years since the taxonomy has been updated, but this has been rectified by spending multiple hours to address the efforts required to compile an authoritative list, with many subtle but substantive changes made (derived from: Gill, F. and D. Donsker (Eds). 2018. IOC World Bird List (v 8.1). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.8.1. www.worldbirdnames.org). Multiple experts have evaluated the relationship of one bird species to others and issued scholarly papers that were evaluated by this list presented in a formal manner and following a detailed peer review.

This list for the greater sandhill region is the most up-to-date taxonomy available. It is also the most indicative list of species for the state of Nebraska as derived from an international and modern perspective. For example, gray has been updated to the proper attribution of grey. Genus attributions have been changed to add to a conformity of representation, including some revisions to Spatula from Anas. The Downy Woodpecker and Hairy Woodpecker no longer have a similar genus designation. The genus attribution has changed for the two species of waterthrush.

There are 408 official species indicated. This tally is based upon a database of multi-multiple thousands of observations that are specific records of occurrence for one-or-another particular geographic location, and which are known to occur within a specific county. There have been 309 species observed within Cherry County, based upon nearly 62,000 records associated with observations between 1888 and 2018, for example. The design of the database includes "meta-data" that allows records to be extracted for regional localities, including queries limited to sandhill sites, or for the Niobrara Valley, as examples.

Additional records for the early history of the region are also available, though not indicated here as they are in a separate database.

The numeric value shown indicates the number of records associated with the particular species as of mid-March 2018, and which is a value in constant flux as additional bird observations are made or considered.

Proper Name	Scientific Name	Number of Available Records*
Family Anatidae
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck	Dendrocygna autumnalis	5
Brant Goose	Branta bernicla	3
Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	4625
Cackling Goose	Branta hutchinsii	57
Ross's Goose	Anser rossii	29
Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	203
Greater White-fronted Goose	Anser albifrons	83
Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	1
Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	1048
Tundra Swan	Cygnus columbianus	35
Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	1385
Cinnamon Teal	Spatula cyanoptera	220
Blue-winged Teal	Spatula discors	5389
Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	4656
Gadwall	Mareca strepera	5073
Eurasian Wigeon	Mareca penelope	1
American Wigeon	Mareca americana	2187
Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	8328
American Black Duck	Anas rubripes	15
Mexican Duck?	Anas diazi	1
Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	3772
Green-winged Teal	Anas carolinensis	2693
Canvasback	Aythya valisineria	2385
Redhead	Aythya americana	4051
Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	1394
Greater Scaup	Aythya marila	11
Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	2990
Harlequin Duck	Histrionicus histrionicus	1
Surf Scoter	Melanitta perspicillata	22
White-winged Scoter	Melanitta fusca	19
Black Scoter	Melanitta americana	7
Long-tailed Duck	Clangula hyemalis	32
Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	2323
Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	530
Barrow's Goldeneye	Bucephala islandica	11
Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	171
Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	668
Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	53
Ruddy Duck	Oxyura jamaicensis	3780
Family Odontophoridae
Scaled Quail	Callipepla squamata	1
Northern Bobwhite	Colinus virginianus	139
Family Phasianidae
Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	436
Ruffed Grouse	Bonasa umbellus	1
Sage Grouse	Centrocercus urophasianus	2
Sharp-tailed Grouse	Tympanuchus phasianellus	497
Greater Prairie-Chicken	Tympanuchus cupido	396
Chukar Partridge	Alectoris chukar	13
Grey Partridge	Perdix perdix	20
Common Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	781
Family Gaviidae
Red-throated Loon	Gavia stellata	1
Common Loon; this attribution has been a return to a former proper name, rather than the use of great northern loon	Gavia immer	38
Family Podicipedidae
Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	2356
Red-necked Grebe	Podiceps grisegena	5
Horned Grebe	Podiceps auritus	175
Black-necked Grebe	Podiceps nigricollis	2041
Western Grebe	Aechmophorus occidentalis	1393
Clark's Grebe	Aechmophorus clarkii	28
Family Threskiornithidae
Glossy Ibis	Plegadis falcinellus	2
White-faced Ibis	Plegadis chihi	292
Family Ardeidae
American Bittern	Botaurus lentiginosus	1005
Least Bittern	Ixobrychus exilis	41
Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	1222
Yellow-crowned Night Heron	Nyctanassa violacea	4
Green Heron	Butorides virescens	63
Western Cattle Egret	Bubulcus ibis	92
Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	2267
Great Egret	Ardea alba	65
Reddish Egret	Egretta rufescens	2
Little Blue Heron	Egretta caerulea	14
Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	72
Family Pelecanidae
American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	1680
Brown Pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis	2
Family Phalacrocoracidae
Neotropic Cormorant	Phalacrocorax brasilianus	2
Double-crested Cormorant	Phalacrocorax auritus	2361
Family Cathartidae
Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	489
Family Pandionidae
Western Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	106
Family Accipitridae
White-tailed Kite	Elanus leucurus	1
Golden Eagle	Aquila chrysaetos	282
Sharp-shinned Hawk	Accipiter striatus	170
Cooper's Hawk	Accipiter cooperii	136
Northern Goshawk	Accipiter gentilis	30
Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	788
Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	491
Mississippi Kite	Ictinia mississippiensis	7
Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	3
Broad-winged Hawk	Buteo platypterus	39
Swainson's Hawk	Buteo swainsoni	435
Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	789
Ferruginous Hawk	Buteo regalis	218
Rough-legged Buzzard	Buteo lagopus	249
Family Rallidae
Yellow Rail	Coturnicops noveboracensis	1
Black Rail	Laterallus jamaicensis	4
King Rail	Rallus elegans	9
Virginia Rail	Rallus limicola	298
Sora	Porzana carolina	219
Common Moorhen	Gallinula chloropus	7
American Coot	Fulica americana	4995
Family Gruidae
Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758). "Move canadensis clade of Grus cranes to genus Antigone (Krajewski et al. 2010, NACC 2016-C-4)."	275
Whooping Crane	Grus americana	70
Family Recurvirostridae
Black-necked Stilt	Himantopus mexicanus	88
American Avocet	Recurvirostra americana	1166
Family Charadriidae
American Golden Plover	Pluvialis dominica	16
Grey Plover	Pluvialis squatarola	72
Semipalmated Plover	Charadrius semipalmatus	118
Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	3501
Piping Plover	Charadrius melodus	59
Snowy Plover	Charadrius nivosus	14
Mountain Plover	Charadrius montanus	3
Family Scolopacidae
Upland Sandpiper	Bartramia longicauda	1884
Whimbrel	Numenius phaeopus	14
Eskimo Curlew; likely extinct but not indicated as such by the IOC checklist	Numenius borealis	2
Long-billed Curlew	Numenius americanus	1153
Hudsonian Godwit	Limosa haemastica	13
Marbled Godwit	Limosa fedoa	122
Ruddy Turnstone	Arenaria interpres	10
Red Knot	Calidris canutus	5
Stilt Sandpiper	Calidris himantopus	278
Sanderling	Calidris alba	60
Dunlin	Calidris alpina	16
Baird's Sandpiper	Calidris bairdii	389
Least Sandpiper	Calidris minutilla	273
White-rumped Sandpiper	Calidris fuscicollis	57
Buff-breasted Sandpiper	Calidris subruficollis	10
Pectoral Sandpiper	Calidris melanotos	133
Semipalmated Sandpiper	Calidris pusilla	226
Western Sandpiper	Calidris mauri	89
Long-billed Dowitcher	Limnodromus scolopaceus	396
Short-billed Dowitcher	Limnodromus griseus	70
American Woodcock	Scolopax minor	3
Wilson's Snipe	Gallinago delicata	579
Wilson's Phalarope	Phalaropus tricolor	1672
Red-necked Phalarope	Phalaropus lobatus	132
Red Phalarope	Phalaropus fulicarius	7
Spotted Sandpiper	Actitis macularius	379
Solitary Sandpiper	Tringa solitaria	98
Lesser Yellowlegs	Tringa flavipes	736
Willet	Tringa semipalmata	1200
Greater Yellowlegs	Tringa melanoleuca	513
Family Laridae
Black-legged Kittiwake	Rissa tridactyla	2
Sabine's Gull	Xema sabini	8
Bonaparte's Gull	Chroicocephalus philadelphia	53
Black-headed Gull	Chroicocephalus ridibundus	1
Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	1
Franklin's Gull	Leucophaeus pipixcan	299
Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	931
California Gull	Larus californicus	41
Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	4
Glaucous Gull	Larus hyperboreus	16
Iceland Gull	Larus glaucoides; includes Larus glaucoides thayeri as an indication that the Thayer's Gull, notably seen at Lake McConaughy, is now scientifically recognized as a subspecies	7
American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	119
Lesser Black-backed Gull	Larus fuscus	7
Caspian Tern	Hydroprogne caspia	14
Least Tern	Sternula antillarum	39
Common Tern	Sterna hirundo	93
Forster's Tern	Sterna forsteri	1038
Black Tern	Chlidonias niger	1574
Family Stercoraiidae
Pomarine Jaeger	Stercorarius pomarinus	Cedar Point Biological Station checklist
Parasitic Jaeger	Stercorarius parasiticus	2
Long-tailed Jaeger	Stercorarius longicaudus	Cedar Point Biological Station checklist
Family Columbidae
Rock Dove	Columba livia	162
Eurasian Collared Dove	Streptopelia decaocto	402
Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	2246
White-winged Dove	Zenaida asiatica	2
Family Cuculidae
Yellow-billed Cuckoo	Coccyzus americanus	157
Black-billed Cuckoo	Coccyzus erythropthalmus	61
Family Tytonidae
American Barn Owl	Tyto furcata	42
Family Strigidae
Flammulated Owl	Psiloscops flammeolus	1
Eastern Screech Owl	Megascops asio	95
Snowy Owl	Bubo scandiacus	22
Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	512
Barred Owl	Strix varia	3
Great Grey Owl	Strix nebulosa	1
Burrowing Owl	Athene cunicularia	145
Northern Saw-whet Owl	Aegolius acadicus	14
Long-eared Owl	Asio otus	42
Short-eared Owl	Asio flammeus	84
Family Caprimulgidae
Common Nighthawk	Chordeiles minor	720
Common Poorwill	Phalaenoptilus nuttallii	45
Chuck-will's-widow	Antrostomus carolinensis	2
Eastern Whip-poor-will	Antrostomus vociferus	30
Family Apodidae
Chimney Swift	Chaetura pelagica	261
White-throated Swift	Aeronautes saxatalis	Cedar Point Biological Station checklist
Family Trochilidae
Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	17
Broad-tailed Hummingbird	Selasphorus platycercus	3
Rufous Hummingbird	Selasphorus rufus	2
Calliope Hummingbird	Selasphorus calliope	1
Family Alcedinidae
Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	423
Family Picidae
Lewis's Woodpecker	Melanerpes lewis	6
Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	424
Acorn Woodpecker	Melanerpes formicivorus	2
Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	117
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	23
Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	596
Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	298
Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	1392
Family Falconidae
American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	647
Merlin	Falco columbarius	65
Gyrfalcon	Falco rusticolus	12
Prairie Falcon	Falco mexicanus	186
Peregrine Falcon	Falco peregrinus	76
Family Tyrannidae
Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	199
Say's Phoebe	Sayornis saya	84
Olive-sided Flycatcher	Contopus cooperi	23
Western Wood Pewee	Contopus sordidulus	99
Eastern Wood Pewee; for both wood pewees, a significant change has been getting rid of the hyphen in the proper name.	Contopus virens	102
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher	Empidonax flaviventris	2
Acadian Flycatcher	Empidonax virescens	1
Willow Flycatcher	Empidonax traillii	118
Alder Flycatcher	Empidonax alnorum	19
Least Flycatcher	Empidonax minimus	86
Hammond's Flycatcher	Empidonax hammondii	1
Cordilleran Flycatcher	Empidonax occidentalis	5
Vermilion Flycatcher	Pyrocephalus obscurus	2
Cassin's Kingbird	Tyrannus vociferans	8
Western Kingbird	Tyrannus verticalis	769
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher	Tyrannus forficatus	11
Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	1311
Great Crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus crinitus	218
Family Laniidae
Loggerhead Shrike	Lanius ludovicianus	402
Great Grey Shrike	Lanius excubitor	105
Family Vireonidae
White-eyed Vireo	Vireo griseus	2
Bell's Vireo	Vireo bellii	190
Yellow-throated Vireo	Vireo flavifrons	12
Plumbeous Vireo	Vireo plumbeus	1
Cassin's Vireo	Vireo cassinii	2
Blue-headed Vireo	Vireo solitarius	18
Warbling Vireo	Vireo gilvus	244
Philadelphia Vireo	Vireo philadelphicus	4
Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus	234
Family Corvidae
Grey Jay	Perisoreus canadensis	5
Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	677
Steller's Jay	Cyanocitta stelleri	6
Pinyon Jay	Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus	27
Black-billed Magpie	Pica hudsonia	178
Clark's Nutcracker	Nucifraga columbiana	6
American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	1303
Northern Raven	Corvus corax	7
Family Bombycillidae
Bohemian Waxwing	Bombycilla garrulus	26
Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	355
Family Paridae
Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	2
Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	748
Family Alaudidae
Horned Lark	Eremophila alpestris	1059
Family Hirundinidae
Sand Martin	Riparia riparia	136
Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	758
Violet-green Swallow	Tachycineta thalassina	9
Purple Martin	Progne subis	72
Northern Rough-winged Swallow	Stelgidopteryx serripennis	257
Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	1203
American Cliff Swallow	Petrochelidon pyrrhonota	295
Cave Swallow	Petrochelidon fulva	2
Family Regulidae
Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	65
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Regulus calendula	82
Family Troglodytidae
Rock Wren	Salpinctes obsoletus	36
Canyon Wren	Catherpes mexicanus	4
Sedge Wren	Cistothorus stellaris	25
Marsh Wren	Cistothorus palustris	839
Bewick's Wren	Thryomanes bewickii	4
Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	6
Winter Wren	Troglodytes hiemalis	31
House Wren	Troglodytes aedon	703
Family Polioptilidae
Blue-grey Gnatcatcher	Polioptila caerulea	9
Family Sittidae
Pygmy Nuthatch	Sitta pygmaea	3
Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	327
White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	551
Family Certhiidae
Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	67
Family Mimidae
Grey Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	272
Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	51
Sage Thrasher	Oreoscoptes montanus	9
Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	599
Curve-billed Thrasher	Toxostoma curvirostre	8
Family Sturnidae
Common Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	842
Family Turdidae
Varied Thrush	Ixoreus naevius	5
Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	525
Mountain Bluebird	Sialia currucoides	67
Townsend's Solitaire	Myadestes townsendi	197
Veery	Catharus fuscescens	21
Grey-cheeked Thrush	Catharus minimus	26
Swainson's Thrush	Catharus ustulatus	148
Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	37
Wood Thrush	Hylocichla mustelina	38
American Robin	Turdus migratorius	1594
Family Cinclidae
American Dipper	Cinclus mexicanus	2
Family Passeridae
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	496
Family Motacillidae
Buff-bellied Pipit	Anthus rubescens	83
Sprague's Pipit	Anthus spragueii	11
Family Fringillidae
Evening Grosbeak	Hesperiphona vespertinus	41
Pine Grosbeak	Pinicola enucleator	3
Grey-crowned Rosy Finch	Leucosticte tephrocotis	2
Purple Finch	Haemorhous purpureus	21
Cassin's Finch	Haemorhous cassinii	2
House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	346
Common Redpoll	Acanthis flammea	27
Red Crossbill	Loxia curvirostra	90
Two-barred Crossbill	Loxia leucoptera	4
American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	1187
Lesser Goldfinch	Spinus psaltria	1
Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	134
Family Parulidae
Ovenbird	Seiurus aurocapilla	202
Worm-eating Warbler	Helmitheros vermivorum	4
Louisiana Waterthrush	Parkesia motacilla	1
Northern Waterthrush	Parkesia noveboracensis	29
Golden-winged Warbler	Vermivora chrysoptera	2
Blue-winged Warbler	Vermivora cyanoptera	6
Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia	101
Tennessee Warbler	Leiothlypis peregrina	44
Orange-crowned Warbler	Leiothlypis celata	135
Nashville Warbler	Leiothlypis ruficapilla	18
Connecticut Warbler	Oporornis agilis	7
MacGillivray's Warbler	Geothlypis tolmiei	20
Mourning Warbler	Geothlypis philadelphia	9
Kentucky Warbler	Geothlypis formosa	4
Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	950
Hooded Warbler	Setophaga citrina	8
American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	190
Cape May Warbler	Setophaga tigrina	2
Cerulean Warbler	Setophaga cerulea	1
Northern Parula	Setophaga americana	14
Magnolia Warbler	Setophaga magnolia	19
Bay-breasted Warbler	Setophaga castanea	8
Blackburnian Warbler	Setophaga fusca	8
American Yellow Warbler	Setophaga aestiva	635
Chestnut-sided Warbler	Setophaga pensylvanica	11
Blackpoll Warbler	Setophaga striata	55
Black-throated Blue Warbler	Setophaga caerulescens	6
Palm Warbler	Setophaga palmarum	9
Myrtle Warbler	Setophaga coronata	2
Audubon's Warbler	Setophaga auduboni	254
Yellow-throated Warbler	Setophaga dominica	2
Prairie Warbler	Setophaga discolor	5
Grace's Warbler	Setophaga graciae	1
Townsend's Warbler	Setophaga townsendi	11
Black-throated Green Warbler	Setophaga virens	12
Canada Warbler	Cardellina canadensis	3
Wilson's Warbler	Cardellina pusilla	87
Family Icteridae
Yellow-breasted Chat	Icteria virens	207
Yellow-headed Blackbird	Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus	1304
Bobolink	Dolichonyx oryzivorus	584
Western Meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta	2342
Eastern Meadowlark	Sturnella magna	792
Bullock's Oriole	Icterus bullockii	20
Baltimore Oriole	Icterus galbula	306
Orchard Oriole	Icterus spurius	658
Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	2804
Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	1150
Rusty Blackbird	Euphagus carolinus	21
Brewer's Blackbird	Euphagus cyanocephalus	84
Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	1085
Great-tailed Grackle	Quiscalus mexicanus	47
Family Passerellidae
Lark Bunting	Calamospiza melanocorys	226
Red Fox Sparrow	Passerella iliaca	9
Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	268
Lincoln's Sparrow	Melospiza lincolnii	152
Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana	177
Harris's Sparrow	Zonotrichia querula	152
White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	239
White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	97
Golden-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia atricapilla	4
Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	507
Savannah Sparrow	Passerculus sandwichensis	185
Nelson's Sparrow	Ammodramus nelsoni	1
Saltmarsh Sparrow	Ammodramus caudacutus	1
LeConte's Sparrow	Ammodramus leconteii	8
Baird's Sparrow	Ammodramus bairdii	3
Henslow's Sparrow	Ammodramus henslowii	4
Grasshopper Sparrow	Ammodramus savannarum	924
American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	378
Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	546
Field Sparrow	Spizella pusilla	384
Clay-colored Sparrow	Spizella pallida	153
Brewer's Sparrow	Spizella breweri	5
Vesper Sparrow	Pooecetes gramineus	157
Lark Sparrow	Chondestes grammacus	1003
Black-throated Sparrow	Amphispiza bilineata	1
Cassin's Sparrow	Peucaea cassinii	7
Green-tailed Towhee	Pipilo chlorurus	2
Spotted Towhee	Pipilo maculatus	311
Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	159
Family Calcariidae
McCown's Longspur	Rhynchophanes mccownii	9
Lapland Longspur	Calcarius lapponicus	61
Smith's Longspur	Calcarius pictus	2
Chestnut-collared Longspur	Calcarius ornatus	63
Snow Bunting	Plectrophenax nivalis	29
Family Cardinalidae
Summer Tanager	Piranga rubra	6
Scarlet Tanager	Piranga olivacea	50
Western Tanager	Piranga ludoviciana	25
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus	69
Black-headed Grosbeak	Pheucticus melanocephalus	144
Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	365
Dickcissel	Spiza americana	482
Blue Grosbeak	Passerina caerulea	222
Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	160
Lazuli Bunting	Passerina amoena	60
Painted Bunting	Passerina ciris	2
* Additional records (2165) are available as derived from static bird checklists.

In addition to recognized species, the taxonomy list includes other features. Notably, this included a listing for the ten following hybrids known to occur in the region, and for which there are 36 records available: Blue-winged x Cinnamon Teal; Mallard x Gadwall; Mallard x Northern Pintail; Greater Prairie-Chicken x Sharp-tailed Grouse; Western Wood Pewee x Eastern Wood Pewee; Willow Flycatcher x Alder Flycatcher; Bullock's Oriole x Baltimore Oriole; Spotted Towhee x Eastern Towhee; Rose-breasted Grosbeak x Black-headed Grosbeak; and, Indigo Bunting x Lazuli Bunting.

Court Case Between Ranch and NPPD Decision in August

James E. Ducey. August 18, 2016. Decision on powerline placement between ranch and NPPD should be known by end of August. Grant County News 132(3): 18.

A decision on a case pitting a ranch owner in the central Sand Hills and the Nebraska Public Power District that wants to place an industrial-sized powerline on their property should be known by the end of August.

Dan and Barb Welch own the ranch which is notably unique for its features and management practices. They have not provided permission to NPPD to survey the alignment for a segment of the R-Project so the case went to court.

A hearing on Brush Creek Ranch LLC v. NPPD was held in Thomas County court on August 11th. Judge Donald E. Rowlands heard comments from attorney David Domina - representing the land owners - and Kila Johnson representing NPPD.

The particular point of contention is whether NPPD has access to the Welch ranch, based upon current applicable Nebraska legislation (statute section 76-702).

Judge Rowlands also asked two questions of the attorneys at the court hearing, said Craig Andresen a local correspondent:

1) Have core studies been done for the locations of the towers: the response was no, with no plans for any to be done

2) Would the transmission lines be used to transport electricity generated by wind turbines: the response was yes

An additional concern is that NPPD will not provide remuneration for any damages to landowner property, following placement of the powerline towers.

The hearing lasted about 60-70 minutes, said Craig Andresen, while presenting a summary of the hearing during a KSDZ and KDJL broadcast live from the Cherry County fair. Nearby in the exhibition building, members and supporters of the recently organized group, Preserve the Sandhills, were providing information to visitors and gathering signatures from county residents opposed to turbines and industrial powerlines.

It was noted that the R-project would continue, even if the case was decided in favor of Welch. The company would however, not be allowed to conduct any preconstruction survey.

Prior to the court hearing, about 150 people showed up to peaceably convey their opposition to the powerline proposal and wind turbines, said Carolyn Semin of Kilgore, treasurer of Preserve the Sandhills; president is Merrial Rhoades, a resident of southeast Cherry County.

“We walked around the courthouse carrying signs and banners,” Semin said, noting that people applauded when the Dan and Barb Welch arrived.

There would be “92 miles” of new roads required to provide vehicular access to R-Project construction and maintenance, Andresen indicated. There would also be the need for a “landing pad” every 10 miles where construction material would be placed, and which needs to be within the five mile limit of range for a helicopter that would be used to place the lattice towers for the powerline.

It was also noted that by using existing roadways, the cost of the project could be reduced by $92 million, Andresen said.

Domina encouraged people to pursue options on tower placement, he said.

“A pseudo-government company should not do surveys on private property,” Andresen said during an August 12th discussion with Jim Lambley, radio announcer.

At a luncheon after the hearing at Thedford, a number of people gathered to discuss turbines and powerlines, Semin said.

Volunteers also inserted an advocacy letter into an envelope, and readied them for a mailing to registered voters in Cherry, Blaine, Thomas, Hooker and Grant counties.

“I was pleased with the support shown for the Welch’s and for people to show-up in opposition to wind turbines and industrial powerlines in the sandhills,” Semin said. “People need to continue their active involvement."

Recently organized group, Preserve the Sandhills, providing information from their booth to visitors at the Cherry County Fair.

Bryophyte Survey of Northern Nebraska in 1985

A natural history survey was conducted at select areas of northern Nebraska in June 1985. Items of information collected included bryophytes and vascular plants, with records of bird sightings also maintained.

It has only been recently that the bryophytes have been identified and properly placed in the herbarium at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Special recognition needs to be given to Robert Harms of Omaha for his identification of the stored specimens which have been saved by professor David M. Sutherland for all these years.

This is a list of species that were collected, and for which notations were suitably kept, including the substrate on which they were found.

Rock County: at "Mariaville" along Hwy 138 at the Niobrara River; 11 Jun 1985.

Amblystegium serpens (Hedwig) Schimp.

Barbula unguiculata Hedwig

Brachythecium acuminatum (Hedwig) Austin

Brachythecium acutum (Mitt.) Sullivant

Brachythecium campestre (Mül. Hal.) Schimp.

Conocephalum conicum (L.) Underwood

Drepanocladus aduncus (Hedwig) Warnstorf

Homomallilum mexicanum Cardot

Hygroamblystegium varium (Hedwig) Mönk.

Leptodictyum riparium (Hedwig) Warnst.

Leskea gracilescens Hedwig

Plagiomnium cuspidatum (Hedwig) T. Kop.

Pohlia wahlenbergii (Weber & D. Mohr) Andrews

Ptychostomum creberrimum (Taylor) R. Spence & P. Ramsay

Timmia megapolitana Hedwig subsp. megapolitana

Tortula mucronifolia Schwägr.

Rock County: at "Mariaville" along Hwy 138 at the Niobrara River 12 Jun 1985.

Hygroamblystegium varium (Hedwig) Mönk.

Pohlia wahlenbergii (Weber & D. Mohr) A. J. Andrews

Keya Paha County: at Thomas Creek Wildlife Management Area; 14 Jun 1985.

Brachythecium campestre (Müll. Hal.) Schimper

Brachythecium laetum (Brid.) Schimp.

Ceratodon purpureus (Hedwig) Brid. (mixed with a sterile Bryum)

Conocephalum conicum (L.) Underwood

Drepanocladus aduncus (Hedwig) Warnstorf

Hygroamblystegium varium (Hedwig) Mönk.

Mnium thomsonii Schimper

Plagiomnium cuspidatum (Hedwig) T. Kop.

Pohlia wahlenbergii (F. Weber & D. Mohr) A. L. Andrews

Timmia megapolitana Hedwig subsp. megapolitana

Cherry County: at Anderson Bridge Wildlife Management Area, from Kilgore 5 ½ mi S, 2 mi E, and 5 mi S.; 15 Jun 1985.

Amblystegium serpens (Hedwig) Schimp.

Brachythecium campestre (Müll. Hal.) Schimp.

Brachythecium sp.

Ceratodon purpureus (Hedwig) Brid.

Conardia compacta (Hooker) H. Robinson

Concephalum conicum (L.) Underwood

Cratoneuron filicinum (Hedwig) Spence

Drepanocladus aduncus (Hedwig) Warnstorf

Funaria hygrometrica Hedwig

Hygroamblystegium varium (Hedwig) Mönk.

Leptobryum pyriforme (Hedwig) Wilson

Leptodictyum riparium (Hedwig) Warnstorf

Plagiomnium cuspidatum (Hedwig) T. Kop.

Pohlia wahlenbergii (F. Weber & D. Mohr) A. J. Andrews

Syntrichia ruralis (Hedwig) Wilson

Sheridan County: Smith Lake Wildlife Management Area; 20 Jun 1985

Amblystegium serpens (Hedwig) Schimp

Brachythecium acuminatum (Hedwig) Austin

Drepanocladus aduncus (Hedwig) Warnstorf

Drepanocladus aduncus (Hedwig) Warnstorf (approaching D. polygamus)

Hygroamblystegium varium (Hedwig) Mönk.

Leptodictyum riparium (Hedwig) Warnstorf

Pseudocampylium radicale (P. Beauv.) Van der Poorten & Hedenäs

Whistling Ducks Present in Cherry County

Contrary to their usual habits, two errant black-bellied whistling ducks left their typical haunts of southern climes with drought and dry conditions to visit northerly spaces.

Two were first reported at Lake Contrary, near St. Joseph along the Missouri River. A local birder, Larry Lade, had his eye on the two lingering at a yard by the lake. The two were first reported for May 24th. They continued their visit for eight days, Lade reported. They continued there until May 31st, Thursday.

Their Friday would be at some other place with suitable aquatic habitat.

A surprise sighting of two black-bellied whistling ducks along Goose Creek Valley, added this species to the list of more than 400 already known to occur within the Sand Hill region.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks at a wetland along Goose Creek.
Photographs courtesy of Mary Sue Shoemaker.

Mary Sue Shoemaker was returning to their Crooked Bar D Ranch northwest of Elsmere on June 1st, when she noticed the two different-looking ducks in a small pond along the county road. Their unusual color and shape first attracted her attention as being notably different from the species typically present. In taking a closer look, she was able to identify the two ducks, as she is familiar with the species, having seen them previously in Texas.

"I couldn’t believe my eyes," Shoemaker said. "I was so excited to share the experience. I really forgot about pictures in the excitement and pleasure of observing them."

She then quickly drove the few miles to the ranch, and got three other observers, including her husband Ross. They returned to the pond where the bird’s presence was confirmed and enjoyed. Pictures of the habitat and birds were taken with a cell-phone camera.

The two ducks were busy feeding while they were being observed during a period of nearly two hours, she said.

This record also adds to the tally of species seen on the ranch and in Cherry county for the Shoemakers, who have rediscovered the enjoyment of watching birds, especially during the past five-to-ten years.

Closeup of the whistling ducks.

The two errant ducks were gone the next day, Mary Sue Shoemaker said, and with area ponds drying up due to a lack of sufficient precipitation, the birds were expected to have left the country.

The Shoemaker family has a heritage of interest in observing birds both in the county and during trips to other places. Her parents Donald and Lola Held had a similar interest and reported some of their observations in the Nebraska Bird Review during the mid-1950s.

The day after noting the whistling ducks, a female Wood Duck arrived at the ponds — another unusual sighting for those of the community interested in such happenings — obviously attracted to the bit of special fowl habitat. It may have been a bird that left another area due to a loss of nest or young, as wood ducks at this time of the year might typically have young ducklings to care for.

Then a single whistling duck was noted on June 4th, alone and calling — according to birder Shoemaker — at the same pond along the Goose Creek Road, up north of Elsmere. It was gone on the second visit, off to somewhere else. Other species about that day were long-billed curlews — including a group of seven feeding "on a meadow" — upland sandpipers, mallard and blue-winged teal. The trill of bobolinks was heard in the creek meadow, beyond the red-winged blackbird and heron places. Viewing more than 20 typical species of the Goose Creek country provided "a great morning in the area," Shoemaker said in her note to NEBirds.

One bird was still about, with one bird apparently gone, or perhaps it had been killed or died.

Might it have flown southward towards its normal range. A report on the Kansas bird forum provides an intriguing possibility. On June 4th, in the evening, a single whistling duck was observed by Scott Schmidt at Cheyenne Bottoms, in central Kansas.

In the sand hills, a single duck of particular note was still present on June 9th at the same pond where first seen, Shoemaker reported.

Did the birds have different intents. One staying put for a while, while the other preferred to head back towards the south? It is a possibility, though complete conjecture as there is no definitive evidence proving the occurrence.

Could this have been the saga — still ongoing — of two black-bellied whistling ducks?

Cherry County Group Facilitating Turbine Development

December 8, 2011. CCWEA working to facilitate turbine development into region. Grant Count News 127(18): 1, 4.

The recently established Cherry County Wind Energy Association is actively working to facilitate turbine facility development in the region.

A presentation - available online - as given by George Johnson at the Nebraska Wind Power 2011 Conference in Kearney on November 15-16, indicates this group was started in March 2010 after the Cherry County Commissioners asked several people to "develop policies to become the leading county in Nebraska for wind energy production."

The goals for the committee were to "encourage community based development that would maximize benefits for landowners, communities, and all residents of Cherry county by:

"Strengthening and broadening the tax base.

"Being mindful of our wildlife resources.

"Providing high quality employment

"Maintaining our quality of life.

"Growing our economy."

In July, 2011, the committee created the non-profit association to facilitate landowners being able to commit acres to the project, and to enact assessments to complete environmental studies and erect meteorological towers, according to Johnson's presentation.

The association would provide "collective bargaining power, local control of the project, increased cooperation on environmental studies and greater revenue potential for all involved," Johnson indicated.

A wind energy trust fund created would receive a nominal fee for each enrolled acre per year, with 50% going to the landowner if a turbine farm is established, 25% to the landsite, and 20% to other members. Five percent of all association revenues would go to the trust the following purposes, according to Johnson's presentation:

* "Funding infrastructure to support expansion of the workforce;

* "Educational and health care facilities;

* "Support and enhance the future economic well being of Cherry County; and

* "Help restore Cherry county after the life of the project."

Members of the Wind Advisory Committee are Johnson (chairman; operates a vinegary at Cody), Matt Coble (vice-chairman; in 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development office assisted the Coble and Sons Ranch with a $14,725 grant through the Rural Energy for America Program to offset expenses for five Skystream wind turbines installed at the ranch in central Cherry County), Tom Cooper (treasurer), Adam Fischer (secretary), rancher Todd Adamson, Mike Burge, John Hansen (an employee of Turner Enterprises) and Gary Garvin.

Informational meetings for interested landowners were held November 21 at Valentine, and on the 22nd at Mullen.

Johnson, Coble and Adamson gave the presentation, Coble said. There "was strong interest in wind development," said Coble, noting that about 70 people attended at Valentine, and about 60-70 at Mullen.

The association hopes to have one million acres pledged for wind turbine development, though a lesser extent of acres is more likely, according to a group member. Cherry county spreads across about 3.8 million acres.

Thedford, Mullen and Hyannis are also within the rural region where economic development through wind turbine development "would be beneficial," Coble said.

"We are interested in economic development that will help sustain family farms and ranches," Adamson said.

The group hopes to receive membership enrollment forms back in December. A project manager would likely be hired in the future, Adamson noted in a phone call.

Transmission and Projects

Developing power from the wind within the county is dependent upon a sufficiently sized transmission line to distribute the generated electricity where the power could be used.

The Southwest Power Pool has proposed that a transmission line be built northward from Sutherland, and extend at least into the central sandhills. The Nebraska Public Power District has requested that the line be "moved into Cherry County," and then extend east to Hoskins in southwest Wayne County, and then south to Brownville, on the Missouri River.

Two turbines farms have already been proposed by Power Works Inc., for farm land near Valentine, according to information given on their website.

The "Galileo Wind Farm" would produce 105 megawatts, with the "Starry Night Wind Farm" rated at 47 megawatts. The number of turbines at each site is not indicated, but using turbines which generate three mw, there would be 35 at the Galileo site. The second site may use 1.6 mw turbines.

Ecological Considerations

A large portion of Cherry County has been classified as habitat sensitive to wind energy development, according to a map, updated on October 1, 2011, which shows an "an index of the sensitivity of wildlife habitats" as developed by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. More than half of the eastern portion of the county is indicated with a higher ranking of "relative sensitivity." More than half of the western portion of the county is also ranked, but with a lesser index value, according to the map for the entire state as prepared by the state agency.

Areas with a lesser extent of "sensitivity," occur along the western two-thirds of the county north of the Niobrara River to the South Dakota boundary, the western edge of the county, and a section from north of Thedford to north of Mullen along the southern portion of the county.

Particular siting concerns include the occurrence of wetlands including lakes, rivers and creeks, presence of protected species and their habitats, and potential impacts to migratory birds and bats.

"Poorly-sited utility-scale wind turbines and cellular/television towers" are listed as "stresses affecting species and habitats," according to the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project, recently updated by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Conservation strategies to consider in this regard, according to the plan, are to:

* "select turbine sites that minimize fragmentation and impacts to native species

* "avoid placing wind turbines in native prairies or sites used or inhabited recently by threatened and endangered species" - the American Burying Beetle and Whooping Crane; other "sensitive species" can also be effected by large turbines

* "wind farms should not be located within the recommended radius of prairie grouse leks and nesting grounds"

Wind turbines can influence the occurrence of the Greater Prairie-Chicken up to 180 meters from a turbine, according to information given by another speaker at the Kearney conference.

* "turbines can be halted temporarily during peak migration periods for bats and birds

* "pre- and post-construction monitoring should be implemented."

Migratory birds are legally protected by the taking clause of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Any bird deaths caused by a wind turbine is a violation of the MBTA.

The Fish and Wildlife Service in Nebraska, based upon several recently developed wind turbine projects in Nebraska, has not enforced this clause. They have required that wind turbine developers provide funds to finance easements to protect habitat (especially grasslands), based upon a mathematical calculation based upon the habitat impacted in the immediate vicinity of each turbine.

Editorial Appreciation for Writings of the Sand Hills

Not much to convey here other than these few words about another focus of my writings about a distinctive region of international significance:

"Jim Ducey deserves the Ed Burgess Award for pinch hitting when a couple of folks' stories weren't able to be completed and he understands deadlines so he is double, triple, quadruple, blessed for getting them to us early."

This was for some articles written for the May 20, "Beef Issue" published by the Hyannis newspaper.

Sass and Sentiments column by Sharon M. Wheelock, owner and editor. May 27, 2010. Grant County News 125(42): 2.

Sanhill's stories have been written for many years...

Getting Rid of the Chicken Hawk in the 1930s Sandhills

By James Ed. Ducey, with Jack Sampson

During the dry days of dust-bowl times in the western sand hills, Jack Sampson was a teen in Ashby, with parents Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Sampson and a sister. The village of a few hundred was along the busy railway and Highway 2 to Alliance. The slightly-grassy sandhills to the south and north were filled with homesteader families staking a land claim.

Monday Wash Day. - Done by hand - carrying in the water then carrying out the water. Used homemade soap, a wash board and a copper boiler on the range, with cowchip fuel to heat the water. Sketches by Jack Sampson, used with permission.

There was a national depression as well as drought. The only source of cash income may have been a slight crop of cream and eggs, carefully taken by team and wagon to Ashby from the country homestead.

Sampson recalls going to the Oscar Sutter homestead in the early 1930s, about ten miles north along the road from Ashby, near the Sampson Flats and Old Baldy Peak country, west of Mother Lake in Cherry county.

"Meager income provided the bare essentials such as flour, sugar, and 22-shells. During the trip back to the homestead, usually some game came along and meant food for the table that included plenty of grouse, prairie chicken, cotton-tail rabbits, nesting ducks. There were always a few rattle snakes to shoot in the head for sport, or a possible shot at a coyote in good range.

"Oscar was an expert shot. Many times I saw him raise a covey of grouse, and with two shots from his small Winchester pump 22, would down two grouse. Times were tough. I don't remember such as hunting or fishing licenses, or if there were game wardens?

At that time his father, John Sampson, a.k.a. "Old Jack," - a carpenter and painter craftsman - and his father, Lewis Sampson - a.k.a. deputy sheriff - "were expert duck shots" with a shotgun. Scattered remnant lakes and wetlands in the deep hollows of the hills, were prime places to pursue a variety of fat wild fowl, useful anytime for a supper.

"The limit in the fall season - with thousands of ducks going through the sand hill lakes - was 25 ducks. A morning hunt for them was each a limit. These ducks were picked, feathers for pillows and feather mattresses, some given to neighbors. When I was 8 years old I went with them for ducks. I had my own shotgun. Oscar had a slenne, though I think that might have been illegal. I helped him get a supply of bullhead fish that we placed in cream cans of water that were taken home to place in a stock tank to be used when wanted.

The Chicken Hawk. Loaded gun always ready above the kitchen door. (1996)

"Oscar's 22 Winchester sat on two nails over the kitchen door - for immediate use when the chickens let it be known there was a hawk. If who ever was present - one had only to reach over the door for the gun. All members of the family were experts with a rifle. Their chickens were valuable for the eggs they produced, as well as eggs and fried chicken, besides, shooting a hawk was not only serious, but sport as well, and excitement for awhile. There was no radio nor t.v. in those days.

When an errant hawk was troubling the chickens, there was an immediate response. Get the gun and get rid of the birdly threat. The scene is vividly depicted in the sketch by the Sampson - the Sandhills Draughtsman - as part of his "Women of the '30s" series, which, with other drawings which uniquely depict an era in the sand hills.

Fun in the 1930s. Conte pencil and pastel, 2000.

Landowner Interest Promotes Efforts to Remove Unwanted Cedars

By James Ed. Ducey

Landowner interest was key to brining funds to the central sand hills for a grassland restoration initiative.

A Private Stewardship Grant of $44,520 will allow the Sandhills Task Force to work with property owners along the Calamus, North Loup, Middle Loup and Dismal Rivers. The area is in Blaine, Hooker, Loup and Thomas Counties.

"Invasive eastern red cedar will be removed and grazing management altered to improve habitat for long-billed curlew, short-eared owl and the threatened western prairie fringed orchid," said the grant award summary. Awards were announced in May, 2007 with the grant a 5-year agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Sandhills Task Force.

The landowner contact efforts of the task force were especially helpful.

"There is a list of individuals who have contacted the Service," said Gene Mack, with the Fish and Wildlife Service, and a member of the sandhills' group. The grant was submitted "primarily to improve the grassland landscape" and benefit "common and rare grassland species," Mack said in an email. "Large infestations of cedar are not beneficial to sustaining a native grassland and its associated wildlife."

Reasons for the grant being selected from among many national proposals, explained Heather Johnson, with the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program in a regional office of the Fish and Wildlife Service, include:

• "identified specific landowners that would receive the funds through the Sandhills Task Force,
• "had solid match requirements,
• "were benefiting a suite of at-risk species, and
• "and had a solid habitat restoration/enhancement implementation plan to benefit key species."

"Removal of cedar trees will benefit key species such as the Savannah Sparrow, Short-eared Owl, Long-billed Curlew, Ferruginous Hawk, Whooping Crane, Trumpeter Swan, Bald Eagle and Bell's Vireo, all identified within the grant application," she said in an email.

"The Service recognizes native grassland as an ecosystem that has been greatly altered over many decades and the wildlife associated with grassland is facing dramatic declines," Mack said. "Large infestations of cedar are not beneficial to sustaining a native grassland and its associated wildlife." Cedar tree growth can also confine water flows to smaller channels and limit the flow into side channels or backwater areas.

Funds of the federal program were obligated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Most projects that were funded for FY 2007 are expected to get underway next spring.

There is no funding for this program in the FY 2008 budget, according to a FWS official.

Research Evaluates Birds at the Ainsworth Wind Facility

By James Ed. Ducey

Recent research in the sandhills of Brown County, illustrates the features of birds and their response to wind turbines in a prairie landscape.

Cattle at the Ainsworth Wind Energy Facility. Courtesy of NPPD.

The Ainsworth Wind Energy Facility, and which is atop Ikenburg Hill, a historic local place-name, was surveyed in three ways last year to evaluate the resident species and the response of local species to the wind towers.

The first bird counts done at the site of the potential wind-power facility, had been carried out in 1996 and 1997, when a night-calling monitoring station was setup by a Cornell University researcher, said Rockford G. Plettner an environmental specialist with the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD). It was monitored from the fall of 1996 – spring of 1997 to determine the species composition and abundance and height of the flight over the site by migratory birds. Results indicated there were not a large number of nocturnal migrants. The effort was funded by NPPD.

"We had discussed bird kills in association with wind turbines, at meetings with state and federal officials," said Rocky Plettner, environmental specialist with NPPD. "We wanted the facts to present, especially with more wind development to be occurring in Nebraska and the Midwest."

The Ainsworth facility went into operation in October 2005 and is owned and operated by NPPD.

A $60,000 research project evaluating how wind turbines impact birds was conducted by NPPD. It involved searches for bird and bat carcasses were done every 14 days using a standard method in a 200 foot square surrounding each of the 36 wind turbines on the site. The study period lasted from March 13 to November 4, covering spring, the summer breeding season, and autumn.

Common Name	Ikenburg Hill	Ainsworth Wind Energy Facility
Canada Goose		1
Wood Duck	2
Gadwall		1
American Wigeon		1
Mallard		1
Blue-winged Teal		2
Northern Pintail	1
Ring-necked Pheasant	1
Sharp-tailed Grouse		2
Greater Prairie-Chicken		1
Wild Turkey		1
Turkey Vulture	1
Swainson's Hawk	1
Red-tailed Hawk	2
American Kestrel	2	2
Upland Sandpiper	3	1
Mourning Dove	6
Burrowing Owl	2
Short-eared Owl		1
Western Kingbird	1
Eastern Kingbird	3	1
American Crow	1
Horned Lark	4	12
Barn Swallow	1
House Wren		1
American Robin		1
European Starling	1	2
Spotted Towhee		1
American Tree Sparrow		1
Vesper Sparrow		1
Lark Sparrow	3
Lark Bunting	1
Grasshopper Sparrow	2
Song Sparrow		1
Dark-eyed Junco		1
Blue Grosbeak	1
Dickcissel		1
Red-winged Blackbird	1
Western Meadowlark	7	2
Brown-headed Cowbird	5
Orchard Oriole	1

Biologists with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission helped by evaluating the spring display grounds of prairie chickens and prairie grouse. Bird sightings by a local bird watcher also provide dates of occurrence for a different variety of species during the spring months.

The results from the company research were issued in February 2007 in a report titled: "Post-construction Monitoring Report for Avian and Bat Mortality at the NPPD Ainsworth Wind Farm."

Estimated annual total bird mortality would be 148 (calculated by taking annual rate of 4.10 per turbine per year multiplied by 36 turbines), according to Plettner. The annual rate differs from the period of study rates in that the assumption is made that the number of fatalities during the winter is similar to the rest of the year. NPPD’s estimate of 2.49 bird fatalities per megawatt per year is low in relation to other wind power facilities studied throughout the U.S. and comparable or low to those studies in the western and Midwestern portions of the country, he said.

As NPPD has been looking at adding wind generated power, questions have been asked by a small number of landowners about the potential for bird kills at wind power facilities, said Mark Becker, company spokesperson with NPPD. The company study gives a comprehensive look at the answers, at least from what has been experienced at Ainsworth.

Among the 14 species documented during the mortality investigation, the most common represented were local residents such as the Horned Lark, Western Meadowlark, American Kestrel.

Overall, combining all three of the survey efforts, at least 41 species were noted among the site habitats. Most of them were observed during field studies, not found during the mortality study. The value shown in the table is the number of times observed.

Even though the Mourning Dove was present on nearly every bird survey at the hill, they were never noted to have struck a tower turbine. Neither was the Brown-headed Cowbird recorded in this manner.

The Greater Prairie-Chicken and Sharp-tailed Grouse continue to use the prairie grasslands about the towers. There were eight leks within the facility, with five others just adjacent on private property, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission report provided to NPPD. Both species were also noted as nesting in early May by a wildlife research scientist from Wisconsin.

The populations of the chicken and grouse were similar to the number of expected birds elsewhere in Brown and Rock counties, the report concluded.

A number of additional species are known for the region with a few miles of the wind farm. Prominent locales where bird surveys were done during 2006. The list has more than 110 species when including the marshes and wet meadows of nearby Paradise Valley, Yellowthroat WMA and Hitchcock Bayou. Waterfowl and waterbirds are well represented.

Birds such as migrant Whooping Cranes, an endangered species, as well as any other threatened or endangered animal or plant species were discussed in consultations with the Fish and Wildlife Service and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, said Plettner. John Richards, an engineer with the company’s renewable energy development program explained that NPPD must comply with FAA guidelines for placing lights at 24 turbines, FCC and county planning zoning requirements to the list.

Facilities at the Ainsworth wind farm comprise about 50 acres of an 8,300 leased acres of sandhills upland prairie. Much of the grassland area is grazed by cattle during the growing season.

NPPD prefers to "site towers at locale that do not impact native habitats," Plettner said, avoiding wetlands such as those in the Rainwater Basin, and away from refuges.

NPPD plans to add 150 megawatts of wind-turbine generated power to its power mix by the end of 2008, Becker said. This will be done through private developers and Community-Based Energy Development (C-BED) programs that have been proposed to the company. NPPD is currently negotiating Power Purchase Agreements for the purchase of electricity from three potential proposals. At the same time, NPPD is studying potential sites for future wind farms throughout the state of Nebraska, which they can possibly construct or utilize a private developer or C-BED organization to construct and operate, he said.

Numerous private developers are currently also looking at possible future locations for wind farms. A sandhill site being evaluated is in northeast Holt County, as well as northeast Nebraska.

A top priority of the power district is to have wind power sites in close vicinity to existing  power transmission lines and studying those lines to determine if additional load can be added. This reduces the cost of project development, and also reduces any associated development that can impact native habitats.

"The Ainsworth study gives us more knowledge about the issue that can be applied to any future wind farm projects," Becker said. "At the same time NPPD continually works towards the protection of migratory birds in all its operations while balancing its mission of providing reliable cost-effective electrical service."