Nebraskaland

October 2021 • Nebraskaland 45 mouse. Currently, Schrad traps three times per year, in spring, summer and fall, typically for four nights each season. He arrives at fi rst light the following morning to inspect the traps and record data. Then, Schrad uses those numbers to calculate results, including species diversity, species richness and relative abundance. "And then we use those numbers to see if it answers our questions," Schrad said. "For example, the management question — are there diff erences in these numbers when you hay a pasture, or burn it, or manage it strictly by grazing." He has probably saved Nebraska Game and Parks tens of thousands of dollars for surveys, said Melissa Panella, Game and Parks' wildlife diversity program manager and program manager for the Natural Legacy Project. Game and Parks has limited funds to pay for surveys and monitoring, so Schrad's work fi lls an important gap, she said. Seven years in, Schrad has volunteered with multiple groups, including Pheasants Forever, the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Nature Conservancy, and he's placed about 5,000 traps. "He's very generous with his time," said Chris Helzer, the director of science at the Nature Conservancy, who has worked with Schrad since the beginning. Their particular project looks at how small mammal populations diff er between two areas, a 60-acre remnant of virgin prairie and a 100-acre tract of restored prairie next to it. So far, the plains pocket mouse seems to prefer the virgin prairie, but other small mammals appear to like the restored prairie better. To Helzer, it's further evidence that through prairie restoration, we can expand isolated patches of virgin prairie into larger areas benefi ting a diverse range of species. "Our property is pretty small and insignifi cant by itself," Helzer said. "But we've shown, I think, that the potential is there for de-fragmenting prairies anywhere we want to work on this in Nebraska." Both he and Panella see Schrad as a unique volunteer, someone with subject matter expertise who approached them fi rst, looking to help with no expectation of pay. Someone like this is a rare and incredibly helpful fi nd: Panella looks back to a recent time that Game and Parks needed help documenting the state's river otter population, before removing river otters from Nebraska's threatened species list. "We didn't have a volunteer; we ended up bringing on a graduate student for a two-year project," she said. That's a typical length of time for surveys like these, but Schrad is committed for the long term. He envisions another 10 years of documenting the plains pocket mouse and at least fi ve more years with the Nature Conservancy. "Anytime we have an opportunity to do a long-term monitoring project, that's a huge benefi t," Panella said. "That's much more informative than just that snapshot in time." For Schrad, his small mammal work has meaning beyond personal enjoyment and the valuable data it's yielding. It's something he once never imagined he could do. Sixteen years ago, Schrad was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer, with a dim prognosis. Today, for reasons he can't explain, he's cancer-free and enjoying retirement to the fullest. He has a message for other cancer patients: Never give up. "They should always have hope," he said. "And if it's not hope to survive for 50 years, hope that you can make it to somebody's next birthday, or whatever it might be. Just keep plugging away." Which he plans to continue doing for as long as possible. N Mike Schrad records data on a vole he collected at the Nature Conservancy's Platte River Prairies in 2013. CHRIS HELZER, THE NATURE CONSERVANCY

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