NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/977334
MAY 2018 • NEBRASKAland 49 to be respectful of their property. "It would be nice to get more public access, but that's difficult. It takes money," Barada said. The Open Fields and Waters Program (OFW) has been beneficial in providing additional angling access on certain stretches of these rivers, but these areas are under contract and may change on an annual basis. Check the latest Nebraska Public Access Atlas for the most up-to-date information on WMAs and OFW properties. Invasive Fish Other captured fish species were identified, measured and counted, including natives such as longnose gar, shortnose gar and shovelnose sturgeon in the Big Nemaha River. However, because the Nemahas are undammed, they do have more issues with aquatic invasive species moving up from the Missouri. Invasive species such as silver, bighead, grass, and common carp were found in both Nemaha rivers. The verdict is still out on how these invasive carp species will affect the river's aquatic communities. Barada and Blank did not sample any juvenile bighead or silver carp, which is promising, suggesting that the fish might not be spawning in these smaller streams. "There are so many unknowns with invasives," Barada said. "They can compete with native filter feeders, and they can take up a significant amount of biomass in a system. I don't think they'll directly compete with channel catfish or flatheads, but they may impact other native species such as chubs, minnows and buffalos. Therefore, a cascading effect could be felt." Fortunately, Barada and his crew did not find any zebra mussels in the Nemahas. Unfortunately, these mussels are projected to arrive from the Missouri, because of the free- flowing connection, at some point. Habitat and Water Issues One thing that did surprise Barada and Blank was seeing how degraded the habitats were along these rivers: water quality, quantity and bank erosion are major concerns. According to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, the Blue and Nemaha watersheds are some of the most impaired in the state. This poor water quality is highly correlated with the amount of row crop agriculture – and potential for runoff – in the area. In addition to water quality issues, some of these rivers, specifically the Little Blue River and the Big Nemaha River, can experience major water quantity issues as well. Reestablishment of catfish populations will occur in time when sufficient water returns to the system, but negative impacts to catfish and the entire aquatic community are obviously experienced under extremely low or dry river conditions. Still, despite these impairments, Barada believes that the recreational opportunities that these rivers systems provide are considerable. Catfish are hardy fish, tolerant of stressful conditions. "We can now paint a picture of most of what is going on in these rivers. We have major habitat and water quality issues throughout our district, but then we still have good opportunities in these kind of degraded systems for anglers targeting catfish and other riverine species," Barada said. Some issues can be helped while others cannot. But one thing that is being done: Most Natural Resource Districts are putting together watershed management strategy plans that will help pinpoint impairments within river systems. These NRDs can offer a number of different programs, much like the Farm Bill, to provide landowners incentives to help improve habitat for wildlife, which will in turn benefit our water resources. ■ The Little Blue, Big Blue, Little Nemaha and Big Nemaha are the largest interior rivers in southeastern Nebraska. MAP BY TRISHA SCHLAKE, GIS APPLICATIONS DEVELOPER Blue Bluffs WMA Twin Oaks WMA Kinter's Ford WMA Margrave WMA Flathead WMA Aspenwall BendWMA Meridian WMA Little Blue WMA Little Blue East WMA Blue River SRA Lincoln Seward Milford Crete Beatrice Fairbury Hebron Falls City Auburn Tecumseh Syracuse Omaha L itt l e B l u e R iv e r B i g Blue R iver B i g B l ue R i ve r N o rt h Br an ch B i g B l u e R i v e r W e s t Fo r k B i g B l ue R i ve r M i d d l e B i g N e m a h a Rive r S . F o r k L itt l e Ne m ah a R i v e r L ittl e Ne m a h a R i ve r N . F o r k L i t t l e N e m a h a R i v e r Littl e N e m a h a R ive r S . F o r k B i g N e m ah a R i ve r N. F ork B i g N e m aha Rive r B i g N e mah a R i v e r B i g B l u e R i ve r