38 NEBRASKAland • JUNE 2018
work with the Commission and help facilitate the complicated process to make
that vision a reality. Hastings donated a 227-acre portion of the property to DU,
which last year transferred that property to the Commission. DU purchased the
remaining 998 acres and held it until the Commission could secure the necessary
funding to buy it back. That was accomplished through a $473,000 grant from the
Nebraska Environmental Trust, a portion of which was used as matching funds to
obtain another grant through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, which
distributes excise taxes paid on firearms and ammunition to the states.
"This is a great addition to the public lands which are enjoyed by a vast array
of Nebraskans and our visitors," said Commission Director Jim Douglas. "We
can't thank Mr. Hastings, Ducks Unlimited and the Nebraska Environmental Trust
enough for helping make it happen."
John Denton, manager of
conservation projects for DU in
Nebraska, said the size of the property
increased the organization's interest in
the project. "It's probably going to get
as much or more use than 99 percent
of the properties we work on," he said.
"Public use is a big deal for us. Being
a conservation organization, we're
relying on there being other people
who are enthusiastic about the same
things we are and donating to our
cause. If they don't have a place to go
view and enjoy these resources, then it
depletes our donor base and volunteer
A portion of Niobrara Confluence WMA located in the bluffs adjacent to the
riverbottom includes prairie and hardwood forest.
