Nebraskaland

NEBRASKAland June 2018

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/985091

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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.

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