Local Conservation Nonprofit: The Nature Conservancy - Nebraska

Using Mobile Applications for Species Identification

Native Trees of Douglas County Nebraska

A Guide to Invasive Species of Douglas County Nebraska

Utilizing the USDA Web Soil Survey Application

This was my first experience utilizing the United States Department of Agriculture's Web Soil Survey Application.  I originally selected the entirety of Douglas County Nebraska for my Area of Interest, but due to the area being over 100,000 acres the mapping capabilities were not functional. Due to that, I chose Glacier Creek Preserve as my Area of Interest.  Glacier Creek Preserve is a restored tallgrass prairie owned and operated by the University of Nebraska - Omaha for conservation and research purposes.  The preserve was originally about 160 acres, but the University has recently acquired an additional 160 acres with the ultimate goal to create a 670 acre protected area when funding becomes available.  I chose the Glacier Creek Preserve due to it's close proximity to my house and the fact that it is a restored protected area with implications to local biodiversity. 

My first impression of the Web Soil Survey is that the features are predominantly focused on soil characteristics related to agricultural uses - which makes sense due to the fact that this a product of the Department of Agriculture.  The different soils within the Area of Interest are delineated and characteristics and percentages of the various soils are detailed. Characteristics like how well drained the soils are, typical soil profiles, suitability for various land use (development, recreation, agriculture, etc.) are all provided.  Additionally, the Soil Properties and Qualities tab can provide maps and information on the soil health, erosion factors, and the probability of flooding. 

Under the Intro to Soils tab in the Soil Data Explorer, I was able to locate some information regarding proper tree selection, attracting butterflies, appropriate nutrient application and use, and other topics related to conservation.  Additionally, the Ecological Site Assessment tab provides information on the plant communities found in the various soils within the Area of Interest.  From what I am learning about tallgrass prairies, the plant species listed on the Web Soil Survey for my selected Area of Interest (Big Blue Stem, Indiangrass, Switchgrass, milkweed, etc.) are accurate. 

The more I explore the features of the Web Soil Survey the more useful and functional information I encounter.  Multiple disciplines like engineering, farming, conservation, and forestry could benefit from the information provided in this application.

Below is a screenshot taken from my Area of Interest.  To explore the Web Soil Survey yourself within my specified Are of Interest follow this link.

Local Climate & Weather Information

I've compiled some weather and climate-related websites containing information specific to the State of Nebraska and Great Plains region.  For clarification, the weather is the short term day to day atmospheric conditions, and climate is the longterm trend of weather.  Weather can be thought of as what outfit you're going to wear on any specific day while climate is your entire wardrobe.  Someone that lives in a polar region will probably own some lightweight clothing, but in general, their wardrobe would be heavier than someone who lives in a tropical region.  For more information on the differences between weather and climate refer to  NASA - What's the Difference Between Weather and Climate?

Below are the links to the websites with brief descriptions explaining what kind of information can be found at each site.

Weather Underground - Omaha, NE

Weather Underground provides current, historical, and forecasted weather information in detail.  Multiple nearby weather stations can be reviewed to get a full spectrum of weather variations in the region.  Daily historical records can be reviewed to compare to other years, the current day, etc.  

Nebraska State Climate Office

The Nebraska State Climate Office is operated by the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and is responsible for providing science-based climate information for the State of Nebraska.  They monitor weather and climate by utilizing a network of almost 70 weather stations throughout the State. The website provides regional data for climate normals, frost/freeze statistics, and historical temperature and precipitation trends throughout the State.

High Plains Regional Climate Center

The High Plains Regional Climate Center is operated by the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and provides climate maps, data, tools related to climate for agriculture, and webinars to educate the public on regional climate and weather-related information.  This information is provided as a resource to aid in decision making in agriculture, water resources, and the general public.  The High Plains Regional Climate Center also works on research projects related to water resources, drought planning, regional climate impacts in general.

Understanding and Assessing Climate Change Implications for Nebraska

This is a report written in 2014 by the Applied Climate Sciences Group within the University of Nebraska’s School of Natural Resources.  The report discusses observed changes in the State’s climate, what is causing the changes, and future climate projections and their implications.  The report also provides a recommendation that a State Climate Adaptation Plan be developed in an effort to mitigate and adapt to climate change.  However, at this time the State Legislature has not passed the bill necessary to proceed with the development and implementation of a climate adaptation plan.

The Implications of Climate Change for Nebraska: Summary Report of Sector-Based Roundtable Discussions

This report, and the roundtable sector discussions summarized in this report, are a follow up to the 2014 report, Understanding and assessing climate change: Implication for Nebraska:  A synthesis report to support decision making and natural resource management in a changing climate.  This report focuses on implications and adaptation/mitigation for Nebraska’s ecosystems and wildlife, human health, forests, agriculture, food, water, energy, faith communities, college campuses, and urban and rural communities.

Climate Change Impacts - Nebraska

Climate Nexus is an organization with the mission of changing the conversation on climate change from divisive arguments to constructive solutions.  The information devoted to Nebraska is a summary of climate change implications specific to the State, the perceptions of renewable energy policies in the State, and how renewable energy generation could benefit the State.  This provides a concise summary and quick bullet point items on how climate change could impact Nebraska. 

Experience with Mapping Tools

I used Google My Maps to identify various habitats and parks within Douglas County Nebraska. I distinguished between prairies, deciduous forests, and wetlands/lakes/reservoirs. Additionally, I am in the process of adding parks to the map as well. Parks in the area are typically created for human recreation, with a minimal thought for biodiversity. They usually have a large area of turfgrass with some intermittent trees. The amount of protected native ecosystems within the county is rather limited so I am mapping the parks in an effort to identify locations where native ecosystems could potentially be restored. If even a portion of the turfgrass could be converted to tallgrass prairie it would create additional wildlife habitat.

This was my first experience with Google My Maps, and I liked the ease of use. After a short 15 minute tutorial, I was up and running. This program has good potential for use in my career as an engineer as well as for conservation-related projects.

I have used ArcGIS during my undergrad, and in playing around with it for this class, I see that there are some nice features that I didn't find in Google My Maps.  The various publicly available layers, the different base map options, analysis tools, etc. seem like they could really improve the functionality of the map.