Each January, Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) host a Legislative Conference. The primary goal for the NRD representatives is to review state legislation and establish policy positions on relevant bills. DWFI and the Nebraska Water Center (NWC) participated in many of the other conference activities and served as one of the conference sponsors. “It’s a great opportunity to see local governance in action,” shared Crystal Powers, Research and Extension Communications Specialist for DWFI/NWC and Nebraska Extension.
Kicking off the first day, DWFI Executive Director Peter McCornick and Powers shared highlights of University of Nebraska water research and extension at the NRD Manager’s Meeting. DWFI/NWC also organized two educational sessions. In one, Mike Boehm, Vice Chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL), presented about the work of the Water Resources Advisory Panel (WRAP). The panel brings together state leadership across academic, governmental and private sectors to address nitrate challenges. In another, Powers shared tools to help advance conservation innovation, highlighting NWC’s newly awarded workshop, Beyond the Data. Designed from a synthesis of social science research, participants learned how to influence conservation change.
To wrap up the conference, NWC Director Chittaranjan Ray hosted Sorab Panday to teach an in-depth workshop on groundwater modeling. Panday is a research professor in biological systems engineering at UNL and member of the National Academy of Engineering. Throughout the conference, DWFI directors and staff hosted other university administrators and faculty to grow their relationships with Nebraska water managers. Connecting with NRD elected officials and staff, other state and local agencies, and supporting private companies is a hallmark of this event.
Established in 1972, Nebraska's NRDs are local government units involved in a variety of projects and programs to conserve and protect the state's natural resources. Today, Nebraska's unique system of locally-controlled, tax-funded, watershed-based conservation are unique in the United States and globally.
Photo credit: Nebraska's Natural Resources Districts
