News

Each spring, the Lewis and Clark Natural Resources District (LCNRD) distributes tree seedlings and provides planting services for windbreaks, shelterbelts, and wildlife habitat. Seedling orders are accepted now through March 31st. Planning assistance is available through local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offices for preparing... Read More

The Lewis and Clark Natural Resource District (LCNRD) invites students to participate in a national poster contest sponsored by the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and the NACD Auxiliary. NACD, founded in 1946, is a nonprofit organization representing nearly 3,000 conservation districts in 50 states and U.S. territories.... Read More

Even though we have been graced with a wetter summer than last year, drought conditions still exist across the Lewis & Clark Natural Resources District. Paying close attention to irrigation needs is important to maintain a consistent water supply. Efficient use of irrigation water can improve the maximum economic return from crops and... Read More

The groundwater from aquifers supply most household water used in Nebraska. Efficient water use and good management practices of water use are necessary to maintain quantity and quality. Groundwater is a renewable resource, replenished mostly by precipitation that infiltrates into the soil and moves through the pore spaces down to the water... Read More

The Lewis and Clark Natural Resource District (LCNRD) seeks a local representative to fill a vacant Subdistrict 5 seat through the end of 2024. The seat will then be on the ballot for the 2024 election. Subdistrict 5 encompasses the area from Ponca to Allen and includes the communities of Allen, Martinsburg, Newcastle, Ponca, and Waterbury,... Read More

The static water levels of 34 irrigation wells located throughout the Lewis and Clark Natural Resources District (LCNRD) are measured in the spring and fall each year. Groundwater levels measured this spring indicate that the levels have decreased on an overall comparison by 0.7 feet from the spring of 2022 with 22 of the 34 wells monitored... Read More

This is the snapshot from the last two weeks, and here is a link to the Current U.S. Drought Monitor for Nebraska https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?NE.

This is the snapshot from the last two weeks, and here is a link to the Current U.S. Drought Monitor for Nebraska https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?NE.

With the cold conditions finally subsiding, farmers have been preparing fields and planting crops for another growing season. Even though there was more precipitation over the winter than in past years, and there have been spring rains, much of the district and state continue to experience drought conditions.

The U.S. Drought Monitor... Read More

This is the snapshot from the last two weeks, and here is a link to the Current U.S. Drought Monitor for Nebraska https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?NE.

The Cedar Knox Rural Water Project (CKRWP) Advisory Committee recommended changing consideration of the primary site for the new water source development away from Dolphin Township. The Committee has decided instead to focus on alternative sources that have been previously identified through preliminary engineering studies conducted by Bartlett... Read More

After a long snowy winter, farmers are heading out to fields preparing for spring planting.  For some, that means tilling and fertilizing fields. When applying fertilizer, knowing what nutrients remain in the soil from last year could save time and money.  If you will be planting corn, sampling for soil nutrient content, especially nitrogen, is... Read More

There is still time to order seedling trees for the spring 2023 conservation tree planting season.  The Lewis and Clark Natural Resources District (LCNRD) will continue taking orders for tree seedlings through March 31st.  The trees come in bundles of twenty-five. The price per tree is $1.20 plus sales tax.

Tree plantings provide many... Read More

The Lewis and Clark Natural Resources District (LCNRD) awarded two Patefield-Green Memorial Scholarships to high school seniors in the 2022-2023 school year. LCNRD provides college scholarship funds to graduates who intend to pursue an agricultural related career in hopes that they will return and contribute to local communities and to the... Read More

The first Nebraska settlers realized the value of trees. They planted millions of trees on barren homesteads to help fulfill their basic needs for protection, building material, fuel, and food. Planting trees became a Nebraska tradition, and Nebraska proudly became known as “The Tree Planter State”.  Today, all Nebraskans benefit from the trees... Read More

The Cedar Knox Rural Water Project (CKRWP) Advisory Committee provides one $500 scholarship to a high school senior in memoriam of Galen Jueden. Galen was a dedicated employee who was fully committed to the customers and staff of CKRWP. He was an invaluable asset, and his dedication is recognized by providing a scholarship to a worthy student... Read More

The 2023 tree planting season is just around the corner, and the time is now to plan your windbreak or conservation tree planting.  The Lewis and Clark Natural Resources District (LCNRD) will take orders for spring planting from now until March 31, 2023.

Conservation trees play vital roles in our environment – providing wind protection... Read More

The Nebraska Chemigation Act was passed in 1987 to help ensure that the backflow of chemicals would not contaminate the ground and surface waters of the state from irrigation water application systems used to apply crop nutrients and pesticides (chemigation). The law requires producers who plan to apply fertilizer or pesticide through an... Read More

In 2022, the Lewis and Clark Natural Resources District (LCNRD) board of directors continued implementing conservation practices, projects, and services in Northeast Nebraska.  LCNRD activities are led by a board of eleven locally elected directors; Carolyn Heine, St. Helena; Russ Schmidt, St Helena; Jeff Steffen, Crofton; Marcel Kramer,... Read More

The Lewis and Clark Natural Resources District (LCNRD) enacted a 180-day stay of development on high-capacity wells under the authority of Nebraska Revised Statutes, 46-707, at their regularly scheduled board meeting on November 17, 2022.  The board of directors clarified the language of the stay at their regular... Read More

Thank you to all who participated in the 2022 National Association of Conservation District (NACD) Poster Contest sponsored by Lewis & Clark Natural Resources District (LCNRD). Three schools, Holy Trinity Elementary, Wynot, and Bloomfield, participated. There were 22 entries for the 4th through 6th grade competition level and 13 for 7th... Read More

The Lewis and Clark Natural Resources District (LCNRD) enacted a 180-day stay of development on high-capacity wells and expansion of irrigated acres effective immediately under the authority of Nebraska Revised Statutes, 46-707 at their regularly scheduled board meeting on November 17, 2022.  The stay was adopted to... Read More

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) is the nonprofit organization that represents America’s 3,000 conservation districts, their state and territory associations, and the 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. The association was founded on the philosophy that conservation decisions should be made... Read More

If you are planning to expand irrigation to acres that have not been previously irrigated, it is important to check with the LCNRD staff before doing so.  LCNRD requires well permits for all high-capacity wells and permits for expanding irrigation to acres that have not been previously irrigated.  If the acres proposed for irrigation are steep... Read More

The Lewis and Clark Natural Resources District (LCNRD) Board of Directors approved the fiscal year 2023 budget with a slight increase in the overall expenses to $1,984,284 and a decrease in the property tax requirement. With increased property valuations across the district’s three-county area, the tax levy of $0.026759 per $100 of actual... Read More

The Lewis and Clark Natural Resources District (LCNRD) sets aside funds each year to assist communities and other public entities in enhancing and protecting natural resources through the Community Assistance Program (CAP). LCNRD accepts applications year-round and approves requests on a first-come, first-served basis.  Projects that will have... Read More