Bow Creek
Bow Creek Watershed Project Winter Workshops
March 15th- Nutrient Management: Soil Food Web Drives Nutrient Cycling- Why Soil Biology Matters
Virginia Jin, USDA- ARS will introduce soil biology, what each sub-community does, how management practices impact biology, how improving soil biology improves production and profitability, and what producers can do in the 2023 growing season to improve soil health, biological communities, and plant production. Jim Williams will share what he is doing on his SD farm to harness the power of biology by creating his fertility products on-site. 3 CEU NM Click here to RSVP
Save The Date:
- March 30th- *February Workshop Rescheduled * Nutrient Management: How Crop Rotations and Cover Crops Impact Nutrient Management and Nutrient Cycling, Using Compost and Manure and Creating a Nutrient Management Plan
- April 19th - Nutrient Management: System Approach for Soil Health and Crop Production Consultations
June Field Day
Nutrient Management: Making Your Own - Fertilizer Mixes, Compost, Teas, and Extracts
The Bow Creek Watershed contains 392,574 acres in portions of Cedar, Dixon, and Knox Counties. A rich history extends back to before the days of Lewis and Clark. Clark’s journal entry on August 26, 1804 mentions Bow Creek, writing, “above the mouth of this creek a Chief of the Maha Nation displeased with the conduct of Black Bird, the main cheif, came to this place and built a town which was called by his name Petite Arc (or Little Bow)...we gathered great quantities of grapes and three types of plumbs, one yellow round, one ovel and one the common wild plumb.”
In 2019, the Lewis & Clark NRD updated their Water Quality Assessment Plan and added Bow Creek as a priority area based on Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy Basin Rotation water quality testing. The 2016 Basin Rotation water quality testing showed elevated levels of sediment, phosphorus, nitrates and E. coli in Bow Creek. Working with FYRA Engineering, models were created to show the potential to decrease nonpoint source pollutants in Bow Creek by increasing the adoption of best management practices (BMPs) in priority Bow Creek sub-watersheds.
Those best management practices include, but are not limited to:
- Nutrient Management
- Cover Crop
- No-till Management
- Land Use Change: CRP or Riparian Buffer Strips
- Grazing Management Plans
- Livestock Exclusion Plans with Alternative Water Sources and Fencing
- Septic System Upgrades
Through grants from the Nebraska Environmental Trust and Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, these BMPs are eligible for additional practice implementation and education payments through the Bow Creek Watershed Project. Practices must be part of approved conservation contracts to be eligible. Details for implementation of BMPs will be planned with NRCS technical assistance and Bow Creek programs will then be applied for through the LCNRD office. For more information contact:
Bow Creek Watershed Coordinator
Becky Ravenkamp
Lewis & Clark NRD Office
608 N Robinson Ave., Hartington, NE 68739
Phone: 402-254-6758.
