DUE TO THE IMPENDING WINTER STORM, THE HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE EVENTS HAVE BEEN POSTPONED FROM APRIL 13 & 14 TO APRIL 27TH IN WAYNE AND APRIL 28TH IN O'NEILL!

The Northeast Nebraska RC&D in conjunction with the North Central RC&D, the Wayne Green Team and the Cities of Atkinson, O’Neill, and Wayne will be holding two Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events.  One event will be held at the Wayne Transfer Station on Friday, April 27th from 2pm to 4pm.  The second event will be held at Carney Park in O’Neill on Saturday, April 28th from 8am to 10am.
 
Household quantities of the following items will be accepted:  paint (latex and oil base), pesticides, herbicides, oil, cleaning chemicals, fluorescent light bulbs, yard and garden chemicals, anti-freeze, car batteries, and mercury & mercury containing devices including compact fluorescent bulbs.
 
The following items will NOT be accepted:  tires, electronic equipment, appliances, PCB’s, picric acid, science lab materials, radioactive materials, or biological hazards.
 
There will be a $10 per vehicle fee to assist with the cost of the collection.
 
This event is funded in part by a grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust.

Come join us to watch the Sharp-tailed Grouse dance at their lek near Naper, Nebraska on Saturday, April 7th.  The bus will depart from the Naper Cafe at 5:45am for a guided sunrise viewing of the birds on their lek.  After viewing the dance, the bus will return to the Naper Cafe for a breakfast buffet and enjoy presentations by speakers from the Northern Prairies Land Trust, the Game & Parks Commission, NRCS, and the Naper Historical Society.  Following breakfast, we will tour the Whitehorse Ranch Museum in Naper.

The cost of the tour is $30 per person and includes expert guide, transportation, breakfast, educational presentations, and museum tour.  Registrations are now closed.

Be sure to bring binoculars, a camera, and warm clothing.  This tour is sponsored by the Northeast Nebraska RC&D, North Central RC&D, the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project, the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, NRCS, and the Northern Prairies Land Trust.

Rain date will be April 13th.

Due to weather conditions, the regular meeting of the Northeast Nebraska RC&D Council has postponed from this evening to next Monday, January 29th at 7pm at the RC&D Office in Plainview.

Due to the adverse weather forecast for February 9th, the Grant Writing Workshop originally scheduled for Feb 9th has been postponed until February 23rd; Plainview Library; 9:30am to 3:30pm.

The workshop will begin at 9:30am and will be led by instructors Laura Dendinger of Wayne State College, Joan Scheel of USDA Rural Development, and Jan Jorgensen of RC&D.  Participants will learn valuable techniques to improve grant writing success, will prepare a draft grant proposal, and will receive one-on-one grant proposal review at this workshop.

The cost of the event is $50 per person and includes instruction, materials, personal grant review, and lunch.  Registrations for this event must be received by February 14, 2018.  To register, contact the Northeast RC&D office at 402-582-4866; e-mail RC&D at northeastrcd@plvwtelco.net; or fill out the form below and click the light gray "submit" button at the bottom.  Registrants will receive an e-mail with an invoice and secure Paypal link to remit registration fee with credit card.

Be sure to register early because seats are limited.  Please allow 2 to 5 days to receive your invoice for payment.

The Northeast Nebraska Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Council in partnership with Nebraska Game & Parks, Northern Prairie Lands Trust and the Plainview Public Library are hosting Project Feeder Watch on Saturday, February 3rd, 2018.   This free event will be held at the Plainview Library, 209 N. Pine St., from 10:00 a.m. until noon.  No registration required.  Questions can be addressed to Jamie Bachmann, Wildlife Education Assistant, at Jamie.bachmann@nebraska.gov.
 
Kids, families, and bird lovers of all ages and experience levels are encouraged to attend Project Feeder Watch.  Join us for a fun and informative presentation from 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. followed by Feeder Watch data collection and cozy winter treats from 10:30 a.m. until noon.  Participants will leave with the confidence and materials to continue Project Feeder Watch in their own backyard.  Join in on this hands-on learning experience and free door prizes.  
 
Project Feeder Watch is a citizen science project out of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Citizen science is a way for the public to contribute to the scientific understanding of the natural world.  Participants will learn how to identify and count backyard feeders birds under the Project Feeder Watch protocol. The data collected will help to understand changes in bird populations.   
 
Embrace the winter. Count feeder birds for science!  It’ll be fun. 

The Northeast Nebraska Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Council held their annual meeting on November 27th.  Following a meal at Donna’s Diner in Wynot, President Jim Rabe opened the meeting. 
 
The Council accepted the Plainview Farmers Market as a project for 2018 and accepted the resignation of Joan Alexander effective January 1, 2018.
 
The Council elected the following Officers for 2018:  Jim Rabe, President; Dennis Wacker, Vice-President; Judy Rasmussen, Secretary; and Janet Gill, Treasurer. 
 
Several people were recognized with awards for their service to RC&D and its projects.  Jan Jorgensen received the “Been There & Done That” award for her leadership and service.  Dick Haskin received an award for Financial Management and the “Been There & Donut” award.  Gary Howey of Hartington received an award for 20 years of service to the RC&D Program.  Jim & Laurie Meuret of Brunswick received the “World’s Best RC&D Partner” award for their assistance to RC&D.  Jim & Pearl Laycock of Plainview received the “Farmers Market” award for starting and assisting the Plainview Farmers Market.  Leonard Janovec of Norfolk received an award for his leadership and support of the RC&D History Tours.  Teresa Liermann of Plainview received the “Leadership” award for managing the Plainview Farmers Market in 2017.  Jim Rabe of Winside received an award for his leadership of the RC&D Council and for perfect attendance to the RC&D meetings.
 
The RC&D Council looks forward to continuing their service to citizens through projects that will make life better for people in Antelope, Cedar, Dixon, Knox, Pierce, and Wayne counties.

Eleven area museums participated in Northeast Nebraska’s Passport to Heritage program this summer.  Tourist visiting these museums were given Passport Booklets and would receive a stamp from each of the museums they visited.  People who visited all 11 museums were entered into a drawing for $300; people who visited 9 or more museums were entered into a drawing for $150; and people who visited 5 or more museums were entered into a drawing for $75.
 
Cindy Howey of Hartington won first prize of $300.  Lois Moser of Plainview won the second place prize of $150.  Angela Blattert of Wakefield won the third place prize of $75.

Checks were presented to the Passport winners.  In the photos below (left to right):  RC&D Council Member, Maurice Ketter presents a check for $300 to Cindy Howey of Hartington; RC&D Vice-President, Dennis Wacker presents a check for $150 to Lois Moser of Plainview; RC&D Financial Manager, Dick Haskin presents a check for $75 to Angela Blattert of Wakefield.

Come watch a demonstration of cedar removal from pastureland on Thursday, October 19th; 8am to 11am at 86951  519 Ave,; Royal, NE.  Cedar trees removed with only mulch left behind.  Demonstration is free and open to the public.  Re-claim pastureland from invasive cedars.

Roy Srymanske and Mary May Aschoff of Nucor Steel’s Environmental Division, Norfolk, presented information to the Northeast Nebraska Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Council at their recent meeting.  Nucor uses electricity to melt steel and they are the largest user of electricity in the state of Nebraska.  They are also the largest recycler of scrap metal in North America which comes to them from five or six states.  Nucor takes pride in their environmental leadership through their presence, regulatory compliance, involvement in the local community, and their dedication of always striving to find ways to improve how they care for the environment.
 
The regular order of business included a report on the recent Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic Waste events.  Citizens brought in 2.9 tons of a variety of hazardous waste and approximately 4.5 tons of obsolete electronics.  One hundred and fifteen households from around the region were served with these events.   Partial funding was provided from the Nebraska Environmental Trust, host communities, Cedar County, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and the Northeast Nebraska RC&D. 
 
The Passport to Heritage Program had a much better following this year than last.  Eleven museums were included and there were three cash prize winners, one of whom visited all of the participating museums.  
 
Plainview’s Farmers Market will continue into October, perhaps even close to the end of the month.  It’s being held each Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the RC&D office parking lot.  Turnout has been good and shoppers are enjoying having access to fresh vegetables and homemade baked goods.
 
The History & Heritage Tour of Knox County was held last week and the evaluations from the day indicate that these types of educational events are really enjoyable and should continue.  Many good suggestions were made for other sites to include in the next one. 
 
The RC&D Council looks forward to continuing service to citizens through projects that will make life better for people in Antelope, Cedar, Dixon, Knox, Pierce, and Wayne counties. 

Come join us for a one-day motorcoach tour of rural Knox County and tour historic churches, see Jules Sandoz log cabin, enjoy an Amish lunch at a rural Amish Schoolhouse, visit Monowi and Pischelville, and learn all about the history of Knox County from historian Judy Carlson.  This Heritage and History Tour is Friday, September 25th.  The bus departs Jerry's Hilltop at 7:30am and departs the Creighton Library at 8:30am.

This tour has received the official Nebraska Statehood 150 designation and is funded in part by a grant from the Knox County Visitors Committee and Norfolk Area Home Realty.

Registration Ended.  Tour is Full!