NRD will pay half of cost for invasive weed study
By Lori Potter, The Kearney Hub
The Lower Loup Natural Resources District will pay half of the estimated $17,000 cost for a late-summer aerial survey of invasive weeds in 640 miles of main channels in the South, Middle and North Loup rivers.
LLNRD General Manager Leon Koehlmoos said the board voted Thursday to join the Platte Valley Weed Management Authority for the project. Funds from a Nebraska Department of Agricultural grant will be used to pay the other half of survey costs.
Platte Valley WMA Project Manager Rich Walters and Buffalo County Weed Superintendent Dick Kincaid spoke to the NRD directors in January about their work to battle invasives, primarily phragmites and saltcedar, in the Central Platte Valley.
The helicopter survey of the Loup rivers will be done by a contractor working for the Platte Valley WMA, Koehlmoos said last month.
"They've got big problems," he said this morning, referring to invasive weed infestations in both the Platte and Republican basins. "We've learned from that" about the need to be proactive.
Koehlmoos said that once the survey has identified the scope of Loup Basin weed problems, other stakeholders will be contacted about helping pay for spraying. LLRND officials had received resolutions from Garfield, Buffalo and Custer counties urging them to go forward with the survey.
He added that Loup Basin interests ultimately may decide to form their own WMA.
In other LLNRD business Thursday, Broken Bow city officials asked for up to $32,000 - that's half of the local share - to fund construction of 2,800 feet of a concrete hike-bike trail in the park area around Melham Lake.
Koehlmoos said a federal grant of $261,000 is available to cover 80 percent of the construction costs.
The LLNRD board's policy is to take no action on such requests until at least the following month's meeting.
The LLNRD board's policy is to take no action on such requests until at least the following month's meeting.
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