Northern Praries Land Trust - Land and Resource Preservation

Working Today to Preserve Tomorrow

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Northern Prairies Land Trust Earns National Recognition

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, announced on May 27, 2009 that Northern Prairies Land Trust has been awarded accredited status.

“Accredited land trusts meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever,” said Commission Executive Director Tammara Van Ryn. “The accreditation seal lets the public know that the accredited land trust has undergone an extensive, external review of the governance and management of its organization.”

“Northern Prairies’ accredited status demonstrates our commitment to permanent land conservation,” says John H. Davidson, President. “We will proceed with confidence in our mission of preserving land with important conservation values.”

Northern Prairies is awarded accreditation along with five other land trusts from across the country, bringing the total of accredited land trusts to 59, out of approximately 1700 nationwide.

Northern Prairies was formed in 1999 and currently holds 20 easements in South Dakota and Nebraska, covering over 3,000 acres. The organization works with private individuals and conservation organizations and agencies through conservation programs designed to meet the landowners’ vision for their property, and to enhance and restore the conservation attributes of the land.

Conservation by the Numbers

How much do numbers matter in conservation? Many times a person's motivation for conservation is not something that can be measured statistically or given any type of numeric value. Rather, it is based on respect for the land and future generations.

However, numbers can measure whether an organization is progressing or not. Here are some key numbers from the last year for Northern Prairies Land Trust.

Our Nebraska section received a very impressive three-year $650,000 grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust for projects and staffing positions in Nebraska.
The Big Sioux River Conservation Easement Program in eastern South Dakota welcomed the 10th landowner in April, 2009.
The Harvey Dunn Grassland Preservation Project has now preserved over 2200 acres of grasslands and wetlands in the Brookings and Kingsbury Counties in South Dakota.
Northern Prairies once again partnered with a number of organizations including The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department, Pheasants Forever, and the states of Minnesota and North Dakota in the Prairies Without Borders project which is currently under consideration for a $1 Million grant through the North America Wetlands Conservation Act.
Legislation has been introduced in the US Congress to make the tax incentives for conservation easements permanent. Those incentives allow landowners to deduct 50% of their adjusted gross income per year as a charitable deduction, and carry the deduction forward for 15 years. Even better, qualifying farmers and ranchers can deduct up to 100% of their adjusted gross income for 15 years.
Northern Prairies now holds 20 conservation easements, protecting habitat, agriculture, water quality, recreation, and open space.

For more information on these stories, please visit “Projects & News”.

The Value of Green Space

A recent publication outlined health and well-being benefits of green space and commons in urban landscapes through case studies. Green space includes both natural and restored areas of plant and wildlife communities, including gardens. The case studies are contained in Restorative Commons: Creating Health and Well-Being through Urban Landscapes, edited by Lindsey Campbell and Anne Wiesen. It is published by USDA Forest Service and can be viewed on the Web at www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/8810 , or additional copies can be obtained from USDA Forest Service, Publications Distribution, 359 Main Rd, Delaware, OH 43015, and Fax: (740) 368-0152.

How Important is the Tallgrass Prairie?

Native tallgrass prairie is the MOST ENDANGERED ecosystem in North America. (Kansas State University)

Native prairie root systems are the BEST natural soil anchors on earth.

One acre of established prairie can produce 24,000 pounds of roots. (Iowa State University)

One acre of established prairie can ABSORB 9 inches of rainfall per hour before runoff occurs. (University of North Iowa)

One acre of established prairie will INTERCEPT as much as 53 tons of water during a one-inch hour rain event. (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

Prairie foliage represents a surface area 5 to 20 times larger than the soil area beneath it. (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

Natural competition of prairie plants REDUCES the occurrence of weeds in an area. (Iowa State University)

Greater prairie diversity creates greater biotic barriers to PREVENT weed invasion. (University of Minnesota )

One acre of reconstructed prairie can produce more net bioenergy than land used to grow corn for ethanol. (University of Minnesota)

See a poster of prairie plants and their root system at: http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/assistance/nrplanning/community/roadsidesforwildlife/putdownroots_poster.pdf

HOW FINE-TUNED ARE YOUR BIRD IDENTIFICATION SKILLS?

Gerhard Assenmacher, a landowner in south-central Nebraska, who were recently donated a conservation easement to Northern Prairies, has photographed a wonderful collection of birds located on his property. Click here to see how many you can identify.

SD Office Addresses: Northern Prairies’ main office is at 401 E. 8th Street, #200B, Sioux Falls, SD 57103-7015. The telephone and fax numbers are 605-339-3184. Our SD field office is located at 605 3rd Avenue NW, Watertown, SD 57201, with a telephone number of 605-882-5250 and fax number of 605-882-5251. See “Contact Us” for a complete listing of all our Nebraska offices.