Entrepreneurial Rain Gardens

November 16, 2010 - Entrepreneurial Rain Gardens - 10:00 A.M. CST, 9:00 A.M. MST

Why would a client want a rain garden or bioretention system? UNL Extension Educator, Katie Pekarek will tell you and offer landscapers and horticulturists new designs and plants that work well in rain gardens during this live webinar.


View at http://breeze.unl.edu/extension/eship

Presenter: Katie Pekarek, UNL Extension Educator in Stormwater Management

What can your business do to keep our water clean?

Rain gardens and bio retention areas are a good way for businesses and homeowners to reduce pollution in our water. This useful technique uses native plantings and infiltration to capture and treat water runoff from storms. Learning the techniques of rain garden design can open up a whole new market that can increase revenues and Green our communities.

Background: Katie Pekarek is a graduate of UNL in biological systems engineering with an MS from North Carolina State in Biological and Agricultural Engineering with a minor in Water Resources Management. She was employed on the east coast as a consult in storm water engineering and more recently employed in Lincoln as a consultant in water engineering. Katie was hired by UNL Extension in June of 2010 as a stormwater management educator.



Next Webinars
UNL eShip Webinar Schedule
Scheduled time: 3rd Tuesday of the Month – 10:00 a.m. CST 9:00 a.m. MST
Past eShip webinars can be viewed at http://etraining.unl.edu/

Little Bazile Creek Watershed Floodplain Mapping Begins

Information about the efforts to begin floodplain mapping for Little Bazile Creek Watershed at Bloomfield in Knox County was released by NDNR on November 4, 2010.

http://dnr.ne.gov/NewsReleases/FEMA_LittleBazileCreek.pdf

Information about the mapping effort can be directed to Shuhai Zeng, Head of the Floodplain/Dam Safety/ Survey Division. 402.471.3936.

How Are We Doing?

NeFSMA is looking for your input. If you haven't yet done so, please take a moment and click here to complete our online survey. It's only 10 questions and you will not be asked for any personal or contact information. This survey will help to make this organization serve its members to the best of our ability. Thanks for your help!

NeFSMA 2011 Board of Directors

Allow me to thank and congratulate the newly elected 2011 Board of Directors for NeFSMA. For next year, we exercised the option in our by-laws that allows us to have up to 15 Directors . This approach reflects the need to engage more members in the leadership development process and we have elected a great group of individuals to accomplish that. We look forward to the infusion of ideas and energy they will bring as our Association continues to mature. The 2011 Directors are:


Chair - Jesse Poore (Felsburg Holt & Ullevig)

Vice Chair - Nate Hartman (Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department)

Second Vice Chair - Rock Krzycki (City of Lincoln - Watershed Management)

Secretary - Mike McIntosh (Lamp Rynearson & Associates)

Treasurer - Lori Laster (Papio-Missouri Natural Resources District)

At Large:

Shawn Smith (City of Valley)

Bill Jones (Nebraska Department of Natural Resources)

John Callen (JEO Consulting Group, Inc.)

John Cambridge (HDR, Inc.)

Emily Holtzclaw (CH2M Hill)

Bob Carnazzo (Nebraska Department of Roads)

Bobbi Holm (University of Nebraska - Extension)

Nina Cudahy (City of Omaha)

Jamie Reinke (Olsson Associates)

Rocky Keehn (SEH, Inc.)


In case you were counting, that is 7 from the private sector and 8 from the public sector; a pretty good balance.

Are You Registered Yet?

The second annual NeFSMA Floodplain and Stormwater Management Conference is scheduled for July 30 in Kearney. 

Highlights of this year’s conference include:

• Keynote Speech by Dr. Kenneth Dewey, professor of Applied Climate Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s School of Natural Resources.
• “No Adverse Impact: Getting Started-A Common Sense Strategy for Floodplain Management.” presented by George Riedel, executive director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM).
• Bill Jones, NDNR, will present two seminars for floodplain managers: “Community Guidance and Administrative Procedures – Policies and Ordinances;” and “Community Guidance and Administrative Procedures – Forms and Certificates.”
• “Post-Construction Integrated Management Practices” presented by J.B. Dixon, Lower Platte South NRD, Lori Laster, Papio-Missouri River NRD, and Jesse Poore, Felsburg, Holt, & Ullevig.
• “Simple Is As Simple Does: Presenting Technical Information “GUMP” Style” presented by Negil McPherson Jr., HDR.
• “Keeping Up with the Flow” presented by Blayne Renner, Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.
• “Hydrology and Hydraulics for Floodplain and Stormwater Management” presented by Ben Higgins, City of Lincoln, and Shuhai Zheng, NDNR.
• “Levees: The Good, the Bad and the Ugliness of Certification” presented by Randall L. Behm, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  “What Does It Take to Secure a FEMA Mitigation Grant?” presented by Steve McMaster, NDNR.

Registrations are due by July 16.  Registration form can be downloaded here.  Hope to see you in Kearney!