Sandhills Voice

May 16, 2024. Grant County News 139(42): 1, 6. Edits are included here. There are and have been very some significant projects combined that required lots of attention and effort to remove unwanted invasive cedar trees from thousands of acres of northern Cherry County prairie and riverine woodlands. Now, instead of dense tree growth, there is an open vegetive conditions for birds and flora, recreational opportunities and even grass for cattle to graze. A primary tract where work initially began was the 7668 acre tract of publicly owned property south of the Niobrara River and west of the Snake River as managed by the Board of Educational Lands and Funds. This large tract was created when the sections of land – typically sections 16 and 36 - within the newly created Samuel R. McKelvie Division of the Nebraska National Forest was being established so the federal property would not have disparate tracts. The trade was officially authorized by governmental edict on April 19, 1917, accordin...

  EPA Approves Plan to Mitigate Snake River Damage in Northern Nebraska   Contact Information: Benjamin Washburn, 816-518-4154, washburn.ben@epa.gov   LENEXA, KAN. (MARCH 27, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved a work plan submitted to the Agency by Richard Minor of Gordon, Nebraska, and Cherry County, Nebraska, to mitigate damage to the Snake River resulting from an unauthorized drainage ditch excavated from Minor’s property to the river in 2020. According to EPA, discharges from the ditch into the river caused extensive environmental harm and violated the federal Clean Water Act. “The Snake River is a critical aquatic resource,” said David Cozad, director of EPA Region 7’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division. “EPA is encouraged that Mr. Minor and Cherry County are taking steps to minimize further impacts to the Snake River and downstream property owners.” According to EPA, in April 2020, Minor and Cherry County personnel excavat...

These update points were graciously provided by Matt Sprenger, refuge manager: public comment period closed on March 30 We are currently finalizing responses to public comments Final draft EA will be submitted to our Regional Office in May Hope for a decision on the Environmental Assessment in June The refuge could potentially be open to wildlife observation, interpretation and environmental education by summer 2024

  Dear Fort Niobrara NWR, Thank you for the opportunity to provide written commentary regarding the Compatibility Determination and Environmental Assessment of Seier National Wildlife Refuge for Environmental Education, Interpretation, Wildlife Observation, and Photography and for Haying and Grazing.  I am the Executive Director for Audubon of Kansas (AOK). AOK owns and manages property for wildlife in Kansas and in Nebraska. Our largest sanctuary is a 5000-acre ranch northeast of Bassett, NE, and about 1 hour from Seier NWR. As Executive Director, I understand the challenges associated with preserving habitat for wildlife while also providing opportunities to connect with nature. Before becoming the Executive Director three years ago, I was an Associate Professor at The Ohio State University at Lima with a PhD in Biology from Kansas State University. For over 20 years, I have been studying Greater Prairie-Chickens, with some of those years overlapping...

  Amendment I (1791) Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. --,- Congress cannot enforce a law limiting free speech. Yet the FWS can issue an edict limiting free speech at public meetings. Even Congressional hearings allow five minutes. So the FWS has infringed on the right of free public speech. And the right of people to hear and thus know a five minute presentation by other citizens and neighbors. So anyone that spoke at a meeting apparently had their right of free speech violated by an over-bearing public agency, controlled by the U.S. government, and thus Congress. The FWS has also infringed on the right for people to peacefully gather by having only two r-project public meetings. The FWS management has stifled free speech in at least ways: 1) age...

James E. Ducey. April 2024 The Cherry County  assessor ’s office has been placed on probation by the Nebraska Department of Revenue (NDR). The county office had indicated a “pattern of nonconformity with timely meeting” critical deadlines, according to a letter dated February 5th, 2024 from the state agency responsible to ensure compliance with statutory assessment deadlines. There were three particular items indicted: “A. Whether Cherry County entered personal property into their CAMA system in a timely manner to correctly provide an accurate taxable value,” according to the state agency letter. A “liaison visit” by NDR to the county office on September 17, 2023 indicated “that the deputy  assessor  and one clerk were still entering personal property into the county’s CAMA system; almost two months past when such information was to be certified to each political subdivision.” Conclusion: ”This prevented the  Assessor  from certifying an accurate current taxable...

March 28. 2024. Grant County News 139(35): 1. A significant extent of a heritage ranch in Cherry county was sold in June 2023. There were three transactions by Paul and Pat Young at the Gordon Valley Ranch. Brennemann Farms LLC purchased 2362 acres for $2.189 million, which included a house and a pole building. Bruce Brennemann was the signer of the form 521 real estate statement. On the same date, of June 30th another document was filed for $3,206,240 for 4365 acres as purchased by Reverse 1031 Holdings, Inc. of Ogallala, Nebr. The property was subsequently transferred to the Brennemann’s on October 26, 2023. The third transaction was for $1.840 million for 2560 acres as purchased by John E. and Delores Brennemann. Overall, the purchase price for the ca. 9287 acres was $8,235,204 million. This equates to $886 per acre for property that is primarily grassland of different types. Additional thousands were spent for the requisite tax stamps. Most of the property was on the northern exten...

April 4, 2024. Grant County News 139(36): 5. My community lost a man that cared. When the holy men arrived this morning, we stood together and said a prayer. We stood together as real men.  A doctor. A rancher. A writer. And we hugged because we are men that care. I waited hours to make certain that a tribute would happen for Lew; my neighbor  My Tig picture on the tractor is now a treasure.

Upon  looking out the front door just now on a Thursday morning along the drive. There were two gents with two smallish kids that wanted to see the horses. I came out waving my hand high. My message needed to be perfectly clear.  They were on the public street. We chatted across a short didtsnce measured by many feet.  One of the adults tried to apologize if they were disturbsnce.That comment was immediately shutdown. I shared the horses names, when asked. Did make a goof on one moniker One of the tykes asked if I was babysitting. Then I went into this whole rigamoral about leases and stuff. Too much for young ones. I guess i do horsesit. I spends a lot to help have fat deer and a haven, with approval of the property owners. The turkeys arrive in hordes and are quite colorfully expressive these days. And the crows like unshelled peanuts! Squirrels know exactly where their nibbling preference is kept.  They were invited back, with the reality of timing when to see the...

James E. Ducey. March 27, 2004. The Cherry County assessor’s office has been placed on probation by the Nebraska Department of Revenue (NDR). The county office had indicated a “pattern of nonconformity with timely meeting” critical deadlines, according to a letter dated February 5th, 2024 from the state agency responsible to ensure compliance with statutory assessment deadlines. There were three particular items indicted: “A. Whether Cherry County entered personal property into their CAMA system in a timely manner to correctly provide an accurate taxable value,” according to the state agency letter. A “liaison visit” by NDR to the county office on September 17, 2023 indicated “that the deputy assessor and one clerk were still entering personal property into the county’s CAMA system; almost two months past when such information was to be certified to each political subdivision.” Conclusion: ”This prevented the Assessor from certifying an accurate current taxable value of all taxable rea...