Volunteer rainfall watchers sought by NRD

CURTIS, Neb. — With drought conditions returning to Southwest Nebraska, Natural Resources Districts are seeking volunteers to help keep track of what rain we do receive.

Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts were created in 1972 for conservation and preservation of our natural resources.

To achieve these responsibilities, Nebraska Resources Districts work closely with several other federal, state, and local agencies.

An active way local citizens, farmers and interested patrons can participate is with the Nebraska Rainfall Assessment and Information Network (NeRain) program, funded in part with a grant from Nebraska Environmental Trust (NET).

The mission is to collect greater and more accurate statewide precipitation data. The Middle Republican NRD is very active in supporting and providing resources for this highly used program.

Currently the MRNRD has 69 active reporting stations: Frontier County-15, Hayes County-11, Hitchcock County-18, Lincoln County-5, and Red Willow County-20.

The MRNRD NeRAIN success depends completely on local volunteers to report rainfall amounts directly to a website from their homes. Each participant is given a new quality rain gauge, brief training, and reporting forms. Information is transmitted to climate analysts from the Nebraska Natural Resources Districts, Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, and other water-focused organizations, who process the data and prepare detailed maps showing rainfall patterns.

This data is not only used to learn how storms develop and move across the region, and to predict flooding and drought.

It is used as a valuable tool for helping confirm damage claims. The information is available to the general public assisting everyone in tracking rainfall providing farmers information that is helpful in making daily decisions.

You can become involved. The Middle Republican NRD is seeking more weather watchers. Contact Bob Merrigan at MRNRD at 308-367-4281 or rmerrigan@mrnrd.org. The NeRain website is https://nednr.nebraska.gov/nerain.

With information, education and outreach efforts, Middle Republican Natural Resource District is reaching out to touch Nebraska’s future generations, the young people who will watch over the state’s resources in the 21st century.