As many of you are now aware from the Saturday Lincoln Journal Star article, another piece of the needed land has fallen into place. I’m including it here for those without access to their article.
Lincoln-area conservation leaders on Thursday announced progress on the Prairie Corridor, a tallgrass prairie passage that one day will connect Pioneers Park with Spring Creek Prairie.
When completed, the western Lancaster County corridor following the Haines Branch of Salt Creek is expected to include 7,400 acres of prairie and a 14.5-mile multi-use trail.
“Nearly 70% of the Prairie Corridor trail corridor has been secured, and 25% of the trail has been built,” Lincoln Parks and Recreation Director Maggie Stuckey-Ross said at Prairie Corridor Link, a 94-acre property that’s the newest addition to the corridor.
Stuckey-Ross joined Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, the general manager of the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District and the executive director of local nonprofit Solidago Conservancy at a news conference that was followed by utility vehicle tours of Prairie Corridor Link.
The mayor said the corridor’s story began in 1948, when parks along the Haines Branch were included in the first city and county comprehensive plan.
The corridor project really got off the ground, Gaylor Baird said, in 2010 thanks to “very passionate” community members and thenMayor Chris Beutler, who was at Thursday’s news conference.
“By advancing the Prairie Corridor, we create more opportunities for residents and visitors to hike, bike, explore nature and experience the beautiful landscape that defines our region; we protect vital natural resources that improve water quality and help reduce flood risk downstream; and we preserve an important part of Nebraska’s natural heritage for future generations,” Gaylor Baird said.
The mayor pointed to research from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that predicts a completed corridor will generate millions of dollars in economic activity in the community annually.
The Prairie Corridor Link property, now owned by the city, was previously privately held and has been used for grazing. The property is not far southwest of the intersection of West Pioneers Boulevard and Southwest 56th Street.
It cost nearly $1.2 million to secure the property for the corridor, with Solidago Conservancy putting up $590,000 and the city and natural resources district jointly paying about $585,000.
Nicole Fleck-Tooze, executive director of Solidago Conservancy, said the property is “arguably one of the most special places” in the county.
“We’re in the lower reaches of the Haines Branch watershed, right along the stream corridor with dramatic bluffs, sandstone outcroppings, native bur oak woodlands and views of the Capitol,” Fleck-Tooze said.
Fleck-Tooze added the property has unique soils, and groups working on the corridor project will restore “very rare” saline wetlands to the area.
The Prairie Corridor project as a whole is expected to result in the restoration of nearly 2,000 acres of tallgrass prairie and the preservation of 3,400 acres of native prairie.
David Potter, general manager of the natural resources district, said less than 1% of Nebraska’s native tallgrass prairie remains today — making it one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world.
“These restored prairies improve water quality, reduce runoff, strengthen flood resilience and provide essential habitat for wildlife and pollinators,” Potter said.
Stuckey-Ross said she hopes the corridor project will be completed in a decade.
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