LINCOLN- $4 million dollars is being provided to landowners in the sandhills region by a voluntary grant program. The program is asking landowners to remove invasive eastern red cedar trees and restore grasslands and wetlands. The four-year program, funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, is aimed at restoring grassland and wetland habitat for at-risk species such as the greater prairie chicken, long-billed curlew and western prairie fringed orchid.

A spokesman with the Game Commission said the voluntary, incentive-based program is not part of the Biden administration’s “America the Beautiful” program — criticized by Gov. Pete Ricketts and Gov.-elect Jim Pillen as a “land grab” by the federal government — but was funded through the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed a year ago.

Removing eastern red cedar trees, through mechanical means and prescribed fire, can increase forage for livestock, reduce wildfire risks and improve stream flow and wildlife habitat. Partnering with Game and Parks in the project are Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever, Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition, Northern Prairies Land Trust, Rainwater Basin Joint Venture, Sandhills Task Force, Santee Sioux Nation, and The Nature Conservancy.

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