Nebraska Conservation Education Fund

The Nebraska Conservation Educational Fund (NCEF) works to build a conservation movement that transcends ideological and political boundaries, and that is led by a broad coalition of Nebraskans who aim to protect our natural resources and ensure that we have a just, secure, and prosperous future.

• About Us
  Working as a non-profit, non-partisan organization, NCEF educates the public, media and elected officials about important conservation issues, works to increase public participation in the democratic process and mobilizes a diverse network of people to engage in public policy.
• Our Impact
  NCEF's primary program is Common Ground.
  
  The purpose of the Common Ground Program is to build a statewide infrastructure of Nebraskans who care deeply about conservation and who are knowledgeable about how to manage Nebraska’s natural resources.
  
  NCEF launched the Common Ground Program in 2016. Currently, Common Ground is led by volunteers (who we call Community Education Coordinators, or CECs), who organize educational events and community conversations within their own communities. These events and conversations focus on conservation issues including (but not limited to) water, soil, habitat, disaster preparedness, and public health. Our objective is for these events and discussions to result in locally-led projects, such as a program that improves water management by individuals, long-term plans for disaster preparedness, or planting native grasses and plants. The educational programs and projects are directed by our local community partners and volunteers, because we firmly believe that those who live in our partnering communities are the experts on their own area’s conservation needs. So far, more than 750 people from across the state have engaged with this program.
  
  We are currently expanding our program, and will begin to provide regional coordination to our CECs this fall. This regional coordination will be provided by full-time AmeriCorps members. In this role, AmeriCorps members will greatly expand and enhance the Common Ground Program. Two AmeriCorps members will work together to serve at least five towns located within their region of Nebraska. Together, they will lead educational events and service learning programming. They will be responsible for recruiting and training community volunteers (CECs). Training of CECs will include how to organize events, how to facilitate group discussions, and how to grow the network of people interested in advancing conservation of natural resources.