NRD/NRCS BURN COORDINATOR HIRED

Dr. John Ortmann has been named the Prescribed Burn Coordinator in the Lower Loup Natural Resources District. As the burn coordinator, Ortmann will work with private landowners and other organizations to plan and implement prescribed burns across the District.

Ortmann has been involved in prescribed fire for two decades. NRD General Manager Leon “Butch” Koehlmoos said that Ortmann “brings a high level of expertise in prescribed burning and range management to the 16 counties in the NRD.” Koehlmoos said that Ortmann was hired through a Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) grant program that provides 80 percent of the position’s funding.

Ortmann was formerly the Nature Conservancy’s Director of Science and Stewardship for the western half of Nebraska. He has also served as a range extension specialist for Colorado State University.

Ortmann said that he looked forward to working with area landowners, saying that “the best managers of the land are the people who work it every day.” He said he hoped that “people would be empowered to utilize prescribed burns as a new opportunity in their range management plan.”

Ortmann will be involved in helping to plan and coordinate fire training and will direct public education efforts as part of his new position. Ortmann will be based in the Natural Resources Conservation Service office in Ord and will begin his duties later this month.

This page last modified on 4/13/09.