Nebraska
New facility grows opportunities for Nebraska Statewide Arboretum
Possibilities are sprouting at the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum’s new plant production greenhouse.
The arboretum’s new facility on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s East Campus will be the home of its public spring, summer and fall plant sales. Growing the plans on campus will allow more freedom for arboretum employees and volunteers, offer educational opportunities for students, and promote native plants across Nebraska.
“We’re helping to create the demand,” said Bob Henrickson, horticulture program coordinator. “Then in turn nurseries are maybe shifting part of their focus to native plants.”
The project was funded by private donations and a grant from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. Construction began early last year and was completed in time for this production season. Staff began planting in February and are preparing for the first sales of the season, and the first ever at the new greenhouse.
Henrickson said the facility is prioritizing native and well-adapted plants because of the positive environmental effects and benefits to local wildlife. Some of the roughly 100 species growing in the new greenhouse include penstemon, coneflowers, bee balm, and a variety of trees like oak, hickory and catalpa.
“Our mission is to get these plants out into gardeners’ hands, putting them out in front of people so people start asking of native plants more,” Henrickson said. “You shouldn’t have to water these plants once they’re established, you shouldn’t have to provide any fertilizers or insecticides, and they can deal with our climate extremes.”
The new building takes over the function of a facility in Mead, Nebraska, where the arboretum had been borrowing a production greenhouse at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center. Henrickson and horticulture program volunteers were driving to and from Mead several days a week. Having a production greenhouse on campus will bypass transportation risks and costs and also allow for a longer production season each spring. The production season in Mead lasted from February through April. Henrickson hopes that will now extend into June.
“Getting everything done in two months, it’s hard to fathom,” Henrickson said. “In the past, if I had plants I wanted to increase in size and get ready for sales, I often didn’t have the space to do that in.”
Hanna Pinneo, executive director of the arboretum, is also hoping to offer more opportunities for students. Husker students will be able to pick up part-time jobs, and classes of all ages will be able to visit the greenhouse to see something different from the high-tech research greenhouses on East Campus.
Sometimes students don’t realize what career opportunities are available in this field, Pinneo said, and student work and classroom observation could open their eyes to more options for their future.
“We need people moving into the nursery and growing industry,” she said. “This is a realistic look at what you could do if you had a little bit of land and some seed money to put up a greenhouse. It gives those students who are interested and thinking about that as a career a chance to know what that would look like.”
The goal is not to compete with existing nurseries, Pinneo said, but to support and help the industry. It’s a way to encourage planting native species while showing what the arboretum is capable of in the future.
“This is one of the biggest undertakings our organization has ever done, so showing our supporters we can do these big projects opens up people’s minds to the possibilities,” Pinneo said.
The Nebraska Statewide Arboretum will host a ribbon cutting and and members-only sale at the new greenhouse on May 2, with more sales at the facility on May 4, 17, 24 and 31 and June 21 and 28. The organization is also hosting its annual Spring Affair plant sale April 25-27 at the Sandhills Global Event Center.
Nebraska
Nebraska Baseball takes series at Minnesota
Nebraska baseball remained in the hunt for a Big Ten Conference title with a series victory at Minnesota this weekend.
The Huskers topped the Gophers in the first two games but dropped dropped Sunday’s finale. NU is now 30-16 on the season, including 12-6 in the Big Ten. That puts the Huskers in a three-way tie for second place behind Illinois, which leads the league at 13-5.
Minnesota is now 21-21 with a league record of 7-11.
Nebraska won a relatively high-scoring affair Friday night, thanks in part to Dylan Carey’s two-run home run in the seventh inning. That gave NU a lead that wouldn’t be given back as the Huskers won 10-7.
The series was clinched Saturday with a 7-3 Husker victory. Joshua Overbeek had a 3-for-5 day with a homer, three RBIs and two runs. Josh Caron had three hits and an RBI, while Dylan Carey was 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
Sunday’s finale saw NU come up short of the sweep, with Minnesota scoring a pair of runs in the first inning and never relinquishing the lead en route to the 6-2 final.
Nebraska returns home to host South Dakota State for a single game Wednesday before a three-game weekend series in Lincoln against Indiana. The Huskers’ regular season wraps up the following weekend with three games at Michigan State.
Nebraska
Nebraska church helping tornado victims find their belongings | Latest Weather Clips | FOX Weather
Nebraska church helping tornado victims find their belongings
Lead Pastor Ronnie Rothe, with The Relevant Center in Elkhorn, Nebraska, explains how the fellowship is helping their neighbors around them who were impacted by the recent EF-3 tornado. Volunteers started finding personal belongings and helping reunite victims with their photos and other cherishes items.
Nebraska
Huskers sweep Pioneers in Spring Match
KEARNEY, Neb. (WOWT) – In their first time back on the court in front of a crowd since the national championship match, Nebraska beat Denver in three straight sets (25-13, 25-12, 25-15) in front of over 5,000 fans.
Junior outside hitter Lindsay Krause made her triumphant return from an injury, suiting up for the Huskers for the first time since mid-October. The Skutt Catholic product recorded a match-high 12 kills while also tallying 12 digs and a .417 hitting percentage.
Outside hitter Merritt Beason added 10 kills on .412 hitting. The All-American also recorded four blocks, three digs, and two service aces.
Saturday, Nebraska freshmen Skyler Pierce and Olivia Mauch made their debuts in a Husker uniform. Pierce started for Big Red and contributed 10 kills. Mauch, out of Bennington, also saw action recording a service ace and five digs.
All-American outside hitter Harper Murray did not participate in the Spring Match.
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