(308) 385-6282 Address: 215 Kaufman Avenue, Grand Island NE
Office Hours: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Appointments Recommended!
The Central Platte NRD staff would like to provide you the best customer service possible. Since our District ranges from Gothenburg to Columbus, we work with thousands of landowners each year. In order to better serve you, we highly recommend that you call and make an appointment since many of our staff work out in the field and are not available for walk-ins.
Making an appointment will save you time, effort, and possibly another trip to our office. To make an appointment with any CPNRD staff, please call (308) 385-6282.
 Lyndon Vogt | General Manager Lyndon is responsible for seeing that all the programs, projects and priorities of the Central Platte NRD Board of Directors are carried out in a timely and efficient manner. He's also responsible for all NRD staff and their activities, acts as contracting officer for the District, and oversees the long-range and short-term planning and finances of the District. Lyndon began his career in 1996 at the Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District and then moved to the Upper Niobrara White NRD in 2001. Lyndon began his employment with the Central Platte NRD in June 2013. |
 Dianne Miller | Administrative Director I assist the General Manager with the administrative aspects of the District and serve as office manager. I also oversee the accounting system, including investments, payroll and related items, prepare payments to vendors, compute amounts to be billed to project co-sponsors and the State on various projects. I assist with developing budget recommendations, finalize & submit the annual budget to the state auditor and county clerks, prepare election certifications for the Secretary of State and the county election commissioners. I oversee the District’s operations insurance and draft the board meeting minutes. I serve on the NRD/NARD Employees Benefits Committee and the NARD Intergovernmental Risk Management Pool Association Loss Control Committee. Dianne began working for the Mid-Platte Valley Watershed in 1971, which was merged into the Natural Resources Districts. Dianne has been employed by the NRD since 1972 when the NRDs were formed. |
 Tom Backer | Projects Assistant I'm responsible for managing the tree planting crew and I do all of the physical maintenance of the NRD's projects including the Upper Prairie/Silver/Moores Flood Control Project, Kearney Northeast, Wood River Floodway, and 40 flood control dams. Tom has been employed by the NRD since 1984. |
 Sara Carlson | District Secretary, Merrick County Field Office I'm the Merrick County Secretary for the NRCS/CPNRD in the Merrick County Field office. My duties include incoming and outgoing telephone calls, ordering supplies, sending correspondence letters, keeping track of irrigation records, updating farm folders with new farms and transferring out farms to different counties. I also assist with many different NRD and conservation programs. Sara and her husband Byron have two children- Kenslei and Kyler. Sara has been employed with the CPNRD since 2007. |
 David Carr | Range Management Specialist I am the Prescribed Fire Program manager and NRD Safety Program coordinator. I work with private landowners, and other organizations to successfully plan, implement and monitor prescribed fires, which are done for rangeland and habitat improvement. My duties include planning and coordinating fire training, and public education involving the safe use of prescribed fire. I help out wherever is necessary including taking water samples, depth to groundwater measurements, and collection of gallons per minute measurements on irrigation wells. Dave has been employed by the NRD since 2004. |
 Dan Clement | Water Resources Specialist Dan's duties include issuing groundwater well permits, assisting in updating water well registrations, technical assistance in well decommissioning, setting up the water quality sampling protocol and measuring surface flow in the rivers and streams throughout the NRD. He is also the vadoses zone coordinator and helps with chemigation systems inspections, reading irrigation well flows and taking GPS locations as part of Central Platte NRD's Groundwater Management Plan. |
 Kelly Cole | Programs Coordinator As Programs Coordinator I manage the following programs: Conservation Tree Program, Central Platte's cost share programs, the state cost share programs including NSWCP, Buffer Strip Program, Well Decommissioning and WILD Nebraska, and the Pheasants Forever Pivot Corner Program. I work with the Central Platte NRD awards program and handle all travel arrangements for both the staff and the board of directors. I also help in coordinating the Nebraska Children's Groundwater Festival. Kelly has been employed by the NRD since 2001. |
 Mark Czaplewski | Staff Biologist As staff biologist at Central Platte NRD, I am involved in a variety of tasks including participation in the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program. This basin-wide effort to aid in the conservation of threatened and endangered species using the central Platte River. My participation includes membership on the Land Advisory Committee, Technical Advisory Committee, Adaptive Management Work Group, and alternate to the Governance Committee. I also help out on such efforts as the Nebraska Habitat Conservation Coalition, Lower Platte Basin Coalition, and am Coordinator for the Platte Basin Habitat Enhancement Project. I work on in-stream flow issues, wetland projects and a variety of endangered and non-game species matters as the arise. Mark has been employed by the NRD since 1997. |
 Tricia Dudley | Resources Conservationist Tricia Dudley was introduced as the CPNRD’s new resources conservationist. Tricia received a Bachelor of Science in fisheries and wildlife from UNL in 2011 and worked previously for the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture. She began her current position CPNRD in February 2016. Tricia assists with the Water Quality and Quantity programs, GIS projects and static water level measurements. |
 Deb Jarzynka | Secretary/Receptionist I am CPNRD's receptionist/secretary, and my job duties include a variety of things. I'm the person who greets people when they come in or call in and get them to the staff person who can help them. I order office supplies, maintain the copy machines, distribute incoming faxes and maintain the filing system. I prepare and make the bank deposits and open all of the incoming mail and deliver it to the staff. I type, copy, scan etc. items for the staff. I also get the monthly board meeting packets and cards put together and ready to mail out to the directors and others. I type the agenda and financial report handed out at the monthly board meeting. I keep track of the calender, prepare and send out the quarterly travel, and expense reports to directors. I keep record of staff leave and make copies of all of the bills we have received;for payment and mail out with the checks. Deb has been employed by the NRD since 1988. |
 Samantha Keith | District Secretary, Dawson County Field Office I am the District Secretary for the NRCS Dawson County Field Office. I'm the first point of contact for landowners that come in or call the office. My duties include data entry, records management, and mailing (incoming and outgoing). I'm also responsible for administrative assistance for NRCS/CPNRD conservation programs. Samantha has been employed by the NRD since 2009. |
 Dean Krull | Demonstration Project Coordinator, UNL As an employee of the University of Nebraska and a long time partner with the Central Platte NRD, my duties are to conduct field demonstrations with the agricultural clientele throughout the district and focus on Best Management Practices that coincide with the Groundwater Management Plan set by the District. Dean has partnered with the NRD since 1980. |
 Marcia Lee | Information/Education Specialist 'Information' responsibilities include the In Perspective newsletter, NRD website, brochures, developing agendas for board meetings and keeping the public and media up-to-date about happenings at the NRD. 'Education' responsibilities include working with K-12 natural resources programs including: NR Corner education newsletter, co-coordinating the Nebraska Children's Groundwater Festival, Outdoor Classroom Program, NRD Scholarship program, Central Region Envirothon, Land Judging and Range Judging contests, and presentations as requested by schools and the community. I'm a member of the Grand Island Groundwater Guardian Team that implemented the Outdoor Learning Area at the Nebraska State Fair. I graduated from the University of Nebraska-Kearney in 1997. Marcia has been employed by the NRD since 1999. |
 Shelly Lippincott | District Secretary, Buffalo County Field Office I am the NRCS-CPNRD field office Secretary in Kearney. My job is file management, ordering and tracking, quarterly reports to NRCS state office, yearly Irrigation water management records to producers, incoming and outgoing land transfers, assist with NRD conservation programs. I grew up in Denver, Colorado and spent lots of time fishing, camping, and hiking in the mountains. On my spare time I go hunting, fishing, camping, and mud dragging with my husband and son. My daughter and I do girly things like watch movies, shop, and scrapbook. Shelly has been employed by the NRD since 2000. |
 Shane Max | Resources Conservationist As Resources Conservationist, my duties include measurement of groundwater quality levels, collection of water samples for quality analysis, water flow metering, chemigation inspections, GIS projects, prescribed burning, and assisting in other NRD projects. I graduated from Chadron State College in 2008 with a Bachelor's degree in Range/ Wildlife Management. Shane has been employed by the NRD since 2012. |
 Jesse Mintken | Projects Manager I took over as projects director in 2013 when Milt Moravek retired. As projects manager, I work closely with engineering firms, local, state and federal agencies on the District's projects. I also work with landowners on projects that are in the same proximity of their land including flood control and snagging & clearing projects. I've been heavily involved in the rehabilitation of the Dawson County irrigation canals. Jesse has been employed by the NRD since 2007. |
 Sandy Noecker | Data and Compliance Officer My duties as Data and Compliance Officer include overseeing the District’s Groundwater Quality Management Program, and maintain and compile the records and data submitted for the program. I also maintain the records for the Chemigation Program and submit the required reports; check well registrations and make necessary corrections; and help Thirty Mile Irrigation District, Southside Irrigation District and Cozad Ditch Company with their appropriation changes and updates. Sandy has been employed by the NRD since 1979. |
 Angela Warner | GIS Coordinator Angela provides technical assistance in the design, maintenance, development and creation of databases, maps and other related GIS (Global Information Systems) projects. She deals particularly with the certification of irrigated acres and waterbank transfers allowed within the District. Additional duties include: acting as a liaison with the county assessors, assisting with well registrations, and troubleshooting GIS issues. Angela has been employed by the NRD since 2006. |
 Duane Woodward | Engineering Hydrologist As District Hydrologist at Central Platte NRD, my duties center around surface water and groundwater studies. The Platte River Cooperative Hydrology Study (COHYST) requires much of my time as I work with others to develop the groundwater database and regional groundwater models for the Platte River Area above Columbus, NE. The Conjunctive Management Study, the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program and Water Action Plan committees are additional items I am involved with for the NRD. Other hydrology work task include high groundwater investigations and storm water runoff from precipitation events. Duane has been employed by the NRD since 1992. |
 Luke Zakrzewski | GIS Image Analyst My primary duties involve assisting with maintaining databases associated with certifying irrigated acres. I also assist with the NRD's Water Bank, which is used to keep track of water reductions so that the reductions may be used to offset new uses in order to maintain the current balance between use and availability. Other responsibilities include developing and managing GIS/GPS datasets for other NRD projects and occasional field work when needed. I graduated from UNK in 2002 with a BS in Wildlife Biology. Luke has been employed by the NRD since 2011. |