The Middle Republican Natural Resources District is based in Curtis, Neb. and is comprised of Hayes, Red Willow and Hitchcock Counties, most of Frontier County and part of Lincoln County.

Conservation and preservation of natural resources are the District's main purposes, and the District is involved in many programs related to the following purposes and responsibilities given to NRDs when they were formed by the Nebraska Legislature in 1972: Erosion prevention and control; Flood prevention; Soil conservation; Water conservation; Development, management, utilization and conservation of ground and surface water; Pollution control; Solid waste disposal and drainage; Drainage improvement and rectification; Fish and wildlife habitat; Recreational and park facilities; and forestry and range management. The District works closely with several other federal, state and local agencies to carry out its programs. The Natural Resources Conservation Service provides technical support. State funding for cost-share programs is provided by the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources. Local partners include cities, towns, villages, counties and extension offices within the District.

The land area of the District covers 3,843 square miles or 2,459,520 acres. Rangeland makes up 52 percent of the land use, and 46 percent is cropland. The largest source of water by far is groundwater, with an estimated 76.1 million acre feet of water stored beneath the land surface.

In addition to the Republican River, other important waterways in the District are Medicine Creek, Frenchman Creek, Red Willow Creek, Beaver Creek and Driftwood Creek. The population of the District is about 21,000, with nearly half residing in rural areas.