When rancher Richard Mazour looks at his rain gauge, he sees more than a device for measuring rainfall.

He sees endless possibilities.

Mazour sees the rain gauge as a valuable tool for identifying moisture patterns and verifying his area is in a continuing drought. That kind of data is important when he talks to an insurance adjuster.

"We're also creating a history base in our locale that will provide a valuable resource to turn back to and use in future planning," he said.

Mazour, who owns about a 1,000-acre ranch 35 miles southeast of Hastings, got his rain gauge when he became a volunteer in June for the Nebraska Rainfall Assessment and Information Network, or NeRAIN for short.

NeRAIN uses volunteers to study the complex patterns of rain, hail and snow in Nebraska. The goal is to place one rain gauge in each township of the state.

Marlene Faimon, who coordinates the project at the Little Blue Natural Resources District in Davenport, said more than 600 gauges have been installed since May, when the program began. The goal is 1,000 rain gauges statewide.

Data compiled by volunteers could be used by natural resources districts in groundwater modeling or by the federal government to assess crop damage after a storm, said Faimon. Crop consultants and farmers also could use it to schedule irrigation applications.

"The more people get used to the data collected, the more ways they will find to use it," Faimon said.

Volunteers come from all walks of life and include farmers, ranchers, people who homeschool their children and seed company employees, she said.

Here's how the program works: Volunteers check their rain gauges and report any rainfall. The amounts are then posted on maps, which can be viewed by meteorologists, researchers and the public.

"The project has been interesting; some of my volunteers have kept rainfall for 40 years on calendars or old notebooks. Now that's knowing your weather," Faimon said.

But more volunteers are needed.

Anyone who would like to volunteer should contact their local natural resources district office to see if there is an opening in a township.

Volunteers receive an official, 11-inch rain gauge, which costs about $30, and training. They need access to a computer.

Funding for the project comes from the Nebraska Environmental Trust, which provided $15,000 for its first phase. Thirteen districts signed up.

Eight more districts have committed to the project, if the trust approves a second grant of $17,000. Two districts, Lower Platte South and Lower Niobrara, have declined to commit to the project at this time.

"It's been a real good response," Faimon said. "I had people stop me in Wal-Mart. They think it's the neatest thing since ice cream."

Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at 473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.