Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Paddlefish snagging season on the Missouri River opens Oct. 1, and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has several reminders for anglers hoping to fill a tag. During the season, which runs through Oct. 31, anglers may snag paddlefish and nongame fish from Gavins Point Dam downstream to the mouth of the Big Sioux River at mile marker 734. Legal fishing hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. More about the season: Closed Areas – Snagging is not allowed off the north wall and in the area immediately below Gavins Point Dam powerhouse discharge canal. All i...
This past week, the Natural Resources Committee held an interim hearing to review current laws that relate to the approval process, personnel involved, and costs associated with controlled burn permits. Controlled burns are planned fires intentionally set to manage ecosystems or prevent future larger, uncontrolled wildfires. These planned burns help reduce hazardous fuels like dead vegetation, promote the growth of native species, and help control problematic species like the eastern redcedar tr...
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will accept submissions for the 2025 Nebraskaland Magazine photo contest starting Oct. 1. Submissions should be made at Magazine.OutdoorNebraska.gov. To be eligible for the contest, photos should be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Central time Oct. 31. Photographers of all ages and skill levels are invited to submit photos in four categories: Wildlife - wild mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish Scenic - in which landmarks, scenery or inanimate objects are...
A combination firearm and bowhunter education course will be offered by Nebraska Game and Parks Commission volunteer instructors in Orchard on Sept. 18, 19, and 20. Class will meet from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the 18th and 19th, and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 20. This free course will be held at the Orchard Community Center (formerly Orchard Public School) at 407 E. 4th St., in Orchard. The course will provide instruction in safe firearms use, safe bow use, tree stand safety, shooting and...
The Nebraska chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers presented its inaugural Public Lands Hero Award to Adam Kester, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission access program manager, Aug. 13 in North Platte. The Hero Award, which will be presented annually, recognizes those who make outstanding efforts to improve public access for hunters and anglers in Nebraska. Kester has been with Game and Parks since 2011 and served many roles in its Wildlife Division. Loren Smith of North Platte, Backcountry...
With the annual dove season opener on Sept. 1, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has some reminders for hunters, as well as recommendations for areas to hunt. Doves are abundant statewide and, with generous bag limits, provide excellent wing-shooting opportunities. Mourning doves, Eurasian collared-doves and white-winged doves may be hunted statewide Sept. 1 to Oct. 30, with aggregate daily bag and possession limits of 15 and 45, respectively. Shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset. Sunflowers, millet and wheat, which ge...
Based on preliminary figures, presented to Holt County Supervisors during a July 31 meeting, the road budget will see approximately a $300,000 increase from the previous year's proposal. Holt County Road Superintendent Gary Connot told supervisors the increase includes salary and equipment increases. "We adjusted the capital outlay by about $100,000," Connot said. Chairman Bill Tielke asked if the budget stays within a 3% increase, a number tossed around by state officials, primarily Gov. Jim...
Celebrate 30 years of the Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail with a bike ride, dinner and social on the bridge on Friday, Sept. 5 in Valentine. Register to attend the bike ride and dinner portions at OutdoorNebraska.gov by searching "Cowboy 30." Proceeds from the event will support trail improvements of the Valentine Trailhead area. Registration is not required to attend the social. Hit the trail The Cowboy Trail signature event will kick off with a 9 a.m. bike ride along the trail. Ride either...
Guests at three state recreation areas will be allowed to touch off fireworks on the Fourth of July, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Those visitors should use caution when lighting fireworks. The following SRAs, with designated lighting sites, will permit fireworks from 8 a.m. until midnight on July 4 only: • Branched Oak State Recreation Area – Lieber’s Point • Pawnee SRA – Area 1 beach and the Area 4 Lakeview Campground • Wagon Train SRA – beach. Signs at recreation areas will point the way to designated fireworks sites a...
By: Rich Wehmeyer Old Wolf Oak at Ponca State Park, one of Nebraska’s oldest trees, has died. It was a bur oak living more than 380 years and had become an often-visited woodland destination for park visitors. But it’s not the only oak to die this year from stresses of natural causes. Large areas of dead or declining mature trees at state parks are evident along Nebraska’s eastern edge. While trees are resilient and rarely succumb to a single stressor, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and its partners identified multiple ones leading to m...
The Legislature passed the budget bills this past week containing its recommendations for the fiscal year 2025-2026 & fiscal year 2026-2027 biennial budget. Now, it will be up to the governor whether he signs the legislation as is or uses his line-item veto authority. When the Legislature convened in January, senators initially faced an estimated $432 million shortfall for the next two years, a number that soon grew. A large part of the increased deficit, but not all, came because the state’s ec...
As a kid, our grade school class was one of many that got to visit John Brown's Cave in Nebraska City. There was a cool log cabin, the Mayhew Cabin, hewn from local cottonwoods before Nebraska became a state. There was this kinda spooky, underground "cave" -- a hand-made tunnel to a nearby ravine that was billed as a hiding spot for slaves escaping bondage in nearby slave states (but was really an effort to increase tourism and the tunnel was never used by escaping slaves). Back then, John Brown...
Participate in the third Nebraska Birding Bowl and learn about birds and contribute data toward bird conservation. This fun, free statewide competition returns this May for Nebraska Bird Month. The Birding Bowl is a great opportunity to try out this hobby, improve skills, and share a love of birding with others. Participants of all experience levels are invited. Birders can compete as individuals or teams, registering online in April or May. They may participate in one of the following...
As hunters plan their spring wild turkey hunt, safety reminders need to be included to ensure a fun outing. Kyle Gaston, hunter education coordinator with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, reminds hunters to practice the four basic rules of firearm safety. “With the excitement of a new season beginning, never let your emotions distract you and get in the way of a safe hunt this spring,” Gaston said. The four basic rules of firearm safety are: Treat every firearm as if it is loaded; Always point the muzzle of your firearm in a safe dir...
Anglers and biologists again are joining forces to bring a new kind of fishing tournament to Nebraska. The second year of the Midwest Walleye Challenge will give anglers in states across the Midwest a chance to compete for prizes while collecting important data for biologists. The collection of angler catch data during the Nebraska challenge, which runs April 1 to June 29, can help the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission learn more about Nebraska walleye fisheries. In the process, Nebraska...
The Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board met on Feb. 28 and voted to increase revenue projections for the upcoming 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 fiscal years. The board forecasted, in October of last year, that the state was facing a budget shortfall of $432 million. With the latest forecast, Nebraska is projected to receive up to $165 million in potential new revenue, reducing the state’s budget shortfall to about $198 million. Revenue projections for the current fiscal year were raised b...
Join the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in a virtual discussion on fisheries management during meetings March 24-26. These six public informational sessions – one for each of the five Game and Parks Fisheries district plus a statewide, aquatic habitat plan focused session – will provide updates for the respective areas. The informal, interactive gatherings will provide a chance for questions, dialogue and feedback. The virtual meetings will take place on Zoom. Participants will be encouraged...
This week, I would like to discuss two bills I presented at public hearings. In the Natural Resources Committee, I brought forward LB480, a bill which would provide the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission the authority to carry out other projects at Niobrara State Park and Lake McConaughy other than the ones studied by the STAR WARS Special Committee and authorized by the Legislature in 2022. The current law only allows money in the Water Recreation Enhancement Fund to be spent on marina...
Controlled burns to remove tree and brush piles will end as the snow melts. Prescribed burns then will begin this spring on some Nebraska Game and Parks Commission wildlife management areas, state parks and state recreation areas where weather allows. Burning allows habitat managers to positively affect more acres. Those burns not completed this spring will be attempted this summer, fall or winter as weather allows. Burned acres often become more attractive to wildlife species, and for some...
Applications for multispecies super tag and combo lottery permits will be accepted by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission beginning Jan. 2. The Super Tag lottery permit will be valid for one elk of either sex, one antelope of either sex, one deer of either sex and two turkeys (only toms and bearded hens may be taken in the spring). One permit will be authorized for Nebraska residents only and one permit will be authorized for residents/nonresidents. Individuals may apply for the...
Nebraska anglers should be aware of fishing regulation changes that take effect Jan. 1, 2025. The changes to fishing rules, approved by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission during meetings in 2024, are: • Black Bass (largemouth, smallmouth and spotted) – At Frye Lake Wildlife Management Area, there will be no minimum length limit with no more than one fish 18 inches or longer allowed in the five-fish daily bag limit. At Prairie View Lake, Wagon Train State Recreation Area/WMA, Duck Creek Recreation Area and Prairie Queen Recreation Area, the...
We've all had our fill of political news. So I thought that this week, we'd delve into a topic that's equally as timely – pheasant hunting. I've spent a fair amount of time in pursuit of the ring-necked bird, and recently traveled to South Dakota – the self-proclaimed "Pheasant Capital of the World" – to try my luck with my trusty Vizsla, "Gunnar," and a couple of buddies. If you've ever traveled to our northern neighbor this time of year, you'll see dozens upon dozens of guys (and a few gals)...
Preliminary results from the 2024 Nebraska November firearm deer season show statewide harvest was down 2% from 2023 and down 24% from the 2019-2023 average. This was more successful than expected for the Nov. 16-24 season as November firearm permit quotas were reduced 13% from 2023 in response to declining deer populations. Mule deer buck harvest increased 9% from 2023, while whitetail buck harvest fell 2%. Antlerless mule deer harvest declined 10% from 2023, while antlerless whitetail increased 2%. All harvest levels are down significantly...
A field investigator with Nebraska Game and Parks Commission may soon open shop in the Holt County Courthouse. During the Nov. 27 Holt County supervisors meeting, John Bauer with NGPC requested to use office space, if available. "I need room for a desk, chair and a couple filing cabinets," Bauer said. Supervisor Dustin Breiner asked how soon space would be needed. Bauer replied there's "no rush." Chairman Bill Tielke said once the St. Mary's third-grade students move back to the school, an...
Three taxidermied penguins preside over Room 426 in Allwine Hall, standing atop a row of metal cabinets in the back corner. The Antarctic birds are locked in an everlasting staring contest with a stuffed hornbill whose craned neck protrudes from a bookcase holding a row of primate skulls. To the students who file into professor James Wilson's mammalogy class, these are ordinary sights. What grabs their attention on this Monday afternoon are the short stacks of paper spread neatly across the...
