LINCOLN, Neb. – Broodstock collected by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission this spring will aid in the recovery of the endangered pallid sturgeon in the Missouri River. Game and Parks and 166 volunteers collected 105 pallid sturgeon in a section of the Missouri from Plattsmouth to the south of Nebraska City in early April. Crews used 200-foot-long trotlines with 40 hooks per line baited with night crawlers. Nineteen sturgeon were shipped to Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery near Yankton, …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Area youth are invited to join the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Valentine Lions Club for a kids’ fishing clinic at the Valentine State Fish Hatchery on May 6. Registration starts at 9:30 a.m. and the clinic starts at 10 a.m., rain or shine. Free rod/reel combos provided by the Nebraska Walleye Association and donations from other local sponsors will be handed out to the first 75 registrants. In the morning, participants will learn about knots, …

LINCOLN, Neb. – With summer approaching, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is reminding water lovers to be mindful of the state’s education requirements for boating. Nebraska law requires any motorboat or personal watercraft operator born after Dec. 31, 1985 to complete one of the two types of boating safety courses and be in possession of a course certificate. Operators must be at least 14 years old to drive motorboats and personal watercraft in Nebraska. The Commission has scheduled required …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Get closer to nature with fun, interactive activities for all ages at Ponca State Park on April 29. Take an introductory shotgun course from 9-11 a.m. using the park’s equipment. Participants must be at least 12 years of age. During the 11:30 a.m. Feeding Frenzy program, a naturalist will feed the animals in the Resource and Education Center, including snakes and frogs. Be prepared to touch worms and crickets in this program. Paint Ponca’s woodland wildflowers during …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The following is a listing of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission events and important dates in May. Get more event details at Calendar.OutdoorNebraska.gov. Visit OutdoorNebraska.org for a list of hunter education classes and boating safety classes. May 1 – Family Fishing Event, Terry’s Pit, Terrytown May 4-6 – Cornhusker Trapshoot, Nebraska Trapshooting Association grounds, Doniphan May 5-6 – Sip Nebraska wine and beer festival, Eugene T. Mahoney State Park (SP), Ashland May 6 – Mom’s Day Archery …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission adopted staff recommendations for 2017 big game hunting seasons at its meeting April 21 in Norfolk. Among the big game changes to Commission orders: — Twenty-six either-sex and 54 doe/fawn antelope permits were added in units in the southern Panhandle. — Three cow elk permits were added in the Ash Creek Unit. — Antlerless-only whitetail permits were reduced in several eastern units. — Permits in southwest units were changed to increase …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Birders of all experience levels are invited to join the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission for the Northeast District Birding Day on May 16 at Keller Park State Recreation Area (SRA). Flights of birders will depart from the SRA picnic shelter at 5 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Coffee and rolls will be served at 9 a.m. and a lunch will be served at noon for a small fee. Participants should bring binoculars, camera, field guide, insect repellant, …

LINCOLN, Neb. – It is natural for some people who see a young wild animal apparently abandoned by its mother to want to rescue it. The correct course of action is to leave it alone. Here are some rules of thumb from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission regarding wildlife babies: — A lone fawn, or other young bird or mammal, may appear to be abandoned or injured, but the mother frequently is off feeding or drinking. Do not move …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The public is invited to comment on a draft conservation plan for monarchs and at-risk pollinators in Nebraska. The Nebraska Monarch and Pollinator Initiative has developed a Conservation Strategy for Monarchs and At-risk Pollinators in Nebraska. The purpose of this plan is to collaborate with stakeholders to support populations of monarchs and other at-risk pollinators, as well as their ecological services, in Nebraska. The nation’s eastern population of the monarch butterfly has declined as much as 90 …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Learn more about how to feed birds and view them with binoculars at the Birding at the Fort event at Fort Hartsuff State Historical Park on May 6. Guest speaker Dave Titterington of Lincoln’s Wild Bird Habitat Store will share his knowledge of the different types of feed and feeders to attract a variety of birds. Amy Hughes of Loup Rivers Scenic Byways will present Binoculars 101. Door prizes and fun bird giveaways will be offered during …