By David L. Bristow, History Nebraska Neligh Mill, in the northeastern Nebraska town of Neligh, is a place where the past doesn’t feel all that long ago — as if the mill workers have gone for coffee and will be back shortly. The 19th century machinery is still in place, and longtime site supervisor Harv Ofe can tell you how it all worked. Yellowed notices and posters adorn the walls, and penciled graffiti shows the math of long-ago transactions and …

July is a great time to view burrowing owls near prairie dog colonies. By Olivia DaRugna Burrowing owls, as their name suggests, nest in underground burrows that were excavated by semi-fossorial animals, such as ground squirrels, prairie dogs and badgers. Not surprisingly, burrowing owls often inhabit black-tailed prairie dog colonies during the breeding season in Nebraska. After laying eggs, the parents incubate the eggs for about a month, and young birds remain near the nesting burrow for at least another …

By Monica Macoubrie, Wildlife Education Specialist With a nearly hairless, scaly tail, a mouth full of teeth, the ability to “play dead” and its overall I-don’t-give-a-dang attitude, the opossum might be one of the most unique mammals to be waddling around Nebraska. I guarantee by the time you are done reading this article, you will, at the very least, have a little more respect and love for this remarkable marsupial. Opossums are Marsupials The Virginia oppossum is a marsupial. When …

Looking for something to do with her sons, Diana Kincaid traveled to Wyoming to participate in a fly fishing workshop at age 40. Shortly after that all-female workshop, Dianna started leading her own fly fishing trainings at Nebraska’s Becoming an Outdoorswoman (BOW). She also mentors breast cancer patients with Casting for Recovery. Diana shares her fly fishing journey, talks techniques and explains why this outdoor sport is more than just a method of catching fish. She Goes Outdoors Podcast · …

By Olivia DaRugna, Watchable Wildlife Biologist Moths are not just the dull-brown insects that swarm around your porch lights at night. They are much more interesting and can be quite beautiful. Moths also play important ecological roles as prey for many predators, such as bats and pollinators of night-blooming flowers. Some moths are even indicator species of a healthy environment.  July in Nebraska is a great time for observing these incredible insects, and you don’t have to go far. Viewing …

 By Monica Macoubrie, Wildlife Education Specialist Picture this: You’re fishing on the Missouri River and all a sudden, you feel your line tug hard! You have a huge fish ready to pull you in — a real monster at the end of your line. Your adrenaline is going, and as you reel in the fish, you start to see its tail emerging from the water. You see rows of scales and a shovel-like nose. “What in the world is this?!” …

By Marissa Jensen Nebraska is home to 29 species of native snakes with each species claiming its own unique characteristics, habits, and habitats. And for those who find themselves a little squeamish about even the mere mention of snakes, we have the perfect one to introduce you to. The Dekay’s brownsnake (Storeria dekayi) is a non-venomous snake named in honor of the 19th-century naturalist and zoologist, Dr. James Ellsworth De Kay, who collected the first known specimen. With an average …

By Olivia DaRugna, Watchable Wildlife Biologist The first Nebraska Birding Bowl took place May 1-31 during Nebraska Bird Month. The successful event saw 144 teams participating in one of four categories: Fledgling Flock, Backyard Birders, Dabbling Birders or Competitive Birders. Together, 270 participants (192 adults and 78 youth) contributed over 2,900 eBird checklists, and more than 287 species were observed during Nebraska Bird Month. Teams birded all over the state during May, visiting almost every location on the Nebraska Birding …

By Sam Wilson, Furbearer and Carnivore Program Manager, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission The howls of wild wolf packs have been gone from Nebraska for more than 100 years, but recently a few dispersers walked hundreds of miles into the state to return to plains where the species was once common. Few wild animals hold a larger place in cultures around the world than wolves. They are a symbol of the wild that has inspired legends, lore, fear, reverence, myths, …

By David L. Bristow, History Nebraska This is our experience crossing Platte River; the meanest of rivers — broad, shallow, fishless, snakeful, quicksand bars and muddy waters — the stage rumbles over the bottom like on a bed of rock; yet haste must be made to effect a crossing, else you disappear beneath its turbid waters, and your doom is certain,” so reads an 1862 emigrant diary quoted by historian Merrill Mattes in his landmark book, The Great Platte River …