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Latest Features

Terrestrial Invaders

By Monica Macoubrie, Wildlife Education Specialist Alien invaders have inhabited Nebraska for quite some time. Have you seen them? I’m not referring to the green little Martians that come to mind when the word “aliens” is mentioned. I’m thinking a little less extraterrestrial and spaceships, and a bit more grounded and sprawling. An invasive species can be any type of organism. It can be an amphibian, plant, fungus, bacteria, mammal, seed, egg, insect, fish, etc., that is non-native to a …

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Hunter’s Harvest

Story by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley Photos by Jesse Deuring The year was 1958. “Volare” dominated the Billboard Hot 100. NASA got its start, and the first Intel microchip was created. In Nebraska, the Blackstone Hotel made its own history. Primarily known for its invention of the famous Reuben sandwich, the Omaha landmark also bears a vibrant, storied past. Black and white photographs hanging in the renamed Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel pique interest, especially among hunters. “The photos kind of remind me of …

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Building Resilient Land Through Cattle

By Ronica Stromberg, NRT Program Coordinator, University of Nebraska-Lincoln On almost any given day, a person can drive by grazing land owned by The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska and see an artist in residence. Recently, the conservancy’s science director Chris Helzer told National Science Foundation Research Traineeship students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that the environmental group uses cows as “habitat artists” to build resilience in grasslands. The conservancy is experimenting with various methods of creating a “shifting mosaic” of …

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A Soldier Returns to Fort Atkinson

By Eric Fowler Were it not for happenstance, we might know little about Lt. Gabriel Field. When John “Jack” Rathjen uncovered a portion of his headstone while plowing a crop field in 1954, it led to the exhumation of six graves, including Field’s, north of where Fort Atkinson, the first U.S. military fort in what was to become Nebraska, had once stood. In the years that followed, historians, both professionals and amateurs, searched through military and genealogical records trying to …

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April At-risk Species Spotlight: Northern Leopard Frog

By Olivia DaRugna, Watchable Wildlife Biologist Spring choruses are in full swing, and while birds may dominate the daytime soundscape, the night is for the frogs and toads. As temperatures warm, frogs and toads emerge after a long, cold winter and begin their annual serenade. Males call out into the darkness, advertising their fitness to females and to defend their territory from nearby males. In Nebraska, there are 11 species of frogs and toads. Four are listed as at-risk of …

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Nebraska’s Clean-up Crew: Turkey Vultures

By Monica Macoubrie, Wildlife Education Specialist If you’ve ever seen large, wobbly-looking black birds flying overhead, congratulations! You were witnessing one of Nebraska’s most efficient cleaning companies at work: Not “buzzard,” not “chicken hawk” — but the turkey vulture. Identification When describing the physical appearance of a turkey vulture, you probably wouldn’t call them “beautiful.” These birds are easily recognizable by their large size, black-brown plumage and yellow feet. And you couldn’t forget their naked — some would say creepy-looking …

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Nature’s Dancing with the Stars — Prairie Grouse

April Wildlife Viewing: For most of the year, prairie grouse are inconspicuous, but come mid-March through early May, male birds are ready to perform. By Olivia DaRugna, Watchable Wildlife Biologist The iconic greater prairie-chicken dances in Nebraska may only be second to the sandhill crane migration. Photos and art of the dancing chickens can be found on postcards, in shops and museums throughout the state, and it’s no surprise among those who have witnessed this natural phenomenon unfold before their …

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Nebraska’s Kangaroo

By Monica Macoubrie, Wildlife Education Specialist If wild kangaroos are on your bucket list of animals to see, why travel 17 hours on a plane when you could spot one right here in Nebraska? I’m serious. With long tails, pouches and large back feet, watch for these creatures leaping across the road while you’re driving down a two-lane road at night. Though, now might be the time to mention that these Nebraska kangaroos are only about 8 inches long — …

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Resources Focus on Nebraska’s Amazing Wetlands

By Ted LaGrange, Wetland Program Manager When my oldest child was in elementary school in the 1990s, I was invited to give a class presentation on wetlands. When I asked the students if Nebraska had any wetlands and whether any cool animals lived in them, I was shocked to hear them say, “No.” They knew more about the Everglades of Florida and the Amazon of South America than they did about wetlands in their own state. I wanted to fix …

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Five Trips to Fish Right

By Jeff Kurrus, Nebraskaland Magazine Not all fishing trips are created equal, nor do they need to be. Some are after-work, two-hour jaunts in the middle of the summer and others are all-day ice-fishing affairs where the mind, and body, are exhausted at day’s end. And while each is pleasurable in its own fantastic ways, these aren’t the only types of trips to make. Some require windshield time first. Here are my favorites. The Bite The message boards fill up …

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