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Latest Features

Meet Big Snap Daddy

Meet the star of Schramm Education Center. By Renae Blum Meet the star of Schramm Education Center’s aquarium, Big Snap Daddy. Weighing 98 pounds, he is considered the world’s largest common snapping turtle. He is also estimated to be over 90 years old. In the wild, common snapping turtles live an average of 30 years and grow to be about 35 pounds. Learn more about this remarkable creature from Schramm Park superintendent and aquarium director Tony Korth. How did Big …

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October At-Risk Species – Spooky Important Species

Halloween’s “scary” creatures of the night are not as spooky as they appear. By Olivia DaRugna, Wildlife Diversity Biologist With Halloween right around the corner, let’s highlight a few critters that get a bad rap in scary movies and TV specials. Bats Bats are often portrayed as spooky, flying creatures of the night in Halloween movies, yet globally, they provide important ecosystem services, such as pest consumption, plant pollination and seed dispersal. They use flight and echolocation to catch and …

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The Sneaky Invasion of Non-native Cattails

Cattails are aggressively invading many of our state’s best aquatic habitats. Story and photos by Chris Helzer Most people reading this probably look at wetlands or lakes with dense accumulations of cattails without thinking twice. After all, cattails are native to Nebraska, and they’re a perfectly normal and healthy part of a wetland ecosystem. Right? I have bad news. An evil transformation has taken place right beneath our noses. Cattails are no longer benign wetland plants that accent the margins …

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The Baysdorfers – Nebraska’s First Aviators

The Baysdorfer brothers built and few Nebraska’s first plane. By David L. Bristow, History Nebraska When Charles Baysdorfer prepared for takeoff near Waterloo, he was piloting a homebuilt biplane on its maiden flight, but he hadn’t taken any lessons or flown in an airplane before. Manufactured planes and professional training were hard to come by in 1910. On that day, Nov. 21, however, Baysdorfer became the first Nebraskan pilot and the first to fly a Nebraska-built plane. No one who …

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Dragonflies and Damselflies

How to tell the difference between a dragonfly and damselfly. By Monica Macoubrie, Wildlife Education Specialist The words “dragons” and “damsels” might remind you of the fairytales you heard or read a child — of daring swordfights, far-off places, dragons to conquer and of course, the damsel in distress. Well, it’s 2023, and women can fight their own way out of perilous situations. This story will discuss different dragons and damsels – the insects known as odonates. Belonging to the …

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Nebraska Fall Park Getaways

Nine Nebraska parks for fall camping By Renae Blum Fall has returned with cool breezes, turning leaves and plentiful opportunities to get outdoors. Here are nine Nebraska state park or recreation areas that are prime spots to book a stay and enjoy a fall getaway. Niobrara State Park Niobrara State Park is a hidden gem in north-central Nebraska overlooking the confluence of the Missouri and Niobrara rivers; it’s perfect for relaxing and recharging in a peaceful, natural setting. This park …

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Sowbelly with Coffee – Special Names for a Special Place

The scenery alone is worth a trip to this spot in the Pine Ridge. Don’t forget the fishing rod, though. Story and photos by Justin Haag Without knowing better, the name might lead some to assume Sowbelly Creek is a stream of manure oozing from a pig farm. Far from it. The clear, babbling brook between rugged sandstone buttes in Sioux County represents the best attributes of northwestern Nebraska’s Pine Ridge. If it were not located in one of the …

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October Wildlife Viewing – Waterfowl Migration

October marks the beginning of the waterfowl migration to their wintering grounds. By Olivia DaRugna, Watchable Wildlife Biologist October marks the start of migration for many waterfowl species as they make their way back to wintering grounds. At the start of migration, it’s a trickle of just a few individuals here and there, but as the month progresses, that trickle turns into a stream of ducks landing on water bodies throughout the state, typically swelling into large aggregations as winter …

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October Morning on the Niobrara

Botanist Gerry Steinauer shares photos taken of a fall day near the central Niobrara River. Photos and story by Gerry Steinauer, Botanist In an early October day last year, dawn arrived cool and crisp on the central Niobrara River. Although the sun was still below the horizon, its rays painted the eastern sky a light blue and the scattered clouds muted reds and purples. When the orb peaked above the skyline, the bluff tops were first to be illuminated, then …

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A History of the Pawnee Scouts

An estimated 1,000 Pawnees served as military allies of the United States between 1864 and 1877. By Mark van de Logt The warm summer air on July 30, 1868, was thick with bullets, arrows and the noise of charging Lakota warriors as Major Frank North sought shelter under a low cliff. Cut off from the rest of his command of Pawnee Scouts, his situation was dire. Then, Ke wuck oo lah la shar, which translates to Fox Chief, arrived with …

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