NEBRASKAland Articles

Story and Photos by Sarah Kocher Simply put, JoLeisa Cramer’s job has one focus: how things spread. Cramer is a technician for the Nebraska Invasive Species Program, and half of her job is about spreading awareness of the destruction invasive species almost always leave in their wake. The other half involves testing lakes for aquatic invasive species to prevent their introduction or growth. She spreads one to stop the other. “Prevention is the best tool we have for invasive species,” …

By Sarah Kocher I don’t know if you could really call it a treasure hunt, but the prize glistens in the sun nonetheless. I’m out with amateur beekeeper Scott Flynn on a search for his queen bee; she’s been MIA for days now, and hives without queens are like zombies: scary, with little direction and less staying power. Needless to say, she’s a queen for a reason. I’m out with my uncle researching beekeeping, and I have conveniently forgotten that …

The Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) program in Nebraska continues to grow and empower women. Nebraska was the second state to embrace this outdoor program started by Dr. Christine Thomas from Wisconsin in 1991. Thomas had a mission to give women the knowledge to be active in the outdoors and through the BOW program women gain the confidence needed to engage in all types of outdoor activities. The BOW program has grown not only in Nebraska and Wisconsin but is …

Just as the sun pulses over the horizon to signal the dawn, the drum beat heralds the dancers to rise and move towards the center of the powwow circle. Led by honored elders, veterans and tribal members with flags and eagle staffs, the grand entry begins and the grounds soon fill with the vivid colors of intricately woven regalia. The men lead the lively procession, wearing horn caps and headdresses, porcupine hair roaches, feathered bustles, bone breastplates, beaded cuffs, buckskin …

First off, there is the need to acknowledge it is all but certain only one egg out of the original four is going to hatch this year.  This outcome is a little bit of a surprise, but it does mean the parents can direct all their attention on the single eyas.  Let’s hope for good things.  The youngster is still only a few days old so it certainly needs a lot of care and attention from its parents.  If one of the …

The newly reconstructed 1891 Officers Quarters at Fort Robinson State Park was described as “a welcome addition to a world-class place” as it was dedicated in honor of a highly-regarded Sandhills ranch couple during a ceremony Saturday morning. The event at the new building paid tribute to the late Don and Olive Forney of Rushville, whose friends and family contributed a majority of the funding for the $1.7 million building. About 75 percent of the project’s costs came from private …

One way to get excited about being outdoors is to see the look in kids’ eyes when they catch a fish. If you really want to get excited, watch them catch a big fish with their bare hands. A kid pulling a big carp from a water tank is a scene I’ve witnessed the past three Aprils at the annual Outdoor Discovery Program hosted by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission at the Scottsbluff Trails West YMCA Camp. More than …

The new lodging facility blends the best of old and new. Fort Robinson State Park near Crawford is gearing up to celebrate its reconstruction of an 1891 Officers Quarters, a duplex-style lodge that combines historical features with modern amenities. The public grand opening and dedication will be Saturday, May 2, at 10:30 a.m. MDT near the new building. The short ceremony will be followed by tours of the building. “We are certainly proud to be adding this beautiful, modern facility …

You can’t beat a good waterfowl picture. My wings are definitely clipped, so to speak, when it comes to drawing or painting a picture of a bird, but beautiful photos of waterfowl within the pages of NEBRASKAland and other magazines helped instill my passion for wildlife photography. I’m not alone in my fondness for imagery of ducks and geese. One only has to travel as far as the local Ducks Unlimited banquet to notice that the pretty waterfowl art from …

Long at last, it’s open water season, and we have wasted no time finding fish. The waters were warming up nicely until the cold front this past week. Water temps in the Tri County and Johnson Lake were all the way up to 50 at one point. Now I’ve heard the temp has dropped quite a ways, which is to be expected. We fished in water from 47 to 50 degrees and found the fishing to be slow. We managed only …