NGPC News

LINCOLN, Neb. – Youth ages 15 and younger are encouraged to participate in special youth pheasant hunts during the Oct. 21-22 statewide youth pheasant, quail and partridge season. Rooster pheasants will be released at 14 wildlife management areas before the special youth hunt season. The special hunts are open to the public, and the number of participants is not limited. No registration or special permit is required. Special regulations posted at each of the 14 WMAs will apply to all …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will consider a mountain lion management plan when it meets Oct. 20 in Omaha. The public is invited to attend the 8 a.m. meeting, which will take place in the Innovation Space at Kiewit University, 1450 Mike Fahey St. Mountain lions are an important component of the state’s biodiversity, and the mountain lion management plan is intended to guide management decisions based on the agency’s mission, as well as on the …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Wetland conditions across most of the state have improved recently, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. On Oct. 11, Game and Parks released an update on the status of Rainwater Basin wetlands, as well as pumping plans for waterfowl hunting seasons. “Due to cooler temperatures and increased rainfall, conditions throughout most of the state and in many Rainwater Basin wetlands have improved over the past month,” said Ted LaGrange, Game and Parks’ wetland program manager. …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will certify youth fishing instructors Oct. 21 at Lincoln’s Nebraska Game and Parks Outdoor Education Center, 4703 N. 44th St. This free workshop is scheduled 9 a.m. to noon. Youth fishing instructors will receive training and tools to conduct fishing clinics. These volunteers will have access to Game and Parks’ loaner fishing equipment and educational materials for events, as well as receive program incentives. They also are encouraged to volunteer for …

LINCOLN, Neb.  – Producers in 15 counties in south central and southeastern Nebraska may apply for funding to help improve grasslands for grazing and wildlife. Through the Grassland Bird Initiative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides financial and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers to improve habitat for grassland birds such as bobwhite quail and greater prairie-chicken. Eligible lands include cropland, rangeland, pastureland and odd areas. Cost share of up to 75 percent is available …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is offering special antlerless deer hunting opportunities within Eugene T. Mahoney and Platte River state parks (SP), as well as Schramm Park State Recreation Area (SRA). Successful applicants will be issued a special access permit that allows them to hunt antlerless deer in designated areas of a park on certain dates, using specific equipment. Successful applicants and interested alternates must attend an orientation session in order to receive the access permit. …

CHADRON, Neb. – Participants of the Chadron State Park Bioblitz in late September identified 203 species of plants, animals and insects, providing evidence of the biodiversity in the Pine Ridge. Amber Schiltz, Nebraska wildlife education coordinator for the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, was pleased with the tally, especially considering the time of year. Species ranged from the osprey flying high above the park’s pines to the smallmouth bass swimming below the pond’s surface. “We saw 45 bird species alone, …

HEMINGFORD, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission reports the water level at Box Butte Reservoir will remain low for at least 12 more months as construction workers repair the dam’s toe drain system. During this period, the Commission encourages watercraft users to watch for emerging obstructions in the lake and use special care launching boats. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials said the reservoir will be limited to an elevation of 3,985 feet during construction, a point just below …

CHADRON, Neb. – The public is invited to assist Boy Scouts on Saturday, Oct. 7, in planting about 2,500 ponderosa pine seedlings in areas burned by the 2012 wildfire at Chadron State Park. Volunteers should arrive at the park’s campground between 7:30-8 a.m. in work attire. The plantings, which will occur at various points throughout the park, are expected wrap up early in the afternoon. Helping organize the effort are park staff, employees of the Upper Niobrara White Natural Resources …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission reminds the public that an informational meeting regarding fisheries improvements and future projects at the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge will be held Oct. 5 in Valentine. The meeting, hosted by the refuge and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, will be held from 7-9 p.m. at the Niobrara Lodge, 803 E. U.S. Highway 20. Presentations will be given on improvements over the past several years, ongoing fish management surveys, fish populations …