NGPC News

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will burn brush piles at several sites across the state, as weather allows. Brush piles are created by the removal of invading trees in grassland or timber stands, or from trees damaged in recent wildfires. Removal of brush piles will open grasslands and timber for continued management, eliminate a wildfire fuel source and eliminate sites conducive to the germination of noxious and invasive plants. The following list includes scheduled prescribed burns by …

LINCOLN – The 31st annual Animal Run in Feb. 1 in Hickman will support Wagon Train State Recreation Area (SRA). The annual fun run, sponsored by the Voice News, raises money for a different cause each year. Wagon Train SRA was damaged during a tornado last fall, and money raised will help fund rebuilding and cleanup efforts at the SRA, which is located 2 miles east of Hickman, in Lancaster County. The event will include a 5K fun run and …

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commissioners will consider a bonus point system for general bull elk permits when they meet Jan. 17 in Lincoln. If passed, the system would give people who have applied for a bull elk permit and been unsuccessful one or more years a better chance of drawing a permit. Beginning in 2014, a person would receive a bonus point each time he or she applies for but does not receive a permit. In subsequent …

LINCOLN – Nebraska is home to a wide variety of life – nearly 450 birds, 95 mammals, 106 fish, 60 amphibians and reptiles, more than 1,400 plants, and countless arachnids, invertebrates, fungi and bacteria. This biodiversity demonstrates the state’s variety of habitats and quality of land. A snapshot of Nebraska’s biodiversity is on display through March at the Wildcat Hills Nature Center with the Explore Nebraska’s Biodiversity exhibit. The exhibit includes a double-sided photographic mural featuring nearly 100 images of …

LINCOLN – There were no boating-related deaths in Nebraska in 2013. The state had not gone without at least one fatality in a year since it began tracking boating accidents in 1965, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. The number of reported boating accidents also decreased, from 44 in 2012 to 31 in 2013. “That’s what diligent law enforcement, coupled by expanded, excellent boating safety education, can do,” said Herb Angell, Nebraska’s boating law administrator. The state has …

LINCOLN – More youth will be able to take part in the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Mentored Youth Archery Program thanks to a donation of 23 gently used compound bows by Scheels All Sports in Lincoln. “It’s going to be a huge help,” said Aaron Hershberger, a Game and Parks outdoor education specialist who coordinates the Mentored Youth Archery Program. The program pairs youth interested in bowhunting with experienced archers. Many youth hunters take part in the program year …

LINCOLN – Spring turkey hunting permits for 2014 will be available from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission starting at 1 p.m. Central Time on Jan. 13. Each spring turkey permit allows a hunter to take one male or bearded female turkey with bow and arrow in the archery season or with a shotgun in the shotgun season. A person may purchase up to three spring turkey permits. Archery season for youth and adults opens March 25. Shotgun season opens …

LINCOLN – Two mountain lions were harvested on Jan. 2 during Nebraska’s first regulated hunting season. Both hunters harvested male mountain lions. A male lion weighing 103 pounds was harvested in Sioux County and a male lion weighing 138 pounds was harvested in Dawes County. The hunt took place in the Pine Ridge Unit of northwest Nebraska. Season 1 ended with the harvest of two lions. The state’s inaugural season opened Jan. 1. Season 2 in the Pine Ridge Unit …

LINCOLN – The Winterfest Olympics are coming to Eugene T. Mahoney State Park (SP). On Saturday Jan. 4 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., park staff will guide youth through outdoor activities including archery, slingshot shooting, fishing, sled-racing and more. The seven activities, which are geared toward children between 5 and 10 years old, are free and open to the public. Participants will receive medals upon completion of all seven activities. Also on Jan. 4 at 1 p.m., Mahoney SP …

LINCOLN – A mountain lion was unintentionally killed in a cable restraint trap in Sioux County on Dec. 20, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. The mountain lion was a subadult female weighing approximately 85 pounds that appeared to be in good health. The trapper called Game and Parks immediately upon discovering the mountain lion, as required by Game and Parks policy. High pelt prices have led to an increased effort to trap bobcats and other furbearers, which …