NGPC News

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will host two spring turkey hunting workshops this March in eastern Nebraska to help prepare hunters for the upcoming seasons. The workshops are March 19 at the Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium from 7-9 p.m. and March 26 at the Lincoln Izaak Walton League from 6-8 p.m. The free workshops are open to all turkey hunters, regardless of experience and will feature Game and Parks specialists covering strategies, equipment, biology and tips to becoming …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Drought and an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) in 2012 caused significant reductions in whitetail deer populations, permit sales and harvest. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission responded to the outbreak in October by reducing antlerless permit quotas and hunters responded by purchasing fewer permits and harvesting fewer deer. Deer permit sales in 2012 declined 13 percent to 122,214. Total deer harvest fell 30 percent to 60,548. The whitetail buck harvest fell 29 percent to 26,309; …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Board of Commissioners will consider changes to big game regulations when they meet March 8 in Kearney. The meeting starts at 8 a.m. at the Fairfield Inn and Suites, 510 Talmadge St. The public hearing on proposed big game changes starts at 8:45 a.m. The board also will consider adding Ash Hollow and Rock Creek Station state historical parks to the list of parks that allow hunting. That public hearing is at …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Beyond Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program has several outdoor adventures planned for women this spring. On March 16 there will be a beginner bird-watching workshop at Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium. On the same day there will be tank float down the Middle Loup River in the Sandhills. There will be a fly-fishing workshop March 30 at the aquarium and on April 6-7 a trip to the Sandhills to view sharptail grouse and prairie chickens. Register at NebraskaBOW.com.

LINCOLN, Neb. – Indian Cave State Park will host the Morel Mile and 5K Run on April 20. Both runs start at 8 a.m., with registration open at 7 a.m. The cost is $15 if registering by April 15 and $20 after. A T-shirt is included. Call the park at 402-883-2575.

LINCOLN, Neb. – The following is a listing of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission events and important dates in March: March 2 – Youth Fishing Instructor Certification Workshop, Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium, Gretna, 9 a.m., 402-332-3901 March 2-3 – Marsh Madness, Ponca State Park (SP), 402-755-2284 March 6 – Project WILD Workshop, Henzlik Hall, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 900 N. 16th St., 5 p.m., 402-471-5581 March 8 – Nebraska Game and Parks Board of Commissioners Meeting, Fairfield Inn and Suites, 510 Talmadge St., …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will train apprentice firearm hunter education instructors March 12 in Norfolk. The workshop will be from 6-9 p.m. at the Lifelong Learning Center, 801 E. Benjamin Ave. Register by March 11. Contact Mike Streeter at 402-471-6134 or mike.streeter@nebraska.gov or visit huntsafenebraska.org.

LINCOLN, Neb. – Private pond owners are encouraged to report severe winter fish kills to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission following ice-out. Winter fish kills occur when oxygen levels fall too low to support fish under the ice. Ice prevents the direct absorption of oxygen from the atmosphere, so oxygen produced by plant photosynthesis is crucial. Oxygen levels drop because of plant decomposition and respiration by aquatic organisms. Shallow ponds with heavy vegetation are particularly susceptible. Once the ice …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Southwest Focus on Pheasants Partnership was given the Wildlife Conservationist of the Year award on Feb. 2 in Kearney. It was presented by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Pheasants Forever (PF) for outstanding efforts promoting the ideals of conservation and working in a partnership. The award was presented at the PF state habitat meeting. The Southwest Focus on Pheasants, formed in 2010 to improve pheasant hunting by creating more and better habitat, encompasses more …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Officials have temporarily closed access to Blue Lake in Garden County because vehicle traffic has begun to make a mess of the 2.7-mile sandy trail that leads anglers to water. “The trail has gotten hit pretty hard this year with ice fishermen. It is in pretty rough shape,” said Joe Rydell, a fisheries biologist for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s northwest district office at Alliance. “To prevent it from deteriorating any further, we’re shutting it down …