Parks

LINCOLN, Neb. – Fort Atkinson State Historical Park will be closed to all vehicle traffic while an old residence at the park is burned March 3. The Fort Calhoun Fire Department will burn down the structure as a training exercise. The alternate date for the burn is March 4. Rubble left following the burn will be hauled off site to a licensed landfill. The house is in poor condition and has been cleared for disposal.

LINCOLN, Neb. – The fifth annual Sip Nebraska festival, featuring tastings of wine, craft beer and spirits made in Nebraska, will return to Eugene T. Mahoney State Park on May 11-12. The event will feature more than 100 tastings from Nebraska wineries, breweries and distilleries. In addition, visitors can enjoy live music, food, and artisan and craft vendors. Yoga classes, educational sessions, trolley tours of the park, and salsa, hip-hop and line dancing lessons also will be offered. Ticket prices …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The following is a listing of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) events and important dates in March. Get more event details at Calendar.OutdoorNebraska.gov. Visit OutdoorNebraska.org for a list of hunter education classes and boating safety classes. March 1-14 – Archery paddlefish permit application period March 3 – Volunteer Youth Fishing Instructor Training, St. Mary’s Parish Center, Bellevue March 3 – Citizen Science Workshop, Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, Omaha March 3, 10, 17 – Marsh Madness, …

Creating a New Legacy Ropes courses and water playgrounds… state-of-the-art aquariums and touch tanks… these are just a few of the exciting attractions coming soon as part of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Venture Parks complex. Yet excitement isn’t the Commission’s only goal. After the opening of Platte River State Park’s Crawdad Creek in the fall of 2016, Owen Roberts-Day visited with his daughter, Hattie. Owen watched his daughter happily playing in the water, where children are encouraged to …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Parks staff of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will burn brush piles, as weather allows, at several central Nebraska state recreation areas (SRA). Burns will take place at Calamus Reservoir SRA, Fort Kearny SRA, Mormon Island SRA, Windmill SRA and Victoria Springs SRA. Brush piles are created by the removal of eastern red cedar trees in grassland or timber stands or by trees damaged during storms. The removal of brush piles will open grasslands and timber …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Two Nebraska conservation officers received special recognition for their heroic efforts from the North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association during the Jan. 19 Nebraska Game and Parks Commission meeting at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park. Officer Bryce Streger helped families escape a western Nebraska wildfire and evacuated an elderly couple in the nick of time. Streger lost all of his personal belongings in the fire. Officer Brian Piernicky responded to an accident near Swanson Reservoir and located …

GERING, Neb. – The groundhog may or may not see its shadow, but the forecast says there is a highly favorable chance for people to learn about another burrowing animal next month. Badger Day will be Saturday, Feb. 3, at 10 a.m. at the Wildcat Hills Nature Center south of Gering. Amanda Filipi, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission outdoor education specialist, said that Badger Day was inspired by Groundhog Day – which was actually inspired by Badger Day. To Germans, …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Novices can learn the basics of ice fishing at three free Family Ice Fishing clinics in January. On Jan. 6, the Nebraska Fish and Game Association will host a classroom clinic at Yanney Heritage Park’s Environmental Resource Center in Kearney from 5 – 9 p.m. This clinic will feature presentations by some of Nebraska’s top ice fishermen. An on-ice clinic will be held Jan. 7 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Fort Kearny State Recreation Area …

Concealed beneath a grass blind as the sun rises. Camping beneath a star-filled sky on a rocky ridge. Trekking with snowshoes into a forest blanketed by white. Soaring above the buttes while riding shotgun in a Cessna. Stirring up dust with a four-wheel drive on winding backroads. Those are just some of the many ways I witnessed beauty of the western Nebraska with camera in hand during 2017. A look back at the nature images I post to Facebook, Instagram …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The following is a listing of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission events and important dates in January. Get more event details at Calendar.OutdoorNebraska.gov. Visit OutdoorNebraska.org for a list of hunter education classes and boating safety classes. Jan. 1 – First Day Hike, Ponca State Park (SP), Ponca; Platte River SP, Louisville; Chadron SP, Chadron; Indian Cave SP, Shubert; Eugene T. Mahoney SP, Ashland; Fremont Lakes State Recreation Area (SRA), Fremont; Wildcat Hills SRA, Gering; Ash Hollow State …