Conservation

Our FaceBook Live broadcasts have gone well, so we are going to do another one!   Tune in to our Game & Parks FaceBook page at 12:00 central time, tomorrow, Friday, September 22, and I will answer fish and fishing questions as fast as I can for thirty minutes, and then follow-up with some more on-line after that. Naturally, fall fishing will be the focus of this “broadcast”, but if you have other fish or fishing questions to ask, do not hesitate!

LINCOLN, Neb. – Endangered whooping cranes are migrating earlier in spring and later in fall, according to a newly published study by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources. The study reveals that since 1942 spring migration of whooping cranes occurs as many as 22 days earlier in spring and about 21 days later in fall. “Our study confirms casual observations that the timing of whooping crane migration is changing,” said Joel …

Catchable-size rainbow trout are coming to a water near you! Rainbow trout stockings scheduled this fall LINCOLN, Neb. – Catchable-size rainbow trout are being stocked in city ponds and lakes across the state by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. These stockings will enhance fishing opportunities this fall and winter. Trout fishing is a great way to introduce children to fishing because simple and inexpensive equipment may be used. A spinning or spin-cast rod and reel with a hook baited …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Educators of younger students are invited to participate in a citizen science workshop Nov. 19 in Hastings. The workshop will be held at the Hastings Museum, 1330 N. Burlington Ave. Citizen science in the classroom provides opportunities for students to participate in real scientific investigations. Citizen science can inspire students to create meaningful connections to the natural world and help scientists gather data and monitor or interpret results to produce relevant research. Participants will receive an introduction …

The lakes on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge have been some of the most unique and best fisheries in Nebraska for a long, long time.  Several generations of Nebraskans have stories of pulling big beautiful panfish, pike, and largemouth bass through ice holes drilled on those Valentine Refuge lakes.  The open-water fishing has provided just as many memories. In conjunction with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service which owns and operates the refuge, the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission through …

CRAWFORD, Neb. – Fort Robinson State Park will soon enjoy the benefits of a forest and woodland management project. To encourage forest health and improve wildlife habitat, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has contracted the thinning of ponderosa pine trees in a 97-acre portion of the 22,000-acre park. Most of the thinning area is on property that surrounds Saddle Rock, the prominent landform at the eastern end of the Red Cloud Buttes. About 20 acres of the thinning area …

Heading over tomorrow morning to team up with my buddy Greg Wagner on his weekly radio show, Great Outdoors Show, on 1620 The Zone in Omaha.  We will be on-air starting at 9:00 a.m. Central Time.  You can listen to us for an hour and still have time for pre-game before the Huskers kick it off. We will talk all things fishing, especially fall fishing, and knowing Greg, whatever else comes up.  Even if you are not close enough to …

It was late afternoon, the day was winding down; my phone rang.  I answered and listened as an angler at nearby Bowling Lake described a fish he had just caught and laid in the grass; something he had never seen before.  Identifying fish over the phone is always a challenge, but in this case I had an idea what he had caught.  I asked him if he would be there for a few more minutes, I was on my way. …

A couple of news items I want to call attention to today.  These will affect anglers in a couple areas of Nebraska, so even though the news releases have been published already, I want to mention them in my blog too. Merritt Reservoir Merritt Reservoir’s Main Landing temporarily closed September 8, 2017 LINCOLN, Neb. – The construction of a new boat-launch facility at Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area’s Main Landing has begun. The Main Landing area will be closed temporarily. …

It is Friday, thank goodness.  I am not in a mood to post anything too heavy on my blog today, so let me tell you a little bit more about myself. . . . In my opinion, the old Muppet Show was some of the best TV ever!  As a matter of fact, I have the DVD sets of most of those old shows; still get ’em out watch them, and yes, I still laugh! A lot of Muppet characters …