Conservation

“What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?” – David Attenborough Are Everywhere You Are One thing you cannot help in this world is seeing birds. They are virtually everywhere! Look up, look down, look over there, go to the waters, the woods, the wavy field of grass or watch through the window of your home, you’ll see birds. More than 450 species of birds …

LINCOLN, Neb. — The peregrine falcon pair atop the Capitol has abandoned their recently-laid clutch of five eggs. The male, 19/K, and female, Alley, apparently remain present at the Capitol but have not been seen in their nest box — or more importantly, on their eggs — since the morning of Sunday, April 30. During the intervening period, their eggs remained exposed to the chilly and wet weather. The nest abandonment essentially ends the 2017 nesting cycle. Nest abandonment by …

Just a quick news item to blog about today, and I know it will not impact a lot of Nebraska anglers, but it will impact some. . . . In recent years we have made some boat ramp and angler access improvements on interstate lakes.  There are always some unexpected challenges with any project, and sometimes things just do not come out quite right the first time. Hershey I-80 Lake is a long-time favorite of mine, have spent a lot …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Broodstock collected by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission this spring will aid in the recovery of the endangered pallid sturgeon in the Missouri River. Game and Parks and 166 volunteers collected 105 pallid sturgeon in a section of the Missouri from Plattsmouth to the south of Nebraska City in early April. Crews used 200-foot-long trotlines with 40 hooks per line baited with night crawlers. Nineteen sturgeon were shipped to Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery near Yankton, …

My blog followers know that I have only one thing that really distracts me from fish and fishing all the time–spring turkey hunting. It is time, I am distracted! In the next few weeks, you can expect me to throw in the odd post or three about our Nebraska spring turkey adventures.  Might even mention a morel or two along the way. Opening weekend of our spring shotgun season presented my kids and I with some family obligations, so we …

I have tried a few times this spring to give you an idea of how busy Nebraska fisheries workers are at this time of year.  One of the largest efforts we have every spring is the collection of endangered pallid sturgeon from the Missouri River.  The goal of that effort is to collect reproductive pallid sturgeon adults, broodstock, that then can be used to produce small pallid sturgeon for re-introduction/re-stocking.  Here, just read this year’s newsletter for details: For a …

I got to surfing the interwebby once and discovered mushroom knives.  Mushroom knives?  Why in the world would anyone need a special knife for collecting mushrooms????  But then I got to looking at them, and you know what?  They are very useful and artful tools!  Here are some examples, mushroom knives from World Knives. There are several knives there that I would love to have in my pocket on a mushroom “hunt”. That got me thinking, mushroom hunting is a …

I debated whether to blog about this or not, but then I thought if you were an angler that fishes the canal system in central Nebraska, you need to know about this.  I know several of you are! News Release (HOLDREGE, Neb.) – The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District, working in conjunction with the Nebraska Public Power District, has decreased outflows from Lake McConaughy significantly to aid in a recovery effort related to a vehicle entering NPPD’s Keystone …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The public is invited to comment on a draft conservation plan for monarchs and at-risk pollinators in Nebraska. The Nebraska Monarch and Pollinator Initiative has developed a Conservation Strategy for Monarchs and At-risk Pollinators in Nebraska. The purpose of this plan is to collaborate with stakeholders to support populations of monarchs and other at-risk pollinators, as well as their ecological services, in Nebraska. The nation’s eastern population of the monarch butterfly has declined as much as 90 …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Join fellow bird lovers in celebrating Nebraska Bird Month in May at birding events across the state. Those living in western Nebraska can enjoy a birding hike at Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area (SRA) on May 20, as well as an evening of painting birds at Lake McConaughy SRA on May 25. Eastern Nebraska events include a day of bird observation and identification at Indian Cave State Park on May 27, a Mothers’ Day breakfast and bird …