Conservation

I was browsing the Omaha World Herald yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to see a full-color picture of an ice angler holding a nice northern pike.  What was really surprising about this was that this picture and the accompanying story were not in the outdoor section or even sports section of the newspaper.  They were on the back page of the front section!  Here is the story, Report details killing tendencies of nature’s most lethal predator. As you can imagine, …

Bad news in today’s blog post.  It is very important that every user of Nebraska’s waters is aware of this and what they can do about it! Zebra Mussels Found at Lewis and Clark Lake LINCOLN – Cooperation from boaters and anglers is urgently needed to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species following the discovery of zebra mussels in Lewis and Clark Lake in northeast Nebraska. Earlier this week, the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks found …

Conservation Officer Rich Berggren of Waterloo, NE continues to seek information on a deer poaching incident that occurred recently in the Ponca Hills area of northern Douglas County. Here’s the news release done by Jerry Kane of Game and Parks concerning the details of the incident as well as trail/game camera photos of it. Game and Parks Seeks Information on Illegally Harvested Deer LINCOLN – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is seeking information involving a case of deer being illegally harvested …

Told you about a celebration of an angler access improvement project last week; have another one this week: Public Invited to Open House at Burchard Lake LINCOLN – The public is invited to an open house to see the new aquatic habitat and fishing access improvements at Burchard Lake. The event is set for Aug. 21 from 5-7 p.m. at Burchard Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The event will be held at the boat ramp on the north side of the lake. …

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Ak-sar-ben Aquarium/Schramm Park SRA complex near Gretna, NE and its role in outdoor/aquatic education will be featured on Saturday morning’s Great Outdoor Radio Show. Ever been there and checked out the big blue catfish in their large aquarium? My special guest on the program will be Tony Korth, Fisheries Biologist and Director of the Aquarium for the Commission. The Great Outdoor Radio Show, the Omaha-metro area’s only outdoor talk radio show, airs LIVE on Omaha’s …

Buried deep in the volumes of Nebraska State Statutes, Chapter 37, you can find this: 37-542. Fish unlawfully taken; duty of angler. All fish which cannot lawfully be taken shall be returned to the water at once with as little injury as possible, if taken, and before removing or attempting to remove such fish from the hook it shall be the duty of the angler to first wet his or her hands. Now, some will immediately throw up a red …

Just a few weeks ago I told you about the opening of the new Kramper Lake near Hubbard, Nebraska, Another New Fishing Hole!  The lake has been open to fishing since that time, but now they are fixing to do it right with a big grand opening event. Learn more here, Danish Alps State Recreation Area and Kramper Lake. Watch the video. . . . See some more pictures, Danish Alps Flickr Album. Do not expect any large fish yet, …

“Laws change; people die; the land remains.” – Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States.  Farmers, I am one of you. I am a landowner. I manage our nearly 150 year-old family farm here in southeastern Nebraska. No, I am not some crazy, wild conservationist just because I work for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. I am a crazy, wild conservationist because I am a progressive Nebraska landowner who has farmed his best ground and conserved the rest of it. Over the years I have …

SSSSsssss… A cool, slithering topic is on my weekly TV outdoor report this week. That’s because the popular “Snakes of Nebraska” weekend is upon us at the Ak-sar-ben Aquarium/Schramm Park State Recreation Area near Gretna, NE! See many of Nebraska’s 29 different species of snakes up-close! The featured presenter is none other than Nebraska’s own snake man – UNL herpetologist and good friend Dennis Ferraro. Find out more about this must-attend event for the whole family by tuning in to the …

I hope by now that all users of Nebraska’s aquatic resources, boaters, skiers, anglers, swimmers, etc., are aware of the threat from aquatic invasive species.  Surveys have shown that most are, but it is always good to keep this topic in the forefront.  With recent legislation, our state’s efforts to educate and prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species will ramp up in the coming years.  For now, I found an article by one of my co-workers, Jenny Nguyen, that tells …