Conservation

Western Nebraska’s unique and diverse wildlife will again be the focus of Bioblitz, an annual event at Oliver Reservoir Recreation Area near Kimball on Friday and Saturday, June 19-20. Scientists and other naturalists will tell attendees about local wildlife and practices to improve habitat and monitor species. Educational and entertaining demonstrations and activities, including trapping animals for observation, are scheduled between 3 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday. Attendees who don’t want to miss any part of the event are …

I try to keep things positive on my blog, most of the time.  There also are certain topics that have politics written all over them and I have to be careful what I say about those too.  On the other hand, Nebraska fish and fishing is what I do, both professionally and personally, and there are certain issues that Nebraskans, Nebraska anglers in particular, need to know about. This story ran in the Omaha World Herald this past Saturday.  If …

It’s the time of year when lots of baby wild animals and birds are now on the outdoor scene in Nebraska. Interactions with these cute animals at a distance can be fun and educational. However, please remember that it is illegal and unsafe (for both you and the little critter) to harbor or possess young wildlife. It’s also inhumane to remove young wildlife from its natural surroundings/habitat (including your own backyard)! What’s interesting is that, although you may not see it, there’s a parent animal or …

Without a doubt Burchard Reservoir is one of our best fisheries in southeast Nebraska.  The reservoir has a watershed comprised almost entirely of grass and because of that, even though it is a relatively old reservoir, it maintains excellent water quality, great habitat including an abundance of aquatic vegetation, and quality fishing for largemouth bass, panfish and channel catfish.  Over the years, the outlet structure on the Burchard dam had deteriorated to the point that it needed replaced.  That project was …

Just received this note from Lindsay Shearer, Nebraska 4-H Camp Operations Coordinator, about a special offer on the 4-H Outdoor Skills summer camps listed here.  I recently wrote about these camps, and others, on the blog The Power of Summer Camp.      hershy “We still have several spots available in the Outdoor Skills Sessions that are hosted in partnership with Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, at all 3 of our locations (State 4-H Camp, Destination Camps and Eastern Nebraska 4-H Center). …

As you may have heard, Wisconsin lawmakers are currently looking into expanding their blaze orange requirements for deer hunters to allow hot-pink to be worn as well.  The Wisconsin’s Sportsmen’s Caucus – a bipartisan group of lawmakers – hopes the introduced legislation could encourage an even greater breakdown of the gender-divide often seen in hunting, while maintaining the safety aspect of the blaze orange rules.  Females make up about 10% of the deer hunters in Wisconsin, but represent the fastest …

School is out for many young Nebraskans which means parents are busy trying to figure out what to do with them this summer.  If you want your youngster to have an adventure, then summer camp is your answer.  If you want your child to build leadership skills and self-esteem, then summer camp is your answer.  If you want your kids unplugged from the digital world for a bit, then summer camp is your answer. According to the American Camp Association …

With just two weekends left in the 2015 Nebraska Spring Turkey Hunting Season, we may be in the ninth inning, but there is still time to score on a gobbler.  In fact, some hunters will find the best hunts of the season in the final days this year. During the peak of breeding, gobblers often have all the hen-attention they want. We are now past this point and the boys are working harder to find willing hens.   Some are more …

Some of you may remember that fisheries managers for the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission tried an experimental fisheries management technique at Pawnee Reservoir a year ago last fall, Pawnee Renovation.  Unlike typical rotenone renovations where all fish are removed from a body of water, the effort at Pawnee was one where we hoped that a relatively low dose of rotenone would selectively eliminate gizzard shad and white perch. Let me share some more of what we know about that fisheries …

Report on this year’s pallid broodstock collections: If you wish to see a cleaner, larger version, 2015 Broodstock Newsletter .  As mentioned in the news letter, check out the FaceBook page, NGPC Pallid Sturgeon Broodstock, and there are a lot more photos here, Flickr–Missouri River Program. A big thank you to all that were involved again this year.  We could not pull off this effort without a bunch of enthusiastic volunteers.  We thank you, the pallid sturgeon thank you (well, they would …