Conservation

I have to admit that my job duties have evolved over the years.  I do not get out to do a lot of field work anymore.  Most of my “field work” is done with a fishing rod in hand while I am off duty.  Every spring Fisheries Division employees are very busy with collecting fish and eggs, stocking fish, etc. etc.  Spring is one of the busiest times of the year.  Many of those efforts take extra man-power and it …

Every year about this time I warn you that I mostly blog about fish and fishing except when those beautiful, big, Tom turkeys are gobbling.  That time is NOW.  I will still be on the water when I get a chance, but there is so much to do in Nebraska’s great outdoors in the coming weeks, so you will have to forgive me if my one-track fishing mind is a little distracted.  Do not worry, I will continue to share …

If you manage it, they will thrive! “ “We don’t always understand that you cannot plant wildlife habitat and let it go, it needs to be managed,” says Eric Zach, Agricultural Program Manager here at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. “A landowner must set the stage for better years regarding upland game bird nesting and brood-rearing cover,” he adds. Well put, Eric, well put! With that information in mind, we travel to our Wagner family farm in southeast Nebraska …

It is spring and spawning is in the air.  Every early April for the past several years our Missouri River fisheries biologists along with a lot of great help from volunteers, have ventured onto the Missouri River to capture endangered pallid sturgeon.  Specifically, the pallid sturgeon they are hoping to catch are female pallid sturgeon.  When the right fish are captured, those female pallid sturgeon are hauled to fish hatcheries where eggs can be collected in order to produced more …

Every little bit helps, and every little bit has a way of turning into a big bit. Such is the case with the Boy Scouts’ annual tree planting event at Fort Robinson State Park, which I enjoyed photographing Saturday. The process of getting hundreds of scouts and volunteers into the field to plant ponderosa pine seedlings in the yearly reforestation effort has been honed to near perfection and is a sight to see. It was a bittersweet day, though, for …

It is my job to tell folks about the great fishing opportunities we have in Nebraska.  Yes, Nebraska is my home state, has been for several generations on both sides of my family, and I am very proud of what our state has to offer.  There are those who believe I get a little carried away with that, especially when it comes to fishing opportunities, because Nebraska is not one of those places renowned as a fishing destination.  Yet, I …

All the roots have been planted for a northwestern Nebraska reforestation program. Now, the project has been turned over to Mother Nature. About 1,400 members of the Boy Scouts of the Longs Peak Council and other volunteers planted 10,500 trees at Fort Robinson State Park on Saturday, the final chapter of an annual effort to reforest areas burned in a massive 1989 wildfire. The planting marked the 25th and final year for the event. The planters were greeted with seasonably …

The April 2014 NEBRASKAland is available on line right now. I love the cover!  Mouth full of teeth, big marble eyes, classic orange and chartreuse jig in its lips, CLASSIC!  Love it! To go along with the picture there is a great story inside on page 38 about our walleye egg collection efforts which are happening right now (something that I am out in the field helping with as I write this!). There are some great old stories about big …

I am planning to be at the HUSKERland Muskie Hunters meeting this coming Wednesday night, April 2.  Their meeting will start at 7:00 p.m. and will be held at the Omaha Scheels store.  Show up a little early, we will meet in front of the Ferris wheel and then go downstairs to the meeting room. I will always tell you that one great way to become a better angler is to join a club!  There are several good Nebraska fishing …

Fish and fishing are my thing, that is what I blog about most of the time.  The life and interactions between predator and prey that occurs below the surface fascinates me, and understanding those interactions are an important key to finding and catching fish.  A few weeks ago I shared a video where brown trout were jumping out of the water to eat damselflies ( Damselflies ).  Well, now I want to kick that up a notch, watch this, watch …