Conservation

Without a doubt this has been the most asked question recently.  So, I am going to spread this around as much as possible, as soon as possible: Surveys indicate mixed bag on fish winterkill Surveys by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission show many Sandhills lakes fared better than expected after a harsh winter led to fish kills. Deep snow over thick ice this winter caused oxygen depletion in many of the region’s most shallow and vegetated lakes, causing fish …

Today is the first of May.  Let me post this as a reminder: Another season of family fun scheduled with Community Fishing Events Join the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission for another spring and summer of fun with Community Fishing Events. Community Fishing Events provide opportunities for people of all ages who have never fished or have not fished in years to learn and enjoy the activity. Rods and reels, as well as bait and fishing instruction, will be available …

The story of this weekend adventure actually started a year ago.  Late spring 2022 my wife and my cousin’s wife decided that they had never been to see the prairie grouse dance.  Each spring prairie chickens and sharptail grouse have a mating display where the males “dance” to attract females.  It is a spectacle.  I had seen prairie grouse performing their spring mating rituals in many of my travels and adventures in Nebraska, but I told the girls to make …

OK, I know this news release has been out for a week now.  Sorry, I am just getting around to publicizing this.  In addition, I know this will not affect a lot of you, but again, some of you will want to know! Willow Lake B.C. WMA boat ramp closed for redevelopment project The access road and boat launch at Willow Lake B.C. Wildlife Management Area in Brown County will be closed starting April 17 until further notice because of …

Connecting to Urban Wildlife Through the City Nature Challenge By Brianna Nugent, Educator Urban growth, agricultural expansion and other human activities have forced most of Nebraska’s wildlife into small remnants of their once extensive habitats. If that is the case, why are rabbits nibbling on our flower beds, foxes roaming the streets and racoons rummaging through our trash cans? These clever animals have found ways to coexist with us and adapt to life in the big city. For example, animals …

I have blogged often about the need for a good net man.  Every angler should have a good net man, a good photo taker. Or do they? Believe me, the last thing you want is a hot muskie in the boat with you.  That is not safe for the anglers or the fish, can be hard on tackle too. Actually, after watching the video, it still proves that a guy needs a good net man!  Getting that fish off the …

By Monica Macoubrie, Wildlife Education Specialist Alien invaders have inhabited Nebraska for quite some time. Have you seen them? I’m not referring to the green little Martians that come to mind when the word “aliens” is mentioned. I’m thinking a little less extraterrestrial and spaceships, and a bit more grounded and sprawling. An invasive species can be any type of organism. It can be an amphibian, plant, fungus, bacteria, mammal, seed, egg, insect, fish, etc., that is non-native to a …

I am assuming that most of you reading my blog are serious about your fishing.  I am.  If you are like me you devour any and all information you can find on fishing, how-to, techniques, gear, thinking, theory, biology, limnology, etc., etc.  There are a lot of things I read, watch and listen to.  Yes, I subscribe to a whole list of YouTube pages. On one of those subscriptions, I recently came across a series of videos about being a …

This news release went out a few weeks ago.  Now, however, the weather is warming and folks are starting to get out more, so I want to spread the word, again: Grove Trout Rearing Station makes changes to visitation New visitation rules will be in place this spring at Grove Trout Rearing Station in Antelope County for the safety of the trout being raised there. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is balancing its obligation to raise quality, healthy trout …

By Ronica Stromberg, NRT Program Coordinator, University of Nebraska-Lincoln On almost any given day, a person can drive by grazing land owned by The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska and see an artist in residence. Recently, the conservancy’s science director Chris Helzer told National Science Foundation Research Traineeship students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that the environmental group uses cows as “habitat artists” to build resilience in grasslands. The conservancy is experimenting with various methods of creating a “shifting mosaic” of …