Conservation

Looks doubtful that I will get on the ice this weekend.  Stinkin’ weather!  I guess I will just continue to dream about it. . . . While day-dreaming, I have stumbled onto these “Sixty Seconds Underwater” videos by Engbretson Underwater Photography.  These fuel my dreaming and even though they are only sixty seconds at a time, if you watch you will learn some things about your favorite fish! Some things I notice in those videos:  Cruising fish are active fish, …

There is a video that has been making the rounds on the interwebs; it is about a subject I have already been on my “soap box” about once this winter.  In fact, some of you get tired of my pointy-headed ramblings on the subject; some have even called me some kind of fascist about it.  So, don’t listen to me, take a few minutes and listen to some of the best ice sticks in the world and see what they …

Got a couple, three quick news items I want to call attention to; nothing major, but if you fish you should know about these: 2019 Fishing Guide The 2019 Fishing Guide is available on-line, now.  Click the highlight.  I am expecting delivery of the “hard copies” any day now, and as soon as we get them they will be distributed around the state. There are a few regulation changes that you should know about, so be sure to take a …

With the holidays and everything, I skipped a blog post this week.  Kinda hard to blog from a bucket on the ice deep in the Nebraska sandhills. Sue me. Unfortunately, I am back in the office now, let me give a quick adventure report from the past few days. My New Year’s Day and the calendar New Year’s Day corresponded this year.  Unfortunately, the first fish I could catch through the ice this year, the beginning of my “New Year”, …

Photographs after an ice storm. I woke up on the morning of January 17 with a clear plan of attack. The biggest ice storm in a decade had ended the previous evening, and the forecast had correctly predicted clear skies and calm winds for the post-storm sunrise. Road crews had worked through the night, allowing me to slowly and carefully make my way across Aurora to a series of restored prairies along Lincoln Creek. It was going to be an …

Send your wildlife questions to our environmental educators. As an environmental educator, I am asked countless questions about wildlife, habitats, and plants. Occasionally I know the answer, but now and then I have to do some research. Nebraska Game and Parks now has an email address (wildwhatsup@nebraska.gov) where people can send their wildlife questions and get a response. Here are some questions we have recently received. Do fish freeze in the winter? Fish are cold-blooded, which means that as the …

The Scaleshell Mussel If you spend time along Nebraska’s lakes and rivers, you are likely to come across the occasional large “clam” shell. These are examples of our state’s native freshwater mussels. It can be quite interesting to observe the unique shapes, sizes and colors of the 29 species found in our state, although a few of those are considered relicts, meaning only their shells, and not the living mollusk that would normally reside within, are detected. They have descriptive …

C-R-P, grassland conservation and early successional habitat. When those letters and words are brought up in a conversation, chances are the ring-necked pheasant will be mentioned in a sentence or two. Yes, CRP, grassland conservation and early successional habitat and pheasants all go together, but they also go with a lot of other wildlife. You see, our family farm is enrolled in the Unites States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Conservation Reserve Program or what is referred to as the CRP. …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Learn the basics of safe, effective burning when Pheasants Forever and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission host prescribed burn training workshops across the state early in 2019. These workshops will provide guidance and instruction for completing safe and effective prescribed fires. Landowners, resource professionals, volunteer fire departments and other interested persons are invited to attend. No prior burn experience is required. Most workshops are scheduled for 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Basic workshops will be held Jan. 17 …

We are coming to the end of 2018.  If you have been following my blog for awhile you might know that I celebrate the “New Year” when I walk on the ice for the first time.  My New Year starts when I drill a hole and catch a fish.  No, “New Year” may or may not correspond with the calendar, and it usually does not. I have not celebrated “New Year” at this time, and I ain’t happy about it!  …