Tag Archives: Invasive species

Yep, I purposely posted that title.  Got your attention, didn’t I?  Now let me tell you the story. . . . Got a message last week.  Person asked if there were blue crabs in Nebraska? My answer was short and easy, “NO, there are NO crabs found in Nebraska.” Then I got the photos.  They were taken on the shoreline of an urban reservoir: Take a closer look: Yep, look like blue crabs to me. Now you know why I …

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission educators have scheduled interesting and engaging events for the curious in April. Here are several opportunities: Little Saplings early childhood program presents Sprouting Seeds The Little Saplings early childhood nature discovery program will have the program, Sprouting Seeds, at 9 a.m. April 6 at Schramm Education Center near Gretna. Seeds are tough, but they also can be sticky, crunchy and fluffy. This program will examine different seeds and discuss how a plant starts its life …

LINCOLN, Neb. – After a recent discovery of invasive zebra mussels within Marimo or “moss” balls used in aquarium tanks, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is urging the public to take precautions to prevent the spread of this highly destructive species. A container of Marimo balls sold as “Betta Buddy” was first found to be contaminated with an adult zebra mussel at a Petco store in Washington state on March 3. Game and Parks subsequently inspected two Petco locations …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Learn about invasive species during a five-part virtual webinar series during National Invasive Species Awareness Week Feb. 22-26. The series, hosted by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Nebraska Invasive Species Program through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will focus on a different topic each day. The webinar schedule is: Feb. 22 – Invasive Species 101, Feb. 23 – Invasive Plants, Feb. 24 – Invasive Wildlife, Feb. 25 – Invasive Aquatic Species, Feb. 26 – Invasive …

By Renae Blum Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Mark Alberts’ dad could recall going out with his grade-school teacher to cut down a cedar Christmas tree, and they had to hunt to find one. Today things have changed, and the Loess Canyons, a roughly 338,000-acre landscape south of North Platte, is overgrown with eastern redcedar, a hardy, drought-tolerant invasive species. While once looked upon favorably, the hardy, drought-tolerant invasive species is now recognized for its harmful effects on the Great …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Free workshops are scheduled in Omaha and Lincoln this spring for anyone who makes decisions about lakes and ponds or wants to learn more about protecting them. The two-hour workshops begin at 6 p.m. Reservations are required. The first workshop will be in Omaha on March 21 at the Douglas-Sarpy County Extension Office, 8015 W. Center Road. Register at go.unl.edu/OMAHALakes; the deadline is March 19. The other workshop will be in Lincoln on March 26 at the …

It was late afternoon, the day was winding down; my phone rang.  I answered and listened as an angler at nearby Bowling Lake described a fish he had just caught and laid in the grass; something he had never seen before.  Identifying fish over the phone is always a challenge, but in this case I had an idea what he had caught.  I asked him if he would be there for a few more minutes, I was on my way. …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Persons interested in sandpit lake management are invited to a free workshop March 2 in Grand Island. The workshop will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the Hall County Extension Office, 3180 W. U.S. Highway 34. Registration by Feb. 27 is required at http://go.unl.edu/grandislandlake. The workshop is a joint effort of the Nebraska Extension, Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. The workshop is intended for landowners and others interested in learning about: …

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission reminds hunters that Goose Lake Wildlife Management Area, located southeast of Chambers in Holt County, is closed to public access until further notice. The closure is necessary because of a heavy infestation of Eurasian watermilfoil, an invasive aquatic plant, at the lake. Eurasian watermilfoil can spread rapidly because a single fragment of stem or leaf can take root and form a new colony, and plants can grow up to 2 inches per …

LINCOLN – On Nov. 14, a single live adult zebra mussel was discovered attached to a boat dock at the Midway boat ramp on the South Dakota side of Lewis and Clark Lake near Yankton, S.D. South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (SDGFP) staff inspected 11 additional boat docks and shorelines and found no additional zebra mussels in or near the lake. Several boats stored at a marina also were inspected and no mussels were found, though many boats already …