Tag Archives: Valentine National Wildlife Refuge

Several of you have asked about last week’s renovation project at Hackberry Lake on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge.  I was there, helped a little bit, took some pictures. . . . First of all, some context:  If you are not aware of the work being done on the Valentine Refuge, it has been cussed and discussed over and over.  Please go back and read this, Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Update.  If you are unfamiliar with rotenone renovations in …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Hackberry Lake on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge will be chemically renovated the week of Aug. 9 as part of the ongoing Aquatic Habitat Project on the refuge. The rotenone treatment is aimed to eliminate common carp, an undesirable species detrimental to aquatic habitat, water quality and sport fish populations. Restocking will occur later this fall. Liberalized fishing regulations have been in effect the past two years on Hackberry, where length limits were rescinded but daily bag …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has declared a fish salvage for Hackberry Lake on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge south of Valentine from Dec. 18, 2020, through Sept. 30, 2021. The lake was scheduled to have its existing fish population renovated during 2019 and 2020 as part of an Aquatic Habitat Project to eliminate common carp on the refuge. However, the renovation has been postponed multiple times due to wet conditions and unsuitable water levels. Salvages …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has declared a fish salvage for Hackberry Lake on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge south of Valentine from Dec. 20, 2019 through Sept. 30, 2020. The lake was scheduled to have its existing fish population renovated during 2019 as part of an Aquatic Habitat Project to eliminate common carp on the refuge. However, the renovation was not completed due to wet conditions and unsuitable water levels. Fish salvages are implemented to …

The news release just went out: Fish salvage declared for Valentine NWR’s Hackberry Lake LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has declared a fish salvage for Hackberry Lake on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) south of Valentine from Feb. 1 through Aug. 1, 2019. The lake is scheduled to have its existing fish population renovated as part of an Aquatic Habitat Project to eliminate common carp on the entire refuge. During the salvage period at Hackberry …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has declared a fish salvage for Hackberry Lake on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) south of Valentine from Feb. 1 through Aug. 1, 2019. The lake is scheduled to have its existing fish population renovated as part of an Aquatic Habitat Project to eliminate common carp on the entire refuge. During the salvage period at Hackberry Lake: — Length limits will be rescinded but daily bag limits will be maintained. …

I was outta the office a week or so ago to help do some field work.  I got to help with some work on one of my favorite waters in one of my favorite parts of the state–Pelican Lake on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). I am not going to rehearse the details, or the merits, of the large Aquatic Habitat Rehabilitation project that is ongoing on the Valentine NWR.  If you have been living under a soapweed and …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Rotenone will be applied Sept. 6 at Pelican Lake on the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) south of Valentine to remove common carp. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will apply rotenone, which is a toxicant often used by biologists to eliminate unwanted fish species, as part of the renovation of the lake. In recent months, liberalized fishing regulations have allowed anglers to remove many sport fish from Pelican, and …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Beyond Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program is hosting a women’s ice fishing workshop on Jan. 13 at the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge lakes. Women age 18 and older may sign up for the workshop, which will give instruction on equipment use and techniques. Participants can lodge in Valentine on Jan. 12 or meet the group at the refuge. The workshop cost is $25, not including meals and lodging. The deadline is Jan. 5. Visit NebraskaBOW.com to learn …

Renovations planned for many Sandhills lakes Invasive Carp Native to Europe, bottom-feeding carp stir up sediments and cloud the water, hampering the growth of the aquatic vegetation that is the base of the food web, and the growth and productivity of sight-feeding gamefish, including the bluegill, yellow perch, black crappie, largemouth bass and northern pike that thrive in Sandhills lakes. Carp found their way onto the refuge in the 1930s when a ditch was dug from Gordon Creek northwest of …