By Greg Wagner
The season for gratitude and reflection is upon us.
Thanksgiving week is when we remind our families, friends and close associates how much they mean to us and express our sincere appreciation for what positive things we have been given in life.
While you are considering what you are thankful for, don’t forget about Nebraska’s outdoor scene.
During the nine days of the recent firearm deer hunting season here in Cornhusker State, I selected 13 key elements to be so grateful for while I was in the field. As you read through these, I want you to think about specific items or aspects in the natural world of which you are so grateful to have and experience.
- Sunrises and sunsets: I am so grateful for the time around rural Nebraska sunrises and sunsets that always seem to be spectacular. I love this quote: “Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise.” – George Washington Carver.
- Water: I am so grateful for water, as it flows in spring-fed creeks, for without water there is no life. It is the basis of the fluids of living organisms. Simply put, I will tell you that water has emerged as the “new gold,” one of the single most important resources of planet Earth.
- Native trees: I am so grateful for native trees — most notably the unmistakable bark of the hackberry. I always say, “If only the bark of older native trees could speak to me and tell me what they have seen over the years.”
- Woodlands: I am so grateful for open, mature woodlands where many species of wildlife roam and call home. I am a fan of older growth forests and the wildlife that live in them.
- Nongame wildlife: I am so grateful for nongame wildlife species because all wildlife matters. Everything in nature is connected, you know.
- Reintroduced wildlife: I am so grateful for the successful reintroduction of various wildlife species like the wild turkey. I never tire of watching wild turkeys, especially up close.
- Sights and sounds of wildlife visitors: I am so grateful for the sights and sounds of wildlife visitors such as migratory waterfowl. I go to bed at night still hearing those Canada geese overhead.
- Beauty and solitude: I am so grateful for the beauty and pure solitude that nature offers in Nebraska. I view time spent in nature as a mind-cleansing, soul-invigorating experience.
- Nature’s bounty: I am so grateful for nature’s precious bounty and being able to be a direct participant in the conservation and management of wildlife and North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. I was fortunate to harvest two adult white-tailed deer, 1 doe and 1 buck, during the 2025 Nebraska firearm deer-hunting season.
- Past generations and landowners: I am so grateful for past generations who homesteaded lands where I hunt and enjoy nature today, and for landowners who allow me to hunt on their property. I am forever indebted to the landowners who have conserved wildlife habitat and allow me to hunt on their land to make memories.
- Cover crops: I was so grateful to be able to deer hunt over a cover crop (e.g. cereal rye) in a harvested, no-till cornfield. Cover crops prevent erosion, improve soil health, provide wildlife forage and help control weeds. Each deer hunting session, I watched white-tailed deer and wild turkeys utilize the cover crop.
- Grasslands: I am so grateful for grasslands, most notably for programs, e.g. USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program, that encourage and enhance grassland habitat. I value stands of grassland as natural, national treasures.
- Important plants: I am so grateful for important plants like the common milkweed that thrive on the lands I hunt and provide superb pollinator habitat as well as critical habitat for the monarch butterfly. I always remind myself that monarchs and milkweeds are tied together.
How about you, what are you so grateful for in nature?