Education

Ash Hollow State Historical Park will host its annual rendezvous Sept. 9-11. The rendezvous will allow park visitors to absorb themselves in pre-1840 history, unique culture and educate themselves of an era gone by. Rendezvous were historically held in the fall between fur traders and local Native American tribes and were a time to gather, share trade goods such as skins, furs, beads, food items, weapons, and knowledge. It was a time to relax, make money, and have some fun. …

  By Alie Mayes, Community Science Education Specialist You are looking to connect. So, you open your dating app and start scrolling through profiles. No, no, nope, heck no. And then, you pause. Something’s different about this one. It reads: “About Me: Life is all about the connections. I am dynamic, resilient and always seeking balance. Love Languages: Acts of Service and Quality Time What I’m Looking For: I’m Looking for a partner who is nurturing, always looking for the …

Blending recreation and conservation By Grace Gaard, Outdoor Educator When we think of kayaking, we might picture paddling on a waterway, and that’s where it stops. But I always had this feeling that kayaks had more potential than paddling alone. That magic we experience on the water can be hard to put a label on, and the word “conservation” can seem a bit complicated, like something people can’t relate to because it’s so scientific. Recently, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission …

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission educators have scheduled interesting and engaging events for the curious in September. Here are some opportunities: Growing Up WILD Educator Workshop set for Sept. 6 in Hastings A Growing Up WILD educator workshop, which provides an early foundation for developing positive attitudes and behaviors about nature and lifelong social and academic skills, is scheduled for Sept. 6 in Hastings. This award-winning early childhood curriculum guide is for educators of children ages 3-7. The guide builds …

By Julie Geiser Cicada killer wasps will start emerging from the ground anytime, but these docile wasps only have one thing on their minds: seeking out cicadas. Found across the U.S., these native wasps start to appear in mid-to-late July through August in Nebraska. Cicada killer wasps are approximately 2 inches long with black and yellow on their abdomens and amber-colored wings. When you hear male cicadas begin singing to attract their mates, adult cicada killer wasps will start to …

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission earned 11 awards at the Association for Conservation Information annual conference held July 24-27 in Nashville, Tenn. The awards recognized excellence in outreach, education and communications. ACI is a nonprofit organization of natural resources communicators representing wildlife conservation and parks and natural resource agencies. Its annual awards contest recognizes excellence and promotes craft improvement through peer critiques. The awards are: First place in Communications Campaign, Educational for “Lake Mac Know Before You Go,” an …

By Monica Macoubrie, Wildlife Education Specialist  This is a familiar sight in Nebraska: You’re driving along a two-lane highway listening to the radio, when all of a sudden, a dinosaur walks across the road just ahead of you. OK, not literally a dinosaur, but a living creature that is as close as you can get — a snapping turtle. As you approach the turtle, you notice that it’s earnestly on a mission, however slow and lumbering. It’s trying to make …

Story and photos by Gerry Steinauer, Botanist As their name implies, each dayflower blossom is fleeting. New flowers that open to greet the rising sun close about noon and wither by dusk. The lovely blue flowers are as delicate as they are short-lived. When rubbed between one’s fingers, their petals quickly disintegrate into a watery ooze. Belonging to the spiderwort family (Commelinaceae), two dayflower species, both growing up to a foot tall, inhabit Nebraska. Slender dayflower (Commelina erecta) is a …

Story and Photos by Chris Helzer Wasps are amazing. No, seriously, they’re startlingly cool. To begin with, there are more than 100,000 wasp species that have been cataloged by science and many more that haven’t. Among all those species, there is incredible variation in size, shape, lifestyle and aggression toward humans. Spoiler alert: Only a tiny percentage of wasps pose any threat to us at all. Categorizing all wasps as aggressive, winged canisters of pain is like categorizing all Husker …

By Jamie Bachmann, Outdoor Educator While there may be plenty of hot days left this summer, I know that cool, fall days are on their way when I begin to hear the distinctive sounds of cicadas. Cicadas are one of the coolest and most noticeable group of insects active during this time of year. Take a look at image above, which shows an exuviae, the remaining exoskeleton of an adult cicada that has just emerged, or eclosed. I’m sure you …