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Latest Features

Early Road Signs

By David L. Bristow, History Nebraska We take for granted that roads will be marked to show directions and hazards. That wasn’t always the case. Early highways were more of a do-it-yourself affair for private groups and local communities. Private organizations began promoting “automobile trails” in the 1910s and ’20s. A group would navigate a cross-country route along local farm roads and then promote this dirt-road path as a “highway.” Local communities eager to attract motorists then marked the route …

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The Ponca Powwow

Story and photos by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley The 29th Annual Northern Ponca Tribe Powwow is Aug. 11-13, 2023, with grand entries — ceremonial entrances to the grounds by tribal dancers — at 7 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday. The powwow grounds are located 1 mile west of Niobrara on Highway 12: If coming from the east, turn left at the Ponca sign, located across Niobrara State Park, and follow the pavement. All dancers and …

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Canines of Nebraska

Monica Macoubrie, Wildlife Education Specialist From the Labrador retriever to the Chihuahua, from the coyote to the swift fox, it’s sometimes hard to see similarities between all these animals when they seem so vastly different. But the truth is, whether it’s a herding dog, lap dog or a wild “dog” you may see out in the prairie, all these canines, or canids, have a single common ancestor. Canids are mammals in the order Carnivora (carnivores) and the family Canidae, which …

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August Wildlife Viewing – Bats

By Olivia DaRugna Bats are usually in the spotlight only around Halloween and during Bat Appreciation Week. However, we are going to break the norm, because August is a great time to observe the world’s only true flying mammal.  So, before homework and school sports start back up, get outside in the early evening to look up at the sky for glimpses of these evening aerial acro-bats — pun intended — as they quickly dive and turn to catch their …

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Long Pine Creek

Work Improves a Unique Fishery in the Sandhills Story and photos by Eric Fowler Joel Klammer repeatedly casts a woolly bugger fly toward rock structures in Long Pine Creek and lets it drift through the deep holes below them. He thinks he sees a fish attempting to bite on one drift, but after 20 minutes, he decides his first choice of flies wasn’t going to cut it on this section of the creek on Pine Glen Wildlife Management Area. So, …

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Less Ammo on the Range

By Jeff Kurrus Some of us like to shoot guns. We look forward to the activity, save money for it, and we definitely don’t see dollar signs disappearing every time a cartridge is ejected. Yet there are others who pay attention to the rising cost of ammo prices, sweating each time a bullet leaves the barrel. If you fit in the latter group, pay attention to these tips when getting your scopes locked in for hunting season. Sighting in a …

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The Last Relic

By Eric Fowler Coulda, coulda, shoulda. Our lives can be full of them. The story of one of mine began in 1999, the first time I visited Niobrara State Park. From the hilltop overlooking the Niobrara River, I could see a rooftop poking out of the trees in the riverbottom. I was told it was the picnic shelter in the old park, the one that opened in 1935 and was closed when the park moved to its current location in …

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Catfishing the Niobrara

One Man’s Lifetime of Fishing By Gerry Steinauer, Botanist Paul Allen’s rugged, weather-worn appearance has been earned from decades of running cattle on the Niobrara River breaks of Boyd County. In line with his cowboy persona, his manner is down-home and friendly, his laugh is hearty, and he slides easily into storytelling. Yet, there are contradictions to the cowboy stereotype: His past includes stints as an elementary school teacher and Peace Corps volunteer; in a land of beer and whiskey …

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Neligh Mill at 150

By David L. Bristow, History Nebraska Neligh Mill, in the northeastern Nebraska town of Neligh, is a place where the past doesn’t feel all that long ago — as if the mill workers have gone for coffee and will be back shortly. The 19th century machinery is still in place, and longtime site supervisor Harv Ofe can tell you how it all worked. Yellowed notices and posters adorn the walls, and penciled graffiti shows the math of long-ago transactions and …

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At-risk Species Spotlight – Burrowing Owls

July is a great time to view burrowing owls near prairie dog colonies. By Olivia DaRugna Burrowing owls, as their name suggests, nest in underground burrows that were excavated by semi-fossorial animals, such as ground squirrels, prairie dogs and badgers. Not surprisingly, burrowing owls often inhabit black-tailed prairie dog colonies during the breeding season in Nebraska. After laying eggs, the parents incubate the eggs for about a month, and young birds remain near the nesting burrow for at least another …

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