Summit Lake State Recreation Area Story and photos by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley Set down camp on lush, green lawns and manicured campsites. Drop a line from a picture-worthy fishing pier, or slowly work your way across a no-wake lake inside a boat. Then at the end of the day, sit back with a drink to watch the golden light sink below the glistening lake at your feet — it’s like you’ve arrived in paradise without having to hop onto a plane. …
Read More »Nebraska’s Only Marsupial
By Monica Macoubrie, Wildlife Education Specialist With a nearly hairless, scaly tail, a mouth full of teeth, the ability to “play dead” and its overall I-don’t-give-a-dang attitude, the opossum might be one of the most unique mammals to be waddling around Nebraska. I guarantee by the time you are done reading this article, you will, at the very least, have a little more respect and love for this remarkable marsupial. Opossums are Marsupials The Virginia oppossum is a marsupial. When …
Read More »Campfire Therapy
By Eric Fowler The flames dance. The coals glow. The wood crackles and pops. The combination of these elements is mesmerizing. It is therapy. Sit there alone and stare into a campfire’s depths, and you can’t help but relax as the warmth melts your worries away. Sit around a fire with friends or family, and you can rehash old times, solve the world’s problems and make future plans. In Boy Scouts, it was the perfect setting for telling ghost stories. …
Read More »Fishing the ‘Down Times’
By Justin Haag Nebraska’s fisheries have their ups and downs, especially if we’re talking water levels. The water stored in many of the state’s most popular fishing lakes is vital for irrigating crops when Mother Nature is stingy with rain. The annual drawdown of water is important for agriculture, but can be challenging for fish populations and the people pursuing them. Anglers at many Nebraska reservoirs have become accustomed to casting lines among trees in spring and watching the shoreline …
Read More »July Wildlife Viewing – Magnificent Moths!
By Olivia DaRugna, Watchable Wildlife Biologist Moths are not just the dull-brown insects that swarm around your porch lights at night. They are much more interesting and can be quite beautiful. Moths also play important ecological roles as prey for many predators, such as bats and pollinators of night-blooming flowers. Some moths are even indicator species of a healthy environment. July in Nebraska is a great time for observing these incredible insects, and you don’t have to go far. Viewing …
Read More »The Sturgeon of Nebraska
By Monica Macoubrie, Wildlife Education Specialist Picture this: You’re fishing on the Missouri River and all a sudden, you feel your line tug hard! You have a huge fish ready to pull you in — a real monster at the end of your line. Your adrenaline is going, and as you reel in the fish, you start to see its tail emerging from the water. You see rows of scales and a shovel-like nose. “What in the world is this?!” …
Read More »Promise of Walleye
Lake Mac Study Fuels Changes to Fisheries Managment By Julie Geiser Lake McConaughy is one of the best fisheries in Nebraska for many fish, including wiper, smallmouth bass, channel catfish and, especially, walleye. For the latter, it is considered one of the best in the Midwest. Maintaining the walleye fishery, however, is complicated. Recruitment is cyclical in most walleye waters, with strong production years often followed by poor ones, and McConaughy is no exception. In Big Mac, anglers have as …
Read More »DeKay’s Brownsnake
By Marissa Jensen Nebraska is home to 29 species of native snakes with each species claiming its own unique characteristics, habits, and habitats. And for those who find themselves a little squeamish about even the mere mention of snakes, we have the perfect one to introduce you to. The Dekay’s brownsnake (Storeria dekayi) is a non-venomous snake named in honor of the 19th-century naturalist and zoologist, Dr. James Ellsworth De Kay, who collected the first known specimen. With an average …
Read More »Nebraska Birding Bowl Results
By Olivia DaRugna, Watchable Wildlife Biologist The first Nebraska Birding Bowl took place May 1-31 during Nebraska Bird Month. The successful event saw 144 teams participating in one of four categories: Fledgling Flock, Backyard Birders, Dabbling Birders or Competitive Birders. Together, 270 participants (192 adults and 78 youth) contributed over 2,900 eBird checklists, and more than 287 species were observed during Nebraska Bird Month. Teams birded all over the state during May, visiting almost every location on the Nebraska Birding …
Read More »A Return to the Plains – Wolves in Nebraska
By Sam Wilson, Furbearer and Carnivore Program Manager, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission The howls of wild wolf packs have been gone from Nebraska for more than 100 years, but recently a few dispersers walked hundreds of miles into the state to return to plains where the species was once common. Few wild animals hold a larger place in cultures around the world than wolves. They are a symbol of the wild that has inspired legends, lore, fear, reverence, myths, …
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