NEBRASKAland Articles

Trail Rides are a new addition to Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (SHP) and State Recreational Area (SRA) this year. The rides, provided by Dusty Trails LLC, take visitors through the SRA traveling along the scenic North Platte River. The hour-long rides are a great way to show visitors the beautiful area, some wildlife including deer, turkeys and many bird and plant species. Jason Tonsfeldt, Superintendent of Buffalo Bill Ranch SHP and SRA is pleased with the amount of …

LINCOLN – Several of Nebraska’s state park areas, captured on high-definition video by air, as well as by NEBRASKAland photographers, will be featured in the NET Television special “NEBRASKA Land & Sky.” The 60-minute program will broadcast Aug. 11, at 7 p.m. Central Time and repeat at 10 p.m. on NET1. The program includes sweeping aerial views of other Nebraska landscapes and attractions. Segments also showcase interviews and compelling events from around the state. The aerial video is complemented by …

The days are at their longest this time of year, the wind doesn’t seem to be as strong most days, and the fishing may become, well, less than stellar. Of course, this isn’t true for every body of water across the state, but I’ve heard of it recently applying to more than a handful. For a few weeks now, I’ve heard it has slowed down on local reservoirs, as well as waters farther away. The recent walleye tournament at Merritt Reservoir would suggest …

From a moonlit ride along the riverside, to a deep canyon descent into forested bluffs, witnessing the beauty of Nebraska from the saddle is an exhilarating experience. With accommodations for both the two- and four-legged, the following locations offer a glimpse of the myriad of riding opportunities to be had throughout the state, which include diverse terrain, unique wildlife viewing opportunities and the wide horizon lines that make Nebraska worth riding. Remember, trail and camp availability is subject to change. …

On a sunny, but muggy, morning last June, six Game and Parks Commission and Northern Prairies Land Trust biologists gathered at Indian Cave State Park. Our mission for the next two days: trek the park’s rugged, wooded hills in search of the elusive yellow lady’s-slipper orchid (Cypripedium parviflorum). A common and widespread North American species, the yellow lady’sslipper grows in coniferous and deciduous forests and wetlands across much of Canada and the U.S. Nebraska, however, supports only a handful of …

“We need to find a tree that’s serious about this,” Jack Phillips said jokingly while collecting acorns last fall along a wooded trail outlining Pioneers Park in Lincoln. The bur oaks he walked beneath are tall and magnificent – and becoming increasingly rare. “The old bur oak is on the edge all the time,” Phillips said. “We should treat the species as if it were endangered, looking at the age of populations now.” The collected acorns, minus the ones nibbled …

The quiet boating times of the early 1900s are almost impossible to imagine today, their last vestige being yellowed and dog-eared photo postcards from a time when men wore straw boater hats and women wore long white dresses, when boating was nearly as silent as the photographs of it. In those days there were two means of propelling most boats in Nebraska – an oar on the starboard side, an oar on the port side. The only sound was a …

July 4th is in the books, which means summer is truly here in full force. Right? For the most part, that is a true statement. Some ‘regular’ patterns for catching fish this time of year are really dominant. Things like catching suspended walleyes and catfish that are getting ready to spawn are normal right now. What isn’t normal is some of the temps we’ve had and will continue to have. Will much cooler than normal temps this coming week, it …

A fog rising through the Salt Creek valley led me quietly out the door and down the driveway, past a series of dirt road intersections and directly to the gate of the Little Salt Fork Marsh Preserve near Raymond, just in time to greet the dawn. It was the barbed-wire spun in silk that first made me stop to consider the hidden creatures residing here that revealed a soft touch in sharp contrast to the tamed highway cutting through the creek. As I crossed …

That time of year is quickly approaching and, in some cases, has already arrived: transition time. I’m referring to the locations of fish in our reservoirs and the patterns that are succeeding in putting more of those fish in the boat. We are truly into summer now. It’s taken some time, but water temps in some areas have been slow to rise. This is not true for the Tri County canal system, however. It’s generally warmer because it’s always moving. …