NGPC News

LINCOLN, Neb. – Applications for an auxiliary mountain lion hunting season will be accepted by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission from March 1-6. Up to four permits will be drawn for the auxiliary season in the North Subunit of Nebraska’s Pine Ridge, which is March 15-31. Only hunters who held a North Subunit permit but did not harvest a mountain lion during the earlier North Subunit season may apply. From 1 p.m. Central Time on March 1 through 11:59 …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The portion of Fremont Lakes State Recreation Area south of Military Avenue in Fremont reopened to vehicle and foot traffic on Feb. 28. It had been closed due to high flows of the Platte River and the potential for rapid changes in the area’s lake levels. Water levels on Lake 18 and Lake 20 remain high. County Road 19 west of Lake 20 remains closed to vehicle and foot traffic. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission asks …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Much of Nebraska was devastated by flooding in 2019 and properties owned and managed by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission were not immune to the damage. The destruction at some of Nebraskans’ favorite parks and wildlands is detailed in a story by regional editor Eric Fowler in the March issue of Nebraskaland Magazine. Also, ecologist Chris Helzer writes about the history of conservation on his family’s quarter section of prairie near Stockham in Hamilton County, and …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will be conducting prescribed fires at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park near Ashland starting Feb. 27. These fires are part of an ongoing prairie and oak woodland restoration project and will help control the spread of invasive plants. Exact dates of the fires will depend on weather. Affected trails and roads in portions of the park will be marked with signs and closed during the fires.

LINCOLN, Neb. – Learn how citizens can contribute to scientific research by observing wildlife March 15 at Schramm Education Center near Gretna. Alie Mayes, watchable wildlife biologist with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, at 2 p.m. will present People Powered Science, a program about citizen science, as part of the Schramm Sunday Speaker Series. This series is a monthly program in which experts deliver presentations on the natural and cultural history of Nebraska. The series is designed to promote …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The following is a listing of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission events and important dates in March. Visit OutdoorNebraska.org for more event details and a list of hunter education classes and boating safety classes. March 1-14 – Archery paddlefish permit application period March 2 – Fisheries public informational meeting, Upper Niobrara White Natural Resources District, Chadron March 3 – Fisheries public informational meeting, Mid-Plains Community College North Campus, North Platte March 7 – Jesse James in Nebraska, …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The portion of Fremont Lakes State Recreation Area (SRA) south of Military Avenue in Fremont is temporarily closed due to high flows of the Platte River and the potential for rapid changes in the area’s lake levels. Recent flooding caused by ice jams on the Platte has resulted in some SRA lake levels to rise well above surrounding lakes. That created the potential for overtopping and erosion of low areas. Staff is monitoring the status of the …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Some of Nebraska’s most scenic, natural and cherished destinations will be spotlighted when “Exploring Nebraska’s State Parks” premieres at 8 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 1 on NET, Nebraska’s PBS & NPR Stations. See why all eight state parks – Chadron, Fort Robinson, Smith Falls, Niobrara, Ponca, Eugene T. Mahoney, Platte River, and Indian Cave – are special not only to people who return to visit year after year, but by those who work at them. Separately, …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Safety is always paramount when ice-fishing in Nebraska. Safe, fishable ice can disappear quickly during February or March. Daryl Bauer, fisheries outreach program manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, has the following tips for safe late-season ice-fishing: — Ice gets thinnest and worse near shore first, especially in areas exposed to the afternoon sun. Be especially careful when you start seeing weak ice in those areas. — Four-inch-thick ice may be fine for early in …

CHADRON, Neb. — Bighorn sheep in the Panhandle are sporting some new hardware this week thanks to the work of a helicopter capture crew, wildlife professionals and volunteers. South Dakota State University joined the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in capturing and processing a total of 44 sheep Thursday, Friday and Saturday — 28 in the Wildcat Hills near McGrew and 16 at three locations in the Pine Ridge near Chadron and Crawford. Wildlife professionals have ramped up monitoring efforts …