NGPC News

LINCOLN – From June through August, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission conservation officers, in conjunction with the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and the Nebraska State Patrol, will conduct special enforcement patrols focusing on state recreation areas (SRA) and other Commission-managed property in Lancaster County. The special patrols will focus on reducing the potential for alcohol-related vehicle and boat crashes around Branched Oak SRA, Pawnee SRA, Bluestem SRA, Wagon Train SRA, Stagecoach SRA and Wildwood Wildlife Management Area. The efforts will …

LINCOLN – Jake Cockle of Plattsmouth won the inaugural Director’s Cup Archery Tournament on June 5 at the Nebraska Game and Parks Outdoor Education Center. The 33 youth and competitive archers in five divisions shot arrows from varying distances. The winners of each division then competed in a Robin Hood shoot-off in which each archer shot one arrow at a small target to determine the Cup winner. The event was sponsored by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Nebraska Game …

LINCOLN – Become a citizen scientist and help professionals learn more about two Nebraska butterfly species in decline – the monarch and the regal fritillary. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is seeking help from the public in two surveys to measure the abundance and range of these butterflies in Nebraska. More information on these surveys, as well as instructions on how to participate, are available on our website at OutdoorNebraska.org/ButterflySurvey. The Commission will host survey training at Nine Mile …

Chadron State Park will celebrate its distinction as Nebraska’s first state park and its 95th anniversary Saturday, June 11, with a wide variety of activities for all ages. Park employees are encouraging people to spend the entire day, as all of the park’s regular activities will be in full swing along with many special offerings at the Trading Post and other locations. Start and end times of the activities vary from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but almost all of …

Members of the public are invited to become citizen scientists during the Bioblitz, a 24-hour program at Oliver Reservoir west of Kimball on Friday and Saturday, June 17-18. Led by the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, the free family event will allow participants to discover and celebrate western Nebraska wildlife. A bioblitz is an event where members of the public become “citizen scientists” and work with biologists to survey a particular area, recording all plants and animals they can find. …

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has opened the access road to Blue Lake in the Sandhills of Garden County. The 2.7-mile two-track trail through private property has been impassable in recent weeks because of high water in the area. Joe Rydell, a Commission fisheries biologist, said portions of the trail have been rerouted to higher elevations to make the lake accessible. Blue Lake is a popular fishing destination 22 miles north of Oshkosh near the Crescent Lake Wildlife Management …

LINCOLN – A health advisory is in effect at Pawnee Lake in Lancaster County. During testing earlier this week, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality detected elevated levels of toxic blue-green algae at the lake. Visitors to Pawnee State Recreation Area should avoid full body contact activities such as swimming, wading, skiing, jet skiing, etc. Non-contact activities such as boating, fishing and camping are OK. The lake will be tested weekly through the summer months, and the health advisory will …

LINCOLN – Throughout June, Niobrara State Park will hold a variety of family-friendly events for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages. Scheduled events are: • June 11, National Park Service Special Event: Children will participate in interactive activities at an educational trailer. • June 17, National Park Service presents “Life on the Missouri:” Learn more about the historic people and river craft of North America’s longest river. • June 18, Buffalo Cookout: The meal will be served at 6 p.m. at …

LINCOLN – Voters have selected two Nebraska lakes to a list of 100 family-friendly boating and fishing lakes in the nation. The following Nebraska lakes made the annual top 100 list, which is compiled annually by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF): Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area (SRA), No. 59; and Harlan County Reservoir, No. 94. “Lake McConaughy is located in western Nebraska at the edge of the beautiful Sandhills, which provide Lake Mac with more than 75 miles …

LINCOLN – Recreational users of the Missouri River now have an interactive guide available to aid them in navigation and planning outdoor adventures – the Missouri River Outdoor Recreation Access Guide. The river and lands open to public access on its banks offer excellent fishing, hunting, boating, canoeing and kayaking and other activities. This guide shows approximately 160 public access sites for those activities along the Missouri as it flows downstream along Nebraska’s border. This guide also was designed as …