NGPC News

Locations from Valentine to Scottsbluff are included in the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s statewide effort to offer boating safety courses. The courses are offered by choice of home-study or as a six-hour classroom session. Nebraska law requires any motorboat operator, including drivers of personal watercraft, born after Dec. 31, 1985, to complete one of the two types of boating safety courses and be in possession of a course certificate. Operators must be 14 years old to drive motorboats and personal …

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will certify youth fishing instructors Sunday, April 26, at Gering from 2-5 p.m. The free workshop will be at Platte Valley Motor Bank, 1850 10th Street. Event organizers say the training provides the skills and necessary materials to encourage the next generation of anglers. Attendees will receive training and tools to conduct fishing clinics. Once certified, the volunteers will have access to Game and Parks’ loaner fishing equipment and educational materials for events, as …

The Wildcat Hills Nature Center near Gering is encouraging outdoor lovers to mark their calendars for its Wildcat Weekends series of events scheduled each month from May through December. The series will kick off Saturday, May 16, with Wildcat Hills Wildlands Day, highlighted by an 8k fun run, children’s crafts and hikes to observe birds, wildflowers and bighorn sheep. Because the event coincides with Free Fishing and Park Entry Day, no Nebraska State Park Entry Permit is required for vehicles …

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission reminds Nebraska boaters that any operator of a motorboat or personal watercraft born after Dec. 31, 1985 is required to be certified in boater safety. In addition to successfully completing a boating safety course, the operator must be in possession of a valid certificate. Nonresidents may present a certificate from their state. Anyone operating a motorboat or personal watercraft in Nebraska must be at least 14 years of age, and anyone age …

LINCOLN – Target shooting at the Leonard A. Koziol Wildlife Management Area (WMA) has been permanently closed to target shooting. Target shooting at the WMA in Howard County is now prohibited because of safety concerns, property destruction and excessive littering. Target shooting is permitted on most WMAs. The areas that have target shooting bans are posted with appropriate signs. Call a Nebraska Game and Parks Commission district office in Lincoln (402-471-0641), Norfolk (402-370-3374), North Platte (308-535-8025) or Alliance (308-763-2940) to …

LINCOLN – Seasonal jobs are available at two of Nebraska’s most popular tourist attractions – Eugene T. Mahoney and Platte River state parks. Located in the Platte River Valley between Omaha and Lincoln, the parks offer positions in a fun, friendly, outdoor environment. Positions available are customer service, lifeguard, housekeeping, wrangler, summer concessions, and grounds. Applicants must be at least 16 years of age. Apply as a Temporary Park Worker I at statejobs.nebraska.gov. Call 402-944-2523 ext. 7122 for more information.

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is seeking input on potential changes to duck zone and goose unit boundaries for the 2016-17 hunting season. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) allows changes to duck zone boundaries every five years, and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has paired this with dark (Canada) goose unit boundary changes. Duck zones and goose units provide an opportunity to coordinate duck and goose migration patterns and hunter preferences with hunting season …

LINCOLN – Women are invited to enjoy nature and the beauty of Platte River State Park atop a horse at a workshop on April 25. The Beyond Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program is hosting Experience Platte River State Park, a beginner horseback riding workshop. It will include riding and horse grooming instruction as well as a trail ride through the park near Louisville. The daylong event also will include shooting sports at the Roger G. Sykes Outdoor Heritage Education Complex and …

LINCOLN – The Roger G. Sykes Outdoor Heritage Education Complex at Platte River State Park will be open for its spring season on weekends from April 25 through May 17. The complex, which will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., offers the public a wide variety of shooting sports disciplines in a safe and family-friendly environment. An open house is scheduled for May 22 from 4-8 p.m. The complex will begin its summer season on May 23, …

LINCOLN – The application period for the Super Tag and Combo multispecies big game lottery permits begins April 20. A summary of the permits: Super Tag – One permit will be issued to a Nebraska resident, and applicants may enter the lottery once a year for a $25 fee. One additional permit will be issued to a resident or nonresident, and applicants may enter the lottery multiple times at $10 an entry. The Super Tag permit is valid in 2015 …