NGPC News

LINCOLN –Nebraska will receive $16,565,406 in federal conservation funds in 2014. The funds come from the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration programs, and are generated through excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, angling equipment and tackle, electric boat motors and fuel taxes on motorboats. The money must be used for wildlife and sport fish habitat restoration and conservation, boating access projects and outdoor educational programs that support hunting and fishing. In order for states to spend …

LINCOLN – For the 25th and final season, hundreds of Boy Scouts will converge on Fort Robinson State Park in Nebraska’s Pine Ridge to plant ponderosa pine seedlings in an annual reforestation effort. This year, more than 1,100 scouts from five states are set to plant 10,000 trees on the north side of the park. The scouts will be at the park April 4-6. The planting effort, which began after wildfires burned 48,000 acres at Fort Robinson and the surrounding …

LINCOLN – The Midwest Regional Cass County Championship of the World Disc Golf Tournament will be held April 12 at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park near Ashland. Check-in is at 8:30 a.m., a players’ meeting at 9:30 a.m., and the first of two rounds of competition begin at 10 a.m. There will be awards following the event, as well as a cash prize in the professional division. Register at https://shopoutdoornebraska.ne.gov/Events. Call 402-944-2523 for more information. A park entry permit is …

LINCOLN – The application deadline for $100,000 in marketing grants to promote outdoor recreation has been extended to April 2, 2014. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is offering the grants to support its goals of increasing participation in outdoor recreation through collaboration with partners. The grants are for communities, groups, organizations, public-private partnerships, nongovernment agencies or political subdivisions looking for help in promoting outdoor recreation to spur tourism and economic development. While all projects, events and campaigns must promote …

LINCOLN – Ponca State Park will host its third Outdoor Cooking Camp on April 11-13. The interactive camp includes a variety of specialty courses with hands-on instruction. Topics and activities will include campfire cooking, Dutch oven cooking, cedar plank salmon and trout, wild game sausage making, catfish cleaning and cooking, fireplace cooking, smoking meat and backyard barbecue, venison cooking, cream-can cooking, and youth classes. The cost is $50 for adults and $35 for children 12 and under. The fee includes …

LINCOLN – A new wine festival is coming to Eugene T. Mahoney State Park this spring. The inaugural Toast Wine Festival, highlighting wines from across Nebraska, will be held May 3-4. Guests may sample these wines while enjoying music, food and conversation. The weekend also will include an amateur wine-making competition, unique food pairings, art and jewelry vendors, seminars and trolley tours through the park. Featured musicians, food vendors, artists and more will be updated on the Toast Nebraska Facebook …

LINCOLN – Two Omaha Mater Dei Academy students had the high scores in the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) state tournament in Lincoln on March 22. Sam Welp had the high score of 287 points, while Rebecca Short had the girls’ high score of 280. Mater Dei Academy’s Team 1 scored a state-record 3,302 points, winning the high school division. The state’s largest archery event, which took place at the Lancaster Event Center, included 640 students from 28 …

LINCOLN – The following is a listing of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission events and important dates in April: April 1 – Light Goose Conservation Order closes April 1 – Trout Family Fishing Night, Heartwell Park Lake, Hastings April 1-14 – Archery paddlefish permit application period April 2 – Trout Family Fishing Night, Auble Pond, Ord April 3 – Trout Family Fishing Night, Fort Kearny State Recreation Area (SRA) Lake No. 2, Kearney April 4 – Fort Robinson Tree Plant, …

LINCOLN – Spring turkey hunters are urged to be safe while enjoying their experience this spring by knowing their target and what is beyond it. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has the following additional safety tips: — Wear blaze orange so other hunters will see you. Avoid wearing blue, red and white because they are colors common to turkeys. — Do not shoot at sound or movement. — If you see another hunter stalking you, call out to alert …

LINCOLN – The east parking lot on Rose Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA), located south of Fairbury in Jefferson County, is closed to target shooting because of vandalism and safety concerns. Target shooting is allowed on the WMA but prohibited within 100 yards of the parking lot. Shooters should shoot away from the parking lot and in a safe direction. They also should remove their targets, casings and shells when finished. Continued vandalism of regulation signs, guardrail posts and steel …