NGPC News

CRAWFORD, Neb. — Horse-drawn wagon rides, trick-or-treating and a chili feed will highlight the new Haunted Halloween festivities at Fort Robinson State Park on Saturday, Oct. 30. The activities will occur at the park’s Soldier Creek Campground near U.S. Highway 20 from 4:30-7 p.m. For the trick-or-treaters, the park is planning “Camp & Candy” — an activity in which the public is invited to decorate campsites, campers or other vehicles. The wagon rides and chili feed will be based at …

LINCOLN, Neb. — Join the Schramm Education Center near Gretna for a variety of fall education opportunities this month. All About Bats offered twice Explore the echolocators of Nebraska and learn about bat myths, adaptations and habitats during All About Bats and Bat Houses. The event will be offered twice: 5:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 22 at Schramm Education Center’s classroom and 5:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 29 at Louisville State Recreation Area’s Oak Shelter. Participants will discover how and …

LINCOLN, Neb. – October is Nebraska Reptile Month. By a proclamation from Gov. Pete Ricketts, Nebraska is recognizing the month as Nebraska Reptile Awareness Month. Reptiles benefit Nebraska by maintaining rodent and insect populations, serving as biological indicators of ecosystem health, and are predator and prey and aid in energy flow in a variety of habitats. The following are a few events in October to celebrate the proclamation: Nebraska Reptile Month K-12 Art Contest continues The Nebraska Game and Parks …

LINCOLN, Nebraska — Sen. Deb Fischer has signed onto a bipartisan wildlife conservation bill, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, which will dedicate $1.4 billion annually to locally-led efforts to help at-risk wildlife species in Nebraska and nationwide. Approximately $17 million would go to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and be used to implement its wildlife action plan, a cooperation with organizations and landowners interested in financial and technical assistance to address conservation concerns and improve fish and wildlife habitat. Private …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The visitor center and cave at Ash Hollow State Historical Park are closed through Oct. 12 due to a staffing shortage. They will reopen at 10 a.m. Oct. 13. The grounds of the historical park will remain open for visitors to enjoy hiking, picnicking, wildlife watching and other activities. Ash Hollow’s fall hours of operation for the visitor center and cave are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. They will close for the season Oct. 31. Tours are by …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Enders Reservoir State Recreation Area will host a community meeting to plan for its 2022 Extravaganza. The event’s success will depend on community involvement, said Enders Superintendent Beau Licking. The meeting will be at 6 p.m. Mountain time, Oct. 13 at the Morning Star Café, 140 E. 12 St. in Imperial. Licking and event co-coordinator Dayna Scherbarth, Enders staff, encourages area residents to participate in the meeting and take advantage of the café’s pizza night. In addition …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Another action-packed hunting season has begun, and hunters are excited, but safety should be first and foremost. Hunters should remember these key steps to ensure safety for them and those around them. Firearm safety rules Many dove and teal hunts are in a group setting with friends and family. Be sure to know where everyone is located. Establish shooting lanes and do not swing your firearm outside of your safe zone of fire. Be in constant communication …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Rainbow trout are being stocked in city ponds and state park and recreation area lakes across the state by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. These stockings will enhance fishing opportunities this fall and winter. Cutthroat and tiger trout stockings also are scheduled for a select number of water bodies. Stocking schedules can change on short notice for a variety of reasons. The following is a tentative rainbow trout stocking schedule, including quantities: Week of Sept. 27 …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is offering special antlerless deer hunting opportunities within Eugene T. Mahoney and Platte River state parks, as well as Schramm Park State Recreation Area. Successful applicants will be issued a special access permit that allows them to hunt antlerless deer in designated areas of a park on certain dates using specific equipment. Successful applicants and interested alternates must attend an orientation session to receive the access permit. Applications, limited to one …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will lower the water level at Wagon Train Reservoir 8 feet in preparation for the maintenance of the sediment basins later this fall. Visitors can expect the boat ramp and construction areas to be closed. The reservoir has experienced the degrading effects of sedimentation and the nutrients that come with it. That combination partially has been responsible for blue-green algae blooms in recent years. The project will reestablish the sediment dike …