Parks

Join me this week on my WOWT 6 News outdoors/park segment (The Weekly Outdoor Report) when we preview the exciting living history weekend (May 3rd and 4th) at Fort Atkinson State Historical Park located on the east edge of Fort Calhoun. Fort Atkinson has fascinating history and is one of my favorite state historical parks in Nebraska! Most likely the reason Fort Atkinson is so special to me is that Park Superintendent John Slader lets me borrow and use the …

Just wanted to throw a few Friday “Fungi” Fun pics your way. Here’s a cool t-shirt I want my wife Polly to buy for me. Well, maybe not. I’ll just dirty it up. I really get into my morel mushroom hunting, you know! Now, for a quick quiz on “morelling.” See if you can find all five morel mushrooms in this pic. Good luck! Happy morel mushroom hunting or whatever Nebraska spring outdoor adventure you’re planning this weekend! If only this jake wild turkey would …

Come with us as we go out morel mushroom hunting on my Weekly Outdoor Report on Omaha’s WOWT 6 News tonight! Morels have popped up in the moist areas of river bottom woodlands and parks here in eastern Nebraska! Soon morels will be emerging in hilly forested areas. They are one of nature’s tastiest delicacies! I’ll be covering some of the dos and don’ts for morel mushroom hunting on the report which airs LIVE on the WOWT 6 News Thursday at …

Every little bit helps, and every little bit has a way of turning into a big bit. Such is the case with the Boy Scouts’ annual tree planting event at Fort Robinson State Park, which I enjoyed photographing Saturday. The process of getting hundreds of scouts and volunteers into the field to plant ponderosa pine seedlings in the yearly reforestation effort has been honed to near perfection and is a sight to see. It was a bittersweet day, though, for …

All the roots have been planted for a northwestern Nebraska reforestation program. Now, the project has been turned over to Mother Nature. About 1,400 members of the Boy Scouts of the Longs Peak Council and other volunteers planted 10,500 trees at Fort Robinson State Park on Saturday, the final chapter of an annual effort to reforest areas burned in a massive 1989 wildfire. The planting marked the 25th and final year for the event. The planters were greeted with seasonably …

Did you know that Nebraska has one of the most fascinating accounts of a Loch ness-style lake monster on what is now a state recreation area? According to a 1923 article in the Omaha World-Herald newspaper, a man named J.A. Johnson claimed that he and two friends had seen a creature dwelling in what was then called Alkalai Lake (now Walgren Lake State Recreation Area) near Hay Springs in northwest Nebraska. He stated that he knew of forty others who had …

I did a rain dance outside in the front yard of my home in the Metcalfe Park Neighborhood of Omaha, NE earlier this morning. Like the outfit (my jammies)? My poor neighbor, Brian, had to witness the rain dance while backing out of his driveway to go to work, sorry about that, Brian. Hey, precipitation is falling, woo-hoo! As a nature lover, how could one not think about the benefit of this moisture to the soil and, of course, for morel mushrooms in the woods! …

On my Weekly WOWT 6 News Outdoor Report,  I’ll be reminding you that our scenic Nebraska state park lands make for cool destinations when it comes to taking a scenic spring break hike, mountain biking expedition or fitness run! Maybe you’ll just take a leisurely walk off one of the hiking trails to explore? Get more information on using state park lands this time of year by tuning in to the LIVE version of my report which airs on Thursday …

Some of western Nebraska’s most enjoyable fishing can be found at the ponds on the 22,000 acres of Fort Robinson State Park. Count me among the anglers who have long enjoyed dropping a line at the Carter P. Johnson Lake, Ice House Ponds and Grabel Ponds. Whether from the bank, through the ice, or atop kayaks and jon boats, the ponds serve as a great fishing destination. The scenery is great and the whopper largemouth bass and other species are …

In the March 2014 issue of NEBRASKAland Magazine, the incorrect date was listed for the Free Fishing and Park Entry Day. Always held the Saturday before Memorial Day weekend, this year the Free Fishing and Park Entry Day is May 17. On this day, park and fishing entry permits are not required when visiting state parks, historical parks and recreation areas in Nebraska but all other fee requirements, laws and regulations remain in effect. For more information on Free Park …