Parks

The public will have a unique opportunity for viewing birds during an event at Lake Minatare State Recreation Area on Saturday, Dec. 12. Birders of all ages and skill levels who want to participate in the one-day event may arrive at the lighthouse on Lakeview Point any time between 8-11 a.m. Binoculars, spotting scopes and blinds will be provided. Employees of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will lead the program. Dan Thornton, lake …

This past Thanksgiving weekend was a very special one for me and my family. On Saturday, November 28, 2015 at 12:31 p.m., we welcomed into the world a healthy 8 lbs. 1 oz. Jackson Edward Wagner, my first grandchild, woo-hoo! Let me tell you that the immediate relationship or bond between a grandchild and grandparent is a such a special one, it is indescribable! In my view, grandparents act as authority figures and provide unconditional love. They also get to spoil their grandchildren …

When you blog, sometimes the strangest things happen. I still find it hard to believe that a blog I did about Nebraska waterfalls a while back actually became a college class project for a graduate student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha! But, I learned last night that such was the case. Lacey Matney, a grad student in the Master of Science/Urban Studies program at UNO, dropped me an email message indicating that she had turned my blog post on waterfalls into …

It may be the season of pumpkin patches and changing leaves but people should think ahead to a different season if they want a place at the table for the annual Historical Christmas Dinner at Fort Robinson State Park. Tickets for the popular event, which are known to sell in a hurry, will become available at 8 a.m. Monday, Nov. 2. The dinner will be Saturday, Dec. 5. This year’s menu replicates the bill of fare from the Fort’s dinner …

About 250 Boy Scouts of the Longs Peak Council will gather at Chadron State Park this weekend to plant trees in areas burned by the 2012 wildfire that entered the popular northwestern Nebraska tourism attraction and burned much of its ponderosa pine forest and surrounding areas. The public is invited to assist in the planting of 3,000 trees in the park Saturday morning. Participants will begin planting trees after an education session at 8 a.m. and are expected to finish …

Kris Ferguson had a lot to celebrate Saturday. It was her birthday, but that milestone came secondary to the party for one of her greatest labors of love. Ferguson is the Gordon cyclist who turned tragedy to triumph after being struck by a motor vehicle while riding along Nebraska Highway 27 south of the Sheridan County city. While recuperating from the 2011 accident, which required her to be flown to Scottsbluff for emergency care, she launched an effort to develop …

In conjunction with the apple harvest in the Nebraska City, NE area, I’ll be encouraging you and your family to visit beautiful Arbor Lodge State Historical Park in Nebraska City on this week’s WOWT 6 News Weekly Outdoor Report. Have you ever been there and toured the mansion and the grounds? Gorgeous place! There’s a bountiful crop of apples this year at Arbor Day Farm and the other orchards in the area, too! Thanks to the efforts of our partner, the …

The Wildcat Hills Nature Center south of Gering is closing for the season today (Friday, Sept. 18) as construction begins on a large addition to the center. Some services will be moved to a different location. Although the center’s displays and merchandise will be put in storage during the construction, permits for hunting, fishing and park entry will be sold at the Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area’s shop two miles south along Nebraska Highway 71. The park, including its campground, …

The massive Missouri River Outdoor Expo at Ponca State Park near Ponca, NE  (happening this weekend of Sept. 19th & 20th) is in the crosshairs for my Weekly TV Outdoor Report airing on Omaha’s WOWT 6 News LIVE this Thursday at 6 p.m CST during the sportscast. Jeff Packer of the WOWT 6 Sports Machine and I are gonna show you why you and your family should attend this grand-scale expo which is one of the largest in the nation and is celebrating its 11th anniversary! There will …

With the football season just underway around Nebraska (high school and college), on my WOWT 6 Outdoors segment I’ll be encouraging you to have or buy a park permit, leave a little early for your game and tailgate in one of our many scenic Nebraska state park lands with the fine facilities that we have. Chances are you’ll have a state park land near your football field or stadium! For those traveling from Omaha to Lincoln via Highway 6 for the …