Parks

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 …

Every photo that makes it to print in NEBRASKAland Magazine means a lot to me. Few things make a person look fondly upon a time and a place as does a good photo and it’s especially rewarding to see one in print. One particular photo — that of a Boreal chorus frog on pages 46-47 of the April issue — has special meaning to me. Frogs are great and I love the way this species fills the air with song …

Children and parents are invited to participate in the Crofton Kids Fishing Clinic on April 25, 4-5 p.m. The clinic will be held at Lewis and Clark Lake State Recreation Area, Weigand Area, near Crofton. Clinic is limited to 50 children (under 16 years old). Certified Aquatic Education fishing instructors from the Nebraska Walleye Association Kids Fishing Clinics Charity, Inc. and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will be available to instruct parents and child on casting, knot tying, bait, …

Water has begun flowing into the Chadron State Park pond, signifying that the renovation of the two-acre lagoon is nearing completion. Workers from Fuller Construction and park employees began diverting water Thursday morning from nearby Chadron Creek. The pond is expected to fill within 15-20 days, making it ready for fishing and paddle-boating during the summer tourism season. The pond has been empty for the construction project since it was drained in fall 2013. While empty, workers repaired its dilapidated …

On my Weekly Outdoor Report on Omaha’s WOWT 6 News, we’ll be showing you a neat recreational trail bridge over the Platte River near the metro where you can hike, bike or fish. Take a look at the photo below. Think you know where we are heading? This would be an ideal location to work off some of that Easter weekend ham or turkey with the family! This recreational trail bridge facility, named the Lied Platte River Trail Bridge, is …

On the Saturday morning Great Outdoor Radio Show I host, we’re going RV camping. It’s gonna be everything you’ve ever want to know about RV camping (but may have been afraid to ask)! Come along for the ride to the state recreation area campground! David and Nancy Sothan of Apache Camper Center are both scheduled to join me tomorrow morning LIVE on the show which runs from 9-10 a.m. CST on Omaha’s KOZN Radio/1620 AM “The Zone.” Feel free to call in to the …

With rain currently falling off and on here in southeastern Nebraska, how can one not think about harvesting morel mushrooms in several weeks, huh? Also, I want to point out the April issue of our NEBRASKAland Magazine which has a very informative article on mushrooms in it. To read the article, click here. Keep thinking morels!

I’ll be giving you an update on the Lake Wanahoo fishery near Wahoo, NE on this week’s WOWT 6 News Outdoor Report. You’ll wanna tune in and find out how things are going there and get a status report on the sampling of the fishery and the fishing outlook for this spring and summer, I’m sure. Hint, hint … wink, wink … nod, nod … the northern pike in the lake are even bigger than  when these pics were taken! The …

“When I am birdwatching, I experience what psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi calls “flow.” I lose the sense of time; I lose the sense of being encapsulated in a body with all its hungers, aches, and limitations. I get lost in beauty and harmony, memory and knowledge, pattern and depth. The borders between senses dissolve and I experience synesthesia.” Danusha Goska, American Thinker. I’ve been wanting to get there for sometime to check out the various bird species. I have no excuses. …

Dave Kinnamon, park superintendent at Lewis and Clark Lake State Recreation Area (SRA), has had his share of experience with fire. Before accepting his current position at the SRA near Crofton in late 2013, Kinnamon served as park superintendent at Chadron State Park in western Nebraska, where he helped to combat the forest fires of 2012. Prior to leaving Chadron, Kinnamon helped the park obtain a surplus fire truck from the City of Seward Fire and Rescue to allow park …