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The Bowfishing Mentor Program at Ponca State Park is currently open for registration. The course will be taught over four nights, June 4, 11, 18 and 19 from 6-8:30 p.m. Limited to 25 registrants, students must be 10 years old as of January 1, 2015. Students will learn basic bowfishing skills, including knowledge on archery equipment; how to find, identify, and shoot fish; and cleaning and cooking fish. The program is sponsored by the Nebraska Big Game Conservation Association and …

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, …

You can’t beat a good waterfowl picture. My wings are definitely clipped, so to speak, when it comes to drawing or painting a picture of a bird, but beautiful photos of waterfowl within the pages of NEBRASKAland and other magazines helped instill my passion for wildlife photography. I’m not alone in my fondness for imagery of ducks and geese. One only has to travel as far as the local Ducks Unlimited banquet to notice that the pretty waterfowl art from …

The Nebraska archery turkey season for youth and adults begins March 25. Shotgun season for youth begins April 11, followed by the general shotgun season starting April 18, with all seasons closing May 31 – as hunters hit the field keep safety in mind to keep all hunters safe in the field. Turkey hunting has some safety concerns that need to be addressed by all hunters; camouflage, calling, stalking and decoy use all make it imperative that hunters be on …

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 …

Conservation officers Alexandra Frohberg and Tom Zimmer made a surprise visit to Covington Elementary in South Sioux City recently. As part of a class assignment, third grade student Kevin Castro wrote to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to invite staff to visit his class and to read. “The students love to have guest readers come in, and I love to show how reading is a part of life, even after school,” said Castro’s third grade teacher Sara Friedrichsen. “So …

March is Nebraska’s peak month for viewing waterfowl. Don’t miss the opportunity to celebrate the migration at Ponca State Park through bird viewing tours, nature hikes, bird-related activities and crafts every Saturday in March. Park lodging will be offered at 30% discount. Ponca State Park is listed as an Important Bird Area in Nebraska by the National Audubon Society, and Nebraska wetlands, including those along the Missouri River, may experience more than 500,000 ducks and geese this month. More than …

The spring migration has begun when the unique and primeval call of the sandhill crane is heard; it is one that captures our attention and curiosity. Standing four-foot tall these prehistoric birds travel through Nebraska as part of their migration from summering areas in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico to their nesting areas in the upper United States, Canada and as far North as Siberia. In the Central Flyway, Nebraska is one of the few places left for the 500,000-plus …

CHADRON — In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Nebraska reintroduced wild turkeys from other states to its landscape after the big birds had been extirpated decades earlier during the nation’s westward expansion. The reintroduction was so successful that turkeys have again become common border-to-border and Nebraska is now able to return the favor to another state. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission led an effort this week to trap wild turkeys on a ranch near Whiteclay in northern Sheridan …