Conservation

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about the Lake Yankton Renovation.  That fisheries management project went off on schedule last week in spite of cool and rainy conditions.   Right now I want to show you a few pictures of dead fish because it demonstrates exactly why we do rotenone renovations, why we eliminate all fish in a body of water, and then re-stock. It is somewhat ironic that fisheries biologists would purposely, intentionally kill fish, but that is …

I will tell you that I wish that Nebraska had more water for fishing and outdoor recreation.  Since we do not, I believe it is extremely important that we maximize every opportunity, every resource we have.  In some cases we have water bodies that are not large, do not support tens of thousands of anglers, and may not produce boat loads of trophy fish.  But, I learned a long time ago that even those small water bodies, many of them community …

I have been to a lot of Nebraska Walleye Association (NWA) meetings over the years.  In fact, I was at a number of their meetings years ago when they started as the “Eastern Nebraska Walleye Association”.  However, I have not been to a NWA meeting for awhile; I intend to remedy that this coming Sunday. The NWA is having a meeting at 1:00 at the LaVista Cabela’s and I will be there to talk Nebraska walleyes.  If you can make it, …

Many of you have probably notices that our current Fishing Guide is valid until the end of this year.  In 2015 we will have a new Fishing Guide for the next couple of years.  That means we have been kicking around some regulation ideas: On October 23, 2014, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will hold a public hearing and take testimony on proposed changes in Fisheries Regulations for 2015-2016.  Before we finalize our ideas into recommended changes in regulations, …

There was a news release on the Lake Yankton rotenone renovation a couple of weeks ago: Lake Yankton Fishery Renovation Set to Begin Posted by: Jerry Kane August 12, 2014 in NGPC News LINCOLN – A renovation of the existing fish population in Lake Yankton, located below Gavins Point Dam, is set to occur on Sept. 10. The project includes drawing Lake Yankton’s water level down four feet and applying the chemical rotenone to eliminate the fish population. Record Missouri River flooding in 2011 allowed …

After visiting with a Chadron community service organization last week, I wrapped up the presentation with a slideshow of wildlife photos from western Nebraska and moved on to questions. One question kind of caught me off-guard. A friend in the audience asked why I hadn’t included any photos of snakes. I didn’t even realize that I had not given any time to reptiles, but he was right. I was certainly guilty of favoring other classes above reptiles. Mammals, birds, amphibians …

The public is invited to get up-close and personal with bird populations at two parks in the Nebraska Panhandle this fall. During the coming month, banding stations will be operating at Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area near Gering and Chadron State Park near Chadron. The public is invited to join the bird-banders during two special sessions, Saturday, Aug. 30, at Chadron and Saturday, Sept. 13, at Wildcat Hills. Attendees of the informational sessions will watch as biologists retrieve birds from …

The Nebraska Fish & Game Association has installed bins for recycling fishing line all around the state, NEFGA Line Bins Map.  I am a huge fan of the program not only because it gets discarded fishing line off the shores of our waters, but because I love it when anglers take ownership in the care and condition of THEIR resources!  If you are interested in contributing to, or participating in that program, make sure to check it out, NEFGA Line …

Fish have been displayed at the Nebraska State Fair almost every year since 1885.  There was a year, 1898, when there was no funding for displaying fish at the state fair, and in 1976 no fish were displayed because a new aquarium complex was under construction.  That complex housed fish every year at the state fair in Lincoln until the fair moved to Grand Island.  We have not had fish at the state fair since it moved to Grand Island …

An extraordinary aspect to wildlife management these days is the extent to which technology is being used to learn more about animals. It seems telemetry, the process of using tracking devices attached to the animals to collect data, is increasingly being used to monitor a variety of species. In my time with the Game and Parks Commission, I’ve photographed researchers putting collars on animals as big as elk and as small as burrowing owls. I even read an article not …