Conservation

A hooded merganser swims a quiet creek. A cardinal sings from a bird feeder on a bare cottonwood branch. A bald eagle crisscrosses the blue sky. Observed in a single morning, these birds were part of millions–33,464,616 to be exact –that made up the final tally of the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) in 2013 when participants in 111 countries submitted 137,998 checklists, documenting more than one-third of the world’s bird species in just four days. Want to be a part of the experience? …

Sorry, this is short notice if you want to attend, but Nebraska’s chapter of Trout Unlimited is having their annual banquet tomorrow evening in Omaha.  This is a fun evening and an important fund-raiser for this great organization.  If you are interested in attending, you can find information here, Nebraska Trout Unlimited. Bring some extra cash, there will be lots of great items on auction and raffle.  Say “Hi” if you see me there!

Photographers transcending time through tradition become no strangers: ancient wisdom in a modern world, a traveling exhibit from the Annenberg Space for Photography on display at KANEKO in Omaha through April 19, with an opening reception tonight (Feb. 7) from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. Curated by Wade Davis, a National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence with photographer Patricia Lanza, the Director of Content at the Annenberg Space for Photography, the images examine the complexities of upholding traditional ways of life in modern times through such themes as …

By Jon Morgenson As a kid I remember (like many of you) running around during the summer barefoot, which meant, you better keep an eye open, looking for patches of clover in lawns, identifiable by their white flowers amidst all the green. Because if you didn’t, you’d pay a price! Those same patches of clover were humming with bees at their business of gathering pollen, and it didn’t take too many ‘repeats’ of stepping on a bee barefoot, to learn …

I was a little late getting home for supper the other night.  Many times I can get a lot done in the office after 5:00 p.m.. after the phone stops ringing.  As I parked my pickup on the street and walked to the front door, I heard a great horned owl hooting.  Now I live in Lincoln, within the city limits, but there are a lot of trees and apparently a great horned owl was in listening distance.  I woke …

LINCOLN – Tax season provides a unique opportunity for Nebraskans to contribute to wildlife and habitat conservation. Line 42 on the 2013 state income tax form (Form 1040N) allows individuals to donate all or a part of their tax refund to the Wildlife Conservation Fund, ¬which focuses on saving Nebraska’s wildlife and wild places. “The check-off is one of the principal sources of state funding used to conserve more than 95 percent of fish and wildlife species that are considered …

Our Fisheries Division here at the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission received some national recognition recently and I want to tell you about it.  Here is our news release: Game and Parks’ Fisheries staff was recognized by the Fisheries Administration Section (FAS) of the American Fisheries Society for incorporating fish and angler-friendly features into new reservoirs being constructed by Natural Resources Districts. The FAS annually selects the nation’s outstanding Sport Fish Restoration Program-funded projects in three categories: Management, Research, and …

This morning I had the fortune of spending time afield with my good friend Dr. Scott  Hygnstrom, Animal Damage Control Professor at UNL.  We had a blast chasing late season pheasant and quail!  I am one of those goofballs that actually prefers late season bird hunting.  This last week of January could prove to be the best.  I have often heard hunters complain about late season birds being so jumpy and hard to hunt but more often I have found …

A little over a decade ago, a novel disease was sweeping across North America from east to west.  In 2002, West Nile Virus (WNV) reached Nebraska and had immediate impacts.  Humans, livestock, and birds were susceptible to WNV and consequences were dire in some instances. As we all hopefully know, mosquitoes were and are WNV’s main transmission vector. Now, with more than a decade’s worth of experience and perspective, WNV has become part of life.   It remains dangerous, but we …

Contributed by Nongame Bird Biologist Lauren Dinan As we are set to endure the coldest temperatures in years, “our” famous home grown Piping Plover was once again photographed on a warm beach.  Something to ponder as you shiver.  More importantly, these photographic reports document a bird’s  travels.  As you may remember from a post a few months ago, we work in cooperation with the Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln School of Natural Resources in …