Conservation

I have long known the lengths some will go to discover the spot where someone has been catching fish.  That is especially the case in this day of technology, the interwebs, and cell phones.  It reached a new level (high or low depending on how you look at it) this past week. I will neither confirm nor deny that I was somewhere in the state of Nebraska on the ice while this incident occurred.  I do know that some were …

Yep, I have still been on the ice, have been on it as much as possible.  I will give you a quick report of what I have been catching. . . . I have been out in different parts of the state a couple of times.  Spent a couple hours one evening on a spot, and managed one of these! Then of course, I could only catch one.  Walleyes through the ice can be frustrating.  I would tell you that …

By Jeff Kurrus Helping law enforcement eliminate poaching in Nebraska just got a little easier, thanks to a new program by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Law Enforcement division and continued support from Wildlife Crimestoppers. The program debuts in January and allows people to anonymously report those suspected of wildlife violations. “You submit online,” said Commission Law Enforcement Assistant Administrator Duane Arp. “Describe the situation and the location. Then answer if you want to be contacted by an officer. …

By now you have probably heard reports and rumors of low oxygen levels in at least some of our sandhill lakes this winter.  When I say “low oxygen levels” I mean to the point of causing fish die-offs.  No, I have not said anything until now.  Even now I do not have an official news release to share with you.  Unfortunately, at this time, it is something that needs to be mentioned. Yes, I hesitate to bring the subject up.  …

Calendar says yesterday was “Ground Hog Day”.  That does not mean a lot, but there are some interesting little observances.  Unfortunately, I really do not pay a lot of attention to what ole Unadilla Bill says.  Maybe I should? OK, OK, a guy can hope, right? Seriously, I am planning ice fishing trips a month from now! GO FISH!

Nebraska Game and Parks, in collaboration with the Platte Basin Timelapse project, released expanded wetlands educational content on World Wetlands Day, Feb. 2. These new resources offer the opportunity to learn about Nebraska’s five diverse wetland types, as well as grow one’s understanding of their importance to the state, its people and its wildlife. Expanded content includes: Five documentary films about Nebraska’s wetlands and the wildlife and people who depend on them. These films, created by Platte Basin Timelapse at …

The calendar has turned over, it is a new year.  It is also time to look back at last year and summarize some things.  Things, like state record fish. . . . First of all, I have one update to give.  One application for a state record fish came late in the year.  Noah Jelinek of Waverly caught that fish, a silver carp.  He caught it on November 24.  The fish was caught by rod & reel from Salt Creek …

Got a blog post for some of you most hardcore fish heads.  I know some of you are out there! One of my co-workers found this and called it to my attention. . . . The U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service has a weekly podcast on fish!  Yes, this is a podcast by pointy-headed fisheries biologists, so yes, it can be “deep”.  However, I know some of you love the information.  They have done a bunch of podcasts on …

By Ted LaGrange, Wetland Program Manager When my oldest child was in elementary school in the 1990s, I was invited to give a class presentation on wetlands. When I asked the students if Nebraska had any wetlands and whether any cool animals lived in them, I was shocked to hear them say, “No.” They knew more about the Everglades of Florida and the Amazon of South America than they did about wetlands in their own state. I wanted to fix …

You might have deduced from my previous blog post that I made a quick trip “out west” a week or so ago.  There is something else that happened on that little adventure that I have had on my mind since then. . . . I had some car problems on the trip home.  There is more to that story, but let’s just say I ended up having to pull off the highway because my vehicle was over-heating.  It was on …