Conservation

I have been sitting on a schedule of spring trout stockings for at least a couple of weeks now. Gonna keep sitting on it. Obviously, with winter holding on stronger than ever right now, we will be waiting for warmer weather and some open water before those stockings will happen on parks and urban waters around the state.  I am not going to mention a schedule, because right now there ain’t one. That includes the spring opener for the Trout …

I will be meeting up with my long-time friends at the Nebraska Walleye Association Sunday at 1:00.  They will be meeting at LaVista Cabela’s. We will talk about a variety of things related to walleyes in Nebraska.  Be there or be square!

A few weeks ago I blogged about my adventures on the ice and according to the calendar I titled it a “mid-winter ice report”.  Well, you all know what the weather has been like since then, and even though the calendar says it is the end of February, all the snow and slush on the ice tells me we now are in mid-winter. Certainly our weather and ice conditions have been what we usually see in mid-winter, but I still …

Quick blog post this afternoon. . . . We have been holding fisheries informational meetings around the state the last few weeks and will continue for the next few weeks.  If you can attend one, I would highly encourage you to do that! Tonight, you all can tune in and attend!

Sandhill Cranes Arriving Earlier, Shifting East on Platte Thousands of sandhill cranes will have arrived on the Platte River in central Nebraska by the time you read this. In the weeks to come, there may be 600,000 or more on the river on a given night, with some yet to arrive from their wintering grounds to the south and others having already continued their northward migration. This gathering of more than 80 percent of the mid-continent population of cranes is …

I am shaking my head. It is so hard to believe. This scenario has been among the most surprising and shocking in my career as a conservation professional. More on that in a bit. All of us realize that wildlife-related crimes know no boundaries. Just like poaching game and fish, there are unethical, unscrupulous people, motivated purely by greed, who seek to profit without regard for natural resources, private or public property and ecosystem health. But now, valuable woodland habitat is …

Gonna be ice-fishing for awhile yet, but to return to my “theme” from earlier this week. . . . It is certainly time to begin thinking of the open-water season ahead of us, time to start dreaming and planning.  Sounds like more winter weather this weekend, but if you want to spend some time dreaming, I know exactly where you should be: Check out all the attractions, Omaha International Boat, Sports and Travel Show.  Watch the video! Somewhere in the …

Personally, I am loving the ice we have right now.  You better believe I am spending as much time as possible on the ice, and am looking forward to some of the best fishing of the season coming as late ice approaches.  However, I realize that the thoughts of many folks are turning towards warmer days and liquid water.  This is the season that everyone wants to talk about fishing.  So, if you want to talk about it, there is …

Friday, going to keep it light for the weekend.  I have mentioned Engbretson Underwater Photography before and especially the underwater videos they post on their YouTube page.  I have said it before, will again, fish fascinate me.  I am not a diver, never plan to be, so any underwater observations or video that anyone shares with me is captivating.  Likewise, I could watch fish in an aquarium, the bigger the better, the fish and the aquarium, for hours.  The “Sixty …

I have blogged about the Aquatic Habitat Project coming to completion at Conestoga Reservoir.  If you can take a drive by there to see it, you really need to.  However, I want to blog about it again. . . . First of all, because we have some more drone footage from The Flatwater Group who were contracted as engineers on the project: Another thing I want to mention is that the Conestoga rehabilitation project has been the largest Aquatic Habitat …