Flora & Fauna

Photographing Nebraska’s wild animals is always rewarding, but capturing imagery of those that reside only in specific parts of the state is especially gratifying. I was wading up the middle fork of Soldier Creek to capture trout video with Nebraskaland intern Emily Burch last week when this little character, not much bigger than a nightcrawler, caught my eye from its perch below a small overhang. The terrestrial garter snake (Thamnophis elegans) is one of four garter snake species in Nebraska. …

GERING, Neb. – The Gering Fire Department will again lead fire training exercises on public land in the Panhandle for the annual West Nebraska Engine Academy. This year, the training exercises will be at Cedar Canyon Wildlife Management Area in the Wildcat Hills on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 14-15. Chris Becker, a Nebraska Game and Parks Commission wildlife biologist, said hunters should be aware that burning will be occurring at various locations on the property and should consider the event …

CHADRON, Neb. – A habitat restoration project at Bordeaux Creek Wildlife Management Area east of Chadron will soon get a boost by the use of prescribed fire. The burning is set to occur within an area comprising about 10 percent of the 1,841-acre property when conditions are favorable in the coming month. The projected burn area, which is just south of U.S. Highway 20 in the northcentral part of the property, is outside of the pine forest and consists primarily …

Everything is in place, isn’t it? Fully vetted, trained mentors/experienced bowhunters with transportation, check. Permission from parents or guardians for youth to participate, check. Young mentees who’ve successfully completed the Nebraska bowhunter education course and met the other requirements, check. The necessary equipment, check. Shooting proficiency on the target range, check. Wait, are we missing anything? Oh yeah, a place to go. Wait. What? A place to go. That is what is needed in the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s …

Anyone who has watched a North American beaver (Castor canadensis) gnaw through a tree trunk has surely been in awe of its proficiency. Using teeth to whittle on wood, after all, is a task neither appealing to humans nor something the American Dental Association advises us to do. Those four orange incisors that protrude as much as one inch from the top and bottom of a beaver’s mouth comprise just one remarkable feature of North America’s largest rodent, and perhaps …

I have exciting to news to share with you. The popular Great Outdoor Radio Show I host is moving and going to a network! That’s right! After more than 25 years at one radio station, the Great Outdoor Radio Show, produced by Gerry Gray/Great Plains Marketing, is moving to the Omaha-based Boomer Radio Network of stations beginning Saturday, July 27th. Coverage is expanding! The Saturday morning, one-hour long, LIVE, interactive show will still run from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. …

LINCOLN – See all 29 species of snakes found in Nebraska July 20-21 at Schramm Education Center. Herpetologist Dennis Ferraro of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will show live snakes during the annual “Snakes of Nebraska” event. “Snakes are an integral part of our ecosystem, and this event provides an opportunity for visitors to gain knowledge, see Nebraska’s snakes up-close and have fun,” said Nebraska Game and Parks wildlife educator Lindsay Rogers. The live snake exhibits and presentation will run from …

A nice package of benefits. A plan for pay advancement. Flexibility with your work schedule. Working outdoors, especially with fish, wildlife, parks and water sports. Sound good? These are all positive facets of being a Nebraska conservation officer or what some still refer to as a “game warden.” And, guess what? Game and Parks is looking to fill up to six conservation officer positions around the state. Interested? You will have until Aug. 26, 2019 to apply. Truly, there are …

Spring and early summer is a magical time of year that leaves us too quickly. It seems I never get out with the cameras as much as I want to during this period, but usually end up with a few keeper images, anyway. Here is a collection of random photos from recent weeks. I am often amused when any given chamber of commerce or tourism bureau brags on its sunrises and sunsets being the best. (Since we are all watching …

Whether you’re looking for state-of-the-art facilities, or just a great view in the pines, this Panhandle park has it. High on the list of Nebraska’s captivating scenery and natural assets are the Wildcat Hills. It seems an understatement to label this topographical spectacle as “hills,” as it is actually a land of rugged buttes, ridges and canyons with topographical elements rising upwards to 1,000 feet above the North Platte Valley. Some of the state’s most recognizable landforms – Chimney Rock, …