Flora & Fauna

LINCOLN – Nebraskans can support wildlife and conservation education in the state by purchasing a special vehicle license plate. Vehicle owners can order the new Mountain Lion Conservation Plate. An extra $5 is charged for the alpha-numeric plates and an additional $40 is charged for custom message plates at time of initial issue and annual renewal. The Mountain Lion Conservation Plate and the Game and Parks Commission Educational Fund were created earlier this year with the passage of LB 474. …

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is monitoring the movement of a bull moose through northeastern Nebraska. A moose was observed Oct. 4 near Dixon, which is 12 miles north of Wayne in Dixon County. This follows one report of a moose sighting Sept. 26 south of Platte Center in Platte County and another in recent days of a moose near Wayne in Wayne County. The Commission urges the public to keep a safe distance from any moose, …

CHADRON — The public is invited to join Chadron State Park’s first Bioblitz, a 24-hour program Friday and Saturday, Sept. 30-Oct. 1. The park’s group event facility will serve as headquarters for the more than dozen surveys and activities, which are scheduled to take place at locations throughout the park. The free event will allow participants both young and old to discover and celebrate western Nebraska wildlife. A bioblitz is an event where members of the public become “citizen scientists” …

LINCOLN – The following is a listing of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) events and important dates in October. Get more details at Calendar.OutdoorNebraska.gov. Visit OutdoorNebraska.org for a list of hunter education classes and boating safety classes. Sept. 30-Oct. 2 – Autumn Harvest Art Show, Eugene T. Mahoney State Park (SP), Ashland Oct. 1 – Advance tickets sales begin for Haunted Hollow, Indian Cave SP, Shubert, 8 a.m. Oct. 1 – Archery Fun Shoot, Nebraska Game and Parks Outdoor …

I know the ‘grass is greener‘ syndrome can be very prevalent in outdoor pursuits and it can be easy to overlook what blessings we have around us.   Even in Nebraska, the mixed bag capital of the nation, we sometimes forget just how good we have it. I’m often reminded of just how much of the outdoor lifestyle makes up ‘the Good Life‘ when talking to hunters that live outside our borders.  Almost invariably, when they find out I live in …

I have just recently arrived back from my first ever pronghorn hunt and I would love to quickly share the story of the adventure before the crispness of the experience is dulled by passed time and the facts become muddled. With enough preference points my wife and I were able to secure a pair of muzzleloader permits in a coveted unit in Nebraska’s panhandle.  We were very excited and talked to many people about pronghorn – some of which were …

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is accepting grant proposals that will enhance watchable wildlife opportunities and nature-based experiences in Nebraska. Watchable Wildlife Grants, funded through the Wildlife Conservation Fund, help to develop wildlife-viewing and nature-based experiences in Nebraska. The intent of these grants is to help people build appreciation and stewardship for natural resources through practical experience. Individuals, nonprofit, governmental, and for-profit entities are encouraged and eligible to apply. Potential projects include, but are not limited to, …

LINCOLN – Volunteers in towns along the Cowboy Trail are invited to support monarch butterfly conservation by helping the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission plant milkweed seedlings on the trail right-of-way. Monarch butterflies have seen significant population declines in the past several years. One of the primary reasons for their decline is lack of milkweed plants, which are critical in the life cycle of the monarch. Eggs are laid only on milkweed plants, and caterpillars eat milkweed leaves exclusively. Game …

LINCOLN – The conditions of wetlands across the state is varied, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. On Sept. 1, Game and Parks released a report on the status of Rainwater Basin wetlands, as well as pumping plans. While conditions were good in some areas, they were dry in others. “Conditions are generally good throughout much of the Sandhills and along the Platte River,” said Ted LaGrange, wetland program manager for the Commission. “However, the wetland water conditions …

Each year on September 1, around sunrise, it happens.  My ego as a hunter and wing-shooter is assaulted by a gray-streak that was a mourning dove. Generally, I stand in open-jaw, amazement with three empty shotgun hulls laying around me as the winged-speedster is off to another location. But every once in a awhile something truly magical happens as I reload and the dove – for reasons still unknown to science –  circles back around, just a little closer, and …