Flora & Fauna

LINCOLN – The presence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Nebraska deer has spread eastward, according to findings by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. The Commission conducted a CWD sampling operation in its Northeast District deer check stations during the 2015 November firearm deer season. Three samples tested positive for CWD. Those samples were taken from deer harvested in Boone, Nance and Harlan counties. The deer taken in Harlan County, which is in south-central Nebraska, had been taken to …

Please consider me the proverbial town-herald, rather than an alarmist. But…The end is near! THE END IS NEAR!! January 31, draws nigh and with it comes the end of my beloved bird season.  And what a season it has been, too.  Last season (2014/15) I was pleasantly surprised with bird numbers.  This season (2015/16) I was shocked.  The birds bounced back. Yes-yes, I heard all the good news prior to heading to field this past fall, but data is just …

LINCOLN – Get out of the house this winter and spend some time viewing Nebraska’s bald eagles. They can be seen year-round across the state, but winter and early spring are the best times to see numbers of eagles. In the winter, there often are concentrations of bald eagles feeding on fish and sick or wounded waterfowl at reservoirs that have some open water. Favored sites include Sutherland Reservoir near Sutherland, Harlan County Reservoir near Alma, and below Gavins Point …

LINCOLN – The following is a listing of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission events and important dates in February: Feb. 1, 5 – Hunt Safe Session, Roger G. Sykes Outdoor Heritage Education Complex, Platte River State Park (SP), Louisville, 5:30 p.m., 402-234-2217 Feb. 2 – Big game public informational meeting, Bridgeport, Prairie Winds Community Center, 428 N. Main St., 7 p.m. Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23 – First Steps Pistol, Nebraska Game and Parks Outdoor Education Center, Lincoln, 6 p.m., …

LINCOLN – Tax season provides Nebraskans a unique opportunity to contribute to wildlife and habitat conservation. Line 42 on 2015 state income tax Form 1040N allows individuals to donate all or a part of their tax refund to the Nebraska 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 nongame,” said …

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission approved outdoor trail projects for 2016 federal funding through the Recreational Trail Program at its meeting Jan 14 in Lincoln. Funding is provided by legislative apportionment authorized under the Federal Highway Administration. The approved projects are: — City of Kearney, $250,000, to build a 5,400-foot-long, 8-foot-wide concrete Archway Trail with a 5-foot-wide crushed rock shoulder for use by pedestrians and bicyclists. — City of Genoa, $184,694, to build a 5,420-foot long, 8-foot …

LINCOLN – Goose Lake Wildlife Management Area (WMA), located southeast of Chambers in Holt County, is open to public access effective immediately. In September, the WMA was closed to all access because of a heavy infestation of Eurasian watermilfoil, an invasive aquatic plant at the lake. Eurasian watermilfoil can spread rapidly because a single fragment of stem or leaf can take root and form a new colony, and plants can grow up to 2 inches per day. Once established, the …

LINCOLN – Enjoy Valentine’s Day at a Nebraska state park this winter. Valentine’s dining specials are offered at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park (SP) on Feb. 12 – 14 and at Platte River SP on Feb. 13 – 14. In addition, Mahoney SP has a lodging discount on Feb. 11 and special Valentine’s packages available for those who reserve a cabin or lodge room between Feb. 11 and Feb. 14. Birds and Breakfast is the theme of the Valentine’s weekend …

LINCOLN – Hunters and landowners are invited to discuss big game issues with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission at upcoming public informational meetings across the state. Commission biologists will explain issues and take questions on topics such as deer management, deer damage and depredation permits, antlerless harvest, trophy management, and diseases. Antelope and elk issues may be discussed at meetings located in areas where these species occur. All meetings begin at 7 p.m. The meeting schedule is: — Jan. …

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will consider amendments to wildlife regulations when it meets Jan. 14 at 1 p.m. in the third-floor conference room of its Lincoln headquarters, 2200 N. 33rd St. A 1:30 p.m. public hearing will be held to consider the following wildlife amendments: — adopt changes regarding the separation of elk carcasses and the transportation of them to a check station. — adopt changes regarding the trapping of furbearers, including trap checking rules and …