Nebraskaland Magazine

The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District, the Platte Valley Weed Management Area and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission are collaborating on an effort to control noxious weeds and encroaching vegetation on the Lake McConaughy lake bed during this time of low water. Spraying is expected to begin within days of Sept. 30 on the south side of Lake McConaughy from Kelly Bay to Clear Creek and on the north side from Sand Point to Clear Creek, between elevations 3,265 to 3,250 feet. Work is expected to take a couple …

Repairs have been completed, and the Marina Bay boat ramp is open at Sherman Reservoir State Recreation Area. Because of the rising lake level, the east boat ramp at Thunder Bay also is open. Low water levels in the reservoir had exposed a significant settlement of the east lane of the Marina Bay ramp, which had caused a nearly 5-inch lip to occur on the ramp. On the west lane, the ramp was cracked and needed immediate repair during the …

By Monica Macoubrie, Wildlife Education Specialist Phenology is a word that you may not be familiar with, but I am pretty sure that you’ve experienced it. Think about what season it is. Spring? Summer? Fall? How do you know it is that season? Phenology, that’s how, which can be defined as the timing of events in the life cycles of plants and animals. For example, you know that winter is waning when you see robins begin building nests or when …

If you have been drawn into the addiction that is muskie fishing, you have a few stories to tell.  Most of those stories will be about fish caught and fish lost, close encounters and days, weeks, without a bite.  However, with all the time on the water, you will see some strange things.  One of the strange things muskies do is described in this article.  A couple of really smart, pointy-headed fish biologists propose theories for the behavior.  Read on, …

Legendary Nebraska outdoorsman Dick Turpin loved connecting people to the outdoors. Since his passing earlier this year, his family, along with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, have established a way to keep that spirit going. The Dick Turpin Outdoor Education Memorial Fund has been created to support hunter education and outdoor education programs across Nebraska. Its goal is to inspire a love for the outdoors and time-honored traditions. Contributions to the fund continue Turpin’s legacy by supporting a variety …

Laney Bohl of Mitchell hit 35 of 40 targets to win the Nebraska Youth Smallbore Silhouette Invitational on Sept. 24 at Pressey Wildlife Management Area south of Broken Bow. High Boy Austin Rahmig of Gering hit 34 targets, as did Braden Hiser of Seward, before winning a shoot-off. Lilian DeWitt of Minatare was High Girl with a 33. Bohl, Rahmig, DeWitt and Danika Bohl – the 2021 overall champion and Laney’s older sister – shot a combined 134 of 160 …

Fort Robinson State Park’s Haunted Halloween is returning for its second year, but will be in a slightly different location from the first. The event is set for Saturday, Oct. 29, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the park’s Parade Ground and Buffalo Soldiers Barracks. Deb Kennedy, assistant park superintendent, said the event was moved from last year’s location, the Soldier Creek Campground, because construction of an electrical upgrade is underway there. She said the change in location is for …

Williams Gap Wildlife Management Area southeast of Gering has reopened to the public after being closed because of a wildfire. Hunter Baillie, a district wildlife manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, said visitors to the property should be cautious as special hazards may remain in the burn areas, including falling trees and hot spots. The wildfire, named the Smokey Fire, burned about 4,349 acres on the Wildcat Hills escarpment, including about 400 acres of the 1,829-acre Williams Gap …

I started getting calls about this over a month ago.  Here you go, the fall 2022 trout stocking schedule: Game and Parks announces stocking schedule for rainbow trout Rainbow trout will be stocked by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to enhance fishing opportunities this fall and winter. “This program emphasizes the urban and community waters statewide,” said Greg Anderson, Game and Parks’ fish production supervisor. “Ten-inch trout are stocked to provide angling opportunities for all ages to catch and …

By David L. Bristow, History Nebraska In 1905, George Poell was a railroad fireman, soon to be a hero. One day the Grand Island resident was shoveling coal into a locomotive’s red-hot furnace as the train rounded a curve. Suddenly, the train lurched as the engineer put on the emergency brake. Poell looked out the window to see what was wrong. He saw a child walking on the track, a toddler with blond curls bobbing. “The little fellow seemed to …