Story and photos by Justin Haag
In a region of more than 1,500 lakes, it can be a challenge to find anything distinct to say about just one — or, in this case, three — of them.
Perhaps what makes these Sandhills lakes stand out is how remote, yet accessible, they are. One need not travel a long stretch of bumpy road to experience Cottonwood-Steverson Wildlife Management Area. The 2,902-acre property with more than 1,000 acres of water is centrally located on the 67-mile stretch between Hyannis and Merriman, just off the asphalt of Nebraska Highway 61.
Because of the name of the WMA, two of the lakes often get lumped together in descriptions, and the third is rarely mentioned. On the south end of the property, along Carver Road, is Steverson Lake, the largest and most-accessible of the three at about 540 surface acres. The 230-acre Cottonwood Lake is just north of Steverson and connected by a narrow channel. Northeast of the two, standing alone, is the 340-acre Home Valley Lake.
To understand Cottonwood-Steverson, it helps to know a little about geology and history. Droughts of centuries ago formed the dunes of the Sandhills. Wetter times of late stabilized the dunes with grasses, and the massive Ogallala Aquifer feeds the low spots with groundwater to give the region the special trove of lakes present today.
At this locale, the Sandhills’ elevation varies more than it does in most parts. Upon driving into the property, visitors are taken up and over a vantage point more than 100 feet above Steverson Lake and its wetlands below — something of a cliff in the massive expanse known for its rounded hills.
The variance of elevation isn’t just above the surface. The lakes in this area are deeper than most in the Sandhills, and Cottonwood, which reaches 20 feet, is considered to be the deepest of natural public water bodies in the region.
At more than 1½ miles from the access road, a visit to Home Valley requires some hiking or time on a horse, and gets traffic in winter when anglers are allowed to ride an ATV over ice to the north end of Cottonwood and follow a trail the last half-mile over land. After ice-out, some take the same approach by paddling and pulling kayaks, float tubes and other small vessels.
Anglers who make the trip to Cottonwood-Steverson are often rewarded, sometimes with a catch not found in many other Nebraska water bodies. Steverson and Cottonwood have an ample population of muskellunge, with surveys reporting some topping 40 inches.
Other species swimming at Cottonwood-Steverson include crappies, wipers, walleyes, saugeyes, bluegills, yellow perch, largemouth bass and common carp. Unlike many shallower Sandhills lakes, those of Cottonwood-Steverson showed no signs of winterkill in early 2023.
Home Valley has a special fishing regulation. It limits the 15-fish daily bag limit of panfish to include no more than five yellow perch 10 inches or greater of which only one can be 12 or more inches. The lake has had a history of producing trophy perch and the regulation was put in place to manage for its quality potential.
Hunting opportunities include mule deer, white-tailed deer, grouse, pheasant and waterfowl, to name a few. Elk have even been seen on the property. Birdwatchers will find a wide variety of other species, whether it be shorebirds and waders, songbirds of the grasslands, or warblers in the towering riparian habitat at the southwestern corner of Steverson Lake.
The Game and Parks Commission’s habitat management efforts have improved the area. It has divided the area into four cattle grazing allotments that rotate annually in conjunction with two adjoining landowners. A high intensity, low duration grazing system in early spring suppresses problematic cool-season grasses and bolsters the native warm-season ones typical to the Sandhills. Prescribed burns have been used to manage the wetland and upland vegetation on the western end.
The western end has a fen, defined as a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. The western prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera praeclara), one of Nebraska’s rarest plants, has been known to grow there.
Cottonwood and Steverson lakes have been among the Game and Parks holdings since 1997 when they were purchased for $543,761, the most ever paid for a parcel of property by the agency to that point. Home Valley was added about a year later.
The property has retained its primitive charm. It does feature a concrete boat ramp, compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, but no dock. Boats are restricted to 5 mph. There also are no restrooms or trash service there.
Sure, the Sandhills feature more than 1,500 lakes, and these are just three of them. Each lake is special in its own way, and Cottonwood, Steverson and Home Valley are certainly no exception.