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Tag Archives: Wildlife Habitat

Hunters should avoid heavy equipment at Straightwater WMA

Hunters are advised to be cautious and avoid heavy equipment performing wetland enhancement work at Straightwater Wildlife Management Area in Seward County in the coming weeks. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission urges the public to stay at least 200 yards from all equipment on the area for their and the equipment operator’s safety. Equipment will be using 378 Road, so hunters are advised to park within existing parking areas. This project, which is expected to be brief, will improve …

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Hunters should avoid heavy equipment on Marsh Duck WMA

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LINCOLN, Neb. – Hunters are advised to be cautious and avoid heavy equipment performing wetland restoration work at Marsh Duck Wildlife Management Area in York County. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission urges the public to stay at least 200 yards from all equipment on the area for their and the equipment operator’s safety. Equipment also will be crossing County Road V adjacent to the Open Fields and Waters Program site just west of Marsh Duck. This project will improve …

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Wildflower Power: Promoting Pollinator Week

What you may not know about me is that I am a lover of wildflowers. Seeing, smelling, identifying and just being amid native wildflowers are on my list of my favorite outdoor pursuits in Nebraska’s landscape. And you know what? Those wildflowers are more important than ever! No, scratch that. Indirectly, those native wildflowers are vital to all life on our planet Earth! Allow me to explain. For one out of every three bites of food you eat, you need to thank a bee, butterfly, beetle, ant, wasp, bat, bird or …

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Prescribed burns planned for some WMAs, state park areas

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LINCOLN, Neb. – Prescribed burns are planned this spring on some Nebraska Game and Parks Commission wildlife management areas (WMA), state parks (SP), state recreation areas (SRA) and state historical parks (SHP) where weather conditions allow. Historically, wildlife habitats were shaped by wildfires that occurred throughout the year. Burns can help set back undesirable plants that invade native woodlands and prairies, as well as other grass and wooded areas. Eastern red cedar trees, honey locust, buckbrush, sumac, dogwood, and other …

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CRP, Grassland Conservation, Early Successional Habitat; Not Just For Pheasants

C-R-P, grassland conservation and early successional habitat. When those letters and words are brought up in a conversation, chances are the ring-necked pheasant will be mentioned in a sentence or two. Yes, CRP, grassland conservation and early successional habitat and pheasants all go together, but they also go with a lot of other wildlife. You see, our family farm is enrolled in the Unites States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Conservation Reserve Program or what is referred to as the CRP. …

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Furnas, Red Willow and Hitchcock producers eligible for cover crop initiative

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LINCOLN, Neb. – Ag producers in Furnas, Red Willow and Hitchcock counties are eligible to receive $49.29 per acre assistance for planting multispecies cover crops after wheat or other summer-harvested crop. Grazing is allowed on up to 75 percent of the field but is not required. Cover crops provide a supplemental forage source, suppress weeds, improve moisture infiltration, boost soil organic matter, and provide habitat for wildlife. The application deadline is May 18. This Regional Conservation Partnership Program’s Cropland Cover …

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Wild about Wildflowers on the Wagner Farm

Who doesn’t enjoy seeing native wildflowers in good habitat on a farm, huh? I know I do! I am so wild about wildflowers (forbs) that I have planted a number of applicable varieties on our 148 year-old southeastern Nebraska farm in our Conservation Reserve Program acres. I am proud of the pollinator habitat we have established. Here it is at work! According to the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), pollinators play a crucial role in the reproduction of many plants, including many of …

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Wildlife Wednesday: Fields of Dreams

If you manage it, they will thrive! “ “We don’t always understand that you cannot plant wildlife habitat and let it go, it needs to be managed,” says Eric Zach, Agricultural Program Manager here at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. “A landowner must set the stage for better years regarding upland game bird nesting and brood-rearing cover,” he adds. Well put, Eric, well put! With that information in mind, we travel to our Wagner family farm in southeast Nebraska …

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A Plug for the CRP

I ALWAYS like to get a plug in for the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program when there is a sign up period happening for it. In fact, we are in the midst of one right now and it continues through June 14th! Let me tell you, in today’s world, there is no other conservation program that has done so much for habitat on such a broad scale for so many different wildlife species than the CRP. I know first hand as …

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FARMERS/AG PRODUCERS: GENERAL CRP SIGN-UP COMING IN MAY!

I’m helpin’ to get the word out to you – fellow farmers/ag producers – that a USDA General Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Sign-Up Period is coming in May. It is set to get underway on May 20th, WOO-HOO!!! This was announced by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack this past Saturday, February 16th at the National Pheasant & Quail Classic in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Here’s the press release from Pheasants Forever on the details of the announcement: http://www.pheasantsforever.org/default.aspx Keep in mind that …

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