Insider – February /March

Douglas Named Director by Game and Parks

James N. Douglas was hired as Game and Parks new director on March 16, 2012.

Douglas, currently the deputy director, succeeds Rex Amack, who is retiring in April following 45 years at Game and Parks, the last 24 as director.

“It is a privilege to be selected to serve as the director of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission,” Douglas said. “The wise stewardship of Nebraska’s fish, wildlife and parkland resources touches the lives of all Nebraskans in very positive ways.

“We will focus on listening to our citizens and providing the highest quality services and opportunities,” he said.

Said Ron Stave of Waterloo, commission chairman: “He has got a lot of experience, great ideas, and a great understanding of wildlife and the park system.”

Other finalists among the 17 applicants for the position were Mark Brohman, executive director of the Nebraska Environmental Trust, and Roger Kuhn, Game and Parks parks division administrator. The finalists interviewed for the job March 8, and then each met with commissioners on March 16.

Douglas, 61, has been deputy director since December 2010 after serving as wildlife division administrator since 1994. He joined the agency in 1974 as a staffer in the fisheries division.

Douglas, a native of Illinois, has a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife biology from the University of Montana and a Master of Arts in management from Bellevue University.

In the only other item of business March 16, commissioners adopted staff recommendations for boundaries for four-zone duck hunting in 2012. A four-zone format will allow more diversity in season dates across the state than the current three-zone format. However, closed periods within seasons, commonly known as splits, no longer can be used. The four-zone format will be used through at least the 2015-16 hunting season.   New Duck Zones Map

---

Commissioner Lynn Berggren addresses State Ducks Unlimited Convention

Story by Aaron Hershberger

On Sat. March 17, Lynn Berggren addressed committee members of the Nebraska Chapters of Ducks Unlimited (DU) in Grand Island during the annual State Convention’s morning meeting.

Berggren, an avid waterfowl hunter and conservationist, spoke about the power of the partnership between the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission & Ducks Unlimited. Berggren summarized the completed & ongoing projects and recapped revenues from the $5 State Watefowl Stamp and how those funds are being applied.  Berggren also recounted the travel log of his trip north-of-the-border with other Commissioners and NGPC Staff to observe the nesting grounds and flyways of the many ducks that migrate through Nebraska.

During the awards luncheon Commissioner Berggren presented an award to the Burt/Washington County Chapter for their efforts in youth mentoring.  In its 75^th anniversary year, Ducks Unlimited is taking a renewed interest in creating more waterfowl hunters.  In Nebraska DU is partnering with the NGPC in an extended mentoring effort being called the Great Nebraska Duck Hunt.  In the summer & fall of 2011 several chapters helped pilot the program including the Burt/Washington County Chapter of DU which was instrumental in creating the program.

For more information on the Great Nebraska Duck Hunt contact Aaron Hershberger at 402-471-6144 or via email at  aaron.hershberger@nebraska.gov

---

7^th Annual Nebraska Archery in the Schools Program State Tournament  held in Lincoln

Story by Aaron Hershberger

View Photo Gallery |  View Results on NGPC NASP page

With more than 400 archers from 19 schools, the largest archery event in Nebraska proved to be one of the most exciting.  The 7^th Annual Nebraska – National Archery in the Schools – State Tournament was held at the Lancaster Events Center on Sat. March 24.  The Individual State Record Score was broken three times during the day and a new top-mark created for High School Team Score.

In the very first line of archers Alisha Sheets, of Lincoln North Star High School, broke the individual state record score by 3 points – scoring a 281.  In the next group Dawes Middle School (Lincoln) archer Kasey Dunaski shot a 282 creating a new record.  In the third and final grouping Kora Shedenhelm of Mater Dei Academy (Omaha) topped the new mark by carding a final score of 284.  The end results are an all-time top 5 that includes one male archer, at 5^th Place.

The Tournament is the culminating event in Nebraska for the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP),  an in-school curriculum based program.  Currently over 170-schools across the state take part in NASP with 21,000-22,000 students participating.  Nationally, more than two million students are part of NASP each school year and the program has taken hold in Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

The Nebraska NASP State Tournament is made possible by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Nebraska State Archery Association, Lincoln Prairie Bowmen Archery Club, Golden Arrow Archery Club of Omaha, Saunders Archery and several volunteers.

The young archers competed for awards and trophies as part of school teams and individuals including two – $600 Tom Saunders Scholarships awarded to the top senior female and male archer.

Also taking place was the Saunders SACO Duel.  This friendly action-archery game of knock-out between the schools provided even more excitement with a $300 cash bonus to the top two schools for archery equipment.

---

Watch Wildlife on Facebook!

Story by Kristal Stoner

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission recently launched a Nebraska Watchable Wildlife Facebook page.  This facebook page will engage our public in an activity that is increasing nationally in popularity.  In 2006, nearly half a million folks watched wildlife in Nebraska, spending an average of $268.00, or about 142 million dollars.

The Nebraska Watchable Wildlife page will help educate the public on appropriate ways to watch wildlife without disturbing habitat and species, and it will encourage the public to seek new ways to engage in nature by finding creatures they may not have previously recognized or encountered, and by keeping “experienced watchers” in the know as migrations move through.  We have experienced staff, wildlife biologists and individuals across the state that are highly skilled and specialize in birds, mammals, fish, amphibians and reptiles and insects  providing updates, posts and information on the page.  They are available to answer any questions you might have about Nebraska Wildlife.

We are encouraging Nebraskans to share their wildlife watching experiences, photos and questions and become a part of a growing group of wildlife enthusiasts in this facebook community.  Please drop by and leave a post or two so we know what you think of the new site.

---

Nebraska Youth Conservation Program Begins in June

Learn more about the program on the NGPC web site - A new program to teach life skills and introduce natural resources to at-risk young people across Nebraska will begin in June, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. In the Nebraska Youth Conservation Program, youth ages 16-20 years will be selected to complete work on projects within the park and wildlife management areas. They will be provided with outdoor educational opportunities to enhance their experience. The program, which will run from June 25 through Aug. 3, was created with the passage of LB 549 in 2011, identifying Game and Parks as the agency to administer the program. The bill was introduced by state Sen. Brenda Council of Omaha.

The program is partnering with the Nebraska Department of Labor to recruit participants and crew leaders. Those interested should apply at http://neworks.nebraska.gov. The application deadline is Friday, April 27. Participants and crew leaders will be employed by Game and Parks. Eligible participants must be unemployed Nebraska residents and meet specific criteria set for at-risk youth. Information on the web site helps interested youth determine their eligibility.  There will be 16 crews across Nebraska, each having 10 youth and two crew leaders. There will be six crews from Omaha, two from Lincoln and one each from Norfolk, Grand Island, Lexington, McCook, North Platte, Valentine, Ogallala and Scottsbluff. Each crew will have a facility maintenance leader teaching the youth the skills to complete the projects, as well as a counselor. Work projects will include building picnic shelters, vault toilets and playgrounds. They also will work on campground electrical projects, shoreline restoration, fishing access, repairs to docks, painting, landscaping, fencing, trash removal, trail development and maintenance, and aquatic habitat.

---

Marsh Madness at Ponca State Park Draws Birdwatchers and Wildlife Enthusiasts

Story by Jennifer Wolfe

Ponca State Park hosted its first annual Marsh Madness on March 10-11, 17-18, & 23-24.  This event was designed to bring people out to the park so that they could witness the spring migration of waterfowl.   Two waterfowl viewing blinds were placed along a flooded marsh surrounded by corn fields.

Over the three weekends, several species of waterfowl were spotted.  With the help of the trained eyes of our guides from the local Audubon society, park guests were able to learn key characteristics of identification when the ducks came flying in from overhead.  Looking at the shape of the bill and head, wing beat, and where the legs were positioned on the body, our visitors were soon able to identify the ducks as dabblers or divers.

With unseasonably warm weather, the main migration came through early, but there were still many waterfowl to be seen.  Some of the species spotted were: shovelors, pintails, Scaup, Green Wing & Blue Wing Teal, Wigeons, Mallards, Canada Geese, Ring-neck and Bufflehead just to name a few.  Additional species included the Pied-billed Grebe and Yellowlegs shorebird.

Several juvenile bald eagles appeared in the sky gliding overhead. When things quieted down at the blind the group  headed down to the riverfront to observe more bald eagles nesting and lighting on the sandbars.

The park had reservations for the blinds for all three weekends.  There were three blind sessions per weekend.  A sunrise and sunset session on Saturday and a sunrise only session for Sunday.  Bird discovery packs were supplied for children so that they had their own binoculars and bird books for the weekend.  Overall the park was host to 64 birding guests over the duration of the three weekends.

---

Osprey Release and Nesting Platforms Bring Hopes of Helping Osprey Numbers Soar

By Dina Barta

For the last couple of years, the public and Game and Parks staff have been noticing  more Ospreys at Pawnee and Branched Oak.  This last summer, they observed them as late as the end of June.  All indications pointed to the fact that the Ospreys were wanting to stick around.  More and more people began calling  wanting to know what kind of bird they were seeing.  Fishermen approached Game and Parks staff to tell them about the “hawk that hit the water” beside their boat.  The birds have definitely been generating interest and raising people’s curiosity to learn more about them.

We  looked into the idea of putting up platforms and discussed it with Joel Jorgensen.  He agreed Game and Parks could put out the welcome mat.  We looked into a variety of different plans and I approached Jay Woltemath about building them.  Woltemath enthusiastically agreed to build the platforms and recruited Tommy Hicks, Jim Wurm, Kirk Hansen, Chuck Lesiak, Eric Fowler and Travis Koepf to help.

This spring, we erected the nesting platforms at Pawnee SRA and Branched Oak SRA. The platforms were inexpensive to build; materials were only around $100 a platform.  After researching several plans for platforms Game and Parks staff found that most plans called for them to be 15 ft above the ground.  Staff from wildlife, parks, and myself spent a few hours putting together two platforms. Both are placed in areas that are not easily accessed by boat or foot traffic.  One on the west end of Pawnee, and the other on the west end of Branched Oak.  Both are visible to the public from a distance.

We have not been able to find a nesting pair in SE Nebraska yet. They nest in other parts of the state though.   Hopefully we will attract a pair of Ospreys to nest. So, if you see these strange looking contraptions at either Pawnee or Branched Oak lakes…..now you will know what they are.  Hopefully it will provide some great wildlife viewing opportunities.  Please remember to keep your distance from the nests so as not to disrupt the Osprey or cause them alarm.  Game and Parks staff will be on the lookout, hoping  for a pair to adopt one of the platforms as their new nesting site.

Just In: Holmes Lake in Lincoln has also reported seeing two Osprey frequenting the skies over their lake area.

---

Snowy Owl Invasion Provides Opportunity to Learn More Up Close and Hands On

Story and Photos by Dina Barta – Game and Parks Conservation Officer

Photo Gallery |  I have always been interested in birds of prey.  They fascinate me.  So, I started helping Raptor Recovery when they needed extra help.  Often that means I am cutting up mice and feeding baby owls.

When we received the email from Joel Jorgensen regarding the Snowy Owl invasion, I was excited to think I might see one.  I had not seen one in the wild for nearly 30 years.  I had no idea how many I would get to see.  I also did not understand the consequences of this invasion.

It was shortly after the email from Joel, I was driving the interstate west of York when I spotted something on a fence post.  I did a double take and realized it was a Snowy Owl.  I took two exits to get back and the owl was still there.  I pulled over and took some photos, realizing that most people were driving by, not even realizing what they were passing.

Shortly after that, Snowy Owls were being seen and picked up all ove the state.  People were walking up to them and picking them up without a struggle.  The owls were starving to death.  They were arriving from the north where their favorite food (the lemming) was in short supply.  The Snowy Owls were inexperienced at hunting this far south.  They did not recognize food sources.  They did not understand humans and they especially had no experience with vehicles.  Many were hit on roads.

The Snowy Owls began arriving at Raptor Recovery Nebraska. Sixteen in all.  Four had been hit by cars and had broken wings.  The others were severely emaciated.  They looked healthy with all those feathers, but beneath the feathers, they were literally skin and bones.

District 5 Conservation Officers traveled to Raptor Recovery.  Betsy Finch and Janet Stander taught a number of the Conservation Officers about proper handling of starving or injured birds of prey.  While there the officers were able to view the owls in their pen.  I was able to help bandage one of the birds.  I learned a lesson about holding the bird too close!

Of the ones brought to Raptor Recovery, only four survived.  Of those, only two could be released.  The other two will not be able to fly again and are going to education centers in other locations in the U.S..  They will be well cared for during their lifetimes.

The two that were able to be released were put into a flight pen to exercise their wings.  Once they became strong, they were transferred to a raptor recovery center in Minnesota.  They had to be driven there, because Snowy Owls are not migratory.  They would not be able to find their way home.  While they are in Minnesota, they will be allowed to hunt live mice just to demonstrate they can fend for themselves.  Once they are able to hunt, they will be released near the Canadian border.

While I enjoyed seeing these incredibly beautiful birds, I truely hope there is a population explosion within the lemming community this year.  GO LEMMINGS!

|  Read a Lincoln Journal Star Article on the Snowy Owls |

---

Branched Oak SRA – Come out and “Take Pride In America Day” – Sat. May 5

Tom Morrison-Supt.  Branched Oak State Recreation Area

NGPC Take Pride in America Day web page |

For years now volunteers have taken pride in America by working at Branched Oak State Recreation Area.  Workers have painted building, repaired and painted picnic tables, pruned and trimmed trees, picked up cans, bottles and trash, etc. This has been a very successful program over the years and a lot of work has been accomplished by volunteers.

This summer Branched Oak has a major project to tackle on Take Pride Day.  There is a mile long hike, bike, & horse trail that needs to be cleared.  This will be an all day project and it won’t be easy.  Volunteers are asked to bring gloves, chain saws if they have one, pruning sheers, axis, and power trimmers. There are a lot of small trees that need to be cut, picked up and removed.

The day will start at 9 a.m. and will end late in the afternoon.  This will not be just a walk through the park project.  There are many small trees that will need to be cut out, and overhanging branches that need to be cut back.  If you are willing to contribute by putting in a good days work to help our parks you are encouraged to sign up. Please call the office at 783-3400.

If we get rained out on May 5, an alternative date of May 12, the next Saturday, will be scheduled.

Lunch is provided.

---

New View of Peregrines

Game and Parks has been providing a public view of the Peregrine Falcon family life on the 18th Floor of the Capitol for over six years.   However, until this year the webcams did not provide a good view inside the nestbox.   This year, the existing camera was replaced and a new camera was placed adjacent to the nestbox.  The new webcam provides a clear and crisp view inside the nestbox.   The webcams have also been incorporated into a blog that will offer a higher level of interaction with Peregrine watchers.  The Capitol Peregrine project is a partnership between NGPC and the Office of the Capitol Commission (OCC).   Funding for the project came from the Wildlife Conservation Fund.
http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/blogs/category/nongame-bird-blog/

---

River Antlerless Deer Permit Part of Big Game Changes

A change in strategy has the state’s antlerless white-tailed deer harvest focused on river corridors. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commissioners adopted big game regulation amendments at their meeting in Lincoln on March 9.

New in 2012 is the River Antlerless permit, which allows 126 days of hunting along 11,300 square miles of river corridors. The permit is not valid on federal or state public land. This $11 permit replaces the October Antlerless permit and has a bag limit of two antlerless white-tailed deer. The new permit is valid for archery Sept. 15-Dec. 31, muzzleloader Dec. 1-31 and firearm Oct. 1-10, Nov. 10-18 and Dec. 26-Jan.18, 2013.

The River Antlerless Unit includes most of the state’s major rivers and allows hunting within 3 miles of the banks on designated stretches of rivers.

“Harvest is focused on areas where white-tailed deer populations are highest and avoids most upland areas where populations are low,” said Kit Hams, Game and Parks big game program manager.

Another major change this year is the removal of Earn-a-Buck rules in eastern firearm units. “The Missouri, Wahoo, Elkhorn, Blue Southeast and Blue Northwest units have had a decline in deer herds and landowner complaints,” Hams said. “It is time to revert to liberal use of antlerless tags to control the herd.”

Game and Parks’ deer management goal is to provide quality hunting and viewing opportunities within the limits of the deer resource, while maintaining deer populations at a level acceptable to most landowners.

Other major big game regulation changes will be listed in the Big Game Guide – available in May on the NGPC web site.

---

Lake Wanahoo Pike Study Conducted – Anglers Reminded of New Pike Regulation

Story – Jordan Katt -Fisheries Biologist

A northern pike tagging study was recently conducted at the newly constructed Lake Wanahoo near Wahoo, NE.

The goal of the project was to estimate the population size and to tag as many pike as possible.  During the two weeks of sampling, staff members from Fisheries, Law Enforcement, Wildlife, Parks and Information & Education divisions sampled 849 northern pike and tagged 718 of those sampled.  The estimated population size of northern pike in Lake Wanahoo is around 2,100 pike.  The majority of the pike sampled were between 19-24 inches long, but some pike up to 31 inches were found, which is pretty incredible considering these fish were stocked as 2 inch long fingerlings in 2010.

Anglers are reminded that a special catch-and-release regulation on northern pike will be in place at Lake Wanahoo when then state recreation area opens and legal fishing begins April 28. Signs posted at access points will notify anglers that all northern pike caught at the lake must be released.

“A new reservoir such as Wanahoo will be capable of offering some pike fishing opportunities for at least a few years, and a catch-and-release regulation will extend the opportunity and allow pike to attain larger sizes,” said Don Gabelhouse, fisheries division administrator.

This special regulation cannot be found in the 2011-2012 Nebraska Fishing Guide as the booklet was printed before the Wanahoo pike fishery was developed.

“Anglers should attempt to land any pike hooked at Wanahoo as quickly as possible, keep them in the water and handle them as little as possible, and release them as soon as possible,” Gabelhouse said.

Anglers are encouraged to report any catches of tagged pike to ngpc.fishtags@nebraska.gov or to 402-471-7647 (both of these are found on the tag as well) and to leave the tag in the fish.  When reporting a tagged fish, please include the tag number, date the fish was caught and the length of the fish (leave contact information as well if you would like to be notified of the history of the fish you caught).

If you would like more information about the project, please contact Jordan Katt through the e-mail ngpc.fishtags@nebraska.gov or phone to 402-471-7647.

Game and Parks agreed in January to manage the SRA owned by the Lower Platte North Natural Resources District (NRD). On March 8, the NRD voted on a date to open the area.  A grand opening is expected some time in May.

The 1,777-acre property that includes a 662-acre reservoir is located north of Wahoo in Saunders County. The area will offer camping, fishing, hiking, boating, hunting, wildlife viewing and park facilities.

Read an Omaha World Herald Article on Lake Wanahoo

---

Over 300 people showed up for the trout stocking at Holmes Lake

Trout Stocking Kicks off Family Fishing Events

Scheduled Family Fishing Events |

Family fishing events have been a very popular event for Game and Parks over the years.   For the past several years, rainbow trout have been stocked in March into small lakes and ponds across the state where they do not survive year-round.  These “put and take” fishing opportunities have become a popular way to cure cabin fever and get the kids out fishing early in the year.

This year’s trout stockings were particularly well-received considering the warm temperatures of mid-March.  Our hatchery trucks were met by many more anxious anglers than normal at the 19 water bodies where trout were stocked.  At Holmes Lake, over 300 people were present, including about 30 relatives of Richard Hogue.  Mr. Hogue, who passed away last December at age 91, really enjoyed fishing for trout at Holmes Lake.  His celebration memorial service was held on the morning of March 16; we delayed our trout stocking to later in the day so his relatives (those holding balloons with messages written to Richard) could be present as the fish were released into the lake.  The Hogue family donated $1,000 to the Commission in Richard’s memory for trout stocking.

---

Great Park Pursuit  – Make Plans Now to Make Your Impressions

Nebraska Recreation and Park Association along with Nebraska Game and Parks Commission began a partnership in 2008 to develop the Great Park Pursuit (GPP). The goal of the Great Park Pursuit is to help promote active lifestyles while increasing awareness of the nature rich outdoor recreation opportunities throughout Nebraska. Nature impressions are located at 20 Great Park Pursuit sites throughout Nebraska. The challenge is to visit as many of the selected park areas as you wish between May 1 and September 17, 2012.  The program and registration are FREE. Participants only need to pay for postage when submitting impressions and entry into some park areas. For more information visit the GPP website www.negpp.org. The site contains pages for registration, participant login to track team progress, program information, locations, FAQ, and links.

---

Revised Natural Legacy Project Now Available

The public may obtain a copy of the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project, second edition. The Project is the state’s wildlife action plan, and many people use it to guide successful conservation that benefits wildlife, habitat and Nebraskans.

Significant changes since the 2005 first addition include updated at-risk species lists, Biologically Unique Landscape boundary adjustments, inclusion of newly identified threats and strategies for wildlife.

Visit NebraskaNaturalLegacy.org, then click on State Wildlife Action Plan to view or download the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project. Contact Melissa Panella at melissa.panella@nebraska.gov to obtain a hard copy.

The Wildlife Education staff has been working on several Nebraska Natural Legacy Project education projects over the past several months.  A series of biodiversity posters is currently being developed.  Each of the seven posters will highlight a different group - birds, fish, mammals, reptiles & amphibians, insects, plants, and threatened & endangered(T&E) species.  Additionally, the NEBRASKAland pull-outs highlighting T&E species that were created in the early 1990′s are being completely re-done and expanded to include more species.  Finally, a series of T&E species education trunks are being created for use around the state.

---

Game and Parks in the NEWS

Nebraska Public Radio piece on Open Fields and Waters and the challenge facing the sport of hunting today

(NET Radio) – Walk into the Hayes’ home in Lincoln and you’ll see a snapshot of the challenge facing the sport of hunting.

Ty and Aaron Hayes are teenage brothers, but their similarities end there.

Ty’s bedroom looks like a taxidermy shop, with his numerous hunting “trophies” mounted on the walls. He is a freshman wildlife ecology major at Peru State College and hopes to turn his passion for the outdoors into a career. He hunts whenever he gets a chance, big game or small, proficient with any gun or bow.  Listen to the entire interview below:

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/netradio/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1908181

---

The Luck of the Irish -and a Good Pair of Running Shoes

Leprachaun Chase - Lincoln Journal Star Article – It was the third annual Leprechaun Chase, a St. Patrick’s Day-themed 10K race with a twist.

Female participants, or “lasses,” were given a head start on the men, or “lads,” in Saturday’s Nebraska Orthopaedic Hospital-sponsored race, which took place at the Strategic Air and Space Museum. The format proved difficult for the men, who already were battling the consequences of their eccentric outfit selections. But not everyone set out to be the event’s best-dressed. Some had come to compete. The event featured 2,000 participants from 11 different states, and some had trained for months. Runners traversed the grounds of Mahoney State Park, passing oak forests, lakes, boulders, manicured gardens and bagpipers before returning to the museum for the Green Beer After Party.  Photo Gallery of the Event

---

Outdoor Professionals Talk About the Media with UNL Students- NewsNetNebraska

Nebraska wildlife took a step inside on March 14th.  Greg Wagner and Daryl Bauer spoke to University of Nebraska-Lincoln students about the importance of interacting with news media and the public. The UNL Wildlife Club hosted the event. Wagner is public information officer for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Bauer works with Fisheries and Outreach.

The message to students is that everyone, even outdoorsmen, will someday have to work with news reporters and/or members of the community.

“To convey important natural resources information, whether it’s a pheasant or a trout, you have to be able to effectively communicate,” Wagner said.

---

INVASIVE SPECIES  REPORTING HAS NEW TOOL

EDDMapS – Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System

Invasive Species Mapping Made Easy!

• Real time tracking of invasive species occurrences
• Local and national distribution maps
• Electronic early detection reporting tools
• Library of identification and management information

Overview

EDDMapS is a web-based mapping system for documenting invasive species distribution. It is fast, easy to use and doesn’t require Geographic Information Systems experience. Launched in 2005 by the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia, it was originally designed as a tool for state Exotic Pest Plant Councils to develop more complete distribution data of invasive species.

EDDMapS goal is to maximize the effectiveness and accessibility of the immense numbers of invasive species observations recorded each year. As of March 2012, EDDMapS has over 1.6 million records.

EDDMapS combines data from other databases and organizations as well as volunteer observations to create a national network of invasive species distribution data that is shared with educators, land managers, conservation biologists, and beyond. This data will become the foundation for a better understanding of invasive species distribution around the world.

Why do we care?

The biological pollution caused by invasive species is extremely challenging, because even if we never import another non-native species, the ones already invading our native ecosystems will continue to grow and spread. We must actively seek solutions to control or eradicate the species which are problems already or have the potential to become problems.

How does it work?

EDDMapS documents the presence of invasive species. A simple, interactive Web interface engages participants to submit their observations or view results through interactive queries into the EDDMapS database. EDDMapS encourages users to participate by providing Internet tools that maintain their personal records and enable them to visualize data with interactive maps.

Users simply enter information from their observations into the standardized on-line data form, which allows specific information about the infestation and images to be added. Data entered is immediately loaded to the Website, allowing real time tracking of species. Being able to see the current data of a species as it moves into a new area helps to facilitate Early Detection and Rapid Response programs (EDRR). EDRR programs help stop or control an invasive species before it becomes an unmanageable problem.

All data is reviewed by state verifiers to ensure all data is accurate. The data is made freely available to scientists, researchers, land managers, land owners, educators, conservationists, ecologists, farmers, foresters, state and national parks.

Click here to Register and Report Now!

Legistlative Update:

Gov. Dave Heineman earlier this month signed LB 391 into law, giving the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission a more powerful tool to help control and prevent the spread of invasive species in the state.

According to Dave Tunink, Game and Parks fisheries division assistant administrator, the legislation introduced by state Sen. Ken Schilz of Ogallala prohibits the possession, import, export, purchase, sale or transport of aquatic invasive species. It also allows Game and Parks to adopt and promulgate rules and regulations governing the inspection, decontamination, and treatment of watercraft capable of containing or transporting aquatic invasive species.

Rules and regulations are being drafted and will be available for public review later this year, including a listing of aquatic invasive species. The bill outlines penalties for boaters who refuse to submit to a boat inspection by an authorized inspector or refuses to allow watercraft decontamination. This summer, the Nebraska Invasive Species Project and Game and Parks will have authorized inspectors providing information at reservoirs across the state.

Karie Decker, Nebraska Invasive Species Project coordinator, said the new law also created the Nebraska Invasive Species Council, which will serve as an advisory council for state invasive species policy. It also will coordinate invasive species management and research across the state for the prevention and detection of invasive plant and animal species.

To view information about the legislation, visit:

http://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=12091.

---

Personnel

Please join me in welcoming Linda George to the Wildlife Division. She is filling our vacant Secretary II position most recently held by Becky Knapp.

Please join me in congratulating Angie Hammitt on her new position as Staff Assistant at ET Mahoney State Park. Many of you already know Angie, as she has worked at the park for a number of years. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that we’re lucky to have.

Please join me in welcoming Shaun Dunn to his new position in Federal Aid.  Shaun has been with NGPC in the wildlife division for the past few years.

The open Federal Aid Administrator’s position once held by Mr. Tim Montgomery, has been filled with Mr. Craig Wacker of Lincoln.

Craig comes to us from the Department of Natural Resources where he worked on grants for that agency. He will be working with the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund and a number of other duties as assigned.

We are pleased to announce Lindsey Chizinski has been selected to fill the Fish and Wildlife Biologist position located at the AkSarBen Aquarium.  Lindsey will assume her new position at the Aquarium on Monday, April 9.

Please welcome Svetlana Tchourbanova to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Permit Section. She is filling the vacant Accounting Clerk I Position.

---

Micah Ellstrom has been selected to fill the Fish and Wildlife Biologist II position in Alliance.  Micah brings several years of experience as well as a strong dedication and passion for wildlife.  His skills and abilities will be a valuable asset to the Northwest District.  

---

MARCH 2012 SERVICE AWARDS

5 YEARS

Lucas Negus, Wildlife, 3-1-12

Nicolas Fryda, Wildlife, 3-1-12

Michelle Steffl, Wildlife, 3-1-12

10 YEARS

Michael Carrick, Parks, 3-25-12

Velda Hochstein, Parks, 3-19-12

25 YEARS

Andrew Glidden, Fisheries, 3-3-12

30 YEARS

Randy Pomplun, Law Enforcement, 3-15-12

Thomas Zimmer, Law Enforcement, 3-22-12

35 YEARS

Paula Heidtbrink, Federal Aid, 3-1-12

April Outdoor Calendar

The following is a listing of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission events and important dates in April:

April 1-30 – Application period for archery paddlefish permits

April 1 – Platte River Art Show, Eugene T. Mahoney State Park (SP), Ashland, 402-944-2523

April 1 – Light Goose Conservation Order ends in Zone 2

April 6 – Final day of Conservation Reserve Program general sign-up period

April 7 – Youth shotgun season opens for spring turkey hunting

April 7 – Families on Target archery program, Air Park Recreation Center, Lincoln, 402-441-7876

April 8 – Easter Buffet, Mahoney Grille, Eugene T. Mahoney SP, Ashland, 402-944-2523

April 14 – Wildcat Weekend: Earth Day Celebration, Wildcat Hills Nature Center, Gering, 308-436-3777

April 14 – Families on Target archery program, Air Park Recreation Center, Lincoln, 402-441-7876

April 14 – Shotgun season opens for spring turkey hunting

April 15 – Light Goose Conservation Order ends in zones 1 and 3

April 16 – Application period begins for multi-species Super Tag lottery permit

April 17 – Growing Up Wild: Exploring Nature with Young Children, Papio-Missouri Natural Resources District, Omaha, 402-471-5581

April 18-19 – Outdoor Discovery Program school days, Platte River SP

April 21 – Indian Cave Outdoor Adventure, Indian Cave SP, Shubert, 402-883-2575

April 21 – First Shots rifles and handguns seminar, Platte River SP, Louisville, 402-471-5547

April 21 – Families on Target archery program, Air Park Recreation Center, Lincoln, 402-441-7876

April 21 – Go Fishing Omaha Fishing Clinic, Eugene T. Mahoney SP, Ashland, 402-681-6265

April 21 – Project and Aquatic Wild workshop, Platte River SP, Louisville, 402-471-5581

April 26-28 – Missouri River Educational Lecture Series, Ponca SP, 402-755-2284

April 27 – Arbor Day, all Game and Parks offices closed

April 28 – Families on Target archery program, Air Park Recreation Center, Lincoln, 402-441-7876

April 28 – Lake Wanahoo State Recreation Area opens to the public

Contact Game and Parks at 402-471-0641  for more information.�

---

Game and Parks INSIDER

WILDLIFE

Nebraska’s Bighorn Sheep Management Program – 30 Years and Climbing

Bighorn sheep are considered one of the most majestic big game mammals in North America.  Their presence has created many recreational opportunities such as viewing, photography and hunting.

In the early 1900s bighorn sheep were extirpated from Nebraska due to habitat loss, disease, and unregulated hunting.  In 1981, with the help of several conservation partners, Game and Parks embarked on a Bighorn Sheep Management Program with the first bighorn reintroduction at Fort Robinson State Park, in the Panhandle.  In 2001, 2005, and 2007, three more reintroductions occurred, resulting in four herds in the Panhandle with two herds in the Pine Ridge and two in the Wildcat Hills.

Nebraska’s bighorn sheep management goal is to: “Establish free-ranging bighorn sheep in the Pine Ridge, Wildcat Hills, and other suitable habitats while providing hunting and viewing opportunities within resource limits.”

Plans are underway for a fifth reintroduction to the Panhandle, with hopes of adding more sheep to the western Pine Ridge.  By February of 2012, Nebraska will have completed its fifth reintroduction in 30 years.

With the assistance of  various conservation partners, Game and Parks has not only reintroduced bighorn sheep to this state but have also acquired tracts of land critical to bighorn sheep.  We have also implemented several bighorn sheep research projects, improved bighorn sheep habitat and continued to track and monitor the overall health of the herds.

Bighorn sheep are a very sensitive and vulnerable species and are listed as a Tier I At-Risk species in the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project, a comprehensive wildlife conservation strategy document.  Disease issues seem to be our greatest challenge at this point causing setbacks with population growth.  However, 30 years ago there were no bighorn sheep in Nebraska and today the program’s count is 315.

In December of 2011, Nebraska harvested its 16^th and 17^th bighorn ram since hunting bighorn sheep began in 1998.  When population levels allow, bighorn permits are authorized to provide the opportunity to harvest mature, older age, rams which has little effect on population growth of the herd.  As with all big game, including bighorn sheep; permits, donations and conservation partners provide necessary funding to conserve Nebraska’s wildlife resources. Working together, Nebraska’s bighorn sheep management program can be a successful venture for all to enjoy.

(article submitted by Todd Nordeen - Wildlife Division Panhandle District Manager)

NEBRASKAland Photographer Eric Fowler with the Canadian bighorn sheep in the background.

Follow the recent relocation effort of a herd from Canada to Nebraska

Read articles on Omaha.com bighorns bound for Nebraska | Omaha.com on the recent bighorn sheep relocation effort. Watch the video (video is preceded by advertising)

Follow OWH’s Alyssa Schukar’s Photo Blog from the trip | Read Eric Fowlers Blog on the Trip

One of our most visited albums on facebook and flickr is the Panhandle Collection.  The stunning photos in these collections are photographed and published by our Panhandle District team members and spotlight one of the most beautiful parts of our state as backdrops for their work.  View them on Facebook |  View them on Flickr.

SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

---

Create a Commercial for Critters Contest

Imagine seeing your TV commercial aired a year from now on major television stations

The Nebraska Wildlife Conservation Fund is hosting “Create a Commercial for Critters” contest and invites anyone interested in designing his or her own television commercial to enter their videos.

Participants are encouraged to create an original, creative 30-second commercial highlighting the Nebraska Wildlife Conservation Fund, then upload it to a YouTube account.

There are three categories of entries: grades 3-6, grades 7-12 and an open category.

Entries may be submitted from January 1, 2012 through April 15, 2012.  Beginning May 1, 2012, the selected top TV commercial submissions will be housed on the NGPC website and the winner will be picked by public vote May 15, 2012.  The Top TV commercials will be selected  based on how well they accomplish the goals of raising awareness of the Wildlife Conservation Fund, encouraging donations to the fund through tax rebates or  the fund’s website as well as the commercial’s creativity, entertainment value and originality. The selected commercial in each of the three categories will run on major television stations across the state during the 2013 tax season.

Resources (elements provided for your TV commercial) and additional information are provided on the contest web site.  See the official rules for more details.

Nebraska’s Wildlife Conservation Fund is entirely dependent on contributions and matching funds, so let the wonders of nature spark your creativity.  Encourage your friends and other Nebraskan’s to contribute their best work.  Contact Kristal Stoner, Wildlife Diversity Program Manager (402) 471-5444 or kristal.stoner@nebraska.gov for more information regarding the contest.

Since 1984, tax deductible donations to the Nebraska Wildlife Conservation Fund have helped the thousands of species that call Nebraska home. Wildlife Conservation Fund projects help those species considered non-game, or those that are not hunted or fished. Donated dollars have big impact, since Wildlife Conservation Fund dollars are matched with other grants. For every $1  donated another $3 are matched which gives us a total of  $4  for every $1 donated to help wildlife in our state.  The Wildlife Conservation Fund makes many types of projects possible, including:

• Improving habitat across Nebraska for our at-risk species such as prairie restorations and invasive species removal.
• Preventing future endangered species listings by funding reintroduction projects such as the now thriving peregrine falcon, by funding research to ensure efficient conservation such as a river otter population and genetic study and long-billed curlew habitat study.
• Education Projects such as Project BEAK (Bird Education Awareness for Kids) that targets grade school children about ecological principles such as habitat, Nebraska’s birds and adaptation.
• Connecting wildlife and Nebraskans through projects like wildcams for the peregrine falcon, kestrel and least tern.

So grab that video camera today and start getting those great shots and show us what you have! We are looking forward to reviewing all the submissions.

(Article submitted by Lindsay Rogers – For more information on the Wildlife Conservation Fund or the commercial contest, please visit: www.nebraskawildlifefund.org)

SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

---

Project WILD prepares for 30+ workshops

The Nebraska Project WILD program is gearing up for a busy season of educator workshops – more than 30 educator workshop will be conducted between January and August 2012. Workshops include:

Project WILD

Project WILD is a national program designed to help educators teach about habitats, ecosystems, adaptations, biodiversity, cultural perspectives, human impacts on the environment, and wildlife management. Project WILD is geared for educators of grades K-12.

Growing Up WILD

The Growing Up WILD Curriculum and Activity Guide helps early childhood educators engage young students in the outdoors and nature. The guide invites children to explore wildlife and the world around them through a wide range of fun and engaging activities and experiences. This guide is designed for educators of children ages 3-7 years.

Flying WILD

Flying WILD is a supplemental curriculum and activity guide introducing teachers and students to the study of birds – their habitats, adaptations, migration, mating, and observation. In addition, this guide helps educators set up a birding festival and community service projects related to birds.  Activities are geared towards students fifth through eighth grade.

For more information about these programs or to find workshop dates and locations, please visit www.nebraskaprojectwild.org.

SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

---

Bridges to Birding Binocular Kits ready to hit the state

The Nebraska Project WILD program recently received a grant from the Nebraska Bird Partnership to create eight binocular kits to be located around the state. These kits, designed to get binoculars and field guides in the hands of students and teachers, will contain 20 pairs of compact binoculars, 15 “Birds of Nebraska” field guides, a Flying WILD Curriculum and Activity Guide, and a binder of Nebraska-specific bird information.

The idea for the kit came from an often heard excuse teachers gave for why they were not taking their students outside to go birding – “We don’t have the funds to purchase binoculars.” To alleviate this issue, the kits will be located around the state to provide all teachers the opportunity to check-out a kit, get their students outside, and learn about Nebraska avian species.

Kits will be available for check-out starting March 1, 2012. For more information, please contact Lindsay Rogers, Nebraska Project WILD, lindsay.rogers@nebraska.gov.

SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

---

PARKS

Smithsonian Features Ashfall Fossil Beds in January Online Edition

Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park was featured on the Smithsonian website  in its January EvoTourism section.   The article provides some great photos of the park’s featured exhibits and an extensive background history of Mike Voorhies’  involvement in the Ashfall Fossil Beds, described by many as the “Prehistoric Pompeii”.

This is not the first time the spectacular sites at the park have drawn national attention.  The Ashfall Fossil Beds have also been featured on the PBS series NOVA, Discovery channel’s “Super Volcanos,” and Bill Bryson’s “A Short History of Nearly Everything.” National Geographic magazine, Ranger Rick magazine, and in newspapers worldwide.

For more information on the historical park visit the slideshows featured on the University of Nebraska’s online site.  Interested in learning more about the park?  View/Download the brochure .

To view the Smithsonian article follow the link below:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/evotourism/Ashfall-Fossil-Beds-Nebraska.html

SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

Fort Robinson Hosts Annual Christmas Dinner Celebrating 1946 Era

From vines to boughs, the Buffalo Barracks was filled with the smells of Christmas, as preparations were made for the Annual Historical Christmas Dinner held the first Saturday in December.

This year marks 17 years the park has hosted the dinner. Park attendees were invited to experience a 1946 era Christmas.  The five-course meal took a week to prepare and consisted of roast turkey with sage dressing, oyster stew with crackers, cranberry sauce, snowflake potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, buttered asparagus, green peas, shrimp salad with French dressing, hot rolls, butter, plain bread, ice cream, mince pie, fruit cake, fruit punch, fresh milk, coffee, assorted nuts and fruit and Christmas candy.  In addition to the nine permanent and one temporary staff person involved,  approximately 100 volunteers helped decorate the buildings, entertain, and serve the meal.

The Buffalo Barracks and many of the other buildings on the premises are decorated by 4-H groups, local individuals and businesses, however the majority of the “Light up the Fort” falls on the shoulders of the Fort Robinson Staff who decorate Brick 19, Comanche Hall, Firehall, the Lodge, Stables and keep the area lit for the season.

SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

---

Prescribed burn

Remaining Prescribed Burn Workshops Scheduled for February and March

Pheasants Forever has scheduled a total of 20 prescribed burn workshops across the state for January, February and March.  The training opportunities are being offered for landowners to gain knowledge about the safe and effective use of prescribed fire in their land management plans.

The remaining dates for all workshops can be found on the www.NebraskaPF.com website. Interested landowners can register on the site.

This same website will also provide resource professionals and landowners with options for the following items:

• Prescribed Burn Plan forms
• Information on Prescribed Burn Associations
• Weather web sites
• Links to important prescribed burn web sites
• Prescribed fire management guides

For more information please contact Peter S. Berthelsen | Senior Field Coordinator  (308) 754-5339  |  mobile phone. (308) 390-0848 | pberthelsen@pheasantsforever.org

Read an article on enhancing habitat through good management practices here: Article on Pheasant Hunting in Omaha World Herald

More on the pheasant management – watch video of recent pheasant banding effort:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoyujQtbmAc&feature=youtu.be

SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

---

Chance Encounter Hooks Family
on Kayaking

Herb Angell, Game and Parks boating law administrator had the opportunity to meet and conduct some informal training for a family that was initiated when they noticed him hauling kayaks along the highway. “This family called me this summer and asked about our kayaks after seeing me hauling a trailer down the highway.  They just wanted to know a little bit more, so we set up a time to have a small get-together at Pawnee Lake.   I anticipated a small family group but was surprised to find that his entire extended family showed up.  Ten kayaks were not enough but they took turns and I offered a short training and kayak tips session.  The entire family really got caught up in it,”  Angell said.

Angell received a follow up Thank You note with the photograph to the left included:

Herb -

Wanted to say thanks for giving me a new perspective on life, parks and paddling !  You provided Kayak coaching to my wife and I, brother, daughter, in-laws and friends earlier in the year.  Since then every car in our large extended family has a park permit, just in case we have a chance to kayak on the way to or from anywhere.

My 4-year-old grandson and I were recently packing PFDs in a go bag and I was so proud he knew the whistle, in the personal floation device (PFD) pocket, was a fox 40.

Attached is a picture of Sunday kayaking at Pawnee, departed from Area 2.  The picture looks to the snow covered swimming beach north east of Area 2.  As you can see the water reflected the sky and the park is an amazing opportunity to experience such natural grace within 30 minutes of Lincoln.

Thank you,
Kelly & Debbie Lammers
Milford NE

SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

---

Game and Parks Annual Information-2012 Parks Programs

State Park Volunteer Program

The Commission has a State Park Volunteer Program that consists of 10 different programs.  Each of these programs is unique and fulfills different needs in the State Park System.  These programs include the Campground Host Program, the Volunteers in Parks Program, the Tree Planting Event at Fort Robinson State Park, the Living History Program, Take Pride in America Day, the Trail Maintenance Program, the Community Service Program, the Internship Program, the Missouri River Outdoor Education Expo, and the Inmate Services Program.

In 2011, the State Park System engaged 3,234 volunteers in park projects, donating 62,006 hours of their time.  The value of their donated time translates to a $526,247.03 savings for Game and Parks.  The State Park Volunteer program provides great value to our visitors and allows our staff to focus on the management of the parks.  It also gives volunteers the opportunity to give back to the park system that they appreciate.  Volunteer activities include assistance with naturalist programs, fishing clinics, landscaping, general upkeep and maintenance of the areas, and being a liaison between the public and the park.  View / Download  2011 State Park Volunteer Report for more information.

SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

---

2011 State Park Survey Results Tallied

The Commission completed the 2011 State Park User Survey, which has been a bi-annual activity for the past 10 years.  This year, 31 state parks, state recreation areas and state historical parks participated in the survey.  A total of 8,272 surveys were distributed and 3,113 surveys were completed and returned to the Commission, which was a 37.6 percent response rate.  Surveys were distributed on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and were conducted in both day use and camping/lodging areas. The average overnight park user survey respondent spent an average of 3.75 nights; if they were a day user, they stayed an average of 3.8 hours at the area.  Colorado residents were the most popular out-of-state visitors. The average age of the park user survey respondents was 46.6 years of age.  View / Download  2011 Park User Survey Findings �

SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

---

Partnerships

Nebraska Youth Conservation Program

On May 17, 2011, the Nebraska Legislature passed LB 549 for the purposes of creating the Nebraska Youth Conservation Program.  This program has been delegated to the Commission to employ Nebraska’s at-risk youth to assist in conserving or developing Nebraska’s natural resources and enhancing and maintaining environmentally important land and water.  The Commission has been tasked to teach life skills as well as educate and introduce the youth to our natural environment.  The program will take place from June 25, 2012 to August 3, 2012.  Funds were dedicated to this program through a transfer from the Nebraska Cash Settlement Fund to the Commission.  The Commission is partnering with the Nebraska Department of Labor to assist in identifying and recruiting program participants.  This program will include projects from three Commission divisions, which includes State Parks, State Recreation Areas, State Historical Parks, State Hatcheries and Wildlife Management Areas.

SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

---

Great Park Pursuit Involvement Increases by 45 Percent

Game and Parks completed its fourth year of the Great Park Pursuit.   Nebraska Recreation and Park Association, Outdoor Recreation Products and Nebraska Health and Human Services partnered with Game and Parks for the event.  The program’s goal is to encourage a healthier lifestyle for participants while increasing awareness of Nebraska’s nature rich outdoor recreation opportunities.  The program encouraged visits to 20 different park sites throughout Nebraska where participants followed clues to collect nature-based impressions from posts hidden at each area.  Teams print off park pages from www.negpp.org which include clues on how to find the Great Park Pursuit Post at a location.  The  team visits the park, finds the post and does a nature impression which is on top of the post.  The team then sends in rubbings from all the parks visited and is entered into prize winning categories. The Program runs from May 1 to Labor Day and will extend 2 weeks into Sept. for the  2012 event.

A total of 765 teams enrolled in the Great Park Pursuit.  Of those enrolled there were 3,368 participants from 172 communities in 7 different states.  Participation in the program has continued to increase since inception and by 45 percent from the previous year. Participants are entered into prize drawings depending on the number of park sites they visited.

Prizes Have Included: a 2 night cabin stay at a State Park, 2 different 4 ticket packages to Husker Football games, 3 different backyard bird packages, 1 Triple A $1,000 voucher, 5 Grand Prize $1,000 outdoor packages (camping, kayaking or fishing) and 20 NGPC Park Entry Permits.

2012 Locations: Lake Minatare SRA, Chadron SP, Bowring Ranch SHP, Ft. Hartsuff SHP, Ponca SP, Two Rivers SRA, Memphis SRA, Lied Platte River Bridge SRT (State Recreational Trail), Rock Creek Station SHP, Mormon Island SRA, Johnson Lake SRA, Ash Hollow SHP

SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

---

“A Walk in the Park”

For the second year Game and Parks has partnered with Nebraska Health and Human Services’ Every Woman Matters Program which provides health services to women between the ages of 40 and 64 who meet income eligibility guidelines.  A Walk in the Park partnership encourages women to get out and utilize their local and state parks for healthy outdoor recreation activities.  The program distributed 1,274 State Park Entry Permits and five Outdoor News reports outlining activities occurring within the State Parks System to women in the program.

SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

---

Grab Those Handlebars, Grease those Gears – May Proclaimed Bike Month

The Commission partnered with Nebraska Health and Human Services for the third year to celebrate and educate Nebraskans about Bike Month which is in May every year.  A Governor’s Proclamation was signed in May, 2011 with all the partners in attendance.  Those partners included Game and Parks, Nebraska Health and Human Services and several bike advocacy groups as Gov. Heineman proclaimed May as Bike Month and May 16-20 as Bike to Work Week.

SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

---

OUTDOOR EDUCATION

Nebraska Outdoor U! Encourages Outdoor Learning

Game and Parks and the University of Nebraska –Lincoln (UNL) have developed the Nebraska Outdoor U! (NOU!) program.  The goal of the program is to increase participation in outdoor-recreation by equipping new and current users with outdoor skills and knowledge through easily accessed programs, events, and web-based learning opportunities that incorporate a multi-tiered recognition program that encourages a life-long learning and teaching culture.

Outdoor U! provides step-by-step guidance for anyone interested in taking up or sharing an outdoor activity. Majors at Nebraska Outdoor U! are called pathways, of which  four currently are available to explore:  hunting, camping, fishing and shooting sports. Each pathway includes six levels of achievement: Pathfinder, Explorer, Trailblazer, Pioneer, Mentor and Legacy. More pathways such as hiking and water sports are envisioned for the future.

Nebraska Outdoor U! is intended to help an increasingly urban population enjoy the outdoors. “We’re losing hunters, anglers, and outdoor sports people,” said Scott Stuhr, Nebraska Outdoor U! coordinator. “This program helps bring them back. I’ve talked to so many people that would love to get outdoors but don’t have anyone to guide them through the process.”

Nebraska Outdoor U! lets participants shape their own programs and encourages them to be involved with others. One of the steps they take is to attend meetings to find a nature-oriented organization that interests them which in turn provides channels for them to participate and join in on activities.

Enrolling in the program online at www.OutdoorU.org is free, but participants may need to purchase equipment and pay for activities as they progress.

The program is geared for all ages.  For more information or to enroll, please visit http://www.OutdoorU.org/, or call Scott Stuhr at 402-472-2037.

---

Shooting Range Plan Seeks Potential Sites for Shooting Facility Placement

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has initiated development of a shooting range plan for Nebraska and staff are well underway in locating potential sites around the state that would benefit from a shooting facility.  A team of Agency professionals have been developing criteria for future developments of shooting range complexes such as the successful Heritage Park recently opened at Platte River State Park.   The team is looking a the various needs of Nebraska and has summarized them into four main categories:

1. Outdoor Heritage Parks – developed on State Park, Recreation Areas or partner properties, these areas are designed to be educational facilities that appeal to first time shooters, boaters, anglers and nature enthusiasts.  Such facilities will generally support various shooting sport venues, kayaking/canoeing, fishing, camping, hiking, and other outdoor related activities.
2. Community Shooting Parks – these are developed as close to communities/neighborhoods as possible.  They may encompass one or more aspects of the shooting sports and are designed for beginners (recruitment) and active shooters.  They are to be located so that youth and families can easily get to them utilizing the city parks and recreation center concepts.
3. Sight-in Ranges on our WMAs or SRAs – these are to be smaller and less costly additions to Wildlife Management Areas and SRAs across NE that will help our hunters find safe and effective places to sight in their rifles/handguns for hunting
4. Shooting Range Grant Program – the plan will request that we renew our support to club style shooting ranges across Nebraska by renewing the competitive grants program.  For several years, this program provided struggling rod and gun clubs the means to expand their facilities to the public or make safety enhancements to keep their facilities available.

To date, members of the shooting range committee have reviewed the following sites for possible future shooting range development:

• Chadron SP
• Indian Cave SP
• Two Rivers SRA
• North Platte area including NPPD property and district office
• Scottsbluff area including Wildcat Hills Nature Center
• Fort Kearney SRA, Kearney office and Fort Kearney SHP

It is obvious Nebraska has varying needs for shooting sports facility development or support for existing facilities.  The shooting sports constitute a major portion of our federal funding base by supplying locations for growing shooting sports programs or locations simply for our current and new hunters to practice the skills necessary to enjoy a lifetime of hunting in Nebraska.  Designed correctly, these facilities can also serve as major recruitment centers for new participants from families across Nebraska.

( article submitted by Jeff Rawlinson – for more info email him at jeff.rawlinson@nebraska.gov )

SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

---

2012 Turkey Guide

The New Turkey Guide is available

Find information on the Spring and Fall seasons as well as permit pricing and youth hunting information. Download your copy today.

---

Twelve Hunting-Related Incidents Reported in 2011

Twelve hunting-related incidents were reported to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in 2011. Two of those incidents each resulted in the death of one person.

Seven incidents involved the discharge of a shotgun, three involved the discharge of a rifle, one involved a fall from an elevated stand and one involved a hunter being shot by an unknown person with an unknown firearm.
“All of the incidents occurred because one or more participants were not following safety rules,” Nebraska Hunter Education Coordinator Mike Streeter said.
Four incidents occurred while hunting upland birds, three while hunting deer, two while hunting waterfowl, two while hunting furbearers and one while hunting nongame animals.

Historically, the most common cause for a hunting incident in Nebraska is a shooter swinging on a flying game bird and striking a hunting companion with shot from a shotgun.
To view the full Nebraska 2011 Hunting Incident report, visit huntsafenebraska.org

SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

---

PERSONNEL

Ron Stave  Assumes New Role as Chairman of the Commissioners

During the Commissioner’s meeting on Jan. 20, 2012 Ron Stave of Waterloo was elected chairman, Norris Marshall of Kearney vice chairman and Jerrod Burke of Curtis second vice chairman. The offices became effective following the meeting.  Stave had been reappointed to serve a second term on the Game and Parks Commission.  Ron’s current term expires on January 15, 2012.  His new term will commence on January 16, 2012 and continue until January 15, 2016.

Brian Piernicky hired to begin employment as a Conservation Officer

Brian Piernicky was officially hired to begin employment as a Conservation Officer. Piernicky has already completed his basic training at the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center and he worked in the Lincoln Office prior to beginning the Field Training Officer program. He should complete this phase of his training around mid-April of this next year. Brian has a degree from Chadron State College in Range Ecology with a Wildlife minor and has previous work experience with Cabelas and NGPC as a temporary. We will plan on Piernicky to fill the McCook duty station upon successful completion of his FTO training.

SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

Service Awards

December

15 YEARS

Bradley Goracke, Wildlife, 12-23-11

Dudley Sorensen, Law Enforcement, 12-30-11

40 YEARS

JoAnn Sturdy, Law Enforcement, 12-1-11

January

5 YEARS

Caleb Huber, Fisheries, 1-8-12

Virginia Hummel, Parks, 1-8-12

25 YEARS

Mark Matulka, Operations & Construction, 1-6-12

30 YEARS

Duane Arp, Law Enforcement, 1-5-12

SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

---

February Outdoor Calendar of Events

The following is a listing of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission events and important dates in February:

Feb. 1 – Burchard Reservoir Project public informational meeting, Tecumseh

Feb. 4-5 – White-fronted goose hunting season

Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25 – Firearm hunter education class, Hay Springs

Feb. 5 – Dark goose hunting season closes in Niobrara, Platte and Panhandle units

Feb. 5 – Light goose hunting season closes

Feb. 6 – Light Goose Conservation Order hunting begins

Feb. 7 – Public informational waterfowl meeting, Lincoln

Feb. 10-11 – Firearm hunter education class, Wilber

Feb. 11 – Firearm hunter education field day, Auburn

Feb. 12 – Firearm hunter and bowhunter education field day, Aurora

Feb. 14 – Boating safety class test out, Grand Island

Feb. 16 – Boating safety class test out, Kearney

Feb. 16, 18, 23, 25 – Firearm hunter education class, Grand Island

Feb. 18 – Boating safety class, Omaha

Feb. 18-19 – Bowhunter education class, Norfolk

Feb. 21 – Boating safety class test out, Norfolk

Feb. 23-26 – Omaha Boat, Sport and Travel Show, Omaha

Feb. 25 – Firearm hunter education field day, Auburn

Feb. 25 – Firearm hunter education field day, Aurora

Feb. 29 – Hunting seasons close for cottontail and jackrabbit

Feb. 29 – Hunting/trapping seasons close for bobcat, raccoon, opossum, weasel, mink, red fox, gray fox and badger

Contact Game and Parks at 402-471-0641 or visit the calendar link on OutdoorNebraska.org for updates and more information.

SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

Insider October – November

 

Amack to Retire as Game and Parks Director

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Director Rex Amack today announced his intent to retire in April 2012, at the end of his current term.  Amack’s 24 years at the helm of the 475-employee agency distinguishes him as the longest-serving director in Game and Parks history.

 “I am so grateful for the opportunity afforded me by the Commission to serve the citizens of this wonderful state,” Amack said. “It is hard to imagine a more rewarding and meaningful career.  After nearly 45 years of service to the Commission, it is time to give another their opportunity of a lifetime.”

Amack thanked Commissioners for instilling in him their trust and lending him their support and friendship. “I also want to acknowledge and thank those who I have been blessed to work shoulder to shoulder with each day. Our employees are results-oriented professionals who work hard to meet the Commission’s mission of stewardship of the state’s fish, wildlife, park and outdoor recreation resources. It has been an extraordinary honor,” he said.

A native of Red Cloud, Neb., Amack began his career with the Commission as a University of Nebraska intern in June 1967 working in the Information and Education department. Upon graduation with a bachelor of arts degree in May 1968, he joined the Commission as a full-time employee in the same department. In collaboration with the Nebraska Educational Television Network, Amack helped develop the Commission’s Outdoor Nebraska television program, which he hosted for several years.

 In 1975, Amack was promoted to chief of the Information and Education Division. His responsibilities included overseeing NEBRASKAland Magazine and all Commission publications and broadcast information programs. He made youth education programs a high priority and developed the “Know Nebraska Tours” travel program. In 1980, then Commission Director Gene Mahoney promoted Amack to assistant director for administration. Following Mahoney’s retirement in 1988, the Commissioners appointed Amack to a six-year term as director of the Commission. He was reappointed to successive six-year terms in 1994, 2000 and 2006.

 Amack said the development of Eugene T. Mahoney State Park was a significant achievement during his tenure. “Mahoney State Park was the largest capitol development project the Commission has ever undertaken. Gene led the charge with the Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation and together they raised the money to build the park. We all pulled together to develop, dedicate and open the park 36 months after Gene’s retirement. The park was dedicated in May 1991.”

 Amack also pointed to the development of the Calamus Reservoir Fish Hatchery, the Commission’s second largest capitol development project ever. The hatchery was completed and dedicated in September 1991.

Amack said other Commission achievements that stand out during his tenure as director include:

•  Bighorn sheep project
•  Ongoing elk hunting opportunities
•  Strong wild turkey and deer populations
•  $5 youth turkey and deer permits
•  Development of Smith Falls State Park on the Niobrara River
• Fish and wildlife instream flow rights on portions of the Platte River 
• Development of Internet permit and information services
•  Ponca State Park makeover
•  Cornhusker Trap Shoot 
•  Open Fields and Waters hunting and fishing access program
•  Recruitment, Development and Retention Program for youth
•  Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Program

 Amack also has been immersed in conservation and parkland issues on regional and national platforms. He has twice served as president of the Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and has served as president of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Amack is currently president-elect of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

 Regarding his retirement plans, Amack said, “The first thing I plan to do is plant a tree at my home that will stand as a constant reminder to stay involved and contribute when and where I can to wildlife conservation, wild spaces and parklands. Growing up on a farm on the banks of the Republican River near Red Cloud, my father taught me that we have a responsibility to care for our land, water, wildlife and all other natural resources for future generations. That was his legacy, and I hope it is mine.”

 Amack lives in Lincoln with his wife, Angela. He plans to spend more time with his family during his retirement.

---

Nebraska Game and Parks Commissioners Tour
Saskatchewan Couteau on the Canadian Prairies

Nebraska Game and Parks Commissioners (NGPC) gathered in Saskatchewan, Canada on Oct. 13, to tour the Missouri Coteau and learn more about development associated with land purchase, conservation easements, rangeland, forage and winter wheat programs on the Canadian prairies.  A portion of NGPC funding is dedicated to the prairies of Saskatchewan, specifically the Missouri Coteau.  The site visit to Saskatchewan allowed attendees to observe the conservation benefits through active private lands programs.  Tour attendees were hosted by local Ducks Unlimited Canada staff responsible for the conservation programs.  The gathering included meeting with a local cattle producer who is a manager of a large pasture enrolled in DU rangeland programs. The tour also included a stop by the project dedication site and cairn that was erected three years ago when NGPC Director Rex Amack and commissioners attended a ceremony recognizing NGPC for its past contributions.   

NGPC is part of a program called State Grants that is endorsed and supported by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. There are 33 states contributing to the State Grants program. The idea behind the program is that waterfowl are an international resource that uses habitats across the continent.  Much of the success of waterfowl populations is dependent on waterfowl survival and breeding success on the Canadian breeding grounds.  An estimated 40 percent of the waterfowl in Nebraska were hatched in Canada. NGPC recognizes this fact and began supporting the efforts of Ducks Unlimited in Canada with its first contribution in 1994-95 and has contributed nearly $900,000 since then. These funds are matched by Ducks Unlimited and that total is matched by North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), thus magnifying the impact of the funds provided by NGPC.   

To learn about Nebraska Wetlands visit our  “Nebraska’s Wetlands”  page on outdoornebraska.org   

---

Hunters and Anglers Can Now Locate a Growing Number of Public Access Lands Using More Advanced Technologies

To help support a vibrant hunting and fishing culture and habitat NGPC implemented a pilot program, Open Fields and Waters (OFW), in 2009 as a way to encourage casual hunters and make them aware of new locations and the variety of habitats available for public access to hunters and anglers.  The OFW program pays landowners to open private acres to public walk-in hunting and fish access.   

OFW is in its first year of being funded by the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentives Program (VPA-HIP). This program provides grants to states and tribal governments to encourage owners and operators of privately held farm, ranch and forest land to voluntarily make land available for public access for wildlife-dependent recreation (including hunting and fishing) under programs administered by the states. The funding gave the program the opportunity to issue bonus payments to landowners who signed a five-year contract and incentive payments for landowners who are interested in habitat upgrades on their lands.   

OFW pays the landowners a higher rate based on their habitat types, quality of their habitat, and if they are in the population/target zone they receive a higher rate for their properties. The population/target zones are the counties along the Platte River and the counties near the population centers in the eastern part of the state. Interested landowners should note that the 2012 sign-up period is April through July. There will be no changes in rates next year.   

For the 2011-2012 hunting and fishing season, OFW  opened up 271,220 land acres, 480 water acres, and 60 miles of stream. The program offers many habitats for public access including the following: 129,467 acres are enrolled of CRP lands; 17,772 acres are enrolled of woodlands; 93,292 acres enrolled of grasslands; 748 acres enrolled of wetlands; 7,973 acres enrolled of croplands; and approximately 18,000 additional acres enrolled as unspecified or mixed habitats. OFW also added 211 new contracts for private acre public access  and 456 private landowners already in the program renewed their existing contracts.   

The 2010 and 2011 Public Access Atlases represent a new approach and design from the previous years. The revamped atlas includes Geographic Information Systems (GIS) features, which use a database with geographic coordinates to create maps (computerized mapping).  Below are all the ways to access the information:   

• Printed 2011 Public Access Atlas Guide - the hard copy guide contains all public and OFW information and locations. The Public Access Atlas lists land, both public and private that is open to hunters and anglers. Hard copy versions of the Public Access Atlas are available at most sporting goods stores and NGPC offices. On the website, hunters and anglers will find a Public Access Atlas map where they can click on an interactive graphic and download individual maps of designated areas ( in PDF format).
• Visitors can also, by following the links provided on the Public Access Atlas web page, download an application to view the Atlas on their mobile device. The GIS community has created a free mobile phone app for the iPhone, Droid and Windows 7 phone. This free app allows you to navigate to the NGPC group, which holds various maps created for hunting and fishing on public and private lands in Nebraska. To find out more visit the Mobile Apps Page .
• Visitors who are familiar with Google Earth Viewer may also access links that will allow them to view and create customized maps of state-owned lands and OFW access sites that can be viewed in Google Earth. This does require having Google Earth downloaded to your computer. Visit the Google Earth page for the kmz file for download. This kmz file contains all of the digital OFW sites and public NGPC properties. Once you have them in Google Earth, you can zoom to a specific OFW site on an aerial map and plan your hunting or fishing trip.
• NGPC will soon be providing links for GPS files for downloading the OFW sites for use on GPS units. Watch NGPC’s Facebook page for the announcement.

To access all the features mentioned above, visit the Public Access Atlas Information page.    

---

PARKS

---

Pine Ridge Wild Turkey Hunt

The Pine Ridge Wild Turkey Hunt (previously known as “The Governor’s Turkey Hunt”) was held Oct. 6.  at Chadron State Park. The hunt was set-up to encourage businesses, landowners, guides/outfitters, hunters, and NGPC to unite by sharing ideas and resources to help generate economic development in the Pine Ridge area.  Guests included Jim Douglas, Deputy Director and Mick Jensen, Commissioner.   

This year, before the hunt, trap shooting was offered at the fairgrounds and a social hour was held at the Fur Trade Museum.  The weather cooperated and more than 25 hunters participated in the  turkey hunt with a 100 percent success rate.   

After the hunt, a banquet was held at the Chadron State Park multi-use facility.  “The Drifter Cookshack” and crew prepared and served a delicious meal to 75 people in attendance.   

---

Fort Robinson’s Annual Round-Up of Longhorns and Buffalo
a Winter Tradition

View the Photo Gallery - The month of November at Fort Robinson is set aside for several major projects. The first Monday in November the staff begin their day moving the longhorn cattle to ‘non-hunting’ pastures in preparation for the Deer/rifle season.   The entire week is set aside to take care of the longhorn cattle herd and to work the buffalo. The week is tightly scheduled with inoculating, tagging and sorting the animals for the Longhorn and Buffalo sale held on November 20.  Sixty two buffalo and 75 longhorns were auctioned off, a record high for the buffalo sales, and near record high for longhorn sales at $780 a piece.   

---

WILDLIFE

---

Participation Grows in Educational Bird Banding Stations at WildCat Hills and Chadron SP

Entering its 5^th year at the Wildcat Hills Nature Center and the 4^th year at Chadron State Park, the Education Bird Banding Stations continue to draw participants.   There were 632 students that attended the program at the Nature Center and 175 at the Park.   The Education Bird Banding Station is a partnership program with the NGPC and the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory.    

The five week program invites area schools to come out and take part in several activities during the two hour program.  Enrolled students learn about bird migration, how to use binoculars while taking a birding hike and about the banding process from a certified bird bander.  The objective of this program is to engage area students to become familiar with area birds and migration through opportunities in the parks.  Students experience birds up-close and in the hand. The program is a collaborative effort in that all data collected from these banding stations and the students efforts are sent to nongame biologists to help create a base line data of birds in the area during the fall migration.  This also creates an opportunity to gather more information about the Tier listed species outlined in the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project.   

---

   

Nebraska Legacy Project Conference
Debuts  in Grand Island

The first annual Nebraska Natural Legacy Project (NNLP) Conference was held October 4-5 in Grand Island.  The goal of the conference was to bring together the diverse interests working on the NNLP and share knowledge gained since its inception.  Speakers included Senator Chris Langemeier, biologists from Missouri and Washington, D.C., as well as many Nebraska researchers and conservation practitioners. More than 100 people attended, many providing positive feedback on the program and field trip.  NGPC’s’ Kristal Stoner and Rick Schneider coordinated the conference with the support of many staff who made presentations, moderated sessions, and helped with logistics.   

---

Five Youth Pheasant Hunts Held

Wildlife and Law Enforcement staff monitored special youth pheasant hunts at Pressey, Sherman Reservoir, Oak Valley, Branched Oak, and Twin Oaks Wildlife Management Areas.  More than 200 youth participated in the hunts and a total of 224 released roosters were harvested.  Bag checks were again performed on the opening weekend of the regular season, with final harvest tallies still being performed.  More Photos>> 

---

McCook Banding Efforts Completed

Southwest District staff finished pheasant banding efforts on the Focus on Pheasants focus area near McCook.  A total of 344 roosters were banded.  Hunter returns of banded birds will help assess the costs and benefits of our habitat and public access programs on the focus area.  The work would not have been possible without the coordination of T.J. Walker, as well as the help of many staff from throughout the agency.   Watch the Video

---

EDUCATION

---

Joint NCEA/UNL Extension Fall Conference - Outdoor Education Team Receives Award

Nebraska Cooperative Extension Association (NCEA) honors NGPC’s Outdoor Education team with The Meritorious Service by a Group award during the the third joint NCEA annual Fall conference and banquet   Nov. 9 at the Buffalo County Extension Office in Kearney. The event attracted more than 300 participants.   

Each year NCEA gives recognition to partners who enhance their educational efforts.   The Meritorious Service by a Group award is given by NCEA in recognition of a group outside of Extension who has supported the groups efforts. The 2011 Meritorious Service by a Group Award goes to a team of Nebraska Games and Parks Employees of Jeff Rawlinson, Julia Plugge, Andrea Faas, Lindsay Rogers, and Aaron Hershberger, along with Extension staff, who wrote and developed the Outdoor Skills program being used in 12 counties.  When NGPC developed their 20 year plan to recruit, develop and retain (RDR) hunters and anglers in Nebraska, they recognized the value of collaborating with the extension division as a key educational partner to deliver the Outdoor Skills program in the after school setting.  The team has written two sets of lessons, one for 3rd and 4th graders, the other for 5th and 6th graders.  Jeff and his team put together eight lessons lasting for more than 10 hours which fit with the new requirements for delivering quality 4-H Youth Development programs.  They organized ready-to-go kits, making it easy for busy extension personnel to deliver the program during after school hours and on school days off. They have funded all the kit contents totalling thousands of dollars, along with training on the web, at the Nebraska State Fair, and in each extension district over the past year – in cooperation with 4-H’s Environmental Education and Earth Science Team. Eventually, there will be curriculum and kits for grades K-12, and the extension division is seen as the key partner to deliver the lessons from turkey calling, to hiking and mapping with GPS, using water for recreation, and developing wildlife habitat.   

Director Rex Amack was pleased with the efforts of the Outdoor Education team and the recognition they received,  “An honor for the program and the education team members that have worked so hard to put this together.  The After School Outdoor Skills Program is now in 24 counties across Nebraska and continues to grow.  This is a direct result of the 20 Year Recruitment, Development and Retention (RDR) Plan in motion and the efforts of the education team that has worked diligently on this new program.  … Congratulations to all for a job well done.”   

---

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agency and NGPC Work on Coordinated Educational Strategy

For the last two years, Jeff Rawlinson, assistant division administrator for Information and Education, and Andrea Faas, outdoor  education specialist for Fisheries, have led a team to develop a national strategy that would assist state fish and wildlife educators and partners with implementing more outdoor skills programming in schools (K-12).   

Since the first Conservation Education Summit was hosted in 2004, state fish and wildlife educators have been working together from across the country, under a grant provided by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, to develop a National Conservation Education Strategy.   

In 2011, NGPC’s Outdoor Skills Tool Kit was released to the states and has been well received.  The tool kit was designed using input from the National Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, Agricultural Education teachers, Physical Education teachers and veteran state fish and wildlife educators.  The kit covers:   

• Standards and Benchmarks
• Challenges to Delivering Outdoor Skills Education in Schools
• Strategies for Developing/implementing Outdoor Skills Education in Schools
• Understanding Needs of and Communicating with Administrators
• Aligning Materials to Standards
• Training
• Sustaining Programs Over Time
• Overcoming Discomfort with Consumptive-oriented Skills
• Accessing the Outdoors
• Pulling It All Together: Getting a Program Off the Ground
• Criteria for Quality Physical Education Programs
• Case Studies
• Benefits of School-based Skills Programs to Agencies
• Messages for Agency Administrators
• Outdoor Skills Education Programs Assessment Matrix
• Benchmarks for Conservation Literacy

In addition to the Guide, the team also developed a comprehensive literature review on the many benefits of outdoor skills programs and participation to public health, student learning and overall lifestyles.  The document can be very helpful in promoting outdoor skills programs to schools as research suggests those that participate in outdoor skills live healthier more fulfilling lives, do better in school and in their own development and excel in many aspects.   

A third development of this effort was an Alignment Project where the team chose 12 national or state outdoor skills programs and had them aligned with National Health and PE, Ag Ed and 21^st Century Core Learning Concepts.  This document is a how-to guide showing educators the steps to take to make their own alignments between outdoor skills programs and national or state education standards; a critical step to the success of many outdoor skills programs in schools.   

Since development, the Nebraska Outdoor Education Team has developed a set of Core Concepts for Outdoor Education in Nebraska and is developing an education training program for Agency staff that will benefit the many NGPC professionals who engage in education informally as part of their jobs.   

The Guide and research papers are available below:
Outdoor Skills Education Handbook | Outdoor Skills and National Standards | Benefits of Outdoor Skills – Literature Review   

---

FISHERIES

---

---

  

Nebraska’s First High School Fishing Championship Held

After winning the first ever Nebraska High School Fishing Championship, spearheaded by Tony Munter, Drew Bailey of North Platte and Adam Diehl of Brady competed in the National Guard FLW Fishing Regional Championship, hosted by Texas A&M University on Oct. 15.  They were accompanied by Tony Munter of the North Platte Fish Hatchery and Kent Priel, President of the Lincoln County Bass Bosses, who served as their coach.  At the tournament, Drew and Adam soundly defeated state championship teams from Kansas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma.  This coming spring, they will be one of five teams competing at the National Championships for $10,000 in scholarships and prizes.  

Adam and Drew won the regional tournament with a weight of 11 pounds 3 ounces and beat the second place Kansas team,  by over 4.5 pounds.  You can read the official press release here, http://www.highschoolfishing.org/regionals/bailey-and-diehl-take-high-school-texas-regional-on-brush-hogs/#more-1052 .  

Watch a video here http://www.knopnews2.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3028:bass-bosses&Itemid=105#itemVideoAnchor   

---

CONSERVATION OFFICER NOTEBOOK 

---

Conservation Officer Miller Organizes Youth Hunt

Organized by Conservation Officer Frank Miller, a youth hunt  provided the opportunity for five young hunters to try their luck at harvesting a deer.  Extremely hot temperatures had an adverse effect on deer movement, but two of the five hunters were successful in harvesting their very first deer.  Both of these hunters had never fired a firearm until the orientation session before the hunt and both were extremely thrilled to be successful.  Although the other three hunters were unsuccessful in taking a deer, they all enjoyed the experience and one even got a close look at a bull elk that came out of the canyons near his blind.  This hunt was a cooperative effort and supported by several sportsman groups and will become an annual event.   

---

 Scottsbluff Youth Gets First Duck and Chance to Hunt with His Dog

Nine-year -old, Clayten Smith of Scottsbluff was able to harvest his first duck while hunting with Jared Shepard during the youth waterfowl season.  Clayten’s first experience with waterfowl hunting began when he was seven years-old and during that hunt he became intrigued with how the dogs worked.  He wanted to try and train his own dog and thanks to Shepard, an Avery Sporting Dog Specialist, he was allowed to help care for the dogs and learn everything about training at an early age.  Clayten has spent the last year training his own dog, Ace, and both had their initial hunt together this past weekend.  Clayten was able to harvest a hen mallard and both hunter and dog worked well together and had a great time.   

---

Spotlighting Violators Get Hefty Fine

Early in the month two hunters from Lyman Nebraska decided to spotlight two quality mule deer bucks in a remote area of southern Sioux County.  The deer were hung in a garage in Lyman but the two hunters failed to shut the garage door.  An observant citizen noticed the deer and called Officer Brandt to investigate.  The late night hunting trip ended up costing each hunter nearly $1700.00 each.   

---

Cheap Shots Costly in Court

Officer Kling and Supervisor Zimmerman responded to a complaint from a landowner that had observed two individuals shoot a buck antelope from the highway south of Harrison the day before the rifle antelope season was to begin.  The poachers left the antelope in the field and fled the area at a high rate of speed.  Fortunately the landowner was able to obtain a license number as the individuals fled the scene.  Later in the day, the vehicle and individuals were located and stopped 50 miles away from the scene.  Both subjects were cited for hunting in closed season, hunting without permission, hunting from a roadway and wanton waste for leaving the animal in the field.  This will be an extremely expensive illegal hunt as they are scheduled to appear in court in the near future.  

---

 Collaboration Between Landowners and
Area Sportsmen Critical to Conservation Officer’s Role

With numerous hunting seasons in progress or coming in the near future it is critical that the officers renew contacts with both landowners and area sportsman.  This is accomplished through routine patrol and stopping by to talk to landowners as well as daily contact with the public in various locations in the communities.  It is amazing how much information the officers disseminate to our constituents through contacts during their work day as well as their off duty time at football games, church, grocery stores and a wide variety of other locations in their respective communities.   

---

Nine Youth Hunts Held in Northeast District

A total of nine youth hunts were attended by the officers around the northeast district.  The officers made some very good contacts with a number of young hunters and worked with local Pheasants Forever chapters who sponsored the hunts.  Young hunters are exposed to a number of topics at these hunts.  From game care and cleaning, proper shooting techniques, wildlife manangement, dog training and handling to hunter safety the kids learn a lot about the sport of hunting.  

---

PaddleFish Season Successful for Snaggers 

The paddlefish season was the main focus for the northeast district in October.  The snagging season was a busy one with very good success by snaggers.  The main violations that were encountered by the officers were taking paddlefish in the protected slot limit and completely cleaning paddlefish before reaching place of residence.  A special enforcement detail was conducted with eight officers in the district the second weekend of the season.   Violations of no fishing permit, fail to tag deer and no snagging permit were encountered in a mandatory road check on highway 81 south of Yankton.   

---

PERSONELL

---

Commissioner Kent Forney – Feature

Commissioner Kent Forney’s childhood memories are forever framed on the backdrop of a ranch outside of Rushville. He and his siblings – three brothers and a sister – grew up on the ranch, 36 miles from the nearest town. While their family television did pick up one station, the young Forneys never paid much attention to it, as their entertainment was always unfolding outside their door on the wide-screened, high-definition panorama of nature that greeted them each morning at sunrise.   

The siblings never had to look far to pique their imagination and spur on the intrigue of new discovery – they were always shooting BB guns, catching frogs, hanging out by the creek or riding the hills looking for their next outdoor adventure. The five children had trampled a well beaten path to a large tree grove just south of their house where they spent most of their free time.   

“There were irrigation pipes that always had rabbits in them and flocks of black birds,” said Forney. “Playing hide and seek until dusk, we were never bored, that’s for sure.”  

The youngest in the family, Forney grew up riding horses across every square mile of their property, as well as the mile and half to school every day while it was in session.   

 “I enjoyed horses a lot as a kid,” Forney recalls. “I had a big old horse named Private. Private was about 17 hands tall, a single-gaiter. He was half Morgan and half saddlebred. Boy, he would swing those feet out! If you have never ridden a single-gaited horse, they are rough to sit initially until you learn to ride them, and then they are just superb. It’s just the best gait ever and you get spoiled.”   

The Forney family’s ranch properties were very spread out, so the cattle often had to be moved from pasture to pasture via horseback.  Forney remembers those days fondly.   

“When you are on horseback and you’re quiet, you see a lot more game then you do in a pickup.  If you are hunting in a pickup, stop and get out – sit down for an hour or two and look and take the  time to ‘feel’ the outdoors and nature. That’s what I think everyone should experience when they hunt.”   

Now a Lincoln veterinarian, Forney attributes his career choice to a childhood companion by the name of Colonel: “He was a good dog, an English pointer, given to my dad by a family friend. In the middle of the Sandhills, you don’t have very many quail, and he wasn’t good on grouse; wasn’t good on pheasants; wasn’t good on rabbits.  He was just a buddy.  He slept with me every night, and when I would come home from school, we would both head out in the field, side by side, hunting rabbits and squirrels, chasing everything,” Forney recalls fondly.  When Colonel developed distemper, Forney assumed the role of attending to him through the debilitating disease.  Forney remembers his father suggesting that he consider a career as a veterinarian, but he didn’t think much about it at the time. Ultimately, Forney’s future was foretold by Colonel’s recovery: “He lived to a ripe old age, and I went on to become a veterinarian. “   

A big part of Forney’s early years included providing for the great meals his mom cooked up for the family. “My dad grew up during the Depression, so hunting was an integral part of our day-to-day routine.  All the Forney kids hunted, including my sister.  We ate a lot of wild game when I was a kid and still do – probably 90 percent of what I eat today is wild. I consider it a delicacy.”   

Forney said his father’s passion was duck hunting, so he took the youngsters out as often as he could, even if he didn’t have time to hunt himself.   

“Dad would pick us kids up and carry us over the stream and out to a muskrat mound. He would set each one of us on top and say ‘I’ll come and get you about dark.”  By the time his father returned, the children were soaked from retrieving the ducks they had shot.   

“Dad would come out with his flashlight and we would go home and pick ducks half the night,” Forney recalls with a smile on his face.  “I remember the sound of those ducks coming in and the motion of their wings … it sounded like arrows coming straight for you. It was a very memorable experience for all of us kids. We were surrounded by nature and all it had to offer as we sat on those muskrat mounds.”   

As a third generation member of a long running conservation legacy, Forney attributes his love of the outdoors to his father and paternal grandfather. Forney’s grandfather had a hard earned, intrinsic connection to the outdoors.    

“Grandpa had a true love for the ground. There was always something he called “the wild,” and that was the grouse and the coyotes and the deer – he just loved seeing it. So did Grandma. When all the grandkids would visit, we just watched deer for hours on end. It was a big thrill for us kids and my grandparents.  ‘The Wild’ were truly Grandma and Grandpa’s friends. They lived out in the middle of nowhere – the wildlife is what kept them company and provided them enjoyment.  My granddad was a Kincaider (read about the The Kincaid Act ) – he came to the Sandhills when he was 16, dug a hole in the side of a hill and fixed up some sort of a door. That’s where he lived. He broke 90 head of horses for the Spade ranch and they gave him 10 bred heifers for breaking those horses. He ended up with a 110 percent calf crop because one of them had twins, then lost all but one to black leg disease. So he took to trapping muskrats and got 50 cents apiece for them. He started buying ground for $2 an acre with the money he earned from trapping.  In all respects, you could truly say Grandpa ‘lived off the land.”    

 Forney’s father, Donald Forney, was one of three children born to his grandfather and grandmother. “Having been raised during the depression dad learned early on to live on what he caught and shot. The family did a lot of fishing too.  Forney’s father used to “…hitch up a team of horses, go to the lakes and catch bullheads by the gunny-sack full.” Some of the fish would then be kept alive in various stock tanks until the family needed them.   

 Forney said his father, who also served on the Commission, was a huge influence in his life: “He was always outside, so us kids grew up with him outside. We lived off the land for everything we did. My father had five kids in college at one time. I soon discovered that one way to help pay for my education was to hunt coyotes. At the time pelts were getting $100 a piece, about the same price as tuition for one class at the university,” Forney added.   

Not only did Donald Forney influence his own children to embrace the great outdoors, but he shared that passion with other people as well.   

“Dad, as he got older, got into taking a lot of people hunting and fishing because ‘these city kids needed to know how to hunt and fish.’ So we would have a group of kids out and give them the real outdoor experience, but it wasn’t just hunting and fishing – he would have a group of kids out from Omaha and we would teach them how to drive our old beater Jeep. Then after that, we would take them horseback riding and then go catch fish.   

“We did that with a lot of people,” said Forney. “We had people from Rushville, Omaha, all over. That was so much fun for us and our guests, very gratifying, ” he added.   

Forney is now carrying on the family traditions and encouraging his boys to do the same. “Today, I’m still taking people hunting. I take people goose hunting; duck hunting, grouse hunting … and that is just this fall. I’ve got all this lined up. During the fall and early on in August, my wife calls herself a hunting widow. I really enjoy sharing that hunting experience with other people, just like my dad did.”    

When Forney first started his veterinarian career he was working at the clinic night and day, so when he got a weekend off, he and his wife would throw the boys into the back of their Suburban and drive out to the ranch.   

“The seven hour drive gave us time to talk,” said Forney, “then we would go to bed, get up the next morning and I would have those kids on horseback and grinding meats and fishing and hunting and toting guns and calling coyotes. Sundays would be spent with my mom and dad. They really looked forward to seeing us and enjoying our time outdoors with the family. Then we would head back to Lincoln and the kids would sleep really well that night.”   

In his role as Commissioner, Forney hopes to accomplish many things, but one project in particular is on his radar: “I’m really, really passionate about Boosalis Park in Lincoln. I think we have a chance to make that one of the best shooting parks in America. How neat would that be if you could have kids, instead of going to play golf, pick up a gun or a bow and arrow?     

As a Game and Parks Commissioner, Forney supports any efforts that help promote Nebraska as a friendly outdoor state. “I want people to come to Nebraska and be able to experience and enjoy the outdoors. I want them to feel welcome in the fields and hills of Nebraska,”  Forney said.   

Forney is also committed to getting youth into the outdoors and providing them with the unique experiences that only nature and wildlife can provide.  Forney hosts mentored hunts  for youth on his ranch. “We took some kids out that had never hunted, never shot a gun before… you know, if you keep kids full and warm and busy, they have a pretty good time.” Forney said. “There’s always something to look at watching deer and wildlife in their environment. The youth were paired with mentors who had as much fun as the kids,” he added.   

When the participants came back hungry from their hunts, Forney was ready for them: “I cooked wild game and none of the kids could believe what they were eating. I purposely cooked wild game just so that they could learn to eat what they shot. We made chili and hamburgers and then the last thing we did was take the backstraps out of the deer they had harvested.  They were a little tough that night, but they ate them and felt very good about how their day had unfolded.”   

When asked to reveal something about himself that most people didn’t know, Forney said, “That would probably be that I am pretty quiet. I don’t say a lot.  I’m very reserved about sharing everything with people, and feel that active listening is huge for me … I active-listen a lot. You can learn a great deal when you just listen, that goes for nature and people,” he said.   

That’s not to say he’s quiet all the time. “On the Commission, I can be very vocal, because I tell them what I think.  I listen to everything and then I weigh in. I read everything that the Commission sends me, which takes a lot of time, and if I don’t know about something, I’ll pick up the phone and call somebody that does. So when I go to a meeting, I’m prepared for the discussions that take place. That is a critical requirement of the role of a commissioner.  Some people don’t know and they don’t ask, so they might end up in there pretending like they know about the topic when they don’t.”   

When Forney has some spare time, his favorite place to be is next to an old stream back home that runs parallel to his well worn riding path. “It’s just relaxing to walk along. It’s got a lot of trout in it. There are always birds and wildlife and fauna along its meandering path.”    

Between their trips back to his beloved hills in Rushville, he and his wife Rochelle enjoy their family and home in Lincoln.  Forney and his wife have three sons, Shane who is 20 years-old and a student at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln; Eric, 22 years-old, is a recent graduate of Creighton University and applying to medical schools and 26 year-old Adam who is attending Southeast Community College and works at the veterinary clinic.   

Forney owns the Nebraska Animal Medical Center (NAMC), in Lincoln, where he works with other veterinarians providing quality animal care to companion pets.   

---

Stave Reappointed as Game and Parks Commissioner

Gov. Dave Heineman has reappointed Ron Stave of Waterloo to a second term on the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.  

Stave’s second term on the nine-member board of commissioners will run from Jan. 16, 2012 to Jan. 15, 2016. He began his first term on Jan. 16, 2007.  

Stave, who represents District II (Douglas County), has been highly involved in, among other things, the restructuring of the State Parks system, privatization of the restaurant at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park and the effort to recruit, develop and retain more hunters and anglers in Nebraska.  

“I’m very excited,” Stave said. “I have a lot of things I’d like for us to do on the Commission. We’ve made fantastic strides, but I feel like we can do more.”  

Biologist II Position to be Filled by Adam Kester

Adam Kester has been selected to fill the Biologist II position with the Wildlife Division, Partners Section in North Platte.  Adam will begin on Nov. 28, 2011.  He has most recently been working as a Farm Bill Biologist in southwest Kansas in a cooperative position with Pheasants Forever and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, but has also worked for Nebraska Game and Parks as a temporary Conservation Technician in the Northeast and Southeast districts.  Adam and his wife are originally from Nebraska and are excited to get back to the state.   

---

 Gerald Kane, I&E, 10-4-11   

Nathan Bereuter, IT, 10-23-11   

10 YEARS    

Mark Rettig, Parks, 10-13-11   

Cathy Riecken, Parks, 10-22-11   

Brandi Mathis, Parks, 10-22-11   

20 YEARS    

Dayle Wilken, Operations, 10-1-11   

30 YEARS    

Terry Brentzel, Law Enforcement, 10-21-11   

Jon Reeves, Law Enforcement, 10-26-11   

Levi Krause, Law Enforcement, 10-28-11   

NOVEMBER
2011 Service Awards

5 Years   

Jeffrey Lusk, Wildlife, 11-1-11   

Lindsey Chizinski, Fisheries, 11-1-11   

10 Years    

David Hewitt, Parks, 11-1-11   

Gerard Mahoney, Parks, 11-1-11   

Katherine Stacey, I&E, 11-13-11   

Kristi Strizek, Operations, 11-19-11   

25 Years   

Joan Allen, Parks, 11-1-11   

---

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Dec. 1 – December late firearm pronghorn antelope hunting season opens

Dec. 1 – Bobcat hunting and trapping season opens

Dec. 1-21 – Second segment of antlerless elk hunting season

Dec. 1-31 – Muzzleloader deer hunting season

Dec. 2-3 – Firearm hunter education class, Lindsay

Dec. 3 – 17th Annual Historical Christmas Dinner, Fort Robinson State Park (SP)

Dec. 3 – Bird banding workshop, Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium, Gretna

Dec. 5-6, 8, 12-13 – Firearm hunter education class, Wildcat Hills Nature Center

Dec. 5, 7, 12, 14 – Firearm hunter education class, Grand Island

Dec. 10 – Christmas at the Bowring, Bowring Ranch State Historical Park (SHP)

Dec. 14 – Ponca State Park Christmas Bird Count

Dec. 16 – Snipe hunting season closes

Dec. 16-19 – Christmas at the Cody’s, Buffalo Bill Ranch SHP

Dec. 18 – First segment of duck hunting season closes in Low Plains Early Unit

Dec. 18 – First segment of white-fronted goose hunting season closes

Dec. 21-23 – Firearm hunter education class, North Platte

Dec. 22 – Bighorn sheep hunting season closes

Dec. 23-24 – Second segment of duck hunting season in Low Plains Early Unit

Dec. 27-29 – Firearm hunter education class, Red Cloud

Dec. 31 – Archery hunting seasons close for pronghorn antelope and deer

Dec. 31 – Mule Deer Conservation Area hunting season closes

Dec. 31 – Boyd Unit elk hunting season closes

Dec. 31 – Fall turkey hunting season closes

INSIDER – August /September

---

Game and Parks Hosts Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Annual Meeting

Game and Parks hosted the 101^st annual meeting of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) in Omaha Sept. 11-14. Approximately 600 participants from more than 30 states, as well as Canada, attended the meeting, which featured a variety of special sessions and workshops, networking, a director’s retreat and social events.

The meeting was held at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Omaha, with additional activities scheduled at Platte River State Park and other nearby locations. Commission staff members from every division helped orchestrate the event, and from all indications, the meeting participants enjoyed the activities and their visit to Nebraska. Positive comments, thank you notes and kudos for a job well done were abundant following the event.

“Great fun visiting your state. I must say the “Welcome to Nebraska” party was the best in the 101 year history of the meeting. I loved the archery skeet, and the “green screen” photos of playing cowboy on the back of a fish and chicken were super. I sent it out to all my friends. Plus you never ran out of food, how good is that! Congratulations on hosting a SUPER event. Have a great fall, best afield,” wrote Doug Grann, president and CEO of Wildlife Forever.

At their business meeting on the event’s last day, AFWA members passed – by standing ovation – a resolution congratulating and thanking the Commission for its good work in hosting the event.

“In addition to this resolution, we have received many e-mails and telephone calls congratulating and thanking the Commission for hosting an outstanding conference. It was a great privilege and honor for us to host this important meeting. …it was truly a team effort by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission staff,” said Rex Amack.

The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies represents North America’s fish and wildlife agencies to advance sound, science-based management and conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats in the public interest. View More Photos

---

PARKS

Lake Mac Fullfills “Make a Wish” Dream

Instead of Disneyland or Sea World, little Liviana Price went to the beach for her Make A Wish trip. Her parents, Brad and Amy Price of Omaha, chose Lake McConaughy because they know how much their daughter loves the sand there.

“She really likes the beach and the sand,” Amy Price said “It makes her smile.”

Amy said when the Make A Wish Foundation asked to grant Liviana’s “wish,” Amy researched beaches close to Omaha. When searching the computer for “lakes in Nebraska,” the Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area came up and Liviana’s mother realized it would be the perfect spot for Liviana’s trip.

“We had no desire to take her to Disneyland or something similar. She can’t enjoy those places since she can’t even ride the rides. We knew we would not put her on a plane and make her endure a flight to see the beach either, ” Amy said. Liviana has been diagnosed with metachromatic leukodystrophy, a fatal genetic disease. Liviana can no longer walk, sit , stand or speak. Her eyesight is fading, as is her hearing. Liviana is losing the white matter on her brain and her central nervous system is deteriorating. MLD eventually causes paralysis, blindness and seizures, and there is no cure. Liviana is now unable to talk and was recently fitted with a feeding tube.

The family arrived at the lake Aug. 11. “The kids were very excited and we told Liviana every single day she would be going to the beach. As expected, the first day at the water she just melted in my arms as the water hit her feet. She almost fell asleep right there hunched over on my arm,” Price recalls.

Burdette Cooley of Lemoyne, with his son, Jeff, helped organize the family’s stay. The Make A Wish Foundation contacted Jeff Cooley, who volunteered his home to the family for the week. Nebraska Game and Parks officials helped out by providing seclusion for the family by roping off an area of beach for the family’s privacy and donations of the use of a tent and personal watercraft from local businesses, for one week. The family, mom, dad, 3 year-old Liviana, Aria, now 6, Miles, 4, and Giovanni, born in 2010 played on the beach and swam. The family also went on a boat ride and made s’mores.

While Liviana is losing her abilities to do many things, her parents said they know she enjoyed the sand on the shores of Lake McConaughy and being surrounded by her sister, brothers and parents.

Two of Liviana’s siblings are carriers of the gene but not afflicted. The couple’s youngest, Giovanni has also has been diagnosed with MLD.

Although the disease and its affect on their child and their family is always close in mind, for one week, the Prices simply enjoyed the pleasures of being with family on the sandy beaches at Lake Mac.

To read more about Liviana’s condition and the Prices journey, visit Amy’s blog(http://livianasjourney.blogspot.com/)

---

EDUCATION & OUTREACH

A few of the visiting students mug for the camera with their instructors.

International Students From the Republic of Georgia Visit Heritage Park Complex

View More Photos |
Visiting students from the Republic of Georgia were invited to participate in the great outdoors at Platte River State Parks’ Heritage Park Complex on August 4th. Patrick Cole, Game and Parks budget and fiscal division administrator, arranged the adventure with his friend Dr. Del Harnish, Fulbright Scholar with the University of Nebraska.

The 16 students (ages 13 – 21 years-old), were this year’s participants in an ongoing effort by members of Lincoln’s education community to host Georgian youth, especially students from families that have been displaced as a result of political and military conflict. In the early 1990s, nearly 230,000 people who were ethnically Georgian were driven from the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia after those regions sought independence from Georgia. Many Georgian families now have lived as internally displaced people for 20 years and struggle to make good lives for themselves. The students were here visiting the United States to learn about democratization and our democratic institutions especially those at the state and local level so they can have a conception/point of reference as they enter adulthood about what it means to be an active involved citizen in a democracy. During their visit they met with the Lt. Governor, the Mayor of Lincoln and other local dignitaries.

The outing to Platte River State Park was a highlight of their two week trip to Lincoln. Cole and Harnish took the students to the park to experience shooting .22 rifles, and to provide them with the opportunity to participate in archery and fishing. It was a unique “international relations’ experience for all including out outdoor skills instructors. For some of the students it was the first time they had shot a rifle, or bow and fished with a fishing pole or caught a fish. While a first-in-a-lifetime moment for a day, some no doubt returned to Georgia with desires to get involved in the sports. One of the youngest said he was anxious to buy a bow when he returned home.

Harnish, who teaches educators at the University of Nebraska, and the Georgian students were especially impressed with our facilities and the skill and professionalism each of our dedicated staff exhibited. The students were also impressed with the Lodge at the park and said, ” The buffalo burgers were outstanding.”

---

Waverly Man Wins Bighorn Sheep Lottery Permit

Tyson Ritz of Waverly is an avid deer hunter. Now he is about to become a bighorn sheep hunter.

Ritz, 28, won the bighorn sheep lottery permit on Aug. 30. Ritz’s entry was drawn during a meeting of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commissioners in McCook by Lt. Governor Rick Sheehy.

Ritz has focused his hunting on deer, but he has entered the bighorn lottery the past four years. He was “shocked” to learn he had won the bighorn permit. “I had no intention that I’d win this,” he said. “It’s pretty crazy. I understand it is real slim odds. I’ve already told a few people and they’re pretty jealous.”

The permit is valid for one bighorn during the season, Nov. 29-Dec. 22.

Ritz likely will be hunting bighorns from the Fort Robinson herd, located on public land at Fort Robinson State Park in northwest Nebraska. “That’s where we have the oldest sheep and the biggest rams,” said Kit Hams, Game and Parks’ big game program manager.

Each of 1,762 applicants paid $25 to enter the lottery. Revenue goes toward the state’s bighorn sheep management program.  To view some spectacular photos of bighorn sheep take a look at Todd Nordeen’s Panhandle Collection on the Game and Parks Flickr site.

---

The 7th Annual Missouri River Outdoor Expo at Ponca State Park Draws Record Setting Crowd

The 7th Annual Missouri River Outdoor Expo at Ponca State Park was held Sept. 16-19.  While participants missed the old river front location, the attendance was up from last year.  The venue for some of the activities had to be moved up from the river due to earlier flooding.  Change from two locations (the river front and primary park area) to one seemed to be well received overall.  The crowd response was overwhelmingly positive as they spent less time shuttling between locations and more time experiencing activities.

The objectives of this event are many, but focus primarily upon introducing or reacquainting participants with those services or programs sponsored by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and other outdoors partners.  Fostering the legacy and heritage associated with hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation traditions, which have influenced generations of Nebraskans is also an important objective.   More than 42,000 participants drove or walked through the gates on the public days compared to 22,000 last year, and those numbers represent the second best attendance since 2009 when a recorded 45,000 people attended the event.

On September 16th the park hosted an invitational school event with more than 750 (compared to last years 635)  fifth graders from 12 area schools. Weather was nearly perfect for this event with temperatures at a low of 70 degrees and light winds.  Students could choose between 35 different hands-on environmental and outdoor education programs.

NGPC staff from all divisions and more than 900 volunteers contributed their talents and time serving as everything from shuttle guides and drivers to archery, shotgun, fishing, and kayaking instructors. The event also had more than 89 vendors in addition to 18 food vendors and seven  farmer’s market and handcrafted item vendors.

With more than  70 hands on activities available to choose from, the most popular feature for this year’s event included Matt Stutzman armless archer who set a Guinness record with his unique style of archery.  The Wild Game Cook off was a favorite of Expo attendees as well.  Public participation in tasting and voting was a big hit.

Archery shooter Frank Addington Jr. known as the “Aspirin Buster” did five shows throughout the weekend.  Other popular new activities for this year’s event included, bow fishing, rock climbing wall, deer processing, and wild game cooking.

---

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Side Sonar Training Lab Held at Wildwood Lake

On Aug. 27 law enforcement hosted a side sonar training “lab” at Wildwood Lake in Lancaster County.  The training included more than 30 people from  law enforcement officers and rescue personnel primarily from the Lancaster County area, however, Officers and other rescue personnel from the northeast portion of the state also attended for this specialized training.

Conservation officers  and Park employees from Game and Parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and rescue personnel from Lincoln Fire, Raymond Fire, Malcolm Fire and Cedar County EMS attended the informational session. Side Sonar is a relatively new technology being used for search and rescue and body recovery efforts during boating accidents, drownings and missing persons situations.  Lancaster County Emergency Management Service has recently purchased two portable side scan sonar units to be used by the Game and Parks Law Enforcement Division and  Lincoln Fire and Rescue.  These units represent an unfamiliar technology to many of the personnel that will be using them. Learning the technology is critical to these teams.  The Side Sonar units have proven to be very effective in the past during search efforts. Getting the opportunity for hands-on training with them is important in order to learn what to look for, the best settings to be used on the equipment, where they need to be placed on a search boat and other details.  In addition, Bob Walla, a representative with Hummingbird (maker of the side sonar units), was on hand to assist in training with the new units, trouble shooting solutions, and demonstration of the units to all that requested it.

After a short demonstration of the unit and its different utilization modes, a  live training enactment took place.  Raymond Fire dive team  had divers submerge and  lay on the bottom of the lake, allowing the personnel using the side sonar units from boats above to get actual “footage” of what they were viewing/graphing.  Two life-size mannequins were submerged in different locations around the lake to also provide opportunities for the teams to get practice situations.  The overall response to the training was very receptive and well received and all agreed the actual hands on training was necessary to feel comfortable with the new technology available to us and proved to be very beneficial.   View More Photos

---

FISHERIES

Casting for Recovery Retreat Held in Valentine

---

Fisheries hosted a Casting for Recovery  retreat  Sept 16-18 at the Prairie Club Golf Course and Snake River Falls.  Casting for Recovery is a national organization that serves women who have or have had breast cancer.  This was the first year that a retreat was held in Nebraska.  A group of 14 women were selected to attend the  free weekend in Valentine.  During the retreat, the women learned about fly fishing gear, fly fishing equipment, how to tie knots, how to cast, how to fly fish and at the end of the weekend all had the opportunity to go fishing with a fly fishing mentor.  A big part of the retreat is fly fishing but a larger focus is on physical and emotional recovery.  There are also sessions focusing on medicals issues and emotional issues, which are led by medical professionals.

The idea for the program came from an oncologist and a fly fisherman who realized women struggling with cancer need support and that the action of casting a fly was good physical therapy.  Game and Parks staff member Andrea Faas helped with the event.  “I was asked to be one of the staff that works with the women all weekend and helps prepare them for fly fishing, but I also learned so much about breast cancer the disease, treatment and challenges that persist after treatment,”  Faas said.  Many volunteer fly fishers came out to the Snake River to assist the women in their fly fishing and several caught trout.

People can learn more about the program by going to www.castingforrecovery.org |  View More Photos

---

Fisheries Section Meetings

The Fisheries Management and Research Section held annual meeting at the Calamus Fish Hatchery to discuss their programs, projects and activities and make plans for the upcoming year and beyond.  Topics addressed at the Management Section meeting included agency restructuring, the Aquatic Invasive Species Program, the Aquatic Habitat Program, the status of electrofishing boats, the Open Fields and Water and PATH programs, fish stocking issues, creel surveys, budget issues, the 2011 flood, sampling channel catfish populations with hoop nets, and the Fish Community Assessment manual.

At the Research Section meeting, agency staff discussed work being done on the Platte, Niobrara River, and Missouri rivers, other rivers and streams, irrigation reservoirs, on Plains topminnows, and on fisheries databases.  University professors discussed research being conducted on Sandhill Lakes (South Dakota State University), I-80 lakes (UNK), and creel surveys and walleye and white bass recruitment (UNL).
At the Management Section meeting, Director Amack, Deputy Director Douglas, and Commissioners Berggren and Jensen enjoyed some white bass fishing with Fisheries Division staff after hours.

---

Speakers at the dedication, (left to right) Stan Staab, General Manager, LENRD; Brian Dunnigan, NDNR; U.S. Senator Ben Nelson; Ken Berney, Assistant General Manager, LENRD; Frank Albrecht, Assistant Division Administrator, Environmental Services, NGPC; Rod Zessin, Chairman, LENRD.

Five Decade Project Showcased – Maple Creek Recreation Area

Steve Satra (Fisheries), Jeff Schuckman (Fisheries), Frank Albrecht (Environmental Services),  Dan Sutherland (Parks) and several conservation officers (Tom Zimmer, Steve Oberg and Tim Williams) assisted in the grand opening of the Maple Creek Recreation Area (Leigh Dam).   The newly created 154-acre reservoir is located ¼ mile west of Leigh in Colfax County, Nebraska.

The Leigh Dam recreation area and reservoir will provide the citizens of northeast Nebraska with an excellent facility to enjoy activities such as motor boating, fishing, hiking, wildlife watching, and the many other types of recreation. Motorboat Access Funds were used to help develop the reservoir.  The project will provide flood protection down the West Form of Maple Creek , as well as upland and wetland wildlife habitat.

Leigh Dam Reservoir.

Lower Elkhorn NRD funded 45 percent of the project’s cost, with 55 percent coming from Nebraska Resources Development Fund — not including $500,000 from the state’s Motor Boat Access Fund and $176,000 from the Nebraska Department of Roads.

Approximately $900,000 worth of work and materials have gone into creating fishery habitat and top of the line access for fishermen.  These funds are part of the Sport Fish Restoration Fund Program. This project was built with cooperation between the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resource District, http://www.lenrd.org/and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.  The receation area will be owned and operated by the Lower Elkhorn NRD, and Game and Parks helped with the funding and design of the reservoir and fishery and worked toward the incorporation of many features that will result in better water quality, better habitat conditions and ultimately better fishing for a longer period of time. Campgrounds include 50 recreational vehicle pads with electrical hook-ups, water hydrants, restrooms, an area for tent camping, playground and a shower house.

---

A captured bird is gently banded by a Game and Parks staff member.

Bird Banding Scheduled for Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium

The Ak-Sar-Ben Aquariumwill host free bird-banding workshops Oct. 8, Nov. 5 and Dec. 3.  Rick Schmid and Betty Grenon of the Fontenelle Nature Association will capture and release many of the state’s songbirds. Participants will learn details about the birds, including field identification and migration patterns.

The workshops are from 9-11 a.m. The aquarium is located in Schramm Park State Recreation Area south of Gretna on Nebraska Highway 31. For more information, call the aquarium at 402-332-3901.

---

Game and Parks Offers Special Youth Hunts at Five WMAs

Special youth pheasant hunts are scheduled for five wildlife management areas (WMA) in October.

The intent of the special hunts is to increase youth participation in upland game hunting through increased success. Rooster pheasants will be released at all designated special hunt sites before the youth season.

Special regulations will be in effect for the hunts on Pressey (Custer County), Sherman Reservoir (Sherman County), Oak Valley (Madison County), Branched Oak (Lancaster County) and Twin Oaks (Johnson County) WMAs during the Oct. 22-23 statewide youth pheasant, quail and partridge season.

Special hunt regulations, which will be posted at each site and apply to all portions of the designated areas normally open to public hunting, include:

— allowing adult mentors accompanying youth hunters to harvest one rooster pheasant per day.
— limiting adult mentors to one per youth.

Youths may harvest two roosters per day. All other current youth and regular hunting regulations will be in effect on these designated areas. The five WMAs are the only locations where adults will be allowed to harvest pheasants during the youth season.    The special hunts are open to the public, and the number of participants is not limited. There is no registration required, but participants are asked to provide harvest information to Game and Parks staff on site after their hunt. Youth and mentor harvest, as well as satisfaction with the event, will be assessed using the collected data.

---

2011 Master Instructor group – 4-H camp meeting at Halsey

---

To date Game and Parks’ hunter education program has orchestrated 215 total events.

Instructors have trained 3,288 students, 91 apprentice instructors.

Of those instructors trained in the past year, 28 have gone on to be certified .

Bow – 63 events have certified 762 students. These events were offered by 175 volunteer instructors who have donated 1,843 hours valued at $38,703. There have been 50 classes, 13 field days. 44 of the 63 events have offered live fire.

Firearm – 152 total events have certified 2526 students. These events were offered by 443 volunteer instructors who have donated 5,189 hours valued at $108,969. There have been 135 classes, 17 field days. 56 of the 152 events have offered live fire.

---

PERSONNEL

AUGUST  2011 SERVICE AWARDS

5 YEARS

Carly Salak, Personnel, 8-6-11

10 YEARS

Nikolaus Johanson, Parks, 8-31-11

25 YEARS

James Swenson, Parks, 8-16-11

40 YEARS

Alette Hain, Information & Education, 8-4-11

SEPTEMBER 2011 SERVICE AWARDS

10 YEARS

Donna Robinson, Information & Education, 9-4-11

Dale Davis, Law Enforcement, 9-22-11

Virlyn Bolte, Engineering, 9-24-11

20 YEARS

Brett Brunken, Fisheries, 9-16-11
JoAnn Goeglein, Parks, 9-24-11

---

Bill Oligmueller Lake McConaughy’s new park superintendent

Congratulations to Bill Oligmueller for his new role as Lake McConaughy’s new park superintendent.  Bill started with the Game and Parks as a seasonal employee at Ponca State Park. Bill has worked as a park superintendent at Mahoney State Park for the past 10 years.

Bill will begin his new position at Lake McConaughy on October 1st.

---

Ted Blume (right) with Director Rex Amack.

Blume to Retire from Game and Parks

Ted Blume, 63, administrator of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s law enforcement division the past 12 years, is retiring.
Blume, a 39-year veteran of the agency, will retire Oct. 14. He started at Game and Parks as a conservation officer in 1973.
“Ted has had a distinguished career at Game and Parks,” agency Director Rex Amack said. “He was highly respected for his fairness and adherence to facts.”
Craig Stover, law enforcement assistant administrator, will assume the interim administrator position effective Oct. 15.  The commissioners will be meeting on Oct. 27 at Fort Robinson SP, and will discuss future plans for the vacancy he leaves.

Blume was at the helm during budgets cuts that left many conservation officer’s vacant positions unfilled, and saw the department’s roles change to include more education and community outreach .  The recent constroversial decision to repeal the ban on alcohol in the parks also occurred on his watch.  But the reasons he cites for his decision to retire include some “family health issues” and a desire to spend more time hunting and fishing in those places he was tasked with overseeing for the span of nearly four decades.

---

Allen and Ziebarth Recognized at Commissioner’s Meeting

Commissioner Lynn Berggren presents a Certificate of Achievement to Bob Allen of Broken Bow. Mr. Allen received this award in recognition of many years of habitat work in the Broken Bow area and involvement with the One Box Pheasant Hunt.

Commissioner Jerrod Burke presents a recognition in honor of Wayne Ziebarth’s 90th Birthday. Ziebarth is a former Nebraska State Senator and past Commissioner of the NGPC. Burke is shown presenting the award to Wayne’s son, former Commissioner James Ziebarth.

---

October Outdoor Calendar

Oct. 1 – October Antlerless deer hunting season opens
Oct. 1 – Crow hunting season opens
Oct. 1 – Firearm hunter education field day, Gering
Oct. 1-2 – Living History Weekend, Fort Atkinson State Historical Park (SHP)
Oct. 1-2 – Youth waterfowl hunting season
Oct. 1-2 – Heritage Farm Weekend, Ponca State Park (SP)
Oct. 1-2 – Autumn Harvest Art Show, Eugene T. Mahoney SP
Oct. 1-2 – Firearm hunter education class, Beatrice
Oct. 1-2 – Firearm hunter education class, Lincoln
Oct. 1-2 – Firearm hunter education class, Bassett
Oct. 1-2 – Firearm hunter education class, Crofton
Oct. 1-2 – Firearm hunter education class, Thedford
Oct. 1, 4, 6, 8 – Firearm hunter education class, Clay Center
Oct. 1-31 – Paddlefish snagging season
Oct. 2 – Muzzleloader pronghorn antelope hunting season closes
Oct. 2 – Firearm hunter education field day, Ogallala
Oct. 2 – Living History, Arbor Lodge SHP
Oct. 3 – Haunted Hollow, hayrack ride tickets available, Indian Cave SP
Oct. 3-5, 10-11 – Firearm hunter education class, Wynot
Oct. 3-4, 6, 10-11 – Firearm hunter education class, Scottsbluff
Oct. 3, 6, 8 – Firearm hunter education class, Sargent
Oct. 4, 6, 11, 13 – Firearm hunter education class, North Loup
Oct. 8 – Hallowfest, hayrack rides, Halloween campground decorating contest, Ponca SP
Oct. 8 – Haunted Hollow, hayrack rides, Halloween campground decorating contest, Indian Cave SP
Oct. 8 – Bird-banding workshop, Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium
Oct. 8 – Firearm pronghorn antelope hunting season opens
Oct. 8 – October late firearm pronghorn antelope hunting season opens
Oct. 8 – Light goose hunting season opens (first segment)
Oct. 8 – White-fronted goose hunting season opens (first segment)
Oct. 8 – Duck and coot hunting seasons open in Low Plains Early unit (first segment)
Oct. 8 – Duck and coot hunting seasons open in High Plains unit
Oct. 8 – Dark goose hunting season opens in North Central unit
Oct. 8-9 – Firearm hunter education class, North Bend
Oct. 8-16, Oct. 22-Jan. 25 – Dark goose hunting season in East unit
Oct. 9 – Living History, Arbor Lodge SHP
Oct. 9, 16, 23 – Firearm hunter education class, Columbus
Oct. 10 – Columbus Day, all Game and Parks offices closed
Oct. 10, 13, 17 – Firearm hunter education class, Randolph
Oct. 11, 13, 18, 20 – Firearm hunter education class, Battle Creek
Oct. 12-14 – Firearm hunter education class, Litchfield
Oct. 12-13, 18, 20 – Firearm hunter education class, Lincoln
Oct. 14 – Hayrack rides, Indian Cave SP
Oct. 15 – Hallowfest, hayrack rides, Halloween campground decorating contest, Ponca SP
Oct. 15 – Haunted Hollow, hayrack rides, Halloween campground decorating contest, Indian Cave SP
Oct. 15 – Muzzleloader Sight-in and Family Rendezvous, Outdoor Heritage Education Complex, Platte River SP
Oct. 15 – Becoming an Outdoors-Family Backyard Camping, Pioneers Park Nature Center, Lincoln
Oct. 15-16 – Firearm hunter education class, Hastings
Oct. 15-16 – Living History Weekend, Fort Hartsuff SHP
Oct. 15-16, Oct. 22-Jan. 1 – Duck and coot hunting seasons in Low Plains Late unit
Oct. 16 – Living History, Arbor Lodge SHP
Oct. 17-18, 20 – Firearm hunter education class, Kearney
Oct. 17-18, 20 – Firearm hunter education class, Central City
Oct. 17-18, 20, 22 – Firearm hunter education class, Minden
Oct. 18-20 – Firearm hunter education class, Bennett
Oct. 21-23 – Holiday Craft Show, Eugene T. Mahoney SP
Oct. 21 – Hayrack rides, Indian Cave SP
Oct. 22 – Haunted Hollow, hayrack rides, Halloween campground decorating contest, Indian Cave SP
Oct. 22-23 – Youth pheasant, quail and partridge hunting seasons
Oct. 23 – Firearm pronghorn antelope hunting season closes
Oct. 23 – Bull elk hunting season closes
Oct. 23 – Antlerless elk hunting season closes (first segment)
Oct. 24 – Dark goose hunting season opens in Platte River and Niobrara units
Oct. 24, 27, 28-29 – Firearm hunter education class, Norfolk
Oct. 27 – Nebraska Game and Parks Commissioners meeting, Fort Robinson SP
Oct. 29 – Pheasant, quail and partridge hunting seasons open
Oct. 29 – Fall Festival, Wildcat Hills Nature Center
Oct. 30 – Dove hunting season closes
Oct. 31 – Eurasian collared-dove hunting season opens
Oct. 31 – Hunt-only raccoon and Virginia opossum seasons close

Game and Parks Insider

Iron Horse Trail Lake Celebrates Grand Re-Opening

  

 [ Renovation Photo Gallery ]
The Nemaha Natural Resources District (NRRD) celebrated the grand re-opening of Iron Horse Trail Lake on June 25. Deputy Director Jim Douglas represented the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, which was a partner in the $2.2 million lake restoration project.          

The Nemaha NRD conducted a tour of the site for project partners, which also included the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and the Nebraska Environmental Trust. Cub Scouts served a lunch and NRD staff led a nature hike. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was preceded by a program in which partner representatives and state Sen. Lavon Heidemann briefly spoke about the project.          

 Iron Horse Trail Lake, opened in 1985, is located a half-mile north and 2 miles west of DuBois in Pawnee County. The recreation area is 360 acres and the lake is 85 acres.          

Lake renovations began in 2009 with tree clearing, sediment removal and construction of sediment traps. Many jetties and small grade-control structures were built to control water coming into the lake and prevent shoreline erosion. Some jetties and angler access spots were built to provide better fishing access from the shore. Game and Parks earlier this year stocked the lake with walleye, bluegill and largemouth bass, although catchable size on those fish won’t be reached for two years. The lake, when it refills, will offer no-wake boating and an excellent setting for canoes and kayaks.          

Other improvements include the addition of 11 electrical RV camping pads, a boat mooring island near the beach, a new primitive tent and RV camping area, handicapped-accessible fishing pier, trails connecting various areas around the lake, and an improved beach with weed-control barrier.             

---

   

 NEBRASKAland Wins Three Awards

NEBRASKAland Magazine received three awards in July at the annual Association for Conservation Information (ACI) conference in Cincinnati.          

NEBRASKAland regional editor Eric Fowler won first place in the Magazine Fisheries Article competition with “Nebraska’s Paddlefish: Prehistoric Species Persisting in Missouri River.” Fowler also took third place in the Magazine Wildlife Article competition with “Return to the Plains: Elk Comeback Not Yet Finished.”          

   Bob Grier, the magazine’s recently retired regional editor for western Nebraska, also won a first place in the general-interest magazine article category for his “Grassland Color” piece that appeared last year in the magazine.          

ACI is a nonprofit association of information and education professionals representing state, federal and Canadian agencies and private conservation organizations. It was organized in 1938 and its members play a major role in providing natural resource, environmental, wildlife and other information and education to the public through a variety of means.   Scott Bonertz , Game and Parks Public Information Manager, was also elected to a three-year term on the ACI’s board of directors.   

          

---

   

FISHERIES

Sixth Annual Carp-O-Rama A Success!

[View the Photo Gallery ] At 6:30 the morning of Carp-O-Rama, we considered cancelling due to the heavy rain the night before and heavy rain in the forecast.  As we considered our options, a young boy came up from the lake carrying a large carp that he had just caught. He and his family had arrived before light, and had started fishing in the rain. Canceling was clearly not an option.          

Despite heavy rains the night before and a forecast that called for rain all morning Carp-O-Rama 2011 drew more than 700 people at Pawnee Lake State Recreation Area.  By 8 a.m. the crowds started to show up and the sky began to clear. During the next five hours we cooked more than 100 pounds of fish, cleaned dozens of carp, served plates full of fish, gallons of coleslaw and a delicious Dutch oven desert, distributed countless cans of corn and lots of dough bait, loaned out dozens of fishing rods, printed hundreds of bandanas with carp images, told fish stories (some true), and gave away more than 65 fishing rods to future anglers.       

<< Here’s a helpful video on “How to Clean and Score Carp” -  Click on the image to the left to go to NGPC’s  YouTube channel – if you haven’t subscribed yet sign up to be notified about all the latest videos posted.      

   

---

PARKS

  

7th Annual MISSOURI RIVER OUTDOOR EXPO - Ponca State Park
Sept. 17-18, 2011 – Sat. & Sun. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Start planning now for the “can’t miss” event of the summer where lovers of the great outdoors come together to enjoy some serious outdoor recreation. Get a grip on some of the hands-on opportunities in outdoor skills, ethics, safety, respect and stewardship of our natural resources. Explore area outdoor products, art, organizations and more.  

Watch Inspirational Archer Matt Stutzman and Many More Exhibitions   

Matt Stutzsman is a talented individual whose attitude should be an inspiration to all. Stutzsman was born without arms. And despite all the challenges, he managed to adapt and do everything on his own using his legs and feet. Stutzman recently qualified from the U.S. Olympic team in archery.  

Matt will perform three shows a day at the Expo and also attempt to break a Guinness Book of World Records for the  most accurate and longest range archery shot attempting to shoot a balloon at over 220 yards on Sat., Sept. 17. See more about about Matt at his website inspirationalarcher.com  

Don’t miss out on all the activities, read more >> on the web site.  

For more information about the Expo, contact: Andrea Johansen – Missouri River Outdoor Expo Coordinator andrea.johansen@nebraska.gov  

---

  

“Stay and Play”  Deal Offers Some Time on the Greens and a Quiet Getaway in the Comfort of a Mini-Lodge

Why not plan a get together for family or friends and enjoy a two-night golf getaway at beautiful Ponca State Park.  Stay in one of the  new mini-lodges with four bedrooms, fully-equipped kitchens, a large great room and dining areas. Enjoy unlimited golf both days of your stay at the beautiful Highland Oaks Golf Course adjacent to the park.  

Packages are available for a couple or up to four couples sharing one mini-lodge. Prices include lodging, green fees & cart and unlimited golf & driving range use for two days. For more information on Highland Oaks Golf Course go to highlandoaksgolf.com or call 402-755-4222 to schedule tee times.  

Couples Stay & Play Golf Package available from Aug. 22 – Oct. 28 from Sunday-Thursday nights.  For more information on pricing and other details visit the web page   |  For more information on the park visit the park page |  View the Mini-Lodges Photo Gallery  | View Ponca YouTube Video |  

---

Bowring Ranch’s Sod House Sunday Events

  

The original plans for “Sod House Sunday” at Bowring Ranch called for the events to unfold on June 26.  But intermittent rain kept the attendees scurrying for cover.  Major storms had rolled in the day before and continued throughout the night.   The afternoon events and activities had to be canceled and rescheduled for Sunday, July 10.  Regardless of the weather conditions and rescheduled time slot, 60 people arrived for the Praise and Worship sing-along in the morning.    

The concession stand vendors arrived early with their food prepared and ready to share as well.  At lunch time on Saturday the power went out.  Candles were gathered up and kerosene lamps placed on tables at the Visitor Center. The remaining guests purchased their lunch at the concession stand and came back to the Visitor Center to dine by candle light.    

Later in the afternoon, with the power still out, musicians began to arrive with acoustic instruments to perform for the guests.  Fourteen musicians entertained until the sun went down.               

 The rescheduled “Sod House Sunday” took place on July 10. Once again staff prepared the grounds, reset picnic tables with umbrellas for shade; prepared the concession stand, put up awnings for the silent auction items and sprayed for bugs.    

The cattle were rounded up early in the morning and herded into the arena mid morning.   The recently re-roofed shelter with a new floor was a huge success.  The all-day concession stand was besieged by hungry cowboys and cowgirls.  By 12:30 p.m. the Bowring Ranch had enough contestants to form 16 teams for the Team Penning event.   The festivities for the rest of the events went on without a hitch and the Bowring Ranch had one more successful “Sod House Sunday.”  

---

Fort Robinson Activities Start with “Riding the Ridge” 

Summer activities at Fort Robinson began July 2, with more than 100 riders making the trek through Fort Robinson State Park during the annual “Ride the Ridge.”   Riders traversed the old Sidney to Deadwood Trail starting at Belmont, located 13 miles from Fort Robinson. The second stage of the ride started July 3, with riders leaving the Fort and heading into nearby Crawford.  Among the many riders were also teams of horses.      

Always willing to be part of the community, Fort Robinson wranglers, teamsters and staff participated in the Fourth of July parade held in Crawford.       

Following the parade Fort Robinson played host to more than 280 guests at the annual Fourth of July BBQ held on the west lawn of the lodge. Overall the staff at Fort Robinson served 1,000 meals to their guests on the holiday.  Attendance at the annual Western Art Show was one of the largest crowds yet for this holiday.      

Also showing off their talents at one of the Sunday night rodeos was a horse group from Cheyenne, Wyoming, named “The Trotters”. This group of talented ladies and one gentleman visit Fort Robinson every year and enjoy displaying their expertise for the guests at Fort Robinson.       

 Fort Robinson was also the stage for young “Vaulters” who had attended the America Vaulting Association’s Vaulter’s Camp at Fort Robinson.  Equestrian vaulting, also known as Voltig, is most often described as gymnastics and dance on horseback.    Enrolled Students spent six hours in daily instruction on both the vaulting barrel and the horse in addition to individual practice time. Considerable “in the saddle” time combined with dance, performance, horsemanship, fitness and conditioning classes gave  all levels of vaulters an entertaining and educational intensive week of training.  

Park attendees made good use of the pool, spent their time on biking and hiking trails, horseback riding, making crafts, watching the rodeo, taking hayrides, and filling up on the chuck wagon dinner for a complete, authentic Western experience, provided by Fort Robinson.  

---

 WILDLIFE

Alvo Man Wins Nebraska Super Tag Lottery

Chris Rounds of Alvo was disappointed when he did not draw an elk permit this year. As it turns out, he will get to go elk hunting after all. He won the Nebraska Super Tag Lottery multi-species permit on Friday.  

The permit is valid for hunting in 2011 and 2012 and has a bag limit of one elk, one deer, one pronghorn antelope and two turkeys.  

“That’s awesome,” said Rounds, 44. “I never thought I’d win something like this. I didn’t draw an elk tag this year and I was kind of bummed out. Now I’ll get to go.”  

The permit allows Rounds to hunt with any legal weapon in any open hunting unit during the general hunting season for each species.  

“I’m going to take some of my hunting buddies,” Rounds said. “They’ll love to go along and help scout.”  

Rounds’ name was drawn at the July 29 meeting of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commissioners. Leo Benes of Firth, winner of last year’s inaugural Super Tag Lottery, drew Rounds’ name.  

Rounds was one of 2,081 applicants who paid $25 to enter the lottery, which is only available to Nebraska residents. Hunters who had drawn once-in-a-lifetime bull elk tags also were eligible.  

---

Legacy Education in Environmental Discovery

 LEED ( Legacy Education in Environmental Discovery), went off without a hitch, even with flooding, June 21-23 at Niobrara State Park.  There were 21 participants at the Environmental Education workshop held in the Bazille-Verdegris BUL, which was also offered for credit through Wayne State College. Participant diversity ranged from elementary teachers and high school agricultural, art, science, and business teachers to UNL extension and college students. All participants were certified in Project WILD, Growing Up WILD and The Leopold Education Project.   Richard Louv’s ‘Last Child in the Woods’ was used as a tool for discussion, knowledge and understanding.  Participants experienced first hand the beautiful educational resources right out their back door. They went birding, kayaking and hiking. They did a bird count, collected macro-invertebrates, experienced a piece of virgin prairie and much more. Feedback from the participants has been positive. There is much interest in doing this again.          

Many people gave a helping hand in this effort, private lands biologists, conservation 0fficers, coordinating wildlife biologists, botanists, Farm Bill biologists, educators, professors from our local state college and the hard working folks at Niobrara State Park.  It was definitely a group effort.  None of this could have happened if it were not for the National Wild Turkey Federation and their monetary support for Environmental Education in our state.      

  

 Nebraska also hosted the Upper Mississippi River and Great Lakes Region Joint Venture Management Board meeting  in Nebraska City.  This joint venture sponsors a variety of habitat projects and activities for the benefit of migratory birds throughout the upper Midwest.  Management Section staff constructed pheasant holding pens on six wildlife management areas this month.  Experimental pheasant releases will be conducted on these areas in order to improve youth hunting success.  Staff will monitor harvest of pheasants during the youth hunting season to determine which of two release methods are more successful.  Interested in more information on this topic?  Visit the Nebraska Focus on Pheasants web page. 

---

Five-Year Revision Plan Complete for Nebraska Natural Legacy Project

 Wildlife staff completed the five-year revision of the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project .  Originally published in 2005, the Legacy Project has been our blueprint for conserving Nebraska’s at-risk species and has been widely used by many conservation organizations across the state.  The new edition reflects comments from a wide range of professionals, organizations, and citizens that were contacted through public meetings, expert workshops, and other venues.  After final approval by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, both bound and electronic versions of the new edition will be available to interested staff and the public.       

Nebraska Legacy Project  newsletter is also now available on facebook, twitter, and online at http://bit.ly/CLHSpring2011  If you have a facebook account and would like to follow Nebraska Natural Legacy Project updates, login and search “Nebraska Natural Legacy Project” and click “Like.”  You can also find us on twitter as NENaturalLegacy   

---

     

Fourth Annual Rangeland Management Workshop – Public Encouraged to Attend

   

The Rangeland Management workshop will be held on Thursday, Aug. 18 at Pressey Wildlife Management Area (4 miles north and 1 mile west of Oconto).  The 2011 Rangeland Management Workshop is free of charge and includes a free catered lunch. The slate of events lined up for this year’s workshop includes:          

•  Patch Burning Program. Pressey Wildlife Management Area is one of the few places in central Nebraska where patch burning is being practiced. Following a prescribed fire this spring, GPS collars were fitted on two cows in the grazing herd. The information from these GPS collars will be unveiled during this workshop. During the workshop we will examine the movements made by these cows during the grazing season.
• Tree Removal Contractor Exposition. Come and see several area tree removal contractors demonstrating a variety of equipment at the workshop. This will give you a chance to observe the techniques, service and capacity of your projects next tree removal contractor.
• Range Management Presentations. We feel fortunate to have some great speakers lined up for this years workshop to discuss everything from latest range management research to conservation programs available for range project assistance.  
• Plant Identification. We will be identifying several plants at Pressey WMA and discussing their value to wildlife, grazing systems and biodiversity of the central loess hills area.

The 2011 Rangeland Management Workshop is a cooperative effort between the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project, Pheasants Forever, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Nebraska Environmental Trust, University of Nebraska, Natural Resources Conservation Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.          

The event is open to the public.  If you would like to attend the 2011 Rangeland Management Workshop, please register by calling/emailing Ben Wheeler  (phone 308-728-3244) Coordinating Wildlife Biologist or register online at NebraskaPF.com          

 Download the event flyer         

---

 EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

Tally on Hunter Education Programs

Hunter Education staff have been busy this summer.   Tallys indictate that they have held 133 total events for the program, have trained 2187 students, 66 apprentice instructors were trained 22 new instructors have gone on to be certified that were trained in 2010/2011.  

Bow – 29 events have certified 347 students. These events were offered by 74 volunteer instructors who have donated 856 hours valued at $17,976.  

There have been 26 classes, 3 field days. 18 of the 29 events have offered live fire.  

Firearm – 104 total events have certified 1840 students. These events were offered by 323 volunteer instructors who have donated 3941 hours valued at $82,761.  

There have been 95 classes, 9 field days. 26 of the 95 events have offered live fire.  

  

Beyond BOW Workshops

A series of muzzleloader workshops were held for women as part of the Beyond Becoming an Outdoors Woman effort where women receive advanced educational opportunities in specific areas.  The workshop, attended by seven women, helped students learn about various types of muzzleloaders including caplock, flintlock and in-line ignitions systems, firearms safety, and plenty of shooting opportunities to hone their newly learned skills.  The program was held at the new shooting facility at Platte River State Park.          

---

  

Cornhusker State Games Archery Entrant Numbers Double from Last Years

Archery is alive and well in Nebraska as evident by the 2011 Cornhusker State Games where over 200 archers from across Nebraska competed for state titles. Another interesting trend is the number of youth participating not only in the standard target competition but also the National Archery in the Schools Division held at the State Games each year which continues to double in participation over the last three years.   The archery competition has been held annually at the Lincoln Archery Range in Boosalis Park, developed under a partnership with the city of Lincoln.          

---

 Youth Outdoor Skills Camps

Game and Parks supported four Youth Outdoor Skills Camps reaching over 200 Nebraska youth providing education in hunting, fishing, shotgun, rifle, muzzleloader or archery shooting sports, wildlife ecology and more. The camps are partnerships with Nebraska 4H and local private camps around the state. The camps provide youth with quality hands-on instruction in efforts to increase student knowledge, skills and abilities in outdoor pursuits and safety.  For additional information on other opportunities like these visiti the Outdoor Discovery Program web page 

---

  Hunter Education Implements New Application to Streamline Processes

Recently the Hunter Education Program selected and implemented a new system application to better manage the program with an event manager web based tool.   The event manager will eventually include  all volunteer instructors  who will access this tool to advertise their events and allow students to find and register for classes in their areas with greater ease. This new program is designed to make the volunteer’s job easier, allow the public to have better  access to classes and Hunter Education resources, while increasing administrative efficiencies and money saving measures.     

Visit  huntsafenebraska.org  to view all the new features and sign up for classes, register to be notified by e-mail of newly listed classes, search for instructors in each county, view hunter requirements, link to the hunter education Facebook page and search for program graduates. Users also can download a duplicate certificate of completion, find a list of shooting ranges, download shooting targets, and find a list of training sessions, skills workshops and shooting opportunities. Recent graduates registered on the new system can use the new tool to download their certificates.  �  

---

NGPC VOLUNTEERS

Dedicated Hunter Education Instructors Honored

  

To honor their 30 years of service as Volunteer Hunter Education Instructors,  Heather Weihe of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission presented Rod Kolsrud and Merlin Rapp with awards at the Volunteer Hunter and Bowhunter Education Training held in Ogallala in June. Rod Kolsrud from Ogallala was certified to teach in the Program in 1980 and has taught Hunter Education for 31 years. Merlin Rapp from Paxton was certified in 1976 and has taught Hunter Education for 30 years.          

Visit  www.huntsafenebraska.org to get involved.    

---

Volunteers Pitch In for Lake McConaughy Clean Up

The second annual Lake McConaughy cleanup nearly doubled its number of volunteers Sat. July 9.  Water enthusiasts use the lake to camp, boat and swim, but sometimes forget to use the trash receptacles.          

Forty-five volunteers helped clear trash around campgrounds and beaches around the lake for the cleanup.  All had similar reasons for joining the effort.  Volunteer Russchelle Dehning said, “My main importance was for my children and just to get the kids to realize what picking up our earth is about and making sure they continue to keep things clean so we don’t have trash all over our community and the places we want to come and enjoy.”          

The crews filled four truckloads of trash Saturday at the clean-up.  Volunteers suggested visitors bring a trash bag while camping to avoid excess trash at campsites.  Sutton adds, “Nobody wants to go to a place where there’s trash everywhere and it’s dirty so to keep visitors up and people coming back, it’s got to stay clean.” � 

---

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Game and Parks Seeks Information on Vandalism

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is seeking information about vandalism at an Open Fields and Waters program site.  

An outhouse, fence and a fire ring belonging to the landowner enrolled in the walk-in hunting and fish access program recently were vandalized. The site is north of Unadilla in Otoe County.  

Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.   

“This area offers a wonderful fishing opportunity,” Game and Parks wildlife biologist Jeff Blaser said. “This vandalism does not reflect the respect the public has for the Open Fields and Waters sites in general. We are making every effort to find those who are responsible for the damage. Game and Parks is committed to working with landowners in providing public walk-in hunting and fishing access in Nebraska.”   

The Open Fields and Waters program, through contracts with landowners, opens private land to public hunting and fishing access in Nebraska.  

Anyone with information about the case can call Crimestoppers at 800-742-7627, conservation officer Russ Mort at 402-209-1506 or the Otoe County Sheriff’s Office at 402-873-9560.  

---

 PERSONELL

Agricultural Program Manager Position Filled

Eric Zach has been hired to fill the Agricultural Program Manager position, recently held by Tim McCoy. Eric will concentrate on monitoring the Farm Bill and associated programs that might impact wildlife resources in Nebraska. Eric comes from Nebraska Departmentof Revenue (DOR)where he was a biologist specializing in T&E consultations. Prior to this, Eric worked as a biologist at Grove Lake WMA and Meridian WMA. He served as a Farm Bill Biologist in Oshkosh, with Wildlife Services/APHIS in Lincoln and worked as a temporary on northeast Nebraska wildlife management areas.         

---

 Game and Parks Employee and Supervisor of the Year Announced

Carly Salak Employee of the Year          

“Carly has designed our office to be more people friendly as they walk into the Personnel Office with questions.  Carly is always up for a challenge in creating or updating forms and formulas for vital reports.  She trains co-workers with many computer issues, completing employment application on-line as those who call to learn how.  Carly volunteers in many ways including, but not limited to State Park Expos teaching children camping skills, Food drives and she serves as wellness coordinator for biometric screenings in our building.  Carly is an asset wherever she goes.” – Jana Cockerham.   �

---

Duane Arp Named Supervisor of the Year       “Duane has been the Law Enforcement Supervisor for southeast Nebraska for the past seven years.  Prior to that he served as a Conservation Officer in Douglas County.  Duane has never forgotten where he came from, and does an excellent job of leading by example.  He recently led an effort to recover a young drowning victim, getting the initial call on Sunday night (Mothers Day) and not recovering the victim until Friday around noon.  Duane was there every step of the way with his crew, not asking them to do any more than he would, and in some cases maybe not as much as he was doing.  He is an extremely positive supervisor with a glass that is always at least half full, which has a positive impact on the people who serve under him.  Duane is proud and does an outstanding job of representing the Game and Parks Commission and the State of Nebraska.”   - Mike Luben     �  

---

   August Outdoor Calendar

The following is a listing of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission events in August:          

Aug. 1 – Registration for Harvest Information Program begins          

Aug. 1 – Squirrel hunting season opens          

Aug. 1 – First day requests accepted for special grouse hunting permits          

Aug. 1, 2, 4, 6 – Bow hunter education class, Fremont          

Aug. 1, 3, 4 – Firearm hunter education class, Valentine          

Aug. 2 – Family Fishing Night, Bowling Lake, Lincoln          

Aug. 3 – Family Fishing Night, Walnut Creek Reservoir, Papillion          

Aug. 3-6 – Firearm hunter education class, Nelson          

Aug. 4-5 – Boating safety class, Hastings          

Aug. 5 – Final day for bighorn sheep permit applications          

Aug. 6 – Buffalo Cookout and Program, Niobrara State Park (SP)          

Aug. 6 – Boating safety class, Council Bluffs, Iowa          

Aug. 6 – Boating safety class, Waterloo          

Aug. 6 – Fishing clinic, Eugene T. Mahoney SP          

Aug. 6-7 – Living History, Fort Atkinson State Historical Park (SHP)          

Aug. 6-7 – Bow hunter education class, Alliance          

Aug. 8 – Fall turkey hunting permits available for sale          

Aug. 8-12 – Firearm hunter education class, North Platte          

Aug. 8, 9, 11 – Bow hunter education class, Kearney          

Aug. 8, 10, 15, 17 – Firearm hunter education class, Lindsay          

Aug. 9 – Family Fishing Night, Yanney Lake, Kearney          

Aug. 10 – Family Fishing Night, Interstate 80 Lake, North Platte          

Aug. 10-13 – Firearm hunter education class, Bayard          

Aug. 11 – Family Fishing Night, Mormon Island Lake No. 2, Grand Island          

Aug. 11-13 – Firearm hunter education class, Broken Bow          

Aug. 11-13 – Bow hunter education class, Central City          

Aug. 12-13 – Boating safety class, Fremont          

Aug. 13 – Shooting Sports Skill Day Camp, Ponca SP          

Aug. 13 – Boating safety class, Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area (SRA)          

Aug. 13 – Birds of the Wildcat Hills hike, Wildcat Hills Nature Center          

Aug. 13 – Raptors of the Wildcat Hills workshop, Wildcat Hills Nature Center          

Aug. 14, 17, 20-21 – Bow hunter education class, Lincoln          

Aug. 15 – Family Fishing Night, Holmes Lake, Lincoln          

Aug. 15 – Elk season opens in Boyd Unit          

Aug. 15 – Bullfrog season opens          

Aug. 16 – Family Fishing Night, Halleck Park Lake, Papillion          

Aug. 17, 24, 31 – Firearm hunter education class, Omaha          

Aug. 19 – Stargazing party, Eugene T. Mahoney SP          

Aug. 20 – Archery pronghorn antelope season begins          

Aug. 20-21 – Bow hunter education class, Sidney          

Aug. 22, 25, 27, 29 – Firearm hunter education class, Oshkosh          

Aug. 22, 23, 25, 27, 29 – Bow hunter education class, Pender          

Aug. 23, 25, 27 – Firearm hunter education class, Atkinson          

Aug. 23, 25, 30, Sept. 1, 3 – Bow hunter education class, Elba          

Aug. 23, 25, 30, Sept. 1, 3 – Firearm hunter education class, Elba          

Aug. 24-26 – Firearm hunter education class, O’Neill          

Aug. 26-27 – Boating safety class, Scottsbluff          

Aug. 26-27 – Bow hunter education class, Ponca          

Aug. 26-27 – Firearm hunter education class, Auburn          

Aug. 27-28 – Midwest Catfish Classic, Calamus SRA          

Aug. 27-28 – Bow hunter education class, Imperial          

Aug. 27, Sept. 3-4 – Firearm hunter education class, Craig          

Aug. 30 – Nebraska Game and Parks Board of Commissioners meeting, McCook          

Aug. 30 – Bighorn sheep lottery permit draw          

For more information, visit the OutdoorNebraska.org calendar at http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/calendar/calendar.asp. For the most up-to-date schedule of hunter education classes and to receive e-mail notifications, visit HuntSafeNebraska.org.