NGPC News

LINCOLN, Neb. – Guests to Schramm Education Center will soon have the opportunity to attend the Schramm Sunday Speaker Series, a monthly program featuring experts on the natural and cultural history of Nebraska. The series is free and open to the public, and is designed to encourage lifelong learning for all ages and to promote conversations that facilitate scientific literacy. The spring schedule is: — Birding by Ear, Jan. 19: Jason St. Sauver, director of education and outreach at Audubon …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Hazardous weather conditions forced the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to alter slightly its Thanksgiving pheasant release schedule. Rooster pheasants were released in time for Thanksgiving, Nov. 28, at 13 wildlife management areas (WMAs). Pheasants were not released at Pressey WMA in Custer County. Instead, those birds were redistributed to remaining release sites. Pheasants were released at: Powder Creek, (Dixon County), Oak Valley (Madison County), Wilkinson (Platte County), George Syas (Nance County), Sherman Reservoir (Sherman County), Cornhusker …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Make a difference on Giving Tuesday, Dec. 3, by supporting Hunters Helping the Hungry and the Wildlife Conservation Fund. These two Nebraska Game and Parks projects focus on helping Nebraska’s most vulnerable and are not-for-profit. Hunters Helping the Hungry is a program that allows hunters to donate whole field-dressed deer at participating processors to be distributed by charitable organizations and food pantries statewide. Over 650,000 meals have been distributed to those in need since the program began …

LINCOLN, Neb. – A woman was severely injured in an incident with a mule deer buck on a farm near Guide Rock on Tuesday, Nov. 19. The woman was doing chores alone when she apparently was attacked by the deer. She was discovered some time later and transported to a Lincoln hospital. “This was a tragic encounter, and my sympathy is with the injured woman and her family,” said Alicia Hardin, wildlife administrator for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The deadline to submit public input to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission on potential changes to duck zone and goose unit boundaries for 2021-2022 is Nov. 30. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) allows changes to duck zone boundaries every five years, and Game and Parks has paired this with dark (Canada) goose unit boundary changes. Duck zones and goose units provide an opportunity to coordinate duck and goose migration patterns and hunter preferences with …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will release rooster pheasants at 14 wildlife management areas in time for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The 14 areas are: Powder Creek, (Dixon County), Oak Valley (Madison County), Wilkinson (Platte County), George Syas (Nance County), Sherman Reservoir (Sherman County), Pressey (Custer County), Cornhusker (Hall County), Kirkpatrick Basin North (York County), Branched Oak (Lancaster County), Yankee Hill (Lancaster County), Arrowhead (Gage County), Hickory Ridge (Johnson County), Twin Oaks (Johnson County), and Rakes …

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. – A traveling photography exhibit by renowned nature photographer Michael Forsberg of Lincoln along with a documentary by Forsberg and filmmaker Peter Stegen called “Follow the Water” is on display at the Lake McConaughy Visitor and Water Interpretive Center from Nov. 15 through Feb. 2, 2020. Forsberg’s imagery of wildlife and landscapes has long been revered for its contribution to conservation. His honors include the Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography from the Sierra Club and Environmental …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Preliminary deer check-in numbers indicate that statewide harvest numbers are up approximately 8 percent compared to the 2018 opening weekend of Nebraska’s firearm season. During the 2019 opening weekend of the November firearm season, Nov. 16-17, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s northeast district check stations recorded 17% more deer than last year. The number of checked deer was up 9% in the southeast, up 3% in the northwest and up 5% in the southwest district. “Many …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The following is a listing of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission events and important dates in December. Get more event details at Calendar.OutdoorNebraska.gov. Visit OutdoorNebraska.org for a list of hunter education classes and boating safety classes. Dec. 1 – Bobcat hunting and trapping season opens Dec. 1 – Enchant, Ash Hollow State Historical Park (SHP), Lewellen Dec. 1-31 – Muzzleloader deer hunting season Dec. 1-Jan. 15, 2020 – Antlerless elk hunting season Dec. 3 – Learn to …

MINATARE, Neb. — The public will have a special opportunity for viewing birds during an event at Lake Minatare State Recreation Area on Saturday, Dec. 7. The day marks the only opportunity for the public to access the 2,158-acre reservoir on the North Platte National Wildlife Refuge for its annual closure between Oct. 15 and Jan. 14. Birdwatchers who want to participate may arrive at Scout’s Rest Cabin at the lake’s northwest corner any time from 10 a.m. to noon …