NGPC News

LINCOLN, Neb. – Mormon Island State Recreation Area is scheduled to reopen at 5 p.m. on Aug. 8. It had closed the day before so crews could clean up tree damage from a storm. While the park’s roads and campgrounds will reopen, parts of the area will remain closed to the public while cleanup operations continue. Campground reservations for the coming weekend are still valid. A park entry permit is required at Mormon Island, located 3 miles north of Doniphan …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Small game, such as squirrel, is a great way to introduce novices to hunting. Skills, equipment and licensing are more basic than other types of hunting. Squirrel season – Aug. 1 through Jan. 31, 2020 – is the first of Nebraska’s fall hunting seasons. This leaves the hunting woods available to novices and their mentors. “Squirrel is one of the most easily accessible and feasible species to pursue in the state,” Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Hunter …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Mormon Island State Recreation Area is temporarily closed because of damage caused by a storm early Aug. 7. Winds of 87 mph and damaging hail were reported in the area of the park, located 3 miles north of Doniphan in Hall County, and surrounding communities. Mormon Island is closed to public access until park staff can clear roadways and remove dangerous trees from the area.

LINCOLN, Neb – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is proactively working with landowners who have encountered wildlife damage to their crops and property. Landowners who experience wildlife damage should contact their district Commission office. They can discuss options such as scare devices, damage control permits and opening lands to public access for hunting. Contact information for district offices is available at OutdoorNebraska.org/locations. Landowners also may contact the Commission about wildlife damage issues at OutdoorNebraska.org/depredation by filling out a Landowner …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Organizers of the River Valley Artisan and Craft Market, set for Nov. 2-3 at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, are seeking unique artists and craft makers to join the show. This popular event, to be held at Peter Kiewit Lodge, offers vendors the opportunity to display and sell handmade work. Art from a wide variety of mediums is welcome, including wood carvings, ornaments, home décor, handmade soaps and lotions, jewelry, pottery, handmade jams and jellies, and more. …

LINCOLN, Neb. – For a unique 5K race experience, sign up for the Cannon Fire 5K, to be held Aug. 17 at Fort Atkinson State Historical Park. The 5K takes place at a site filled with Nebraska history, where the first U.S. military post west of the Missouri River was established. The 3.1-mile course will take you through the park’s timber trails and roads. The course includes a hill, gravel and paved paths, and mowed grass portions across the prairie. …

LINCOLN, Neb. – At a special living history event on Aug. 17 at Rock Creek Station State Historical Park, living historians from across the country will reenact the daily life of the site in 1864. During “A Walk Back in Time,” living historians will inhabit the park’s reconstructed road ranch, demonstrating haying, carpentry, blacksmithing, stock tending, and running a mid-19th century Overland Trail road ranch in Nebraska Territory. Several living historians will be traveling in from out of state, from …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will host a Growing Up WILD Educator Workshop for informal and formal early childhood educators at Ponca State Park on Aug. 6. Growing Up WILD provides an early foundation for developing positive attitudes and behaviors about nature, as well as lifelong social and academic skills. This award-winning early childhood curriculum guide is designed for children ages 2-10, and builds on children’s sense of wonder about nature by providing age-appropriate, interdisciplinary lessons. …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission reminds individuals who successfully drew 2019 paddlefish permits that they must pay for their permits by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Monday, Aug. 5. Applicants can check their permit status and make payments by logging into the online permit system at ngpc-home.ne.gov. Permits also may be purchased at any Game and Parks permitting office. A complete list of permitting offices can be found online at OutdoorNebraksa.org/locations. Unpaid paddlefish snagging permits will …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Hunters may purchase 2019 big game permits over the counter on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Aug. 5 at 1 p.m. Central Time (CT) through the end of big game seasons. These comprise of buy-unit permits, forfeited draw permits and unsold draw permits. Residents, nonresidents and eligible landowners may purchase remaining deer permits and residents and eligible landowners may purchase remaining elk and antelope permits. Following the drawing, three elk permits, four antelope permits and 113 deer …