Outdoor notes: Join Game and Parks in virtual fisheries discussion

Join the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in a virtual discussion on fisheries management during meetings March 9-11.

These six public informational sessions – one for each of the five Game and Parks Fisheries district plus a statewide and Aquatic Habitat Program session – will provide updates for the respective areas. The informal, interactive gatherings will include a 30-minute presentation by district staff, followed by a 30-minute Q&A session.

The virtual meetings will take place on Zoom, a free app that can be downloaded to a web browser or mobile device. Participants will be encouraged to ask questions toward the end of each meeting.

The schedule (all times are Central Time):

March 9 – Statewide and Aquatic Habitat Program session, 6-7 p.m.; Southeast District session, 7:30-8:30 p.m.

March 10 – South-central District session, 6-7 p.m.; Southwest District session, 7:30-8:30 p.m.

March 11 – Northeast District session, 6-7 p.m.; Northwest District session, 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Registration is required. Visit the calendar event entry at Calendar.OutdoorNebraska.govto register.

All sessions will be recorded and made available on Game and Parks’ YouTube channel for later viewing.

Strategic trail ride changes made at select state parks

To strategically improve efficiencies and manage resources across the Nebraska state park system, guided horse trail rides have been discontinued at Ponca State Park and Chadron State Park.

Nebraska Game and Parks will continue offering trail rides at Fort Robinson, Platte River, Eugene T. Mahoney and Niobrara state parks, and at Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park.

Centralizing horse rides at the five parks across the state that are best equipped to accommodate them strengthens Nebraska Game and Parks’ equestrian services, improves efficiency, and enhances the user experience.  

“This approach will allow us to further develop Ponca and Chadron as destination parks by enhancing and expanding their diverse, multi-use trail systems,” said Jeff Fields, Parks Division administrator. “Our priority, as always, is to provide exceptional experiences throughout our state parks, while making responsible management decisions.”

The change reflects growing participation in hiking, biking, and trail running across the state and nation, as well as the need to accommodate new interests from Nebraska’s outdoor enthusiasts. The Pine Ridge near Chadron and Loess Hills near Ponca are popular destinations for trail users.

The move to centralize equestrian services also allows Game and Parks to focus on trail-ride amenities, staffing, training and animal care at those five parks, improving the guest experience and delivering cost savings.

Nebraska is the only state park system in the nation that operates its own horse trail rides. Public horse trail rides require significant staffing, infrastructure and animal care resources, often at a financial loss. In 2024, Game and Parks ended horse rides at Indian Cave State Park due to low participation and ongoing operational challenges.

The horses and equipment from Ponca and Chadron will be transferred to Niobrara and Fort Robinson state parks.

Equestrian trails at Nebraska Game and Parks locations will continue to be maintained. Guests looking to travel with their horses can find more details at OutdoorNebraska.gov.

Wildcat Hills education events set for March

Naturalists with the Wildcat Hills Nature Center offer year-round programming focused on ecological education for preschoolers, homeschool programs and the public, including the following events scheduled for March.

The Nature Center, located within Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area south of Gering, is open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Mountain time Monday-Friday, from mid-November to mid-May.

A vehicle park entry permit is required. Get more information at 308-436-3777 or OutdoorNebraska.gov.

Offerings in March are:

Wildcat Hills preschool program 

The free, monthly Wildcat Tales preschool program is on March 17, with the theme of Signs of Spring and New Life.

Spring is awakening. We’ll go on a nature hunt to find buds, bugs and baby animals as new life is everywhere!

The program will meet at the Nature Center at 10 a.m. It will include a lesson plan, story and hands-on activity specifically targeted for children ages 2-6 years.

For more information, contact the Nature Center. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Wildcat Hills hosting homeschool program 

Search for the first signs of spring and see how nature gets ready for warmer days during the homeschool program Signs of Spring and New Life on March 19.

The free homeschool program meets once a month at 10 a.m. Mountain time at the Nature Center. Topics change each month.

For more information contact the Nature Center at 308-436-3777. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Educator Field School focuses on wetlands

Formal educators teaching grades 6-12 are invited to join Nebraska Game and Parks for a free, interactive Educator Field School at the Niobrara Valley Preserve north of Johnstown, where wetlands, prairie and river systems will become their classroom.

On June 16-18, they will explore alongside biologists before returning home with practical tools, resources and confidence to bring aquatic ecosystems to life for their students.

Participants will receive free lodging and meals, workshop materials, a $250 stipend to offset travel and participation, and field guides and classroom-ready lessons focused on Nebraska’s aquatic ecosystems.

This field school will examine riverine wetlands and prairie-water connections through wetland explorations with conservation biologists, kayaking the Niobrara River, water quality testing, community science projects, nature journaling, and inquiry-based natural resource activities.

Visit OutdoorNebraska.gov and search “Educator Workshops” to find more information and to apply.

Nebraska state park areas see many enhancements

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is reinvesting into the state’s recreational resources to enhance outdoor experiences, support state tourism, and provide safe and accessible amenities in state park areas and trails. Completed projects will appeal to an array of park users, from campers to anglers.

The following is a roundup of those improvements and projects:

Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail – After being damaged by the historic 2019 flood, more than $34,000 in Capital Maintenance Funds were used to restore a section of trail just east of Long Pine to pre-flood conditions, including removing debris and fallen trees. Federal Emergency Management Agency funds also were used.

Fort Robinson State Park – Tuckpointing and masonry repairs were performed for the preservation of several historic buildings used for lodging using more than $75,000 of CMF funds.

Fremont Lakes State Recreation Area – An aging shower facility was replaced in Pathfinder Campground, and a dump station was relocated using more than $389,000 in CMF funds. Land and Water Conservation Fund and other federal dollars also were used.

Lewis and Clark State Recreation Area – A wastewater treatment facility was built using more than $14,000 of CMF funds to bring the park into compliance with current regulations. Federal dollars also were used.

Long Pine State Recreation Area – A design was completed for a new electrical campground and shower house, ADA access, as well as road milling and overlay. The project cost more than $66,000 in CMF funds and used LWCF dollars as well.

Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area – Twenty new 50-amp campsites and a shower house were built between Cedar Bay and West Beeds, including ADA accessibility, to enhance revenue potential. This project used more than $575,000 in CMF funds. Federal dollars also were used.

Plum Creek Wildlife Management Area – A fishing node adjacent to the boat ramp was removed for public safety after sustaining significant damage. A new, roll-in dock system that fluctuates with changing water levels was installed using $12,000 in CMF funds. Also used with Sport Fish Restoration Grant funds and the agency’s Game Cash Fund.

Ponca State Park – An underground electrical line was installed to provide service to the Eric Wiebe Shooting Complex at a cost of $42,804 in CMF funds and LWCF dollars. Also, for public safety, cracked and heaving concrete was replaced at the entrance to the park’s swimming pool using $19,000 in CMF funds.

Willow Creek State Recreation Area – A fishing deck on the south side of lake was built for public safety access to replace a deck destroyed by flooding. The project used $314,840 in CMF funds and other state and federal dollars.

Windmill State Recreation Area – A playground was installed near Lake 4 to replace unsafe/noncompliant equipment using $75,000 in CMF dollars and LWCF funding.

The projects funded by Capital Maintenance and Land and Water Conservation Funds improve safety and accessibility, protect natural habitats, boost local economies, and ensure long-term sustainability. These investments create more welcoming parks for everyone to enjoy now and in the future.

Capital Maintenance Funds were established by the Nebraska Legislature to help preserve Nebraska’s public outdoor recreation facilities and parklands. These, as well as state and federal funding sources, and Nebraska Game and Parks’ funds generated from user fees of the state park system, funded these park improvement projects.

Hunters accept challenge in Upland Slam

Russ Befort now has completed the Nebraska Upland Slam four times in four seasons.

The 43-year-old from Shawnee, Kansas, knows he couldn’t have done it alone. He credits his dog, Otis, for playing a “critical” role.

While hunting the greater prairie-chicken and sharp-tailed grouse, after walking several miles, Befort was presented just one shot on each bird. Otis, a Kliene Munsterlander, was able to retrieve each downed bird.

Befort was randomly drawn as the grand prize winner in the eighth year of the Upland Slam, winning a Winchester SX4 Upland Field 12-gauge shotgun.

The western Kansas drought in the early 2020s sent Befort, who first started hunting birds when he was 5, looking to the north.

“Based off the moisture maps, Nebraska appeared to have gotten the proper moisture for bird hunting, so I did some homework into hunting up there and I saw and advertisement for the Upland Slam,” Befort said. “It was the coolest thing I’d ever heard of in my life since I’ve started bird hunting. I immediately was hooked and was planning trips to Nebraska.

“Back home there really wasn’t much for you if you wanted to bird hunt, but in Nebraska, here was this golden challenge that existed. It was kind of a no-brainer,” he said. “It was very exciting.”

The Upland Slam concluded with hunters from 10 states pursuing four species of upland game birds on Nebraska’s private and public lands. The slam challenges hunters to harvest a ring-necked pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse, greater prairie-chicken and northern bobwhite quail in Nebraska during the season, which ended Jan. 31. The slam is a partnership between the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever of Nebraska.

The eighth year of the Upland Slam gave 143 hunters, including two youth, a reason to take advantage of the state’s excellent opportunities and growing availability of publicly accessible land. In the slam, hunters upload photos of their harvest to a website and share information about their hunting experience.

Befort harvested his pheasant on a Conservation Reserve Program site in Harlan County, sharp-tailed grouse on an Open Fields and Waters site in Brown County, greater prairie-chicken on private land in Rock County and quail on private land in Franklin County.

The 87 finishers of the slam became eligible for the prize drawings and received an official certificate and pin. Other prize winners were Patrick Lechner of Syracuse, who won the Print of the Year with Medallion: entitled Mr. Pheasant by Christa Dawn, and Lucas Kennedy of Shawnee, Kansas, who won a $100 Scheels gift card. Teal Peterson of Mullen, the only youth finisher, won a Lifetime Habitat Stamp, as he already had a Lifetime Hunt Permit.

Dogs were winners, too. Hunters who completed the slam and uploaded a photo of their hunting dog at work to their submission form received an official “Top Dog” tag and certificate.

Visit OutdoorNebraska.gov and search “Upland Slam” to find the names of all hunters who successfully completed the slam.

In eight years of the Upland Slam:

• 875 hunters participated 1,528 times.

• There were 880 finishers.

• Two hunters finished all eight years.

• 405 hunters recorded 597 first-time harvests.

• 58% of harvests came on public land.

• 30 states have been represented.

• 78% of totals participants come from Nebraska.

Befort, who’s never hunted in Nebraska before participating in the Upland Slam, estimates he’s spent 60 days hunting in the state in four years. He’s experienced the Sandhills and Niobrara River Valley for the first time. He plans to include the Panhandle on future trips. He encourages others to do the same.

“I would recommend they plan on exploring the state for what it is and plan on trying to really discover new territories because Nebraska has a lot of public access,” he said. “There’s a lot to explore here and it’s well worth the time.”