PHOTO
BY
JEFF
KURRUS
Attend the Missouri River Outdoor Expo
Sept. 15-16
Ponca State Park
With more than 90 hands-on activities for people of all ages, the Missouri River Outdoor Expo is
the largest of its kind in the Midwest. Come by from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to enjoy outdoor activities such
as kayaking, archery, fi shing, shooting and outdoor cooking. Wildlife encounters and educational
programs also will be offered. This year's entertainment features Paralympian archer Matt Stutzman,
precision archer Frank Addington, Jr., C2 Trick Shooting, and the all-female logging team Axe Women
Loggers of Maine. The event is free with the purchase of a park permit.
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018 • NEBRASKAland 25
PHOTO
BY
JENNY
NGUYEN-WHEATLEY
See the Nebraska Game and
Parks Outdoor Encounter
Exhibit at the Nebraska State
Fair
Aug. 24-Sept. 3
Grand Island
Visitors to the state
fair can once again
enjoy plenty of hands-
on activities at Game
and Parks' home in the
Nebraska Building, such
as indoor archery and
pellet gun ranges, kids'
Nerf gun range and
other youth games. Make
sure to also check out
the sky fort, meandering
stream and 6,000-gallon
aquarium fi lled with
fi sh found in Nebraska
waters.
Forage for
Wild Nuts
Mid-September
to late October
Statewide
Harvesting wild nuts is a fun way to add wild-grown
foods to your pantry and enjoy fall weather with
friends and family, writes Game and Parks' Greg
Wagner. A variety of trees and shrubs bear edible
nuts in Nebraska, such as pecan, shagbark hickory,
black walnut, American hazelnut, Chinese chestnut
and oak.
Wagner recommends that foragers research correct
identifi cation and what nut trees grow in the area;
get permission from landowners; wear rubber or
plastic waterproof gloves if handling black walnuts
or butternuts, as they leave lingering stains; and hull
nuts as soon as possible after harvest. Then wash off
nuts, dry them thoroughly and store them in a cool,
dark spot with good air circulation. "Shelled nuts can
be stored for a short time in your kitchen pantry or
for longer periods in your freezer," he writes.
