14 NEBRASKAland • APRIL 2017
By Justin Haag
Cougar sightings are becoming
more common on Nebraska's roads
these days; at least they are for people
observing vehicle license plates.
In October 2016, the Nebraska
Department of Motor Vehicles added
to its offerings a license plate featuring
an image of the b ig predator. The
design of the plate, which was created
by the Nebraska Department of Motor
Vehicles using NEBRASKAland
photos, features a reposed
cougar with the scenic
backdrop of the Wildcat Hills
near Gering. Each sale of the
new plate is helping foster the next
generation of naturalists as, by statute,
the Game and Parks Commission
receives the extra proceeds from the
plates for conservation education.
The plates are proving to be popular.
In the opening four months of their
offering, drivers bought more than
3,200 of them. Rhonda Lahm, director
of the Department of Motor Vehicles,
said it is the second most popular of
the four most recent specialty plates. A
plate honoring the military is the most
chosen one by a sizable margin, but the
cougar design is outpacing selections
for the sesquicentennial and breast
cancer awareness.
Commission Director
Jim Douglas reported in January
that the initiative had procured about
$28,100 to that point. The plates are
available for an extra $5 for standard
numbering or $40 for those wanting a
personalized plate.
Cougars, also commonly referred to
as mountain lions or pumas, have had a
confirmed presence in Nebraska since
the early 1990s. Sen. Ernie Chambers
of Omaha, an outspoken supporter
of the species, sponsored the 2015
legislative bill that created the license
plates following a suggestion by Sen.
Charlie Janssen the previous year.
■
Roadway Cougars
A new Nebraska license plate that supports
conservation education is proving popular.
PHOTO
BY
JUSTIN
WAMBOLD
