NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/831879
JUNE 2017 • NEBRASKAland 43 JUNE 2017 • NEBRASKAland 43 muzzleloading rifle deer hunting season was held on DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, the first black powder hunting season in the state's history. A statewide muzzleloader season began in 1989. 1977 – As recommended by the 1975 Habitat Conference, a cooperative effort between sportsmen's groups, the Commission and other agencies, Nebraska's first Habitat Stamp was issued. The $7.50 stamp replaced the Upland Game Stamp and provided funding to manage habitat on public and private land and acquire wildlife management areas. 1978 – A park-entry permit program, authorized by the legislature in 1976, was initiated to raise funds for improvement and maintenance of state parks. 1979 – The Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium opened at the site of the old Gretna fish hatchery in Schramm SRA. The educational facility has hosted countless programs for adults and school children since. 1981 – With the support of the North American Wild Sheep Foundation and the Nebraska chapter of the Safari Club International, the Commission released six bighorn sheep in an enclosure on the buttes at Fort Robinson State Park to establish a resident herd. Some of those sheep and their progeny were released to the wild in 1988 and the enclosure was removed entirely in 1991. Boosted by the relocation of sheep from Colorado, Montana and Canada in 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2012, the state now has about 320 sheep in the Pine Ridge and the Wildcat Hills. 1982 – Platte River State Park officially opened in the bluffs above the river for which it was named. 1983 – The Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation was created to help develop private/public partnerships that have generated tens of millions of dollars in donations to enhance and improve Nebraska's natural, cultural and recreational resources and help the Commission further its mission. 1984 – The Nebraska Wildlife Conservation Fund was created, allowing citizens to donate all or part of their state income tax refund or make a direct tax-deductible donation to help fund projects to benefit nongame species. 1984 – New legislation allowed the Commission and natural resource districts to obtain instream-flow rights in Nebraska rivers and streams to conserve water for fish, wildlife and recreation. The first- ever water right granted to protect fisheries came in 1989 on Long Pine Creek. In 1998, rights were granted to protect fish and wildlife habitat in 250 miles of the central and lower Platte River. 1984 – A $5 Trout Stamp was required to harvest trout. 1985 – The Commission launched Project Wild in Nebraska. The national program trains educators to teach kindergarten through high school students about wildlife and natural resources. The Commission has since started other educational endeavors aimed at youths and adults, including Trail Tales Magazine, Aquatic Education, Becoming an Outdoors-Woman workshops, Outdoor Skills Camps, Fishing in Nebraska Schools and many more. 1985 – Land was acquired for the new Niobrara State Park. The old park site, acquired in 1930, was abandoned because of rising water levels caused by the creation of Lewis and Clark Lake. The new park opened in 1987. 1986 – Purchase of land and development of Eugene T. Mahoney State Park in Significant private donations raised by the Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation helped build the ultra-modern Eugene T. Mahoney State Park between Lincoln and Omaha. In 1984, the Nebraska Wildlife Tax Checkoff was created, helping fund projects benefitting nongame species, including one that brought peregrine falcons to the Woodmen Tower in Omaha. PHOTO BY MIKE FORSBERG PHOTO BY BOB GRIER