44 NEBRASKAland • JUNE 2017 44 NEBRASKAland • JUNE 2017
Cass County began. The
park, funded in large part by
private donations, opened in
1991.
1986 – Nebraska's first
modern-day elk season
was held in the Pine Ridge.
Seasons have been held
annually since 1995.
1991 – The first confirmed
reports of a mountain lion
since the 19th century
came from tracks found
near Crawford. Soon after,
an adult lion was shot by
a hunter near Harrison.
Lions continue to find their
way into Nebraska from
neighboring states and have
established resident breeding
populations, leading to the
state's first lion hunting
season in 2014.
1991 – Bald eagles
successfully nested in
Nebraska for the first time in
decades, part of a recovery
that began in the 1970s
following the ban of many
chemicals that decimated
populations of our nation's
symbol, and protection from
the Endangered Species Act.
Expanding populations here
and elsewhere allowed the
bird to be removed from the
endangered species list in
2007. In 2016, there were a
record 159 active eagle nests
in the state.
1992 – Smith Falls State
Park, the site of the state's
highest waterfall, was
established on the Niobrara
River near Valentine.
1992 – Commercial
harvesting of catfish in
the Missouri River was
discontinued.
1993 – The Belmont fish
ladder was completed on
the North Platte River near
Bridgeport, the first fish-
passage structure placed on
any Nebraska stream.
1994 – A gift from the
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
of 321 miles of abandoned
Chicago & North Western
rail line across northern
The Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail, an abandoned Chicago & North Western rail line, was given to the Commission in 1994. It
has been developed from Norfolk to Valentine, where it crosses the Niobrara River on an old railroad bridge.
The Angler Access Program, an offshoot of the Commission's popular Aquatic Habitat Program,
is making it easier for people to fish at lakes across the state with projects such as the creation of
this fishing deck at Louisville State Recreation Area.
PHOTO
BY
JENNY
NGUYEN
PHOTO
BY
ERIC
FOWLER
