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 45 JUNE 2017 • NEBRASKAland 45 Nebraska lead to creation of the Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail. When completed, it will be the longest rails-to-trails conversion in the country. 1994 – The Commission became the first state game, fish and parks agency in the country to launch a website. 1997 – Nebraska anglers were required to purchase an Aquatic Habitat Stamp, the first of its kind in the nation, to help rehabilitate and enhance aquatic habitat in lakes and streams. The Aquatic Habitat Program has since spent $62 million, including funding from 71 partners, to improve aquatic habitat on 96 Nebraska waters. 1997 – The Commission launched the CRP-MAP program, which paid landowners to open their land enrolled in the federal Conservation Reserve Program to public hunting. The program started with 19,789 acres and has grown into the Open Fields and Waters program, which this year opened 276,000 acres to hunting and 424 acres of private ponds and 41 miles of private streams and rivers to fishing. 1997 – The Commission began stocking endangered pallid sturgeon in the lower Platte River as part of a national recovery plan. The agency's involvement in the fish, listed as endangered in 1990, continues through its intensive broodstock collection program in the Missouri River. 1998 – Two permits were issued for Nebraska's first bighorn sheep hunting season. By 2016, 21 permits had been issued by lottery or auction in all but five years since, raising $1.2 million for the sheep program. 2002 – The Commission launched its Focus on Pheasants Program, a cooperative effort with Pheasants Forever and others aimed at improving habitat for the upland game bird and other wildlife on public and private land. 2005 – The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project, Nebraska's version of the Statewide Wildlife Action Plan required by the U.S. Congress, was initiated. The project targeted habitat management for at-risk species through partnerships and became a major part of conservation in the state. 2005 – The first Missouri River Outdoor Expo was held at Ponca State Park, offering hands-on activities featuring outdoor education, sports and recreation, with one day for fifth graders and two for anyone. The free event is now the largest in the Midwest, drawing more than 50,000 people annually. It spawned similar Commission expos at Fort Kearny and the Wildcat Hills state recreation areas, and at Platte River State Park for school children. 2010 – The Commission launched its Angler Access Program, an offshoot of the Aquatic Habitat Program, to improve access and fishing success for bank anglers. By 2016, $6 million had been spent on projects at 52 waters. 2011 – The Roger G. Sykes Outdoor Heritage Complex, the Commission's first shooting range, opened at Platte River State Park, offering archery, air rifle, firearm and shotgun ranges. A similar range opened in 2016 at the Wildcat Hills SRA. 2014 – The Nebraska Outdoor Education Center, an indoor archery and firearm range, opened in Lincoln. 2014 – The Commission also opened its Outdoor Encounter exhibit at the Nebraska State Fair, continuing a presence at the state fair that dates to at least 1900. 2015 – The Commission, in conjunction with the Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation, launched the Venture Parks Complex, which will expand programs and amenities at Mahoney and Platte River state parks and Schramm and Louisville state recreation areas to form a recreation destination. Construction on the multi- year-project will begin in 2017. 2016 – The Commission adopted the Cool Water Stream Management plan to guide stewardship of streams and ensure they will support productive and sustainable populations of cool water aquatic life, have healthy riparian zones and clean water, and contribute to watershed stability. 2016 - The Commission launched its Berggren Plan, a five-year cooperative effort with other organizations aimed at growing Nebraska's pheasant population and increasing land open to hunting in areas with abundant pheasants, with habitat and hunter access, particularly for youth, as cornerstones. The plan is named for the late Nebraska Game and Parks Commissioner Lynn Berggren. ■ The Commission began stocking endangered pallid sturgeon in the Platte River in 1997, one of many efforts that focuses on rare or threatened species. The Commission's Focus on Pheasants program improved habitat for pheasants, providing more birds for hunters like Fox Lane of Lincoln. PHOTO BY MIKE FORSBERG PHOTO BY ERIC FOWLER