Nebraskaland

By Jeff Kurrus The first issue of Nebraskaland Magazine debuted in June 1926 under the Outdoor Nebraska moniker, with conservation being as important then as it is now. T he predecessor of Nebraskaland Magazine, Outdoor Nebraska, was first published in June 1926 with the following mission: "The Bureau of Game and Fish takes pleasure in presenting to the citizens of Nebraska the first number of Outdoor Nebraska. It is the purpose of the department to publish this bulletin from time to time for two reasons: (a) To inform the sportsmen and other citizens of the state who are interested in the work of the Department just what is being done. (b) To inculcate a greater appreciation for the wild life and the natural beauty of Nebraska." Let's look back on what Nebraskans considered important a century ago. Concerns of the Day Prairie chickens: "There were some things which the breaking plow took from us that can never be returned. One of these things was the prairie chicken. He had to give way to the plow which year after year turned under more and more sod. Today, there are very few of these native birds left in eastern Nebraska, so few that they are almost a curiosity." — From "The Pheasant in Eastern Nebraska" The future of waterfowl hunting: "With the growing occupation of the continent, the increase in the number of hunters, and the disappearance of great areas of marshes and waters through drainage, the adverse effect on the supply of migratory wild fowl became more and more evident." — "Our Migratory Wild Fowl and Present Conditions Affecting Their Abundance," Edward W. Nelson Habitat loss: "We can go on and exploit all our natural resources if we wish, let the wild life and natural beauty of Nebraska become a thing of the past, or we can conserve these things and pass them on to our children and our children's children. It all depends on what we do today." — "State Recreation Grounds for the Future," Frank B. Connell The need for game preserves: "WITH the population increasing rapidly, low lands being drained, prairie lands being broken into farms, the problem of conserving wild life grows more and more difficult. … The Nebraska Bureau of Game and Fish has come to the conclusion that the only answer to this important problem is adequate game preserves for both animal and bird life, and therefore quite extensive plans are being made along this line." Conservation officers: "The average Game Warden of today is a sincere sort of a fellow, serious-minded in his work and generally willing to overlook an innocent mistake. His job is a thankless one, his work hours never cease once he has taken the oath of office; he can't satisfy everyone and he shouldn't try." Entertainment: And what outdoor publication doesn't need an essay on frogs, written by "A Young Norwegian": "What a wonderful bird the frog are. When stand, he sit, almost. When he hop, he fly, almost. He ain't got no sense, hardly. He ain't got no tail, hardly, either. When he sit, he sit on what he ain't got, almost." These older editions are reminders that conservation, and getting people interested in the outdoors, will be the focus long into the future. However, there is one oversight in this first edition. This magazine would not go on to be published from "time to time." It has faithfully informed Nebraskans for 100 years, with many more years to come. N ONE HUNDRED YEARS L A T E R Celebrating 100 Years of Nebraskaland Magazine 48 Nebraskaland • January-February 2026

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