Nebraskaland

48 Nebraskaland • March 2026 Other Aquatic Habitat and Angler Access Program Projects Nebraskans can enjoy this year include: Medicine Creek and Swanson SRAs In partnership with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, 42 rock shoals were built in the lakebed at Medicine Creek Reservoir in 2025 and 43 at Swanson Reservoir in 2023. The 10-by-20 foot wide, 3-foot-high structures were constructed in what will be 8 feet of water when the reservoirs are at full pool, providing habitat for fish where there is little except when the lake is full. Buoys will mark the structures so they don't present a hazard for boaters. I-80 Lakes Invasive eastern red cedar and Russian olive trees were removed from 11 borrow pit lakes along Interstate 80 between North Platte and Minden to improve shoreline access for anglers. As part of the project, funded in part by a Nebraska Environmental Trust grant, some of the cedar trees were placed in the lakes for fish habitat. The lakes include: War Axe SRA, North Kearney Rest Area DOT, Fremont Slough, Pawnee Slough, East Gothenburg, West Maxwell, Daar, Blue Hole, Coot Shallows, Bufflehead and Bassway Strip WMAs. Windmill SRA Work will be completed this spring on a project to deepen shallow bottlenecks that cause Lakes 2, 3, 4 and 6 to become disconnected when water levels drop in the summer and to add depth variation in other locations. The project also included the addition of a fishing point on Lake 2, a floating dock on Lake 4, and improved access in several more locations on those and other lakes, including a new parking lot near Lake 4. Floating islands seeded with plants will be installed this spring in Lake 6. The root structure extending below the islands will provide additional fish habitat. A new channel will carry floodwaters around Lake 1 and lessen the likelihood of carp and other rough fish entering the lakes, as was the case in 2019. A renovation is tentatively planned for that lake in 2026. Fort Robinson State Park Work is underway to reconnect and restore 51 miles of Soldier Creek. The dam that formed Carter P. Johnson Lake, which was drained in 2023 because it posed a high hazard to the park's campground, will be removed. Downstream, Crazy Horse Pond will be deepened and the stream routed around the pond. A pipe will continue to feed water to the pond. A U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Water Smart grant will fund a majority of the project, which also has support from the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, Upper Niobrara White Natural Resource District and the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy. Starting in 2026 Niobrara State Park Pond Work will begin this spring to reconfigure the pond, which is larger than the watershed can maintain. Leaks will be sealed and a well installed to maintain water levels. A small boat ramp will be built on the south side of the pond that can be used as a kayak launch. Smith Lake WMA Work will begin this spring to reconfigure the outlet and improve the road to the south side of the lake, where nine fishing points will be built to improve angler access. An additional point will be built on the northeast corner of the lake, and a breakwater will be added to protect the boat ramp. Some dredging will be done around the points. Oglala National Grassland Ponds Work will begin this summer to deepen Agate and Boardgate Reservoirs to prevent summer kill, and to improve angler access. Fencing will be installed to prevent cows from wading in the ponds, and new outlet structures will help maintain water levels. Access improvements include an accessible parking area, kayak launch and fishing point at Agate. The U.S. Forest Service, a partner in the project, recently improved roads to the lakes. Improved Boat Access Projects were completed at Bluestem SRA, Lewis and Clark SRA-South Shore, Avocet WMA, Frye WMA, East Midway SRA, Gallagher Cayon SRA, Phillips Canyon SRA, Plum Creek WMA, and Merritt WMA/SRA, including new boat ramps, accessible kayak launches, fishing piers, boat docks and restrooms, and parking lot expansions. More boat ramp improvements are planned this year at Verdel Landing and Frenchman WMAs, Swanson Reservoir SRA and Indian Cave State Park. N Game and Parks staff load cedar trees removed to improve angler access at Pawnee Slough Wildlife Management Area onto a boat to place in the lake for fish habitat. JULIE GEISER, NEBRASKALAND

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