36 Nebraskaland • June 2026
T
he 100-year history of Nebraskaland Magazine goes
back further than that. Or, at least the reasons for its
creation do.
Euro-American expansion across the continent in the
1800s resulted in devastating losses to wildlife and its
habitat, prompting the rise of the conservation movement
in the early 20th century.
By the time Outdoor Nebraska, as the magazine was
first known, was introduced in June 1926, species that had
once been abundant had been extremely diminished or
completely removed from the state.
When the publication was created, state fish and
wildlife agencies were striving to get the word out about
their efforts to reverse the tide of damage. In an age when
magazines were driving popular culture, Outdoor Nebraska
entered the scene bringing conservation messages to
residents of the state.
The magazine's role as a voice for wildlife was apparent
from the first issue, which contained stories about the
introduction of the ring-necked pheasant and another
on the status of migratory waterfowl. It also emphasized
the importance of the game warden in conservation and
publicized a half-dozen newly established game refuges.
The magazine also was a strong advocate for the
development of parks and wildlands, with the first state
park, Chadron, being just 5 years old at the time of the
magazine's birth.
"The people of the middle west are just now awakening to
the fact that unless something is done — and done quickly
— the wild life and natural beauty of this prairie will have
vanished before the ever-grasping hand of commerce,"
Frank O'Connell, the state's chief game warden who served
as the magazine's first editor, wrote in one of his early
articles.
The Lacey Act of 1900 kicked off a string of important
federal legislation to conserve fish and wildlife species,
among them the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918,
Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act
of 1934 (the Duck Stamp), the Federal Aid in Wildlife
Restoration Act of 1937 and the Federal Aid in Sport Fish
Restoration Act of 1950.
The magazine seemed to pull no punches in its goals
of conservation and preservation, lambasting those who
skirted hunting and fishing regulations and the "game
hogs" who posed near piles of dead animals they'd shot.
Early issues listed game violators and their fines.
Visitors look at the trout
ponds at Schramm Park State
Recreation Area in Gretna.
NEBRASKALAND
