Nebraskaland

16 Nebraskaland • August-September 2026 In the Field During his 46-year career with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, most spent as a wildlife biologist, Nick Lyman became an invaluable part of the waterfowl management community, not in just Nebraska, but also throughout the Central Flyway and even in Canada. In recognition of his contributions, Twin Lakes Wildlife Management Area south of his hometown of Bassett in Rock County has been renamed the Nick Lyman WMA. Family and friends who knew him consider the lakes' renaming an honor. Lyman started his career with Game and Parks in the parks division in 1960. He worked out of the Bassett service center before transferring to the North Platte district office in 1968, where he spent the rest of his career as a wildlife biologist. Lyman, who retired in 2006, died Nov. 26, 2024. In his early years with Game and Parks, Lyman was instrumental in efforts to reintroduce Canada geese to the Sandhills. His knowledge of the Sandhills wetlands and friendship with landowners was crucial in selecting release sites for geese, as well as the locations to trap and band the birds after populations were established. According to longtime friend Joe Hyland, Lyman's skill as a waterfowl surveyor was relied on by other agencies throughout the Central Flyway, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Canadian Wildlife Service. He conducted aerial breeding duck surveys in Nebraska, which contributed to the creation of hunting regulations, and was a reliable source for sandhill crane numbers. Lyman loved the hundreds of hours he spent on aerial surveys across the United States and Canada, and counted millions of birds during his lifetime. He was also heavily involved with waterfowl banding and migration studies in the central United States and Canada. Lyman participated in summer duck banding in the Sandhills, pre-season banding of ducks as part of cooperative central flyway annual population monitoring, fall banding of mid-continent white-fronted geese in Canada and Nebraska, and assisting Canadian biologists with arctic snow goose banding projects. Mark Vrtiska, wildlife management specialist with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Lyman's former co-worker, stated: "Nick was one of the best field biologists I knew. He was great at catching Canada geese. I'll never forget those times capturing geese with him in the Sandhills, spending time with him in a duck blind or walking for pheasants." Vrtiska estimated Lyman banded close to 40,000 ducks and geese during his career. Lyman shared his knowledge of waterfowl with others during the annual U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service M i g r a t o r y B i r d P a r t s C o l l e c t i o n Survey, also known as the Wingbee. Wings and tail fans from ducks and geese harvested and submitted by hunters in each of the four flyways in the United States are examined to determine the species, sex and a g e s t r u c t u re o f t h e p o p u l a t i o n . Lyman was relied on to confirm the identification of difficult submissions. His involvement at the Wingbee continued after his retirement. During his time with Game and Parks, Lyman received numerous awards, including the Ducks Unlimited Wetland Co n se r va t i o n Ac h i eve m e n t Awa rd fo r O u t s ta n d i n g Contributions to Wetland Conservation in 2005, the Ducks Unlimited Conservation Service Award in 1993 and the Director's Award of Honor from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2005. Na t i o n a l l y re s p e c te d a m o n g h i s p e e rs, Ly m a n's lifelong dedication to waterfowl conservation should be remembered by all who love this resource. We, and the waterfowl he spent years studying, are the beneficiaries of Lyman's lasting legacy. A New Name for Twin Lakes WMA By Julie Geiser Nationally respected among his peers, Nick Lyman's lifelong dedication to waterfowl conservation and his love for this resource leaves a lasting legacy of his efforts.

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