Volume 85, Issue 5, 2007
June 2007
- Identifier:
- nela.2007_085_05
- Title:
- Volume 85, Issue 5, 2007
- Issue Name:
- June 2007
- Date Issued:
- 2007-06-01
- year:
- 2007
- month:
- June
- Season:
- Spring
- PDF filename:
- NL_85.05_2007_Jun_Spreads_Entire.pdf
- Publisher:
- Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
- Format:
- Periodical
- volume:
- 085
- issue:
- 05
- number:
- 085.05
- Decade:
- 2000s
- Type:
- Rights Holder:
- Copyright Nebraskaland Magazine/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, all rights reserved.
- Extracted Text:
-
Foxtail barley sways in the late-afternoon light at Indian Cave State Park in Richardson County, creating
a beautifully photogenic, repeating pattern. Photo by Doug Carroll.
NEBRASKAland Magazine
$2.95
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Published by the
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
NebraskalandMagazine.com
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74470 81144
2
Volume 85, Number 5, June 2007
10 Macro Photography (Photographing Nebraska’s Outdoors – Part Three)
In this third part of our series on nature photography, we
discuss how to successfully capture macro photography
images. BY CHRIS HELZER
16 Memphis Lake – Both Past and Present
Memphis Lake SRA is one of Nebraska’s best-kept secrets.
Offering camping, fishing and an interesting history,
Memphis has a little something for everyone. BY JEFF KURRUS
20 Ferruginous Hawks
I observed a nesting pair of one of North America’s largest
raptors on an exposed rim of a sandstone outcropping along
the southern edge of the Niobrara river valley. BY BOB GRIER
28 From the Bank
Shoreline fishing for bluegill, northern pike and
largemouth bass requires a plan to maximize productivity
when angling. Here is that plan. BY JEFF KURRUS
34 Pawnee Corn – New Hope for Old Crops
The Pawnee Nation is looking to Nebraska for help in
recovering its original strains of corn and other ancestral
crops. BY KEN BOUC
20
●
38 Golfing Near the Parks
Combining a round of golf and a weekend family vacation is
easy near Nebraska’s state parks. BY ERIC FOWLER
34
●
8 Outdoor Business
Commission studies Niobrara River’s instream flow needs.
46 Outdoor Update
Yutan Dive Team cleans up area waters through Project Aware.
47 Mixed Bag
38
●
Kirwin’s Bad Egg had an unusually accurate name.
49 Parks & Places
A list of upcoming events offered at Nebraska State Parks.
Comment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Outdoor News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Portraits from the Past . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Cover: This caterpillar photographed by Chris Helzer on a Hamilton County prairie is an
example of the macro photography techniques that Helzer writes about in his story that begins
on page 10. Opposite: A smooth softshell turtle lays eggs on a Missouri River sandbar at
Elk Point Bend in Dixon County. Photo by Eric Fowler.
28
●
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
3
Comment
Comment
Published by the
Nebraska Game and
Parks Commission
Director: Rex Amack
Assistant Directors:
Roger Kuhn, Kirk Nelson, Sam Sidner
Information & Education Administrator:
Doug Bauch
Commissioners
Chairman:
Gary Parker, Columbus
Vice Chairman:
Bill Zutavern, Dunning
2nd Vice Chairman:
George E. Hall, Bridgeport
James Ziebarth, Wilcox
Jerrod Burke, Curtis
Dr. Mark Pinkerton, Wilber
James Stuart, Jr., Lincoln
Ron Stave, Waterloo
Magazine Staff
Editor: Doug Carroll
Associate Editor: Jeff Kurrus
Art Director: Tim Reigert
Senior Editors: Jon Farrar, Ken Bouc
Regional Editors:
Eric Fowler, Bob Grier, Rocky Hoffmann
Contributing Editor: Michael Forsberg
Circulation: Donna Robinson
Photo Librarian: Sarah Johnson
NEBRASKAland
ISSN: 0028-1964
VOL. 85 / NO. 5
JUNE 2007
Published monthly, except for Jan./Feb. and Aug./Sept.
issues, by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, 2200
N. 33rd St., Lincoln, NE. Copyright 2006, all rights reserved.
Please address comments or questions to this address.
Periodicals postage paid at Lincoln, Nebraska, and other
locations. POSTMASTER: Send all address changes to
NEBRASKAland, P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503-0370.
NEBRASKAland is available on audio cassette from the
Nebraska Library Commission Talking Book and Braille
Service, Suite 120, 1200 N St., Lincoln, NE 68508. (800)
742-7691.
Rates: $18 for one year; $33 for two years; $44 for
three years. Nebraska residents must add
appropriate sales tax.
To subscribe call 1-800-NEBLAND (632-5263),
or go online to: NebraskalandMagazine.com.
For address changes and questions about your
subscription, e-mail donna.robinson@ngpc.ne.gov.
4 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
Former Nebraskan Marlea Turgeon photographed this great blue heron nest outside
her second floor room in Florida this past February.
Wildlife Sculptor
I have subscribed to
NEBRASKAland Magazine for some
years and really enjoy it.
In the May issue, I especially
enjoyed the “Cliff Hollestelle Sculptor of Wildlife” article. The
photographs of the sculptures are
just fantastic. I especially liked the
great blue heron and the loons, for
two reasons.
I spend time each summer at a
private lake in northern Wisconsin,
and a pair of loons for years have
nested and had babies there on a
small island. They swim up to our
pier, and in the early stages a baby
will often be on the mother’s back.
This year I spent February in
Bradenton, Florida, with my daughter
and son-in-law, and what did we
see? Great blue herons building a
nest in a pine tree not more than
about 25 feet from their lanai
(Hawaiian for balcony). Being on
the second floor, we had a bird’s-eye
view of the nest.
I just have a little Minolta
Freedom Zoom 130 camera, but I
got some pretty good pictures of
the nest and thought you might
get a kick out of seeing the
“photography” of a little old
88-year-young gal – born and raised
in southeastern Nebraska.
In spite of the fact that I’ve been
“relocated” since 1945, I am still a
NEBRASKAN! For years I was able
to come back for one football game
each season, but no more. I watch
all that are televised here, subscribe
to Huskers Illustrated, fly the
Nebraska flag on all football days,
and it goes to half-mast when we
lose! I drive around with a Nebraska
window flag on my car during
football season, and my license plate
is NEBR FAN.
I think that I have bothered you
enough, so will sign off. Keep up
the good work with the magazine.
Marlea R. Turgeon
Evanston, Illinois
Medicine Creek Reservoir Article
I just wanted to let Rocky
Hoffmann know how much I
enjoyed the Medicine Creek
Reservoir story in the May 2007
issue of the magazine. My family
and I have enjoyed the area for more
than 50 years.
As a matter of fact, my son-inlaw, Ryan Groene, my daughter
Ashley and granddaughter Lunden,
from Ft. Calhoun, Nebraska, are
standing in front of my boat (NB
664 AFR) in the photo on page 36.
Noel Mues
Beaver City, Nebraska
Baby Barred Owls
My husband and I just moved to
an acreage in Pickrell, Nebraska and
we are now the two parents of two
baby barred owls.
My husband took some pictures
and we wanted to share them with
you. Mom owl was very close by,
just in case we got too excited about
the babies!
We hope you enjoy the pictures.
Adriana Larsen-Gisler
Pickrell, Nebraska
Headquarters
2200 N. 33rd Street
Lincoln, NE 68503
Phone (402) 471-0641
District Office I
East Hwy. 2, Box 725
Alliance, NE 69301
Phone (308) 763-2940
District Office II
524 Panzer St., Box 508
Bassett, NE 68714
Phone (402) 684-2921
Under federal and/or state law, discrimination is prohibited on the
basis of race, color, religion, age, gender, marital status, national
origin, disability or political affiliation. If you think you have been
discriminated against in any program, activity or facility by the
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission or want more information,
contact the Commission in Lincoln, NE, at (402) 471-0641 or the
Equal Opportunity Commission, Lincoln, NE, (402) 471-2024,
TTY/TDD (402) 471-4693).
District Office VI
1617 First Ave.
Kearney, NE 68847
Phone (308) 865-5310
Omaha Office
1212 Bob Gibson Blvd.
Omaha, NE 68108
Phone (402) 595-2144
Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium
21502 W. Highway 31
Gretna, NE 68028
Phone (402) 332-3901
World Wide Web site: OutdoorNebraska.org
E-mail: ngpc@ngpc.state.ne.us
Administration
Ted Blume (Adm.)
Craig Stover (Asst.)
Wes Loos (Asst.)
Rod Loos (Asst.)
Murray Johnson
Send your comments to:
Doug Carroll, Editor
NEBRASKAland Magazine
P.O. Box 30370
Lincoln, NE 68503
or e-mail doug.carroll@ngpc.ne.gov.
Please include your postal address
and telephone number.
Letters may be condensed and edited
for clarity. Photographs are
welcome and will be returned.
Story and photo submissions can be
sent to the same address. Include a
self-addressed stamped envelope for
mailed submissions. The publisher
assumes no responsibility for
unsolicited material.
District Office III
2201 N. 13th St.
Norfolk, NE 68701
Phone (402) 370-3374
District Office IV
301 E. State Farm Rd.
North Platte, NE 69101
Phone (308) 535-8025
Lincoln
471-5531
Lincoln
471-5532
Lincoln
471-5591
Ogallala (308) 284-8056
Lincoln
471-5003
Panhandle
Officer
City
Phone (308)
Jim Zimmerman (Sup.) Gering
436-7561
Walt Meyer
Chadron
432-4398
Scott Brandt
Gering
436-3418
Heath Packett
Gordon
282-2553
Dennis Thompson
Ogallala
284-6450
Dan Zuehlke
Ogallala
284-4815
Doug Pollard
Oshkosh
772-9950
Frank Miller
Valentine (402) 376-1183
Dan Kling
Whitney
432-8367
Southwest
Officer
City
Phone (308)
Roger Thompson (Sup.) N. Platte
532-9175
Ray Dierking
Brkn. Bow
872-3078
George Sund
Cambridge
697-4629
Michael Thome
Cozad
784-4362
Matt Andrews
Elwood
785-3025
Dirk Greene
Imperial
882-5328
Virgil Gosch
McCook
345-2185
Dudley Sorensen
N. Platte
532-0747
Rich Routh
Rep. City
799-2085
South-central
Officer
Jerry Pecha (Sup.)
Jeff Jones
Randy Pomplun
City
Phone (308)
Kearney
865-5327
Clay Center(402)762-3124
Fullerton
536-2987
Terry Brentzel
Darin Gress
Dale Johnson
Mark Reeves
Robert Finke
Richard Seward
Grand Is.
384-8296
Hebron (402) 768-2287
Kearney
237-1079
Loup City
745-0662
Milford (402) 761-3537
Ord
728-3115
Northeast
Officer
Tom Zimmer (Sup.)
Robert Kelly
Dale Davis
Ross Oestmann
Steve Oberg
Daniel Roberts
Jon Reeves
Marion Shafer
Pat George
Eric Wiebe
Tim Williams
Cory Krause
City
Phone (402)
Norfolk
371-6625
Albion
395-2538
Bassett
273-1700
Bloomfield
373-4412
Columbus
564-5937
Fremont
721-7852
Kennard
427-7378
Norfolk
371-2031
O’Neill
336-1588
Ponca
755-2566
Neligh
887-1335
West Point
372-6979
Southeast
Officer
Duane Arp (Sup.)
Sean McKeehan
William Krause
Jeremy TenKley
Mike Luben
Douglas Kramer
Dina Barta
Stacey Lewton
Levi Krause
Russell Mort
Dan Evasco
Jeff Clauson
City
Gretna
Ashland
Auburn
Beatrice
Colon
Lincoln
Lincoln
Lincoln
Louisville
Nebr. City
Papillion
Valley
Phone (402)
332-2965
944-4174
274-3789
228-1437
443-4278
466-9001
483-2358
476-0436
234-2212
873-5684
592-6733
359-5301
Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers 1-800-742-7627
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
5
Outdoor News
Outdoor News
DOUG CARROLL
Almost 1,700 students competed in the 38th annual High School Cornhusker
Trapshoot held at the Nebraska Trapshooting Association’s home grounds in
Doniphan May 3-5.
Cornhusker Trapshoot
reat your special hunter
or angler with the gift
that lasts a lifetime . . . a
Nebraska lifetime permit.
Lifetime permits remain
valid even if the holder
leaves the state.
A great gift for graduation,
Father’s Day and
birthdays.
T
For VISA and MasterCard
orders call toll-free
1-800-742-0056
Lifetime permits are
now available for
nonresidents as well
as residents.
For prices, go to
www.Outdoor
Nebraska.org
www.OutdoorNebraska.org
NEBRASKA GAME AND PARKS COMMISSION
6 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
Nearly 1,700 junior high and senior
high school students competed in the
38th Annual High School
Cornhusker Trapshoot held at the
Nebraska Trapshooting Association’s
home ground at Doniphan May 3-5.
When it was over, Chris Schropfer, a
sophomore at Fillmore Central High
School in Geneva, had won a shootoff
with Jason Galley of Omaha Skutt
Catholic High School to win the
Cornhusker Cup, which is awarded
to the high overall individual.
“Severe weather moved through
the Doniphan area during this year’s
Cornhusker Shoot, and while we
were delayed on Saturday by a fastmoving thunderstorm, the young
shooters took the wet weather in
stride and we saw some excellent
scoring on all three days,” said
Rocky Hoffmann, shoot director.
“The sportsmanship, responsibility
and safety that the young shooters
demonstrate each year is
tremendous.”
The Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission and the Nebraska
Trapshooting Association encourage
all youngsters who wish to participate
in the Cornhusker Shoot to get
involved with their local gun club,
contact shooting coaches or ask a
father, mother or gun club member
to serve as a coach. Official programs
are available each year by contacting
the Commission or a conservation
officer.
Flying WILD Workshop
The Flying WILD Workshop to
be held June 28 and 29 at the
McConaughy Visitor Center is a tool
for educators, students and community
organizations to learn about bird
migration and adaptations, see birds
in the hand with an expert bird
bander and acquire some useful
skills and educational tools for the
classroom, nature center or park
setting. Resources are provided by a
network of bird experts, bird
organizations, and environmental
professionals assisting with the
Flying WILD initiative. Space is
limited to 25 participants and cost is
$30. For more information, contact
Jeanine Lackey at (402) 471-5581 or
jeanine.lackey@ngpc.ne.gov.
Youth Habitat Stamp Art
Winners
Students from Mitchell, McCook,
and Omaha won their respective
categories in the 30th Annual
Nebraska Youth Habitat Stamp Art
Contest sponsored by the Nebraska
Game and Parks Commission. Nineyear-old Braydon Wiedeman of
Mitchell won the elementary division
with an acrylic painting of a duck;
13-year-old Emily Tolliver of
McCook won the junior division
with a colored pencil drawing of a
cardinal; and 16-year-old Felix Islas
of Omaha won the senior section
with a squirrel drawing, also done
with colored pencils.
All winners received $100 from
the Omaha Fish and Wildlife Club,
while finalists and honorable mention
winners received a subscription to
NEBRASKAland Magazine. In
addition, 72 out of 1,198 total entries
were chosen to be part of a traveling
exhibit displayed at various locations
throughout Nebraska.
A list of the 2007 Youth Habitat
Stamp Art Contest winners, finalists,
honorable mentions and those whose
artwork is part of the traveling exhibit
can be found on the Commission’s
web site at
www.ngpc.state.ne.us/wildlife/programs/habitat/youthwinners.asp.
Fishing Guide Error
Since many people received copies
of the 2007 Nebraska Fishing Guide
that inadvertently omitted the
statewide length limits, anglers
should note that length limits for
2007 are the same as last year and
include:
Largemouth bass: 15-inch
minimum except where other limits
apply, and parts of the Missouri
River.
Smallmouth and spotted bass:
12-inch minimum limit except where
other limits apply, and parts of the
Missouri River.
Walleye, sauger, and saugeye:
15-inch minimum limit, except for
the Missouri River downstream from
Gavins Point Dam and reservoirs
with more restrictive length limits.
The daily bag limit of four fish can
include only one over 22 inches in
length with the exception of Elwood
Reservoir, which allows only one
fish over 24 inches.
Muskellunge/Tiger Muskellunge:
40-inch minimum limit. ■
Make Your Cabin and
Campsite Reservations Today!
LEWIS AND CLARK LAKE CABINS ARE AVAILABLE YEAR-ROUND
Plan your park
vacation now
make reservations
or check for
available dates
by calling
(402) 471-1414
or go online to
www.Outdoor
Nebraska.org.
PONCA STATE PARK HAS MANY CAMPSITES THAT ARE
AVAILABLE FOR RESERVATION
The Nebraska Annual Park Permit is your
passport to the great outdoors all year long.
Purchase your 2007 permit now at any
state park or permit vendor – or go online
to www.OutdoorNebraska.org.
Our online permit purchase
is secure, there’s never a line
and your permanent permit
will be mailed to you.
2007 p
ermit st
icker fo
r wind
shield
www.OutdoorNebraska.org
NEBRASKA GAME AND PARKS COMMISSION
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
7
Outdoor Business
Protecting the Niobrara River
Commission begins studying Niobrara River instream flow needs.
By Jon Farrar
n May 2006, the Nebraska Game
and Parks Commission (NGPC)
board of commissioners instructed
staff to study and recommend
instream flow appropriation needs
to protect the economic, recreational
and ecological values of the Niobrara
River. This will be the Commission’s
third instream flow initiative.
Instream flow legislation passed by
the Nebraska Legislature in 1984
allows NGPC and natural resources
districts (NRDs) to apply for the right
to maintain water in a stream for
beneficial uses other than out-of-stream
uses such as irrigation. The law
requires specified flows to remain in a
stream for wildlife and recreation after
prior water right holders have taken
their share.
The state’s first instream
appropriation was granted to NGPC
in 1989 to protect trout populations
in Long Pine Creek in north-central
Nebraska. The Central Platte NRD
received an instream appropriation for
the Platte River in 1992 to protect
sandhill cranes, endangered whooping
cranes and forage fish for threatened
least terns, and six years later the
Commission was granted another
instream appropriation to protect
habitat for a variety of fish and
wildlife species, including several
threatened or endangered species,
found on central and lower reaches
of the river.
The Niobrara River study is
especially timely now that the state is
grappling with the enormous
economic consequences of chronic
exploitation of water in the
Republican and Platte river basins.
Both of those rivers were already
over-appropriated due to both surface
and groundwater uses when the
instream flow legislation was passed.
Approximately 95 percent of the
flowing water and groundwater
used in Nebraska goes to irrigate
I
JON FARRAR
8 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
Unless its flows are protected, the
scenic Niobrara River in north-central
Nebraska may suffer radical changes.
cropland. Under state law, irrigators
and other water users are allowed to
entirely deplete streams unless the
streams are protected by an instream
appropriation.
The Nebraska Department of
Natural Resources (NDNR) has not
ruled that the Niobrara is fully
appropriated, but last month the
Nebraska Public Power District
(NPPD), owner of Spencer Dam on
the lower Niobrara and holder of
water rights dating back as far as the
1890s, asked the NDNR for protection
of its 2,035 cubic feet per second flow
rights, a volume it has not always
received.
The NGPC study could continue
for another three years, and if the
Commission decides instream
appropriations are needed, a request
will be filed with the NDNR and the
process of review and hearings will
follow.
“We are looking at the Niobrara
Basin because its valuable resources
are recognized nationally as well as
regionally and locally,” said NGPC
biologist Larry Hutchinson. “It was
a natural place to consider for an
instream flow study before too much
water had been appropriated and we
were too late protecting the resource,
as the state was on the Republican and
Platte rivers.”
There are many reasons to keep
the Niobrara River flowing. A
significant recreational industry,
valued at millions of dollars, has
grown around tourism in the area,
particularly camping, canoeing and
tubing. Protecting the unique and
diverse assemblage of fauna and
flora found along the river is another
justification. And there are less
obvious consequences for not allowing
the Niobrara to be exploited. While
Nebraska sits astride a vast
underground aquifer, the top few
feet of that buried water often
dictates what is found on the
surface. Lowering the aquifer only
a few feet can turn hay meadows
and marshes into dry valleys. Also
of concern is the effect a falling
water table would have on the
waterfalls found on Niobrara feeder
streams.
Instream appropriations do not
affect existing and prior water rights
held by landowners. Rather, the
appropriation is a water right for flows
not being diverted for other uses. An
appropriation could be requested to
preserve recreational opportunities, to
protect fish and wildlife, or both. If
instream appropriations are requested
for the Niobrara, they could extend
from the river’s mouth to perhaps
as far upstream as near Box Butte
Reservoir in Dawes County.
“If it is decided instream
appropriations are needed to protect
the Niobrara,” said Hutchinson, “we
want all stakeholders in the river –
local, regional and statewide – to
understand why they are necessary
and to support the applications.
We will be asking those stakeholders:
What values does the river provide
now that need to be protected?
What do you want the Niobrara to
look like in 50 years? There is a strong
economic justification for people
along the river and those deriving
income from river recreation to protect
those resources, to attract and keep
people living in that area, to keep the
area vital, the economy stable, the
schools going.”
The NGPC has invited the
three Niobrara River NRDs, the
Niobrara Council and others to
be a part of the study and planning
process.
The Niobrara Council, assigned
by the Legislature to manage the
Niobrara scenic river corridor in
conjunction with the National Park
Service, is supportive of the study.
Both the Niobrara Council and the
National Park Service have asked
the three NRDs to place a
temporary moratorium on new
groundwater and surface water
applications until the study is
complete to prevent a rush of new
wells in anticipation of restrictive
regulations, such as occurred in the
Republican River Valley.
With other Nebraska rivers and
streams already seriously depleted
and water tables falling, with major
restrictions on new water uses and
irrigation in other river basins, and
with the amount of corn produced
under irrigation expected to
increase because of ethanol-driven
rising corn prices, the threat to
the Niobrara could be just around
the corner. The number of requests
for water rights in the Niobrara
River basin in recent months
suggests it is already happening. Now
is the time to protect it for future
generations. ■
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
9
In this third part of our series on nature photography, we discuss
how to successfully capture macro photography images.
Macro Photography
Chris Helzer – Nature photographer
My favorite type of photography is macro photography,
otherwise known as close-up photography. One of the best
things about macro photography is that you don’t have to
travel very far from home to find good pictures. If you take
the time to look closely in your backyard, the city park or
the creek just outside of town, you’re sure to find plenty of
subject matter. You don’t need a lot of equipment either, but
let’s start there.
For macro photography I use a small Bogen tripod that
only stands about four feet tall when fully extended. I can
spread my tripod’s legs to get close to the ground if needed,
and I can extend the center post if I need more height. For
subjects really close to the ground I attach a Bogen Super
Clamp and small ballhead to one of the tripod’s legs. That
way I can slide the clamp down to ground level and still
have a stable base to shoot from, which is very important.
Make sure you have a lens that will focus as close as you
need it to. Many manufacturers claim their normal lenses are
capable of doing macro photography, but a lens specifically
designed for close-up photography, often referred to as a macro
lens, will usually focus a lot closer and give you much better
results. I've always used a 100mm or 105mm macro lens
because of the longer working distance it gives me from the
subject and the way it limits the amount of background that
shows behind the subject. Because the Nikon D200 I currently
use has a digital sensor smaller than a 35mm frame, my
105 mm macro lens acts like an even longer lens, which I
really like. Speaking of cameras, because I shoot close-up
photos using manual focus and manual exposure, the camera
body itself might be my least important piece of equipment.
I have taken just as good of photos using older, manual focus
cameras as I have with newer, autofocus digital cameras.
Getting the right focal point and exposure can be really
tricky when doing macro photography, and I like the control
I have when doing those things myself.
The last piece of equipment that I consider essential is a
cable release, which keeps the camera from shaking or moving
10 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
when I click the shutter. This is especially important with the
long exposures I often need because of low light and the
small apertures used to maximize depth-of-field.
Weather is a key element of close-up photography. Most
days there are only a couple small windows of opportunity
when the light and wind are both right for making good
photos, so it's important to plan ahead. Photography involves
capturing the reflection of light off of a subject, so the quality
of that light should be your first concern. Go out early in the
morning and late in the evening for nice, warm light and
interesting shadows, and take advantage of bright, overcast
days and the soft, even light they provide. The other limiting
factor besides light is wind. While it's possible to take close-up
photos on windy days (particularly of rocks!), most subjects
are easier to photograph when not waving in the breeze.
Once you have the necessary light and wind conditions, the
next challenge is controlling depth-of-field – the amount of
the photo that appears to be in focus. When photographing
very close objects, the depth-of-field is very shallow, which
means you have to think carefully about which parts of the
subject you want in focus. If the subject is an insect or animal,
it’s usually important for the eyes to be in focus. With flowers
or other subjects, you must decide what the focal point of the
photo is going to be and make sure that it is sharp. Oftentimes
positioning the camera’s film plane parallel to the subject will
give you a better chance of getting the entire subject in focus.
One nice thing about narrow depth-of-field is that it often
allows you to “fuzz out” a photo’s background, accentuating
the main subject. The further your subject is from objects
behind it, the easier it is to fuzz the background out. Make
sure you pay attention to potential distractions – gently push
aside stray grass leaves, for example, and position your camera
so that the horizon line doesn’t intersect your subject.
The best way to learn macro photography is to just try it, so
the next time the wind dies down in the evening, pick up your
camera and head outside. You’ll be amazed at the number of
photo opportunities waiting right outside your backdoor.
Chris Helzer is Program Director for The Nature
Conservancy’s Eastern Nebraska Project Office. ■
PREVIOUS PAGE: This caterpillar
was photographed at Griffith Prairie,
a Prairie Plains Resource Institute
preserve in Hamilton County, with a
105mm lens, 1/13 second at f/8, ISO
100. The picture was taken after the
sun had gone down, so the light on
the caterpillar is afterglow reflecting
from the sky.
OPPOSITE: This milkweed leaf with
sunlight shining through it was also
shot at Griffith Prairie. A 105mm lens
was used, set for 1/25 second at f/16,
with an ISO of 100.
ABOVE: This garden spider was
photographed among big bluestem
in a restored tallgrass prairie near
Aurora using a 105mm macro lens
and Fujichrome Velvia film.
RIGHT: These bark beetle galleries
were found on a cottonwood log at
Olson Nature Preserve near Albion.
Bright, overcast light helped the
picture, and the subject made the
wind irrelevant. The photo was shot
using a 100mm macro lens and
Velvia film.
12 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
13
ABOVE: This sideoats grama plant
was photographed in a native grass
plot on the University of NebraskaLincoln’s East Campus using a
100mm macro lens and Velvia film.
LEFT: This dragonfly was
photographed on roundheaded
bushclover inside Aurora’s city limits
using a 105mm macro lens and Velvia
film.
OPPOSITE: These Dutchman's
breeches flowers were found in an oak
woodland near Papillion. They were
photographed using a 100mm macro
lens and Velvia film. Exposing for the
white flowers made the background
appear completely black.
14 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
15
Memphis Lake
– both past and present –
By Jeff Kurrus
Once known for the Armour and Company Icehouse,
Memphis Lake SRA is one of Nebraska’s best secrets.
With activities that include camping, fishing, and
hiking, Memphis offers a little something for everyone.
T
scenery and a few fish thrown in for
good measure is the best of all. However,
that wasn’t what I found. It was my
first introduction to silt, and we did not
get along well. However, the lake has
been rehabilitated by the Nebraska
Game and Parks Commission since my
first visit, and when I was finally coerced
into visiting Memphis Lake again, I
was in for a very pleasant surprise.
Aquatic Habitat Success
In 2002, the Commission completed
a yearlong aquatic habitat project at
Memphis Lake SRA, removing 51,000
cubic yards of sediment from the 45KEN BOUC
he first time I visited
Memphis Lake State
Recreation Area (SRA) was
because I am originally from
Memphis, Tennessee, I like
to fish and was curious about a place
named after a group of settlers who
originally came to the area from
Tennessee. This first visit, back in
2000, was disappointing – all I found at
the lake was shallow water and sludge.
While the area made a great, clean
camping spot close to Omaha or
Lincoln, I wanted an extra incentive to
visit. A nice camping trip is great. A
nice camping trip with scenery is even
better. But a nice camping trip with
PHOTO COURTESY OF SAUNDERS COUNTY MUSEUM – NO. 693.4
At Memphis Lake SRA in Saunders County, fishing possibilities with family and friends is one of the lake’s strongest attributes.
At 200 feet wide, 735 feet long, and 40 feet high, the Armour and Company Icehouse
located at present day Memphis Lake SRA produced 100,000 tons of ice in 1899.
16 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
acre lake to make it deeper, and creating an additional 3,760 feet of shoreline, including three jetties and an
island. The project also involved
installing a filtration system to prevent
the
reintroduction of rough fish. After the
lake was refilled, it was restocked from
2002 to 2006 with 8,250 largemouth
bass, 9,720 channel catfish and 60,730
sunfish and bluegill.
Memphis is now one of the top lakes
close to the metropolitan areas of
Lincoln and Omaha and provides
excellent fishing for bluegill, catfish
and bass even during the summer, when
aquatic vegetation covers much of the
lake. Because the newly constructed
jetties provide legitimate chances at
finding deepwater spots to access,
anglers can now catch a large number
of fish, from bank or boat, throughout
the year. It is clear how much the
project has improved the lake. The funny
thing is while fishing is such a large
focus now, there was a time in the area’s
history when it wasn’t even possible.
A Brief History
According to the Nebraska State
Historical Society, the Armour and
Company Icehouse was built in 1897-98
on the site of what is now Memphis
Lake SRA. The area was a pasture during the spring and summer months, but
in the fall the man-made area was
cleared of all debris and the lake filled
with spring water from nearby Silver
Creek. The ice was scored and sawed
when it was eight inches thick, with the
blocks poled along an open channel to
elevators and up into ice rooms, where
they were packed in sawdust. One of
the largest icehouses in the country at
200 feet wide, 735 feet long and 40 feet
high, the Armour and Company Icehouse
was powered by a 300-horsepower
steam engine and two coal generators.
The icehouse harvested 100,000 tons
of ice in 1899 and shipped, on average,
★
Memphis Lake SRA is located on the
northwestern edge of Memphis in
Saunders County. Nearby attractions
include the Strategic Air and Space
Museum, Eugene T. Mahoney State Park
and the Lee G. Simmons Conservation
Park and Wildlife Safari.
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
17
A Little Something For
Everyone
JEFF KURRUS
ERIC FOWLER
Camping, hunting, fishing, wildlife
viewing, picnicking, stargazing – name
it, Memphis Lake SRA has it. And the
best part about the area is that few people use it. Dozens of mature, shadeproducing trees are scattered throughout
the campground, which has 150 nonpad
campsites. There is no electricity in the
campground, but there are dozens of
campsites along the water’s edge. Pit
toilets are scattered throughout and
playgrounds are also on site. A separate,
adjacent area even allows hunters to
chase a number of species in season,
including waterfowl, rabbits, pheasants
and squirrels.
This summer and fall, either fish
from one of the lake’s rock jetties or
drop a johnboat, kayak or float tube in
its waters and take advantage of all the
woody and aquatic structure that can’t be
reached from the bank. Just remember
to use an electric or nonpowered boat
there. Located 30 minutes from
downtown Omaha and Lincoln and
Close to Omaha and Lincoln, Memphis Lake SRA is a great camping spot for visitors.
mere minutes away from both the
Strategic Air and Space Museum and
E.T. Mahoney State Park, Memphis is
in the perfect geographical spot to
make a weekend escape.
You might even see me there, but
there’s just no telling what I’ll be
doing. I have so many options. ■
The author would like to thank the
Nebraska State Historical Society, the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, The
Saunders County Museum and a paper
by Merna Washburn entitled
“Refrigeration Killed My Town” for
the historical information regarding
Memphis Lake SRA.
With 3,760 feet of shoreline, three jetties and an island recently added, Memphis Lake SRA’s fishing possibilities include channel
catfish (pictured), bluegill and largemouth bass.
18 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
Boyscout Troop No. 359
“It was so dark,” said Boy Scout
Scott Burkhart, describing the previous
night’s campfire game of “Ghost in the
Graveyard.” Scott and the rest of Troop
No. 359 from Papillion were spending
a weekend camping at Memphis late
last fall when I first met them, and had
just completed a orienteering exercise
with their compasses. When asked
what activities they did with the Boy
Scouts, the boys recited a long list:
How to use axes, mauls and knives;
tying knots and first aid; water safety,
fire safety and cooking their own food;
building shelters and winter survival.
“Is that all?” I asked. Both the scout
leaders and boys shook their heads.
“We did one and a half hours of
service work this weekend. It lets the
boys learn that they have a responsibility
to take care of their community,” said
John Lowndes, father of scout Tony
Lowndes. “Scouting is about belonging
to a community and principles and
attitudes that, if you catch the boys
early enough, become ingrained in
them so when the boys become adults,
they don’t think about community –
community is just a part of them.”
While the troop was at Memphis Lake
SRA, they visited all the fire rings at
their camp, cleaned out the trash and
ashes, and readied them for the next
campers coming in.
During their stay, the scouts fished
during the day and, when the sky
cooperated, stargazed at night. Because
they are not allowed to bring any
electronic games, their leisure time is
spent playing cards, talking around the
campfire and playing games.
The troop camps somewhere once a
month and has enjoyed several other
Nebraska public areas, including
Fremont Lakes SRA, Indian Cave State
Park (SP), Mahoney SP, and Louisville
SRA. At Memphis, the boys were able
to work toward the 110 merit badges
they can earn and also toward advancing
in rank toward Eagle, the highest level
of Boy Scouts. “I like camping and
being outside,” said Tony Lowndes.
“It’s fun to get away from the city.
There are so many stars out here at night.”
JEFF KURRUS
24 carloads of ice daily to Omaha and
Chicago and was advertised for its
purity. According to the Nebraska State
Historical Society, even during the
summer it was quite common to ship
more than 100 railcars of ice each
month. The company employed 25
local families year-round and another
300 during its winter season, who took
up temporary quarters in the Armour
Hotel near the lake.
A 1921 fire destroyed the icehouse,
but ice continued to be loaded directly
onto railroad cars until refrigeration
units began replacing ice houses.
Artificial ice plants were quickly being
constructed closer to major cities,
eliminating the need for icehouses like
the one at Memphis; so in 1928, the
144 acres were sold to Charles Tanner,
a former foreman at the icehouse. Two
years later Tanner sold the land to the
state, which established the recreation
area in 1930. These days, the area once
used for supplying ice for Midwestern
cities provides a different set of benefits
for visitors looking for a little escape
from city life and city lights.
Solitude and scenery near Nebraska’s metropolitan areas make Memphis Lake SRA an ideal spot for a morning walk.
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
19
Ferruginous
Hawks
Photos and text by Bob Grier
The ferruginous hawk,
(Buteo regalis) is one of
North America’s largest and
most regal raptors. During
the spring and summer of
2006, I observed and
photographed a nesting pair
and their young perched
on an exposed rim of a
sandstone outcropping
along the southern edge of
the Niobrara river valley.
An adult ferruginous hawk brings in additional
nesting material as its two almost completely
fledged-out chicks watch during the
summer of 2006.
W
ith a ground squirrel in
the folded talons of its
left foot, the adult male
ferruginous hawk’s
outstretched wings softly
carried it to the rim of its
nest. The gusty winds
blowing across the exposed nest near
the top of a rocky bluff in western
Nebraska posed little problem for the
adult, whose graceful flight and regal
bearing validated its Latin name, Buteo
regalis.
Ferruginous hawks have been known
to nest in trees, on protected, rocky
points and ledges of outcrops. Some
have even nested on flat grasslands.
Last year marked at least the seventh
year that a breeding pair of ferruginous
hawks have nested on the rim of a
sandstone and marl outcropping along
the southern edge of the Niobrara
River Valley north of Hemingford. A
similar, abandoned platform nest built
on a flat-topped spire within sight of
the active nest extends the hawk’s
local nesting activities even further
back in time.
Formed almost entirely of the stalks
of yucca plants, over the years the
active nest has grown larger and larger,
now resembling a miniature volcano.
Last spring its base was at least eight
feet across and stood nearly 18-inches
high before the annual nesting period
began in March.
Natural History
One of the largest members of the
Buteo genus, adult ferruginous
hawks average 22.5 to 25 inches in
length and have a 53- to 56-inch
wingspan. Both sexes look alike,
with females a bit larger than males.
Ferruginous hawks have two
distinctly different color forms,
known as light and dark morphs.
Light morph birds, such as the
breeding pair using the Hemingford
nest, display the rusty brown on their
back and shoulders leading to the
species’ common name (ferruginous
means “rusty color”) and have a paler
head. Light morph adults display nearly
white and silver underwings accented
by small, rust-colored markings, a
snowy white breast above rusty-red and
black banded feathers extending to its
large, yellow feet and formidable black
talons. Dark morph birds make up less
than 10 percent of the population and
are almost completely dark brown,
with strongly contrasting white and
The adult female uses her body to shade the young chicks from the heat of the sun.
Not much protects this ferruginous hawk nest built on the edge of a rocky outcropping in the central Panhandle.
22 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
dark feather bands under the wings.
In flight, ferruginous hawks of both
color morphs have long, broad wings.
The slightly barred, fan-shaped tails
are opened when soaring and appear
nearly pure white in both light and
dark morph birds. Seen from below,
the wings of adults have a pattern of
markings along the coverts of the
underwings extending mid-wing to the
top of the legs. The dark leg feathers
form an easily seen “V” shape.
The differences between adult and
juvenile plumage adds to the difficulty
of field identification of many raptor
species and different color forms within
the same species confuses matters of
identification as well.
The ferruginous hawk’s voice includes
alarm calls consisting of a “kree-a” or
“ke-ah” and harsh chirping “kaah, kaah”
calls that are often heard near the nest
location. The bird can remain nearly
invisible at altitude above the nest and
the ringing, high-pitched alarm calls
echo over the nest site.
Ferruginous hawks are birds of
the high plains of western North
America. Their range includes the
continent’s grasslands and arid,
elevated steppes from southern
Alberta and southwestern Manitoba
into Mexico and from the western
half of Nebraska to eastern California.
Their breeding and summer ranges
extend northward into southern
Canada and some winter as far south
as Texas. Year-round residents of
Nebraska, only scattered sightings
of ferruginous hawks occur east of
the Missouri River.
Throughout their breeding and
nesting grounds, the hawks nest in
trees, on protected, rocky points and
ledges of outcrops. Some even nest
on nearly flat grasslands.
Ferruginous hawk egg clutches
typically number between two and
six, but as many as eight have been
reported. The 2006 nest north of
Hemingford started with four eggs,
but only three hatched and one chick
died within days of leaving the egg.
The remaining egg, dull white with
umber to dark brown splotches,
could still be seen in the nest at the
end of the nesting cycle.
Both the female and the male take
turns at incubation, their white
underbellies hidden by the rim
of the conical nest and their darkercolored back providing effective
camouflage. Egg laying in western
Nebraska usually occurs from
mid-March through mid-May.
Observations by researchers show
both adults spend an equal amount of
time on the eggs during the average
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
23
Holding a ground squirrel in its beak, one of the parents prepares to feed its young.
32-day incubation period.
During the 2005 nesting season,
four eggs were laid and the first egg
hatched the last day of May, with the
remainder of the eggs hatching about
two days apart during the first week
of June. That nest and its chicks
were destroyed, however, when a
thunderstorm with high winds, hail
and torrential rains – including a
tornado that touched down just north
of the nest site – moved eastward
along the Niobrara River.
Historical accounts of ferruginous
hawks are few, yet they nearly always
include the observer’s undisguised
admiration for the species. Spencer F.
Baird, in his 1860 report of the
California Squirrel Hawk, as
the species was then known, wrote:
“This is one of the most handsome
of the American Falconidae, and,
though known in Europe for the last
twenty years, was unknown to
naturalists of this country until
brought to their notice by Mr. Edward
Kern, who was attached to Colonel
Fremont’s expeditions.”
By the mid-1900s, the ferruginous
hawk’s classification was refined by
24 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
moles, voles, ground squirrels, pocket
gophers and prairie dogs. The hawk’s
prey also includes black-tailed
jackrabbits. Both the swift fox and
ferruginous hawk are often associated
with prairie dog towns, where prey is
readily available.
While small mammals make up
80 to 90 percent of the ferruginous
hawk’s diet, they are opportunists. The
list of prey on their menu includes
mice, muskrat, pocket mouse,
long-tailed weasel, snowshoe hare,
curlew, black-billed magpie, bull snake,
yellow-bellied racer, garter snake and
insects including grasshoppers, crickets
and carabid beetles. Prey items seen at
the 2006 nest also included several
meadowlarks.
During the mid to latter part of the
2006 incubation period, the female
left the nest for less than 10 minutes
to capture, kill and eat a snake that
she located from the nest about three
hundred yards away. Interestingly,
the landowners and their children
and grandchildren have hiked their
pastures on numerous occasions
throughout the spring and summer
during the last seven years and have
never encountered a snake, suggesting
snakes are a regular item of the hawk’s
diet.
Researchers have identified at least
seven hunting strategies for the hawk,
including perching on trees, power
poles, hillsides and other elevated
sites and waiting for prey to appear.
Four hunting flight patterns have
been identified: low-level flights
several feet above the ground,
sustained flights from 40 to 60 feet
above the ground and high-level
hunting flights where the birds soar
at higher altitudes. Observers report
the success of the higher level hunting
flights is generally low. Hovering
flight – like the more commonly
encountered hovering American
kestrel or sparrow hawk, Falco
sparverius, – is also used, with the
hawk making rapid wing beats to
hold its position before dropping
quickly to the ground to snatch up a
field mouse or other prey.
Other interesting hunting techniques
reported includes “ground-perching,”
where the hawk will land next to a
rodent burrow and wait for the
rodent to move just under the surface
before jumping into the air and
dropping on the prey still under the
loose soil. The ground perching
technique appears nearly identical to a
polar bear standing at a seal’s air hole
in the ice before rising on its back legs
and pouncing to break through the
mantel of snow above the seal.
Other hunting strategies include
cooperative hunting by ferruginous
pairs and even outright piracy, where
birds gather near prairie dog hunters
and fly out to claim prairie dogs that
are shot.
At the 2006 Nest
The adult female maintained her
upright position at the nest through
most of the warm midday, shading the
chicks. She made use of her time by
preening and cleaning her plumage,
occasionally stretching one or the
other wing and standing motionless,
often on one leg with the other leg
and talons held up against the
outstretched wing. As the sun
shifted, the female moved clockwise
on the nest’s rim to keep the young
in shade.
the scientific community and Arthur
Cleveland Bent made up for his
predecessor’s dry writing style in his
glowing 1937 report of the hawk’s
new classification: “This latest name,
Regalis, is a very appropriate one for
this splendid hawk, the largest, and
most powerful, and the grandest of
our Buteos, a truly regal bird.”
Diet and Hunting Methods
Within seconds of the male arriving
at the nest with the ground squirrel,
the larger of the chicks, nearly three
weeks old at the time, had grasped it
in its beak and with a flip of its head,
swallowed the rodent headfirst. The
female then suddenly appeared,
gliding in from the south, her flight
path well below the height of the
nest. She rotated her wings to cut
her speed and rose nearly vertically
to settle onto the nest’s rim. As if on
cue, the male jumped into the air to
continue his hunting activities.
Like Nebraska’s threatened and
endangered swift fox (Vulpes velox),
the furruginous hawk’s diet is made up
almost entirely of small mammals:
Glinting in the late-afternoon light, soft rain falls on the nest and its two almost fully fledged chicks during a summer rainshower.
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
25
The nestlings slept, occasionally
re-positioning and preening themselves.
When necessary, they moved to the
nest edge to expel their waste.
After several hours, the chick’s
increasing activities signaled the end
of their rest period. Picking up the
ground squirrel she had brought
earlier, the adult began to tear away
small portions of meat and feed them
to the two chicks, lowering her head
and turning it from side to side to
observe each chick’s activities before
using her sharp beak to pull another
portion from the rodent held in her
talons. Occasionally she would hold
a portion of meat in her beak,
allowing first one than the other
chick to attempt to tear away small
parts of the offering before devouring
what was left, including the head,
bones and skin that couldn’t easily
be rendered into smaller portions.
Young ferruginous hawks stay in
the nest for about 38 to 50 days,
with male chicks fledging within
38 to 40 days and the slowerdeveloping female chicks fledging
about 10 days later. The young birds
in the 2006 nest feathered out at a
surprising rate – the first black pin
feathers on the wings appeared by
the second week of June, and darker
feathering on the back and light,
rust-colored breast feathers by June 19.
As the chicks matured, they increasingly
used their wings and long legs to
move about the nest, often preening
and shaking away a cloud of downy
feathers as they prepared for flight.
Near the end of the nesting period,
both chicks would leave and seek
Dust and small downy feathers glint in a beam of sunlight as the chicks build up their flight muscles.
relief from the summer sun in shade
on the northeast side of the nest. As
their size and mobility increased, the
young birds would walk around the
rock above the nest to seek shade on
the cooler, northern exposure.
Only one chick remained in the nest
on July 3. The other juvenile, usually
accompanied by one of the adults, took
up residence on a rocky outcropping
about a quarter-mile northeast of the
nest. During its time at the nest alone,
the slower developing chick received
fewer and fewer visits from the adults.
Hunting had slowed in the heat of the
summer, and the birds’ prey was
spending more time underground. Once
the last chick left the nest, observations
near the site became increasingly rare.
Future of the Ferruginous
With the unhatched egg perilously close to being underfoot, a ferruginous chick watches as its sibling tries out its wings.
26 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
Ferruginous hawks are known to have
lived as long as 20 years in the wild, but
researchers believe most birds die within
the first five years. First year mortality
is estimated at about 66 percent and
adult mortality at 25 percent.
During the early to mid-1900s, the
species was believed to be in decline and
the ferruginous hawk was listed on the
National Audubon Society’s Blue List
from 1971 to 1981. The hawk was listed
as a species of Special Concern between
1982 and 1986 and the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service listed the
hawk’s population in its “undetermined”
category in 1973. In 1991, the
ferruginous hawk was petitioned for
listing under the Endangered Species
Act, but the petition was rejected due
to insufficient data to warrant listing.
Like the swift fox, ferruginous
hawks evolved on the mid- to short-grass
prairies and arid, shrub steppes of the
west. Their range continues to erode as
agricultural practices and development
reduce the size of the continent’s
grasslands.
The continuing concern for grassland
species has led to increased banding,
recovery and tracking efforts by
biologists throughout the ferruginous
hawk’s range. Advancing technology,
including satellite telemetry of birds
fitted with extremely small transmitters
called PTTs, or platform transmitter
terminals, allow researchers to track the
hawk’s movements. The high-tech
transmitters, weighing about 30 to 35
grams, transmit once every eight days.
Signals are received by National
Oceanic and Atmospheric weather
satellites in polar orbits about 600
miles above the earth and then relayed
to researchers’ computers.
By July 2006, 40 ferruginous hawks
had been fitted with the lightweight
transmitters – eight in Mexico, eight
in Canada and 24 in the United States.
Of the 40 hawks, fourteen are currently
active and birders are invited to log on
to www.ferruginoushawk.org to follow
the study’s progress and view actual
maps showing the individual
ferruginous hawk’s movements across
western North America. ■
Editor’s note: The female ferruginous
hawk returned to the nest site north of
Hemingford this past March and began
rebuilding the nest, but after waiting
nearly a month for the male to return,
she eventually abandoned her efforts
and left the area. Only time will tell if
these regal birds will once again use
this nest site.
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
27
FROM
THE BANK
By Jeff Kurrus
Shoreline fishing for bluegill, northern pike and
largemouth bass requires a plan to maximize
productivity when angling. Here is that plan.
A
fter hundreds of hours spent
fishing from shorelines across
the country, I have left more
lures than I care to think
about hanging in trees and
most certainly backlashed my reel a
time or two in limbs behind me. Yet I
have also learned a thing or two about
fishing from the bank and now know
what to look for during these terrestrial
excursions, what adjustments to make,
and how to be creative when fishing for
bluegill, pike, and bass. More
importantly, lessons I continue to ingest
from shore translate into more success
when fishing from a boat. Plus, bank
fishing is just plain fun. The
following are some tips that might aid
in your desire to catch a few more fish
from Nebraska’s long list of lakes
accessible by foot.
BLUEGILL (Lepomis macrochirus) are a
forage fish for both pike and bass and are
also excellent tablefare for anglers.
NORTHERN PIKE (Esox lucius) are found
by anglers in Sandhill lakes and attack
the largest fish they can eat.
LARGEMOUTH BASS (Micropterus
salmoides) are found across the state. A
5-pound bass is a trophy in Nebraska.
FISH ART BY DUANE RAVER, UNITED STATES
FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
28 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
I have been told that fan-casting, a
fishing method in which an angler
stands in one spot and casts to various
points to the front, left and right, is the
most efficient way of fishing from the
bank because it allows anglers to work
a large amount of water from a single
location.
While this notion is correct to a large
extent, it should be modified slightly to
increase efficiency. People often
fan-cast water that is either unlikely to
hold fish at all or while using
inappropriate lures. For example,
working eight-feet-deep water with a
lure designed to run two feet deep is
usually not the best way to catch fish,
yet anglers repeatedly make this
mistake.
Conversely, people sometimes fish
lures designed to run much deeper than
the water they are fishing, repeatedly
creating hang-ups with underwater
structure.
BOB GRIER
Fan-Casting
Windmill SRA is an example of a great bank fishing option for anglers. With five ponds on site, this area east of Kearney is home to
bluegill and largemouth bass. In early morning hours, anglers can fish traditional fish-holding spots including
points, then begin fan-casting various areas of the lakes looking for fish feeding near a variety of structure.
When fan-casting, start by making
more casts parallel to the bank instead
of away from it. Because bluegill, pike
and bass often make their way to
shallow water to feed, use the
accompanying illustration (page 31) as
a model of where to cast. Let us
assume there are also more cover
options in shallow water, again
supporting the likelihood of these areas
holding fish.
Fishing this way will also involve the
use of short casts. Pulling a hooked
fish past a fish you have yet to catch is
not the best way to catch that second
fish. When looking down a bank being
fished, there will often be multiple cover
types, such as riprap, submerged timber
or some form of aquatic vegetation.
Quite often there will be a fish in or on
each of these structures that can be
caught if fished correctly. This is the
same concept as not fishing the
backside of a point or piece of
structure from a boat before fishing the
front side.
After making this series of short
casts, start making longer ones using
the fanning technique. This allows the
angler to fish new water while also
trying to find out if longer casts are
needed, due to water clarity, to catch
more fish.
Where to Look?
Too often, bank anglers spend a large
amount of time fishing the same area
because they think a fish might
eventually strike. Unless fish can be
seen actively feeding or the area has
been extremely successful in the past,
an angler should search for fish on a
lake if they are not having success at a
particular spot. One thing to look for is
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
29
TEXAS-RIGGED
PLASTIC WORM
Fanning the Bank
T
SS
LE
HERE
IME
LESS
TIME
HE
RE
E
ER
CO
SPINNERBAIT
TE HERE
TRA
EN
NC
CONCENT
RA
TE
H
SCUM FROG
Bank fishing tackle for pike and bass includes a long
list of artificial options, most importantly weedless
lures including plastic worms, frogs, spinnerbaits
and buzzbaits. A bank angler also needs a
variety of crankbaits and topwater lures
resembling forage prey, including
minnow-, crawfish- and bluegillimitations. While these lures
predominantly concentrate on
pike and bass fishing, bluegill
will also strike at these lures,
enabling anglers to locate
these aggressive
SCUM FROG
panfish as well.
SPINNERBAIT
BUZZBAIT
JEFF KURRUS
SPINNERBAIT
When fishing from the bank, the angler should start by making more casts in shallow water versus deeper water. This shallow water
is usually found next to the waterline, where bluegill, pike and bass feed on a variety of prey. If fish are not feeding in these shallow
areas, the angler should make casts in front searching for contour changes where fish might be feeding. Anglers should also
access the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s web site and study the contour maps available for Nebraska’s public fishing
lakes. Currently, there are 63 lake maps available online.
CRANKBAIT
CRANKBAIT
STICKBAIT
PROPBAIT
CRANKBAIT
CRANKBAIT
JEFF KURRUS
KEN BOUC
deep water adjacent to shallow water.
This depth change can frequently be
seen as different-colored water. While
the shallow water will appear a lighter
color, the deeper water will be almost
black.
Also look for any other type of
habitat edge, be it a line of aquatic
vegetation or an overhanging tree or
stump. There is a long list of fishholding structures on most lakes,
including shaded areas away from the
bank. Even a small patch of shade
might hold fish.
Also locate the inlets and outlets of
lakes, wind-blown banks, and rain
runoffs where water is being pushed in
a specific direction. It doesn’t matter
what species a person is fishing for in
these spots. For bluegills, these areas
will have insects and other small forage
This jetty at Walnut Creek Reservoir gives bank anglers a number of fish-holding
structures, including aquatic vegetation, riprap and submerged timber.
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
31
JEFF KURRUS
Wading is another alternative for bank anglers to reach deeper water while also fancasting shallow-water depths in search of fish.
fish. For bass, there are bluegills and
other small fish, and so on. For pike,
there is anything they can get to sustain
their voracious appetite.
When shoreline fishing, become a
thinking angler, one who will try
Option No. 2 if No. 1 is not working.
There is no reason to spend a complete
morning fishing a two-to four-foot
tapered bank that has a pile of woody
cover if the fish are not there. Make the
necessary adjustments when shoreline
fishing and do not be afraid to spend
some time changing locations around a
lake in search of fish.
Lastly, anglers should not walk
straight down the bank if changing
fishing locations – it is better to loop
32 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
around to the next area. This will give
the angler a better chance to catch the
shallow-water fish that are in the areas
between the former spot and the new
area. Also, when walking up to a new
area for the first time, an angler should
stand back and make a cast in the water
near the spot where they will stand in
order to catch any shallow-water fish
they might spook by walking too close.
Lure Selection
I have seen people catch bluegill with
bubble gum, watched a northern pike
eat a floating bobber, and caught
largemouth bass with nothing more
than a shiny hook. When these three
aggressive fish are feeding, they will
strike just about anything. But on most
days, it takes a little more planning.
Start with imitation frogs, insects, bass,
bluegill, crawfish, minnows and
anything else shiny or obscure enough
to trigger a strike. Plus, pay attention to
what is happening around you.
Changing to an ultralight frogimitation bait is a logical choice for
bluegill after hearing a bullfrog croak,
and trying a bluegill-colored crankbait
for bass is an option if the angler is
repeatedly seeing bluegills swimming
in shallow water. It simply goes back to
matching the hatch.
When choosing lures, also remember
that most anglers will only continue to
fish shorelines if they go home with the
same amount of lures they had when
they left the house. To do this, weedless
lures are the first options, because they
can usually pass through a variety of
structure without getting entangled.
Most weedless lures have their hooks
hidden within the plastic covering of
the lure, or the hooks rest against the
edge of the lure’s body. In addition,
spinnerbaits and buzzbaits are also
excellent weedless options and can be
fished through most areas, only
becoming entangled in aquatic
vegetation. These lures, like other
weedless lures, will go over most
stumps without hanging up.
If an angler is going to fish a
crankbait for bass, a topwater lure such
as a stickbait for pike, or a popping bug
for bluegill, then good casting is a
must. Usually having two sets of treble
hooks, these lures can easily entangle
with underwater structure if not cast in
an obstruction-free area but anglers can
fish these lures through woody cover if
they are careful. A good technique
when using crankbaits through
underwater obstructions is line watching.
When the line stops as the lure runs
over submerged cover, stop reeling.
Start again when the lure has cleared
its obstruction.
Fishing treble-hook lures from the
bank is a necessity for bank anglers
when pike and bass fishing, but should
only be done after practicing crankbait
fishing from a boat. It is much easier to
swallow the notion of hooking a lure to
an underwater stump when it can be
retrieved versus having to break line
while the lure remains embedded in a
Nebraska’s Best Bank Fishing Spots
he main thing anglers should look for when searching for a bank fishing hotspot is accessibility to cover, variety of
structure, and the ability (and sometimes even the inability) to get around a lake. Here is a short list of some of Nebraska’s
best.
T
●
North Platte I-80 Lake – North
Platte I-80 provides anglers all the
room they want to walk around. It
also has a variety of cover options,
such as riprap and aquatic vegetation
on the north side, as well as several
spots of timber across the lake and
in shallow water areas that anglers
can access with long casts. Much of
the lake has shallow water and while
the east end of the lake looks
promising with its host of stickups,
spend more time fishing the north
and south sides of the lake due to
their access to deeper water.
● Mayberry Lake – Mayberry is
visited by many bank anglers
through the year because there is no
road up to the lake and most johnboaters will forego its waters due to
the long drag it takes to access the
water. This makes Mayberry a perfect
spot to fish for bass and bluegill
either with waders or on dry land.
Both the north and south sides can
be accessed, yet the south side
provides deeper water. On the lake’s
west end, there is a creek that should
also be fished with spinnerbaits and
topwater options.
● Arnold Lake – The great thing
about Arnold is the amount of
structure reachable from the bank.
Two islands, riprap, sharp drop-offs,
points, coves, lily pads, reeds,
sunken timber, a man-made
overflow, and shallow, tapered
banks. At only four acres, Arnold
doesn’t offer the ability to hold a
large number of anglers but I’ve
stump that cannot be reached without
a boat.
An angler can fish a 500-acre lake
very effectively from the bank when
they know what they are looking for.
Yes, a boat would be nice, but big fish,
as well as large numbers of fish, can be
caught from the shoreline. With
confidence to fish in this manner,
Nebraska’s long list of lakes are that
much easier to tackle after work, on a
never seen a large number of
anglers there. I’ve always seen fish.
● Walnut Creek – Start bank fishing
this lake now due to the everincreasing aquatic vegetation that
accumulates throughout the summer.
Look for the deeper water close to
shallow water near the jetties
throughout the lake. There are a
number of these structures, as well
as a number of curves on the lake’s
shoreline, many of which are lined
with riprap. The levee itself is also
covered with riprap, as is the
accessible island on the south end
of the lake. Many boat, as well as
land, anglers spend time working the
submerged timber reachable from
the bank. Working these areas is
good, but I’ve found a lot more fish
from the boat and the bank working
parallel down the shoreline.
● Verdon – On Verdon’s east side,
take advantage of the floating
vegetation that covers much of the
area. These patches can be fished
with weedless lures, including scum
frogs on top of the vegetation and
spinnerbaits on its edges. If the fish
are not there, move to the rock jetty
on the south side and work the area
using fan-casting techniques down
both sides with a spinnerbaits,
topwater plugs, and crankbaits,
which are excellent in this area due
to the large amount of deeper water
within casting distance. Verdon is
also a lake where anglers can fish
open water and feel confident about
finding fish. Because underwater
Saturday morning when the time to fish
is two hours versus ten hours, or when
the wind is a bit more than a person
wants to fight from a boat that day.
The great thing about bank fishing is
that it always feels like I am sneaking
out to fish. Fishing from the shore
might be my plan outright, but it
always makes me feel as if I am the
person who can’t stay away from the
lake, or am fishing over the lunch hour
vegetation grows under most of the
lake’s surface, anglers can make
long casts over seemingly open
water and still catch fish. Spinnerbaits
fished right beneath the surface
work best in these areas.
● Memphis – Having a large number
of rock jetties and deep water adjacent
to these jetties, this lake is perfect
for bank fishing anglers. Out of all
the lakes on this list, it is probably
the easiest to fish from land due to
the casual path one can walk or
drive around it. Plus, there are
several depth changes throughout
and the large number of jetties makes
it easily fishable from a variety of
angles for both bluegill and bass.
● Multiple-Lake SRAs – Many
bodies of water are better than one,
which is what makes these areas so
good to fish. Examples are Louisville
SRA, Two Rivers SRA, Fremont
Lakes SRA, Fort Kearny SRA, and
Keller SRA. While not all of the lakes
in these areas are great to bank fish
due to their bank accessibility
(unless waders or hipboots are an
option), several of them are. Some
of my favorites include Fremont No.
16 and No. 7/8, Two Rivers No. 1/2,
Keller No. 4, and Louisville No. 1.
The great part about these SRAs is
that new water can be found even
on extremely crowded weekends.
I’ve fished them on the busiest of
holidays, including Memorial Day,
Father’s Day, and the Fourth of July,
and have always found good water
to fish.
because I couldn’t wait for the
weekend. Bank fishing, at least for me,
has always taken me back to being a
kid. For there was a time in life when I
did not have a truck, or a boat, or the
ability to fish any public, or even
sometimes private, water I wanted. All
I had was a rod, reel, pocket full of
lures, and a lake. And of course, my
feet, which got wet more than once
standing too close to the edge. ■
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
33
PAWNEE CORN
NEW HOPE FOR OLD CROPS
Photos and text by Ken Bouc
L
ife, as the Pawnee tribe knew it in
Nebraska, revolved around their
corn. On a practical level, it was
their staple food, but corn was so
revered that it was assigned
supernatural qualities as well. Leaders
of Pawnee war parties wore an ear of
sacred corn on their left shoulder as a
guarantee of safety and success, and two
ears of this holy “mother corn” resided
in Pawnee ceremonial bundles to
symbolize germination – the
fundamental element of creation – and
the origin of the Pawnee people.
When the Pawnee were forced to
leave Nebraska in the mid-1870s, they
took with them the seeds for their crops
– beans, squash, watermelons and
pumpkins, plus a dozen or more varieties
of corn.
The northern varieties of traditional
corn that the Pawnee took with them to
Oklahoma, however, were difficult to
Dark spots in the center of its kernels
sprout “wings,” giving eagle corn its name.
34 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
grow in the area’s heat and different
soil, and other strains eventually had to
be planted in their place. North
American tribes raised four basic types
of corn: flour, dent, flint and popcorn.
Plains tribes such as the Pawnee ate
mostly flour corn, both after it matured
and in its milk stage as “sweet” corn.
Modern corn was derived from native
American flint corn, however, and is
significantly different from the many
varieties of flour corn that Plains tribes
found so palatable and nutritious.
Today, the Pawnee again see value in
their traditional varieties of corn, and
from its Oklahoma reservation the
Pawnee Nation is looking to Nebraska
for help in recovering its original
strains of corn and other ancestral
crops.
“We were a healthy, thriving tribe
once upon a time, but today a high
percentage of our tribal members have
diabetes and other health problems. We
need to look at what made us healthy
then and what isn’t working for us
now,” said Deb Echo-Hawk, Pawnee
Nation education and training director,
director of admissions at Pawnee Nation
College and a leader in Pawnee efforts
to restore native crops. “Today, very
few Pawnee do gardening and that’s
what we’re looking at – encouraging
gardening to bring in nutritious food
for our tribal members.”
Echo-Hawk and a body of Pawnee
elders known as the Culture
Committee launched the Pawnee Seeds
Preservation Project in 1997 to build a
seed base of traditional crops that some
day would provide their people with
the same healthy diet that had nurtured
their ancestors. After several years
without much luck building their seed
base, Ronnie O’Brien of Shelton
Eagle corn was renewed in 2005 when Ronnie O’Brien planted the last 25 kernels in the Echo-Hawk family’s possession.
entered the picture.
O’Brien, director of educational
programs at The Great Platte River
Road Archway Monument near
Kearney, learned of the project by
accident when she called the Pawnee
Nation in the fall of 2003 looking for
Pawnee seed for use in the archway’s
education programs. Telling O’Brien
they could not spare any seeds, EchoHawk described their recent difficulties
in raising traditional crops in Oklahoma.
That’s when O’Brien, herself a gardener,
suggested that since Pawnee crops
originated in Nebraska, they might do
better in their native climate and soil.
The idea struck a chord with EchoHawk. Her family had preserved one of
the two native varieties of corn still in
Pawnee hands, called “eagle corn”
because of a distinctive dark spot on
each pearly white kernel that, as the
corn matures, expands into a purple
shape often resembling a flying eagle.
Echo-Hawk and her family had tried
in 1998 to raise enough eagle corn to
renew the seed at the reservation without
success. The handful of eagle corn
remaining was older seed from the
early 1980s, when the family lived in
Colorado and Deb had raised it with
her brother, Walter. Recovering Pawnee
crops by jumpstarting the seed base in
Nebraska, as O’Brien proposed, made
sense to them, considering their
experience with eagle corn.
Deb Echo-Hawk agreed to look for
more seeds if O’Brien and her small
circle of expert gardeners would plant
and raise them. As a result, the Culture
Committee issued a call to the Pawnee
Nation through its newsletter, asking
tribal members to come forward with
any seeds they had for the Nebraska
effort.
Much of the tribe’s seed had been lost
over the years to insects, mice, mold or
to fires and storms that had destroyed
outbuildings where it was stored, but
luckily some Pawnee families had seed
of traditional crops still remaining. In
2004, Deb Echo-Hawk sent nearly half
of her family’s remaining eagle corn to
O’Brien and her friends to plant in
Platte Valley soil. She also sent Pawnee
watermelon seeds and kernels of yellow
flint corn from Pawnee elder Henry
StoneRoad’s ceremonial bundle, one of
the few remaining among the Pawnee.
StoneRoad and those before him had
planted the seeds periodically to renew
them, following Pawnee tradition.
Another seed trove, preserved by the
Spotted Horsechief family and provided
by Adrian Spotted Horsechief, later
supplied kernels of blue-speckled flour
corn, another original Pawnee strain. It
has been difficult to grow, and is
O’Brien’s challenge for 2007.
As an interpreter of Nebraska history
at the Archway Monument, O’Brien
knew the story of the Pawnee in
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
35
Five-year-old Skidi Star LeadingFox found the watermelons much more exciting than the corn she had looked at the day before,
much to the amusement of her mother, Karla KnifeChief, and Ronnie O’Brien, right.
Nebraska and their agricultural
techniques. Her first effort began in
May 2004, with 20 precious kernels of
the Echo-Hawks’ eagle corn and 12
watermelon seeds from the StoneRoad
bundle. After soaking the seeds for
24 hours, in Pawnee tradition she planted
an even-numbered four hills, placing
five kernels of eagle corn and three
watermelon seeds in each hill.
Meanwhile, her sister, Tina Smith of
St. Libory, sprouted 11 of the
14 watermelon seeds she planted.
“Tina watered hers quite a bit, but I
figured the old-time Pawnee would have
been a couple hundred miles away on
the summer buffalo hunt and couldn’t
have done that, so I didn’t either and
mine turned out better than the ones
that were watered,” she said.
The first melon to ripen in O’Brien’s
garden was harvested in early September
and found to be “very, very tasty.” In
all she raised seven melons, the two
largest weighing 24 and 32 pounds, and
had no trouble finding volunteers to eat
them so that their seeds, 400 to 600 per
melon, could be harvested.
The yellow flint corn from the
StoneRoad bundle had been entrusted
to another Kearney area gardener that
year who had almost 100 percent
germination and raised 23 plants with
an average of three ears per stalk, so
O’Brien sent a hefty packet of
36 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
watermelon seeds and flint corn to the
Pawnee Nation seed bank that fall. Her
2004 eagle corn crop, however, did not
fare so well – an unusually cold, wet
spring rotted all of the eagle corn kernels
in the ground.
The following year, less confident in
nature and tradition, O’Brien entrusted
the last 25 kernels of the Echo-Hawk’s
eagle corn to Myron Fougeron, a
retired University of Nebraska-Kearney
biology teacher and one of the gardeners
raising Pawnee crops. He wrapped the
kernels in moistened paper towels,
what gardeners call “rag dolls,” and
sprouted all but one of the seeds in his
greenhouse. Fougeron used this
technique to sprout most of the Pawnee
corn sent to Kearney.
O’Brien transferred the sprouts to
her garden in late-May. Two stalks
succumbed to a blight, but the remaining
22 were raised to maturity with a little
watering and fertilizing to bring the
crop through a couple of rough spells,
“something the Pawnee wouldn’t have
done in the old days,” she said.
Other Kearney gardeners raised
Pawnee blue corn, Pawnee red-and-white
striped corn and more Pawnee yellow
flint corn that year, and in 2006, O’Brien
raised more Pawnee watermelons while
others grew white flour corn.
In early September 2006, Echo-Hawk,
accompanied by Karla KnifeChief and
Karla’s five-year-old daughter, Skidi
Star LeadingFox, traveled to Kearney
to meet the gardeners and see their
Pawnee crops. KnifeChief,
administrative assistant with the
Pawnee Nation Housing Authority, is
also active in promoting gardening
among the Pawnee. She co-authored
the youth gardening program and was a
summer gardening instructor.
“I like what you’ve done with our
Red-and-white striped flour corn is one of
six Pawnee varieties raised in Kearney.
land,” KnifeChief quipped at a garden
club reception held at the archway
upon the visitors’ arrival. She and
Echo-Hawk had admired the seemingly
endless rows of corn as they traveled
up the Platte Valley. They spent much
of the next day with O’Brien, visiting
various stands of Pawnee corn and
other crops around Kearney, and a few
Pawnee-related points of interest.
After completing their rounds in the
Kearney area, O’Brien took them on a
quick jaunt through east-central
Nebraska before they left for Oklahoma.
It included a stop in Genoa, site of the
last Pawnee villages and Pawnee agency
in Nebraska, with a visit to a private
museum featuring area Pawnee artifacts
and a tour of the Genoa Indian School,
built after the Pawnee tribe departed
and later restored as a historic site.
Echo-Hawk and KnifeChief were
interested in the work of Jerry and
Nancy Carlson of Genoa, who raise
several varieties of Pawnee corn on
their nearby Kitkehahki Hills Farm and
contributed three varieties to the
Pawnee seed bank. The Carlsons were
traveling outside of Nebraska at the
time, but Phil Swantek, president of the
Genoa Indian School Foundation,
showed them some of the corn the
Carlsons were growing on his property
and just off the main street in downtown
Genoa. They also visited Pahuk, a
promontory overlooking the Platte River
near Cedar Bluffs that was one of the
most sacred places in Pawnee country
during the tribe’s days in Nebraska.
Before they left, KnifeChief and
Echo-Hawk talked about their efforts to
encourage gardening and expand the
Pawnee Seeds Preservation Project. They
and several others at the reservation
started a garden “for the little ones” in
front of the Pawnee Language
Immersion School. They had good
topsoil hauled in, then helped the
children plant Pawnee watermelons,
yellow flour corn, spotted-like-a-horse
bush beans and Arikara squash.
KnifeChief’s gardening education
project was originally meant for youths
14 and older, but soon the little kids,
three- and four-year-olds from the
Pawnee language school, came over
and joined them in pulling weeds and
helping however they could.
“Then the elders started coming by
when we were out there mornings and
evenings working while
it was cool ... to pray
over our garden while it
was growing or saying
something like ‘wish I
could go out there with
you guys, but, boy, my
knees...’ So I think, in
Karla’s dream garden,
she’s going to build an
arbor just for the elders,”
Echo-Hawk said.
At the beginning of
the class, KnifeChief
learned that not a single
teen in the program had
ever set foot in a garden.
By summer’s end,
however, a number of
them were asking about
finding a place where
their family could raise
gardens. “That’s
encouraging,” she said.
The gardening and
seed projects, however,
still face fundamental
limitations – soil and
Myron Fougeron shows Deb Echo-Hawk the
water. Much of the soil
Pawnee white flour corn he raised in his garden
around the reservation is
on the outskirts of Kearney in 2006.
hard and claylike, hostile
to gardens and gardeners,
out books. At the end of the growing
alike. The Pawnee are involved in a lot
season, the gardeners check in with
of construction, so they can obtain
topsoil removed from building sites and their seeds. That’s how the seed bank
grows,” Echo Hawk said.
haul it to potential garden areas, but
The brightest spot to date is the now
that can be troublesome and expensive.
abundant supply of Pawnee watermelon
The other factor is the Oklahoma heat,
which makes water absolutely essential. seeds that the tribe has.
“We had a wonderful time at
“We can raise these crops in
Oklahoma, but bringing the topsoil and Heritage Days. It was funny, because
plenty of water together is all important,” our emcee, the man that grew the
blue corn, Dwayne Pratt, made sure
Echo-Hawk said.
everybody there kept all their seeds and
Things are looking up for the seed
after they had eaten their watermelon,
bank, however. For 2007 and beyond,
we went around and collected them,”
the Culture Committee received tribal
Echo-Hawk said. Occasions like that,
approval to raise crops for seed on a
where tribal members can enjoy a
suitable plot of tribal reserve land. The
tribe has its own water supply available sample of their crops, helps maintain
for the project, which will make seed
interest in the gardening and seed bank
projects, she said.
production feasible. The site is planted
According to Echo-Hawk, the
with blue flour corn this year.
Pawnee seed bank wouldn’t exist
But the seed bank still has a ways to
go – the Pawnee are not yet eating their without the Nebraska gardeners. “If
we’d had another year of blighted corn,
crops. For the most part they are still
raising them for seed, according to
it wouldn’t have been possible,” she said.
“If Ronnie O’Brien came to the
Echo-Hawk.
“When the seed bank gets seeds from reservation, she would find that everyone
here knows her name. As for us, Karla
Ronnie, we keep them at the library
and I call her our ‘Corn Sister.’” ■
and check them out like you’d check
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
37
Golfing Near the
Parks
By Eric Fowler
The game of golf has seen its popularity take a
huge upswing over the past 25 years or so and
its practitioners greatly enjoy their time spent
outdoors. Located near six of Nebraska’s most
picturesque golf courses are state parks where
the whole family can go and have fun.
T
he game of golf has seen its
popularity jump dramatically
since the late-1980s, as
evidenced by the number of
golf courses that have been
built since then.
Nebraska didn’t miss out on the
boom, and neither did our state’s parks
and recreation areas, adding one more
thing to the list of activities the outdoorinclined can do on their summer
vacation and creating new opportunities
to soak up nature for those people used
to playing a round or two each week.
Of the eight parks where the Nebraska
Game and Parks Commission offers
cabins for rent, Fort Robinson, Ponca,
Mahoney and Platte River state parks
and Lewis and Clark Lake State
Recreation Area (SRA) have each
welcomed a new golf course to the
neighborhood since 1989. If you count
Lake McConaughy SRA, where the
Commission doesn’t offer cabins but
others do, you have six.
And these aren’t just any golf courses:
Each of the three 18-hole courses near
a state park or recreation area is ranked
MICHAEL FORSBERG
38 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
by a national golf publication as at or
near the top of the list of best public
courses in the state. Among those,
Quarry Oaks Golf Club near Ashland
ranks among Golf Digest’s Top 100
courses in the country. The three ninehole courses are considered among the
top in their class in the state as well.
So if you’re headed up to Ponca State
Park or out to Lake McConaughy for a
weekend with the family, don’t forget
to pack the clubs – yours and theirs.
In between nature hikes and walleye
fishing, play a round. Or if you have a
family reunion set at Fort Robinson,
nine holes away from the rest of the
gang might be just enough to get you
through the weekend. And if you and
your friends are looking to put a
different spin on your regular weekend
outing, go way out and spend time
catching up on the course during the
day and around the campfire at night.
Whatever the case, get your
reservations fast. Like booking a
weekend tee time at a premier course
on a summer weekend, it pays to plan
ahead. ■
Sitting in the shadow of its namesake landmark, Legend Buttes Golf Course at
Crawford offers dramatic scenery as well as a challenging course.
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
39
Legend Buttes
Fort Robinson SP
Bayside Golf Club
Lake McConaughy
Legend Buttes Golf Course
Bayside Golf Club
Tees
Red (Women’s)
White (Men’s)
Distance
2,461
3,000
Rating
34.1
34.6
BOB GRIER
Built in the shadows of the state’s
most picturesque and recognizable
landmarks, Legend Buttes Golf Course
is one of the top 9-hole courses in
Nebraska. The White River winds through
the course and comes into play on
several holes.
• 9 Holes/Par 36
• Signature hole: The scenery stares
golfers in the face when they step to the
hilltop tee for the 247-yard, par 4 No. 1
and hit their drive at the buttes that give
the course its name. The fairway runs
downhill and then doglegs right and
rises up to a green protected by four
bunkers.
• Dress Code: Shirt and shoes required.
• Season: April 1-October 1
• Driving Range on Site: Yes
• 9 holes with cart: $26 ($43.50 for 18)
• Phone/Web site: (308) 665-2431,
www.crawfordnebraska.net/golf%20
course/
• Length: Three tees, 2,461-3,178 yards.
Before or after a round of golf at Legend Buttes Golf Course, visitors can go on a trail
ride through the forest at Fort Robinson or Chadron state parks.
Slope
109
113
Fort Robinson State Park
Tees
Red (Women’s)
White (Men’s)
Distance
4,282
5,772
Rating
64.9
67.4
Slope
104
120
MICHAEL FORSBERG
Lake McConaughy and Lake
Ogallala state recreation areas
ERIC FOWLER
Western Nebraska’s premier state
park, Fort Robinson has it all – more
than 22,000 acres of exquisite Pine
Ridge scenery, compelling Old West
history, exceptional lodging, loads of
activities, camping, wildlife and even its
own buffalo and longhorn cattle herds.
But the area’s main draw is the Pine
Ridge and the more than 280 square
miles of state and federal land that is
open to the public, including the
Nebraska National Forest and Oglala
National Grassland. Chadron State
Park, another top attraction in the
region, is located just down the road.
• Amenities: 35 cabins and 22 lodge
rooms that sleep from two to 60 people.
Open April through November. Camping,
restaurant, group conference facilities,
dump station, modern restrooms,
showers, picnic shelters.
• Activities: Horse, mountain bike and
hiking trails; fishing, hunting, jeep rides,
museum, swimming pool, nature center,
activity center, sutler’s store, equestrian
facilities, Post Playhouse theater,
hayrack rides, buffalo stew cookouts,
Trailside Museum of Natural History.
• Distance from course: Technically, if
you’re at Legend Buttes Golf Course,
you’re in the park, but practically
speaking, the course is about three
miles west of the park’s headquarters.
• Contact: (308) 665-2900 or
Fort.Robinson@ngpc.ne.gov
Hit good shots on this Scottish linksstyle course northwest of Ogallala or plan
on pulling your sand wedge out of the
bag often. There are 107 bunkers here,
which seems fitting considering its
proximity to Lake McConaughy, which is
visible from most holes and known for
its miles of white sand beaches. Among
the state’s top public courses, Bayside
follows draws and ridges through
shortgrass prairie. After play, relax in
the log cabin-style clubhouse or in
one of the course’s cabins.
• 18 Holes/Par 71
• Signature Hole: The folks at Bayside
like to talk about six of their course’s
holes, but when pressed, admit that the
652-yard, par 5 11th gets the notoriety.
Nicknamed “Forever,” it’s the longest
hole in Nebraska. From the black tees,
you’ll need to hit it 200 yards to clear a
deep draw and find the fairway. The
fairway follows a ridgeline to the green
and has been widened since the course
opened to make the hole more playable.
• Dress Code: Golf attire required.
• Season: March 1 - November 1
• Driving Range on Site: Yes
• 18-holes with cart: $60, $25 Sunday
afternoon through Wednesday.
• Phone/Web site: (308) 287-4653,
www.baysidegolf.com
• Length: Five tees, 4,282-6,597 yards.
Bayside Golf Club at Lake McConaughy near Ogallala winds its way
through shortgrass prairie dotted with sagebrush and soapweeds.
40 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
Lake McConaughy’s world-class walleye fishing beckons visitors from Bayside Golf
Course near Ogallala.
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
41
Nebraska’s largest reservoir when
full, Lake McConaughy and nearby Lake
Ogallala offer plenty of camping, boating,
fishing and hunting opportunities. Many
who visit Bayside Golf Club take in
some world-class walleye fishing in the
morning before playing a round in the
afternoon. Bring your own boat, rent
one from one of the concession areas
around the lake, including nearby Van’s
Lakeview Fishing Camp, or hire a guide.
• Amenities: Cabins available at area
concessions and at course. Modern and
primitive camping available, boat ramps,
modern restrooms, showers, dump
station, picnic shelters, fish-cleaning
stations, concessions with rental boats.
• Activities: Swimming, boating, fishing,
hunting and getting a tan.
• Distance from course: If the lake were
full, a short iron would get your ball wet.
With the drought, a short drive down
the beach will get you to the water.
• Contact: (308) 284-8800 or
Lake.McConaughy@ngpc.ne.gov
Highland Oaks
Ponca State Park
Crofton Lakeview Golf Course
Highland Oaks Golf Course
The scenic oak- and cedar-forested
hills and views of Lewis and Clark Lake,
Nebraska’s second largest reservoir,
make playing this 9-hole course a joy.
But narrow fairways (many guarded by
woods on one side), small greens and
hilly terrain make playing it a challenge.
The course is extremely popular among
the campers and cabin owners who
flock to the lake on summer weekends,
so be sure to call ahead for a tee time.
• 9 Holes/Par 36
• Signature Hole: There aren’t many
courses that would choose a par 3 as
their signature hole, but the 142-yard
No. 5 gets the nod at Lakeview. The
course’s name tells the story here:
Looking downhill from the tee to the
green and beyond, you can see straight
down the middle of the 16-mile-long,
3-mile-wide reservoir. Put a little too
much on a shot here and you’re in one
of the bunkers behind the green. Really
get a hold of one and you’re over a
50-foot-high cliff and in the lake.
• Dress Code: Shirt and shoes required.
• Season: April 1-November 1
• Driving Range on Site: No
• 9 holes with cart: $25.30 weekdays/
$28.75 weekends (18 for $39/$42.40)
• Phone: (402) 388-4522
Carved out of the oak-forested hills
on the southern edge of Ponca State
Park, Highland Oaks Golf Course offers
spectacular scenery, rolling terrain and
large undulating greens that challenge
golfers of all skill levels. The Missouri
River can be seen from a few locations,
most notably the hilltop tee on No. 5, as
can deer, turkeys and other wildlife.
• 9 Holes/Par: 36
• Signature hole: A smart golfer would
hit two seven irons to reach the green
on the 339-yard, par 4 No. 4 at
Highland Oaks, hitting over rather than
under the massive oak tree that is on
the left. But most can’t avoid the
temptation to pull out a driver and let it
rip, paying for it when they hit anything
but a perfect shot.
• Dress Code: Shirt and shoes.
• Season: April 1-October 31
• Driving Range on Site: Yes
• 9 holes with cart: $22 weekdays/
$25 weekends (18 for $34/$38)
• Phone: (402) 755-4222
• Length: Three tees, 2,360-3,141 yards.
Tees
Red (Women’s)
White (Men’s)
Distance
2,430
3,069
Rating
34.5
35
ERIC FOWLER
ERIC FOWLER
Crofton Lakeview
Lewis and Clark SRA
Kevin and Darla Thompson of Omaha watch as their sons Dylan (left) and
Kyle play a round of golf at Highland Oaks Golf Course while visiting Ponca
State Park.
Tees
Red (Women’s)
White (Men’s)
Dennis Merkel of Crofton hits from a sand trap that separates the fifth
green from a 50-foot drop leading to Lewis and Clark Lake at Lakeview
Golf Course.
Lewis and Clark
State Recreation Area
ERIC FOWLER
ERIC FOWLER
Golfers can bunk in a lakeside cabin at the Weigand-Burbach Area of Lewis and Clark
State Recreation Area.
42 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
Rating
33.4
33.7
Slope
106
110
Ponca State Park
Slope
113
113
Lewis and Clark Lake’s crystal-clear
water, dramatic scenery, excellent fishing
and top-notch recreation facilities draws
hundreds of thousands of visitors each
summer. The Weigand-Burbach area is
the crown jewel on the Nebraska's side
of this Missouri River impoundment and
offers cabins, camping and a full-service
marina.
• Amenities: Ten modern lakeside
housekeeping cabins open year-round;
full-service marina with seasonal slip
rentals, short-term docks and 24-hour
fuel service; modern and primitive
camping, picnic shelters, boat ramps,
convenience store, modern restrooms,
showers, dump station, fish-cleaning
station.
• Activities: Boating, fishing, swimming,
playgrounds, hiking, mountain bike,
horseback and snowmobile trails.
• Distance from course: The lake is a
chip shot over a cliff from the fifth
green. The Weigand-Burbach area is
about 6 miles west of the course.
• Contact: (402) 388-4169 or
Lewis.Clark@ngpc.ne.gov
Distance
2,360
2,920
Max Wattier of Silver Creek fishes from a dock on the Missouri River at
Ponca State Park, where visitors can also wet a line in a river backwater
or a new pond.
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
43
Sitting at the gateway to the Missouri
National Recreational River, this
picturesque, 2,166-acre park offers
outdoor recreation for the entire family.
Recent additions to the park have
opened up Missouri River bottomland
and a restored backwater to visitors,
who previously had been happy just to
explore the oak-forested bluffs that
make up most of the park. A new visitor
and education center interprets the
natural and cultural history of the river.
• Amenities: 14 two-bedroom cabins are
available April through November.
Discounted golf and lodging packages
are available on spring and fall
weekdays. Two of 25 new four-bedroom
cabins planned for the park should be
open by late fall. Kitchen and meeting
facilities for up to 250 people, modern
and primitive camping, showers, dump
station, picnic shelters and boat ramp
access to the Missouri River.
• Activities: Horseback trail rides, hiking
and mountain bike trails, swimming pool,
outdoor and environmental education
programs, fishing, fall hayrack rides,
limited hunting.
• Distance from course: The course is
on park property. The clubhouse is a
half-mile west of the park gate.
• Contact: (402) 755-2284 or
Ponca@ngpc.ne.gov
Iron Horse
Eugene T. Mahoney
State Park
Quarry Oaks
Platte River SP
Quarry Oaks Golf Club
Tees
Gold (Women’s)
White (Men’s)
Distance
5,068
6,412
Rating
72.3
72.2
MICHAEL FORSBERG
Iron Horse Golf Club
DOUG CARROLL
Carved out of the oak-forested bluffs
above the Platte River between Lincoln
and Omaha, Quarry Oaks Golf Club is
one of Nebraska’s premier courses and
is 72nd on Golf Digest’s Top 100 list of
public courses in the country. The river
can be seen from many holes, but
rarely can you see one hole from the
next, allowing golfers to think they’re the
only ones playing the course. Deer, wild
turkeys and other wildlife are a common
sight at Quarry Oaks. In the fall, nongolfers can rent a cart, drive the course
and soak in the changing color and
wildlife.
• 18 Holes/Par 71
• Signature hole: The 408-yard, par 4,
No. 17 hole at Quarry Oaks was
dubbed one of the “Best Modern 18
Holes in America” by Golf Digest in
2000. From the hilltop tee, golfers hit off
of a huge dropoff and play for a second
shot at the green, hidden by trees to the
left and wrapped by a pond.
• Dress Code: Golf attire required.
• Season: Open year-round, weather
permitting.
• Driving Range on Site: Yes
• 18 holes with cart: $72 weekends/
$62 weekdays
• Phone/Web site: 888-944-6001/
(402) 944-6000, www.quarryoaks.com
• Length: Four tees, 5,068-7,010 yards.
Abundant wildlife, including white-tailed deer, draw many golfers to Quarry Oaks Golf
Club near Ashland.
Wrapped around the lake that now fills an old limestone quarry, the
golf course at Iron Horse is beautiful as well as challenging.
Tees
Distance
White (Women’s) 5,114
Blue (Men’s)
5,700
Slope
124
137
Rating
70.3
68.2
Slope
119
124
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park
Platte River State Park
DOUG CARROLL
DOUG CARROLL
Situated amid the heavily wooded
hills above the Platte River near
Louisville, Platte River State Park offers
a wide range of activities, lodging and
group facilities.
• Amenities: 21 modern, fully-equipped,
one- to four-bedroom housekeeping
cabins open year-round, 31 affordable
camper-cabins sharing showers and
restrooms open May through
mid-October, a barn that sleeps 20 and
even a tipi village. Group and
conference facilities, restaurant, picnic
shelter. Camping is available at nearby
Louisville SRA.
• Activities: Swimming pool, hiking and
mountain biking trails, paddleboats,
fishing, tennis, archery, volleyball,
horseback trail rides, campfire cookout,
outdoor/environmental education
programs and an 85-foot tall
observation tower.
• Distance from course: Five miles from
Quarry Oaks, 10 miles from Iron Horse.
• Contact: (402) 234-2217 or
Platte.River@ngpc.ne.gov
Wrapped around a lake formed in an
88-foot deep limestone quarry in the
hills on the edge of Ashland, Iron Horse
Golf Club offers plenty of scenic vistas.
More than 2,000 yards separate the
women’s and championship tees, making
the course, which is ranked among the
top public areas in the state, playable
for anyone.
• 18 Holes/Par 71
• Signature Hole: While No. 9 and No. 18
are challenging, the 575-yard, par 5,
No. 10 is the most cussed and discussed.
You’ll have to carry 100-175 yards over
water to find the first fairway, which is
guarded on the right by the lake and the
left by a wetland. From there, you can
lay up on the lower fairway 150 yards
from the green, or gamble and hit over
a ravine to the second fairway, which is
higher than the first.
• Dress Code: Golf attire required.
• Season: Year-round.
• Driving Range on Site: No
• 18 holes with cart: $59 weekends/$49
weekdays, off-season and senior rates.
• Phone/Web site: (402) 944-9800/
888-465-3950, www.GolfIronHorse.com
• Length: Five tees, 4,411-6,500 yards.
Ten miles of trails lead Platte River State Park visitors through the
wooded bluffs along the Platte River.
44 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
The aquatic center at E.T. Mahoney State Park near Ashland is a great place to spend
the afternoon with the family after a morning round of golf at Iron Horse or Quarry Oaks.
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
45
Situated in the scenic wooded bluffs
above the Platte River just off Interstate
80 between Lincoln and Omaha,
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park offers a
wide array of lodging and recreational
opportunities year-round.
• Amenities: 51 cabins ranging from two
to six bedrooms, 40 lodge rooms,
modern and primitive camping,
restaurant, gift shop, meeting and
conference facilities for 12 to 200 people,
catering, picnic shelters, laundry,
showers, dump station.
• Activities: Aquatic Center with water
slides and wave pool, activity center
with climbing wall and indoor playground,
miniature golf, driving range, tennis and
basketball courts, softball fields,
horseback trail rides, crafts, fishing,
picnicking, hiking, 70-foot observation
tower, nature conservatory, live theater,
waterway, paddleboats, fishing and in
the winter, sledding, cross-country
skiing, ice fishing and ice skating.
• Distance from course: 2 miles from
Iron Horse, 5 miles from Quarry Oaks.
• Contact: (402) 944-2523 or
Mahoney@ngpc.ne.gov
Outdoor Update
Mixed Bag
Yutan Dive Team and Project Aware
The Bad Egg
Divers clean up area waters and assist in aquatic emergencies.
This vintage lure made in O’Neill had an unusual, if not accurate, name.
By Jeff Kurrus
By Rocky Hoffmann
n a September Saturday at
Zorinsky Lake in Omaha last
fall, many angler eyes were
not on the water being
fished. Their heads were
turned, while kids pointed and dog
walkers veered closer to the pile of
wetsuits and SCUBA gear stacked
near the water’s edge. Curious
myself, I wandered over and began
asking questions of a woman standing
near the equipment.
“We are the Yutan Fire Department
Emergency Response Dive Team and
we’re doing a lake cleanup through
Project Aware,” answered Susie
Gunia, one of the divers. We struck
up a conversation as the legion of
volunteers readied themselves for the
water.
“Project Aware is a foundation
serving the underwater environment
through education advocacy and
action,” said Gunia. The foundation
was established as an offshoot of the
Professional Association of Dive
Instructors (PADI), the world’s
largest agency that certifies SCUBA
divers. “Project Aware is sponsoring
a worldwide cleanup day today. The
Yutan Dive Team is heading up the
project here to help keep Omaha
beautiful by cleaning up Zorinsky,
one of the more popular fishing spots
in Omaha.”
Picnic tables, laptop computers,
fishing line, street signs – you name it
and unfortunately people throw it in
the lake. This was the fifth year the
Yutan Dive Team has sponsored the
cleanup as part of Project Aware, and
the number of volunteers and sponsors
has grown each year. But that is just
a small part of what they do.
The Yutan Dive Team is the primary
agency called for underwater needs
in Douglas, Sarpy, Cass, Washington
and Saunders counties, and has also
traveled to other Nebraska and Iowa
locations. Composed strictly of
O
D
JEFF KURRUS
46 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
uring the first half of the
twentieth century, the
manufacture of fishing lures
was in full swing everywhere
from mom-and-pop basement
operations to the big plants of
Heddon, Pflueger and South Bend.
Today’s lure collectors discover
vintage fishing lures originating from
nearly every state, and Nebraska is
no exception. In fact, Nebraskans
were quite entrepreneurial when it
came to the manufacture and sale of
fishing tackle – an angler could
equip himself with rod and reel,
lures, bait buckets, minnow traps
and even a boat or two, all from
Nebraska makers.
With so much competition vying
for a limited fishing dollar, makers
had to market their
wares through
product branding
with catchy names
that would convince
anglers that they
were buying the
ticket to angling
success. Enter
Kirwan’s Bad Egg.
Michael Francis
Kirwan began
manufacturing a
little wooden, eggshaped lure in his
O’Neil home in the
early 1920s. Some
reference books list
the Bad Egg with
varying spellings of
Kirwan, likely the
result of some family
members changing
the spelling of
their names after
emigrating from
Ireland. Nationally
renowned collector
and antique lure
expert Carl Lucky
Members of the Yutan Fire Department Emergency Response Dive team practice
their craft while cleaning up the waters of Zorinsky Lake in Omaha last September.
volunteers, the team assists local,
state and federal agencies in the area
with water rescues and searches for
drowning victims, missing persons,
weapons and other evidence. The
team is also often called to aid in
removing vehicles from bodies of
water.
In addition to helping improve
Zorinsky Lake’s safety and
appearance, the dive team also uses
its cleanup days to accomplish other
goals, such as making the public
aware that the team is available in
the event of a possible drowning and
that they and the local rescue team
should be contacted right away by
calling 911 in a water emergency.
Many people don’t realize that there
is a “Golden Hour” time period
during which a person can be
rescued from underwater and still
resuscitated. “The quicker we are
called, the better the chances for a
potential rescue,” said Gunia.
The cleanup days also give team
members a chance to practice their
skills in a situation more enjoyable
and less stressful than the normal
call, while also providing publicity
that assists the team in recruiting new
members and fundraising. The team
will raise money this summer by
diving for golfballs at area golf
courses in order to buy a new boat,
an underwater metal detector, and
replace some of the specialized
drysuits that the team wears.
The specialized equipment and
techniques the team uses requires
advanced certification and extensive
training. Drills are scheduled at least
twice a month and team members
meet even when the weather gets cold,
practicing diving under ice and surface
ice rescue while also spending time
going over ropes and knots,
communication with other agencies,
and general operational plans.
The dive team has a mixture of
members, including both divers and
tenders, who stay on the surface to
manage the divers while they are
underwater. All who participate have
a love of water and a desire to help
the community. “We are working on
organizing the cleanup for
September 2007,” said Gunia. “We
are always looking for volunteers who
are interested in diving or helping with
the shore-based trash collection.”
For information on volunteering
for or supporting the Yutan Dive
Team, contact Susie Gunia at (402)
895-7952, Joe Vandenack at (402)
625-2151, or e-mail
president@yutanvfd.org.
described Kirwan’s Bad Egg in Old
Fishing Lures and Tackle as “… a
lure made in the shape of an egg with
two small, protruding eyes, a belly
treble and a trailing treble hook.”
Referencing an advertisement in a
1923 issue of Outers’ Recreation
Magazine, Lucky wrote that the Bad
Egg came in white, yellow and silver,
but an ad that same year in the July
issue of Field and Stream also
offered the lure in red. Kirwan asked
one dollar for his egg-shaped lure.
Not much is known of M.F.
Kirwan, but what is known marks
him as a colorful individual. A
Golden Gloves boxer during the
1880s, most of his living was earned
through barbering and painting, but
he was involved in many things. He
also helped organize
and mark the Blue
Pole Highway, one
of the nation’s first
highway systems.
Kirwan was born in
Cameron, Missouri on
April 22, 1870 and
died November 4,
1947. He now rests in
the Calvary Cemetery
in O’Neil. Although
there is no information
on how bad the Bad
Egg was when cast in
front of a bass, it is
assumed that Kirwan
thought the Bad Egg
good. ■
M.F. Kirwan’s Bad
Egg lure resembled
something pulled from
a chicken coop and
was advertised, among
other places, in the
July 1923 issue of
Field and Stream. Many
thanks to Bob Gregory
of Omaha for supplying
the lure photographed
for this story.
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
47
Parks & Places
Classifieds
ATTRACTIONS/EVENTS
ONLY ONE PAWNEE CITY! We have history that is
proudly displayed at the Pawnee City Museum, The
Schilling Bridge, the only Winery Micro-Brewery in
the nation, Agritourism sites, the Pedal Clinic, a Toy
Museum, and Our Historic Downtown. Go to
Pawneecity.org for details.
DOGS
PLUM CREEK KENNEL. German Shorthairs, stud
service, puppies and started dogs. Training for all
pointing breeds. Specialize in training the handler as
well as the dog. Wayne Clark, Percival, Iowa 51648
(close to Omaha) (712) 529-4238, e-mail
wclark@heartland.net.
WILDERNESS KENNELS. Gun dog training – over
60 years combined experience. Training all sporting
breeds – retrievers, flushing and pointing dogs. All
dogs worked on pen-raised birds and wild game.
Training program also includes obedience training –
heel, sit, stay, down and come when called. Pups,
started dogs and fully trained dogs for sale. Hunting
dogs trained by hunters. Henry Sader, Wilderness
Kennels, Roca, NE (402) 423-4212. Since 1968.
DUCKDAWG RETRIEVERS - Raising exceptional
field-bred yellow and black Labradors. Hunting,
family and competition companions. Puppies raised in
our home. Written health guarantee. Stud service
available. Home of GRHRCH DuckDawg’s Eba Roll
The Dice - first and only Grand Hunting Retriever
Champion in Nebraska. www.duckdawg.com, Ron
Green DVM and Libby Milroy, North Platte, NE
(308) 534-3659.
FROSTY BROOKE ACRES LLC, Labradors and
Golden Retrievers - Hunt test and Field Trial blood-
lines up close. Super temperament, desire and looks.
Great all-purpose Labs and Goldens, www.frostybrooke.com, (308) 783-LABS (5227), Scottsbluff
Valley, Nebraska.
BRITISH LABRADOR PUPPIES, AKC/UKC,
O.F.A./CERF. Guarantees. “Wildrose” Dam and Sire.
Exceptional British field trial lines. Free training.
Wildwind British Labradors. (402) 429-1836
steve.macdonald@davisdesign.com.
PRAIRIE DOG KENNELS, INC. specializes in
retrievers and versatile pointers. Dogs worked in
water, grass and timber on upland birds and waterfowl. Brian Moreland. Bennet, NE (402) 782-2075.
POINTING LABS, AKC REGISTERED, 5M/4F.
Priced $550 Males, $600 Females. Currently taking
$200 deposit to reserve. Ready for new home 6/6/07.
Excellent bloodlines and great family companions.
Ivory or cream colors. (402) 729-2631 or (402) 5870311.
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
TOXIC ALGAE MONITORING, Environmentally
Safe Blue-Green Algae Control. Complete toxic algae
consulting; algae sample analysis; laboratory analysis
for toxins produced by blue-green algae; environmentally safe, EPA approved blue-green algae control;
water quality monitoring on streams, lakes and wetlands. Contact: Ripple Environmental, Inc. Lincoln,
NE (402) 438-0806 www.rippleenvironmental.com.
FISH/FISHING
FISH FOR SALE. Catfish, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, perch, crappies, bluegills, walleyes, rainbow trout, grass carp, minnows, bullheads. Consulting
available. Pleasant Valley Fish Farm, 27851 U.S.
Highway 83, McCook, NE 69001. (308) 345-6599.
NEBRASKA LAKE MANAGEMENT – Biological
lake surveys, fish stocking, rough fish control, lake
aeration, algae control, shorewall construction.
Rob Hofpar, Aquatic Biologist, licensed, insured and
qualified. Phone (402) 784-6005 (Lincoln), or
toll-free (888) 850-2460.
BUZZ’S MARINE, YOUR FISHING and recreational
boat super store, www.buzzsmarine.com and family
watersports dealer, www.buzzswatersports.com.
FREE WAXWORMS & MEALWORMS – raise your
own. Thousands of waxworms and mealworms with
our breeder kits $22.95 - $24.95. New Illuminator
lighted glow jigs. Automatically light up when wet
and turn off when dry.
(763) 323-9273,
www.waxwormkit.com.
FOOD/GIFTS/HOME
HOMEBREWING/BEER AND WINEMAKING.
Fermenter’s Supply, 8410 K Plaza, Suite #10, Omaha,
NE 68127. Phone orders only, (888) 655-2739.
Advice line (402) 593-9171. www.fermenterssupply.com.
GUIDES/OUTFITTERS
A Three-day Workshop
Oct. 5-7, 2007
Located in the beautiful Nebraska
National Forest near Halsey
For more information, call
(402) 471-5482
or visit online at:
www.NebraskaBOW.com
www.OutdoorNebraska.org
NEBRASKA GAME AND PARKS COMMISSION
48 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
CANOE THE NIOBRARA with an affordable canoe
trip by Dryland Aquatics. One- and two-day trips...full
service, or just canoe, tube or kayak. Transportation
furnished. Your Niobrara River specialists...We do it
your way! Dryland Aquatics, Dept. N, Box 33C,
Sparks, NE 69220 or phone (800) 337-3119. www.drylandaquatics.com, info@drylandaquatics.com.
KRIPPLE DUCK ADVENTURES – Southwestern
Nebraska. Guided hunts along the Frenchman Creek
for white-tailed and mule deer, waterfowl, upland
birds and turkey. We also have a controlled-shooting
area for pheasants, quail, and chukar. New lodging
accommodations are available on site. For information please call (308) 394-5345 or (308) 280-5345.
Email at cdorn@bwtelcom.net, www.krippleduck.com.
GUNS/SHOOTING/ARCHERY
GUNS – Browning, Benelli, Winchester, Ruger, etc.
1700 guns, buy-sell-trade (402) 729-6112, Bedlan’s,
Fairbury, NE 68352. www.bedlans.com.
State Park Events
OUTDOOR EQUIPMENT
IS PERFORMANCE IMPORTANT? For the finest
canoes and accessories look to Great Plains Canoe Co.,
205 Main, Springfield, NE 68059. Phone (402) 253-2000.
Visitors can enjoy a variety of activities at state parks across Nebraska.
PHOTOGRAPHY
WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTS. Matted,
framed and signed. Go to inplainssight.homestead.com,
hathfotofreak@hotmail.com, (402) 848-2358. “The
more you buy, the quicker my wife can retire!”
REAL ESTATE
HUNTER'S PARADISE IN WESTERN NEBRASKA,
Geese/Ducks/Deer/Pheasant/Turkey, 204 +/- Acres,
½ mile frontage on North Platte River. Contact:
Morrow
Realty,
LLC
(308)
262-1207,
jb.morrow@charter.net.
VACATIONS/RESORTS
FOR FISHING AND HUNTING accommodations.
Guided pheasant hunts. Jefco Inn, Gordon, NE 69343.
South Cornell, (308) 282-2935.
THE OLDE MAIN STREET INN. A historic bed and
breakfast listed in the National Register of Historic
Places. Beautiful dining room with fireplace.
Featuring prime rib, buffalo, seafood, homemade
soups, chilis and desserts. 115 Main Street, Chadron
NE 69337 (308) 432-3380. www.chadron.com/oldemain.
Chadron State Park
Chadron, (308) 432-6167
Nebraska’s first state park. Located
in the scenic Pine Ridge.
Housekeeping cabins available from
mid-April to mid-November, plus a
group camp/conference facility.
Modern campground with showers
available.
• June 16: 86th Chadron State
Park Anniversary: 85-cent lunches,
free paddleboat rides, horseshoe
tournament, archery card shoot.
• July 13-15: Fur Trade Days.
RUSTIC RETREAT! DOUBLE R GUEST RANCH,
20 miles north of Mullen. Fish, hunt, relax! Open
year-round. Sportsmen, vacationers, small groups
welcome. Deluxe furnished cabins; fully equipped
kitchenettes. (866) 217-2042, info@sandhilldoublerranch.com, www.sandhilldoublerranch.com.
LORD RANCH RESORT. Hunters, fishermen, family
vacations, family reunions. Deluxe cabins, complete
cooking facilities & TV. Quiet and peaceful in the
middle of the Sandhills. Three miles north of
Valentine Wildlife Refuge, open all year. Aubrey and
Dorothy Lord, HC 37, Box 41, Valentine, NE 69201.
Call (800) 270-0181. www.lordranchresort.com.
DIAMOND B TROUT RESORT & RESTAURANT,
Orchard, Nebraska. Restaurant, lodge, cabins, springfed lakes, playground equipment, paddleboats. Great
for families, groups, hunters. Book your cabin now!
Call for brochure (800) 974-3002. www.diamondbtroutresort.com.
MILL IRON V LODGING is modern cabins for your
vacation pleasure. We are located near Vedigre, NE in
turkey country. Each cabin offers privacy, view and a
birdwatcher’s paradise. Stay with us for a COUNTRY
EXPERIENCE. (402) 668-7488. www.milliron-vlodging.com, jpeinrem@gpcom.net.
DELUXE NIOBRARA RIVER CABIN: Private,
fully furnished. Kids’ adventure or adult getaway.
Also Biggest Tubes on the Niobrara! www.nolasupertubes.com, (800) 799-9929.
VISIT NEBRASKA STATE PARKS this summer and
enjoy activities such as fishing, swimming, camping
and hiking. Call (402) 471-1414 or go online at
OutdoorNebraska.org and follow the Parks link.
TROUT FISHING, HUNTING, TUBING on a cool,
spring-fed stream. Perfect accommodations for families. www.aboutpinevalleyresort.com, 402-273-4351.
WEB SITES
JOIN FELLOW OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS
www.nebraska-outdoors.com. Post pictures, place
your classified and join in conversation at nebraskaoutdoors!
Classified Rates: 75¢ per word, minimum $15.
Closing: First business day two months before
issue date. Classified ads are accepted on a
first-come, first-served, space-available basis.
Classified Ads, NEBRASKAland Magazine, P.O.
Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503-0370.
Telephone (402) 471-5473. Fax: (402) 471-1984.
E-mail: classifieds@ngpc.ne.gov. Ads are
posted online at NebraskalandMagazine.com at
no additional charge.
Camp and Clinic.
• July 1-4: Annual art show.
• July 4: Fort Robinson Fourth of July
celebration.
• July 13-14: Horse Performance by
the Trotters.
• July 28-29: Ride the Ridge.
• Sept. 3-8: American Paint Horse
Association Trail Ride, all breeds
welcome.
• Sept. 12-16: Arabian Horse Trail
Ride, all breeds welcome.
• Sept. 16-21: Elderhostel.
• Sept. 19-23: Pine Ridge Riders.
• Sept. 23-27: Meade Trail Ride.
• Oct. 31: Haunted Halloween.
• Nov. 5: Tickets go on sale at 8 a.m.
for the Historical Christmas Dinner.
• Nov. 18: Longhorn and buffalo sale,
Crawford.
• Dec. 1: Fort Robinson Historical
Christmas Dinner, celebrating the
year 1926.
Indian Cave State Park
A guided upper Missouri River zodiac raft
trip is offered at Niobrara State Park.
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park
Ashland, (402) 944-2523
Ultra-modern park located in bluffs
above Platte River. Year-round lodging
and recreation. The park’s restaurant
is also open year-round.
• Holiday buffets: Easter, Mother’s
and Father’s Day, Thanksgiving Day,
Christmas Eve and Day, New Year’s
Eve and Day.
• June 15, July 13, Aug. 10, Sept. 14:
Stargazing.
• Oct. 6-7: Fall art show.
• Nov. 2-4: Fall Craft Show/Old West
Cookout featuring buffalo stew.
• Feb. 10-14: 2008 Valentine’s Day
Lodging Packages.
Fort Robinson State Park
Crawford, (308) 665-2900
Historical outpost served from
Indian Wars through World War II.
Museums, restored buildings, modern
and primitive camping, cabin and
lodging facilities available from
mid-April to mid-November.
• Restaurant: Open daily from
Memorial Day weekend through
Labor Day weekend.
• June 8-10: Intertribal Gathering.
• June 18-24: Equestrian Vaulting
Shubert, (402) 883-2575
Restored schoolhouse and general
store from the old Missouri River
town of St. Deroin. Located in scenic
Missouri River bluffs on the Lewis
and Clark Trail. Modern and primitive
camping available. Living history
demonstrations.
• June 2: Trails Day – volunteers help
with trail restoration.
• June 2-3, Sept. 1-3, Oct. 6-7: Black
powder demonstrations.
• Sept. 1: Fireworks display
(sponsored by Pioneer Longrifles).
• Oct. 12-13 and 19-20: Haunted
Hollow hayrack rides, Halloween
decorating contest.
• Oct. 13-14: NECTRA Horse Trail
Ride-Competitive Horse Trail Ride.
• July 28: Discover SCUBA.
Platte River State Park
Louisville, (402) 234-2217
Located in wooded hills above the
Platte River. Modern housekeeping
cabins available for year-round
lodging. Tipis and camper cabins also
available.
• May 26-Sept. 3: Horseback rides,
swimming pool, craft center, paddle
boat rental.
• June 17: Father’s Day Buffet (Scott
Lodge Restaurant).
• July 4: Holiday Buffet (Scott Lodge
Restaurant).
• Sept. 5: Labor Day Buffet (Scott
Lodge Restaurant).
Ponca State Park
Ponca, (402) 755-2284
Located in scenic bluffs above
Missouri River on the Lewis and
Clark Trail. Modern and primitive
camping available. Housekeeping
cabins available May through
October.
• June 16-17: Father’s Day Fossil
Festival.
• June 17: Father’s Day Fish Fry
(reservations required).
• June 22-23: Days of ’56 Rodeo.
• Sept. 8-9: Archery sight-in days.
• Sept. 22-23: Missouri River Outdoor
Expo.
• Oct. 6, 13: Hallowfest weekends.
(The park’s annual Halloween/autumn
event that features haunted hayrack
rides, pumpkin rolling and carving
contest, campsite decorating contest,
and much more).
• Nov. 3: Muzzleloader sight-in day.
Niobrara State Park
For a listing of outdoor events across the
state, visit the online “Outdoor Calendar”
at OutdoorNebraska.org.
Niobrara, (402) 857-3373
Located at confluence of the
Niobrara and Missouri rivers on the
Lewis and Clark Trail. Modern and
primitive camping available. Modern
housekeeping cabins overlooking the
river with year-round availability.
• May 26-Sept. 1: Buffalo cookout
and entertainment every Saturday,
Memorial Day to Labor Day.
• June 9: Swimming pool opens.
• May 26-Sept. 1: Upper Missouri
River guided zodiac river raft trips.
Children enjoy the Missouri River Outdoor
Expo at Ponca State Park in September.
NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
49
ROUSEK
Portraits from the Past
IBURG
This picture of me was taken at our
farm seven miles west of Eddyville in
Dawson County during the 1942
pheasant season. My good friend
Bingo is there with me, great on the
hunt but poor on the retrieve. I departed
soon after the picture was taken to join
the Army Air Corps.
– Ira Iburg, Smyrna, Georgia
SIMMONS
My uncle Charles Rousek, far left, is shown posing with friends after a successful
jackrabbit hunt in Valley County in about 1920. The hunter on the far right is sharing
his pipe with one of the rabbits. Charles was a member of the 308 Machine Gun
Battalion in World War I and served 11 months in France in 1918.
– Ernest Rousek, Lincoln, Nebraska
You can think about work later...
SCHAAF
This picture of me was taken in
Lexington, Nebraska in 1960 when I was
12 years old.
The 81/2-pound walleye was caught by
me at the diversion dam near the Canada
Steam Plant south of Lexington.
I caught the fish on a silver Sonar lure
and it won the weekly prize for the largest
fish caught in the Lexington Chamber of
Commerce contest in late-May of that year.
I won a net, stringer and some fishing
lures. I still love fishing in Nebraska but
have yet to catch a walleye that large
again. However, I will keep trying my best.
Keep up the great work with
NEBRASKAland – I look forward to it each
month.
– Kim Simmons, Bellevue, Nebraska
This photo was taken in the early 1940s. On the left end of the muskrat
pelt line is my father, Lyle T. Clemens, and on the right is my grandmother,
Verna Clemens. On the porch rearranging firewood is Dad’s little brother,
Delois (Deedy) and his sister Sally. My grandpa, Homer, trapped along the
Elkhorn River west of Neligh and Dad helped skin ‘em. As he recalls, muskrat
pelts were around $2.40, coons and weasels $3.50 and mink were $20.
Lyle is 74 and is still an avid hunter, fisherman and NEBRASKAland
Magazine reader. We call each other when the new issue arrives and hash
over the various articles of interest.
– Kimberly Clemens Schaaf,
Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Send contributions to: Portraits from the Past, NEBRASKAland Magazine, P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503-0370.
Photos should show people enjoying Nebraska outdoor activities, such as camping, boating, hunting or fishing, and must
have been taken before 1970. We will give priority to unusual photos or activities. When possible, please include a story
about the photograph and identify the people, places and approximate date it was taken. Photos will be returned.
Take me fishing.
For more information log onto:
www.OutdoorNebraska.org
NEBRASKA GAME AND PARKS COMMISSION
50 NEBRASKAland ● June 2007
Position: 626 (18 views)