Volume 97, Issue 10, 2019
December 2019
- Identifier:
- nela.2019_097_10
- Title:
- Volume 97, Issue 10, 2019
- Issue Name:
- December 2019
- Date Issued:
- 2019-12-01
- year:
- 2019
- month:
- December
- Season:
- Autumn
- PDF filename:
- NL_97.10_2019_Dec_Spreads_Entire.pdf
- Publisher:
- Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
- Format:
- Periodical
- volume:
- 097
- issue:
- 10
- number:
- 097.10
- Decade:
- 2010s
- Type:
- Rights Holder:
- Copyright Nebraskaland Magazine/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, all rights reserved.
- Extracted Text:
-
magazine
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December
D
ecember 2
2019
019
Volume 97 No. 10
December 2019
Cover: A Harris’s sparrow looks up
toward the falling snow in Madison
County.
Photo by Aaron Beckman.
PHOTO BY BOB GRIER
FEATURES
20
MARSHES
50
TURTLES
28
OUTDOOR NEBRASKA
52
KIDS ON ICE
30
THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS
A Winter Refuge for Pheasants
Story and photos by Gerry Steinauer
What to Do in December
By Renae Blum
Story and photos by Gerry Steinauer
36
THE OLD FILLING STATION
38
CITIZEN SCIENCE
44
OL’ ROUGH LEGS
46
THE CLEARWATER ELK
By David L. Bristow
Making Their Own Discoveries
By Renae Blum
Story and photos by Justin Haag
A Follow-up
By Eric Fowler
Slowing Down for Winter
Story and photos by Justin Haag
By Justin Haag
DEPARTMENTS
6
10
56
68
70
Your Nebraska
In the Field
Mixed Bag
Portraits from the Past
The Last Stop
ON THE WEB
To see additional content including photos,
videos and additional articles, visit
Magazine.OutdoorNebraska.gov/digital.
Nebraskaland (VOL. 97 / NO. 10 ISSN 0028-1964) is published monthly, except for the combined Jan./Feb. and Aug./Sept. issues, by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, 2200 N. 33rd
St., Lincoln, NE. Periodicals postage paid at Lincoln, Nebraska, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Nebraskaland, P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503-0370.
Magazine Staff
magazine
Communications Director Christy Firestone
Public Relations Manager Cara Pesek
Published by the Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission since 1926. The Commission is
dedicated to the conservation and protection
of all the state's natural resources and the
people who use them.
Editor Jeff Kurrus
Associate Editor Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
Regional Editors Eric Fowler, Julie Geiser,
Justin Haag
Contributing Editor Michael Forsberg
Regular Contributors Renae Blum,
Chris Helzer, Chris Masada, Ryan Sparks,
Gerry Steinauer
Art Director Tim Reigert
Graphic Designer Mel Severin
Photo Librarian Jaclyn Cruikshank Vogt
Administration
Director Jim Douglas
Deputy Director Tim McCoy
Commissioners
Chairman - Robert Allen, Eustis
Vice Chairman - Dan Kreitman, Wahoo
2nd Vice Chairman - Pat Berggren, Broken Bow
Dick Bell, Omaha
Rick Brandt, Roca
Scott Cassels, Omaha
Jim Ernst, Columbus
Doug Zingula, Sidney
John Hoggatt, Kearney
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Nebraskaland Magazine Copyright 2019, all rights reserved.
Nebraskaland is available in audio from the Nebraska Library
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Lincoln, NE 68508. 800-742-7691. Nebraskaland Magazine and the
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Commission Offices
Conservation Officers
Headquarters/Southeast District Office
2200 N. 33rd Street Lincoln, NE 68503
Phone 402-471-0641
ADMINISTRATION (Lincoln)
Craig Stover (Administrator)
Duane Arp (Asst. Administrator)
Jeff Clauson (Asst. Administrator)
Travis Shepler (Asst. Administrator)
Northeast District Office
2201 N. 13th St. Norfolk, NE 68701
Phone 402-370-3374
Southwest District Office
301 E. State Farm Rd. North Platte, NE 69101
Phone 308-535-8025
Northwest District Office
East Hwy. 2, Box 725 Alliance, NE 69301
Phone 308-763-2940
Bassett Office
524 Panzer St., Box 508 Bassett, NE 68714
Phone 402-684-2921
Kearney Office
1617 First Ave. Kearney, NE 68847
Phone 308-865-5310
Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium/Schramm Education
Center
21502 W. Highway 31 Gretna, NE 68028
Phone 402-332-3901
Omaha Office
8495 Frederick Street, Omaha, NE 68124
Phone 402-595-2144
OutdoorNebraska.org
Any program that receives federal funding from the National Park
Service, or the United States Fish and Wildlife Service prohibits
unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, age, gender,
marital status, national origin, age, disability or political affiliation. Any
person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in
any program, activity, facility, or service, should contact the Nebraska
Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln, NE 402-471-0641, the Equal
Opportunity Commission, Lincoln, NE 402-471-2024, TTY/TDD 402471-4693; United States Fish Wildlife Service, Civil Rights Coordinator,
4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203; Director, Equal Opportunity
Program, U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service, 1849 C
Street NW, Mail Code 0008, Washington, D.C. 20240-0001.
4
Nebraskaland • December 2019
402-471-5531
402-471-5531
402-471-5531
402-471-5531
NORTHWEST (Includes counties covered)
Jim Zimmerman (District Supt.)
308-641-6138
Kelsey Glodowski
(Box Butte, S 1/2 Sheridan, Grant)
308-763-8226
Sean McKeehan
(Kimball, Banner, Scotts Bluff)
308-672-1824
Dan Kling (Sioux, Dawes)
308-430-0572
Kyler Prochaska
(E 1/2 Dawes, N 1/2 Sheridan, W 1/2 Cherry)
308-430-3984
308-458-7650
Terry Brentzel (Deuel, Garden, Grant)
402-389-0444
Frank Miller (Cherry, Hooker)
308-279-9133
Josh Widhelm (Morrill, Cheyenne)
NORTHEAST (Includes counties covered)
Tom Zimmer (District Supt.)
402-649-8053
402-760-0712
Dale Davis (Keya Paha, Brown, Rock)
402-340-3981
Jonathan Andreasen (Holt, Boyd)
402-719-6226
Kyle Gaston (Dodge, Colfax)
402-613-8612
Mitch Johnson (Knox, Antelope, Pierce)
402-762-5022
Jeff Jones (Knox, Cedar)
Jon Reeves
(S 1/2 Thurston, Burt, Washington)
402-889-8508
Andrew Heyer (Pierce, Madison, Stanton) 402-613-2241
Cory Krause
(Cuming, Wayne, Stanton, Dodge)
402-380-6410
Steve Oberg
(Colfax, Platte, Madison, Stanton, Nance)
402-910-3366
Owen Johnson
(Dixon, Dakota, N 1/2 Thurston)
402-266-1759
Doug Pollard (Loup, Garfield, Valley)
308-730-7050
Ethan Teter
(Boating – eastern Nebraska)
402-620-8129
SOUTHWEST (Includes counties covered)
Roger Thompson (District Supt.)
308-530-3097
308-202-0819
Matt Brandt (Sherman, Howard)
308-380-7331
Tim Williams (Hall, Hamilton, Merrick)
Pat George
(Harlan, Franklin, Phelps)
308-920-2762
Matt Andrews
(Gosper, Furnas, Frontier, Red Willow)
308-746-2418
Brian Piernicky
(Red Willow, Frontier, Hayes, Hitchcock)
308-340-6627
John Lee (Hitchcock, Dundy, Chase, Hayes)
308-414-1432
Nicholas Fix (Keith, Perkins)
Bryce Streger (Keith, Arthur)
Sean Schultz (Keith)
Brandon O’Neal
(Lincoln, McPherson, Logan)
Alex Hasenauer
(Lincoln, McPherson, Logan)
Mike Thome (Dawson)
Ray Dierking (Custer, Thomas, Blaine)
Taylor Dixon
(Dawson, N 1/2 Gosper, N 1/2 Phelps)
Eric Javins
(Adams, Clay, Nuckolls, Webster)
Kevin Bergstrom
(Boating – central Nebraska)
Daryl Teter
(Boating – central Nebraska)
Greg Hesse
(Buffalo, Kearney)
308-289-0427
308-289-1169
308-760-0145
308-530-3157
308-660-4671
308-529-8146
308-870-0322
308-217-2108
402-902-2017
308-520-1031
308-440-1863
402-440-3847
SOUTHEAST (Includes counties covered)
Stacey Lewton (District Supt.)
402-890-7140
402-619-1355
Rich Berggren (Douglas)
402-616-5961
Dan Evasco (Sarpy)
402-210-0888
Heath Packett (Cass)
402-209-1506
Russell Mort (Otoe, Johnson)
402-200-9597
Matt Taylor (Thayer, Fillmore, Jefferson)
402-806-0915
Matt Seitz (Gage, Saline)
402-890-6463
Dina Barta (Lancaster)
402-937-3422
Dudley Sorensen (Lancaster, York)
402-314-9641
Trevor Stahlecker (Lancaster)
402-443-6392
Mike Luben (Saunders, Butler, Polk)
Scott Eveland
(Lancaster)
402-853-3273
YOUR NEBRASKA
Instagram Photos
Follow us (@nebraskaland)
and tag us in your photos
to be featured in an
upcoming issue.
Karen Kutz Smith, Omaha
Autumn Robin
Jim Ashley, Lincoln
Stagecoach Lake
Alan Nash, Scottsbluff
Scotts Bluff National Monument
6
Nebraskaland • December 2019
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
7
YOUR NEBRASKA
Emily Burch, Littleton, Colorado
Hognose Snake
Erik Johnson, Lincoln
My Yellow Lab
Send your comments and photos to:
Jeff Kurrus, Editor
Nebraskaland Magazine
P.O. Box 30370
Lincoln, NE 68503
or email Jeff.Kurrus@Nebraska.gov
Mark Lucey, Omaha
Hay Bales Near South Bend
8
Nebraskaland • December 2019
Please include your postal address
and telephone number. Letters may be
condensed and edited. Photographs are
also welcome.
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
9
IN THE FIELD
ASH CREEK SNOW
A December snowstorm
descends upon East Ash
Creek in Dawes County. Red
berries stand out against a
monochromatic background
of blue and white.
PHOT
HOT
OTO BY
OT
OTO
BY B
BOB
BO
O GRI
GRIER
E
ER
10
Nebraskaland • December 2019
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
11
IN THE FIELD
PHOTO BY JOEL SARTORE
THREATENED AND ENDANGERED:
THE PALLID STURGEON
By Melissa J. Panella
When I was a kid, my dad would often take my younger
sister and me fishing on weekends. We enjoyed the time
together outdoors, but I think my mom also appreciated the
small break from two active little girls who kept her very
busy. Those days as I would try to be patient and wait for
the cue of my bobber to dip below the water’s surface, my
mind would wander. I would dig my feet into the earth, look
for interesting rocks or insects, listen to the birds, and soak
up the sun, then suddenly remember I had better check my
“pole.” I didn’t want to miss my fish! We had fun, but at the
same time, neither my sister nor I were ever very fond of
putting worms on our hooks.
Years later I would put more nightcrawlers on fish hooks in
one day than I had ever done in all of my childhood fishing
trips. I had the chance to join a crew of fisheries biologists
for the annual monitoring and broodstock collection of pallid
sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus).
We traveled by boat on a stretch of stream near the
Platte-Missouri River confluence to check multiple 200-feet
trotlines and go through loads of earthworms while rebaiting
40 hooks per line. We were in search of pallid sturgeon, not
for recreation, but for scientific and conservation reasons.
That’s not to say that it wasn’t also an exciting way to
spend the day. Our primary objectives were to survey for
and monitor the pallid sturgeon as part of a project working
toward recovering its population.
12
Nebraskaland • December 2019
If we found a pallid sturgeon, we would quickly measure it,
scan it for an electronic PIT tag used for monitoring growth
and survival, inject a tag if it did not have one yet, and if the
fish was large enough, we would collect it to go to a hatchery
for breeding purposes. Adult pallid sturgeon that are used as
broodstock must meet health and size criteria; the rest are
immediately returned to the river. The project is intensive
and only possible because of the many volunteers, many of
whom return year after year to assist.
The pallid sturgeon is a federally- and state-listed
endangered species. It is an ancient fish whose ancestors
swam the waters of the earth during the late Cretaceous
period 70 million years ago. Pallid sturgeon can swim several
hundred miles in large, free-flowing rivers. In Nebraska, they
depend on habitat in the Missouri and Lower Platte rivers
and their tributaries.
This interesting-looking fish is rare and protected,
but if you would like to improve your odds of seeing a
pallid sturgeon up close, be sure to visit the new Schramm
Education Center in Gretna, where you may even get to touch
one in a 2,200-gallon tank. While there, you can also enjoy
a visit to the ponds at Schramm Park State Recreation Area
and access the Platte River to find more species of fish.
Melissa J. Panella is a wildlife biologist for the Nebraska
Game and Parks Commission.
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
13
IN THE FIELD
LAND FOR SALE
DUNDY CO, NE - 284 AC.
This quintessential Republican River ground is a hunter’s
dream. Towering cottonwoods with great brushy ground
cover create the perfect habitat to grow and hold trophy
deer. The river twists and turns its way through the property
for over a mile providing ample water for the wildlife and
also offering some fun wing shooting during duck season.
The property is set up to hunt with a tower blind overlooking
a 4-acre food plot just off of the river’s edge. Ease of access
throughout the property will give the new owner many locations to hunt either from a stand or blind without disturbing
the property. This area is home to some giant whitetails and
mule deer and this property is no exception. If you like to call
in those spring gobblers then this place will not disappoint.
RICHARDSON CO, NE - 134.34 AC.
PHOTO BY JARROD SPILGER
CANINE CHEMO
PRICE REDUCED! Tillable farms do not get any better
than this! This dryland farm boasts top quality soil,
nearly 100% tillable acres, and exceptional average
yields. Acres laying within the Missouri River valley are
highly sought after, especially ones such as these that
YGTGURCTGFFWTKPIVJGTGEGPVƀQQFU;GCTCHVGT[GCT
this farm has proven itself with consistently high yields.
Don’t overlook the hunting possibilities on this one!
This area is renowned for its phenomenal waterfowl
hunting. Fill limits of mallards and Canada geese during
the fall migration and then get set up for an actionpacked spring snow goose conservation season. Farms
like this don’t come up for sale very often, call today!
By Jarrod Spilger
Our hunting dogs are much more than bird finders and
retrievers – they’re members of our family. So when I
found out my Small Munsterlander pointer, Phantom, had
lymphoma in early 2018, I knew I had to do something.
The canine oncology department at Colorado State
University prescribed her a CHOP chemotherapy
protocol which our local vet administered. Here’s what
it entailed:
Week 1: Vincristine.
Week 2: Cytoxan. Lasix was also given to offset the risk of
sterile hemorrhagic cystitis (bladder inflammation).
Week 3: Doxorubicin.
Week 4: Rest.
This cycle was repeated four times for a total of 15 weeks.
A fourth component, Prednisone, was given immediately
upon diagnosis, continued throughout the first cycle, and
then administered as needed during the remaining cycles.
This steroid both strengthened Phantom and boosted
14
Nebraskaland • December 2019
her appetite.
After treatments ended in mid-July all we could do was
wait and monitor. By August, she was in remission and given
the green light to begin hunting in September.
We enjoyed a productive 2018-19 hunting season.
Unfortunately, the cancer returned in December, with a
vengeance. Phantom passed away at home in January 2019
just as we were preparing to restart chemo.
We’d gained 11 extra months, though, during which we
got another puppy, Komet, who is Phantom’s first cousin.
He both bolstered her spirits and helped with the workload.
Phantom helped train Komet, and the three of us even
enjoyed some productive hunts together.
Canine chemo gave us one more season to create a few
more precious memories in Nebraska’s great outdoors.
Jarrod Spilger is an outdoor writer, hunter and dog lover
from Grand Island.
CONTACT JASON OR LUKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE AMAZING PROPERTIES
JASON SCHENDT | BROKER
LUKE WALLACE | AGENT
jason.schendt@whitetailproperties.com
luke.wallace@whitetailproperties.com
402.707.4885
402.340.6187
whitetailpr operties.com
Whitetail Properties Real Estate, LLC | dba Whitetail Properties | Nebraska & North Dakota DBA Whitetail Trophy Properties Real Estate LLC. | Lic. in IL, MO, IA, KS,
KY, NE & OK - Dan Perez, Broker | Lic. in AR, CO, GA, MN, ND, TN, SD & WI - Jeff Evans, Broker | Lic. in FL, OH & PA - Kirk Gilbert, Broker | Lic. in NM & TX - Joey
Bellington, Broker | Lic. in IN - John Boyken, Broker | Lic. in LA, MS, GA & AL - Sybil Stewart, Broker | Lic. in TN - Chris Wakefield, Broker | Lic. in TN - Bobby Powers, Broker | Lic. in AR - Johnny Ball, Broker | Lic. in SC - Rick Elliot, Broker | Lic. in NC - Rich Baugh, Broker | Lic. in MI - Edmund Joel Nogaski , Broker
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
15
IT ’S
IN THE FIELD
DEER
SEASON
2019 TORNADO NEAR MCCOOK. PHOTO BY RYAN MCGINNIS
TORNADOES
By Martha D. Shulski
Although I’ve been a meteorologist for more than two
decades, I only recently saw my first tornado. It was an EF1
that occurred on a May afternoon of 2016 in southeastern
Nebraska. I’m probably one of the only weather enthusiasts
on the planet that has no desire to chase storms, but this
sighting was an unintentional intercept on my drive home.
Winter may be an unusual time to talk about severe weather,
but this is Nebraska and we seem to experience all kinds of
weather at any time of year.
Annually, we average 50 tornados, with a seasonal peak
during May and June. They have occurred every month in the
seven decades of systematic reporting. The most risky time
of day for tornadic activity is from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. as storms
intensify with the heat of the day. These violent cyclones are
generally short-lived, lasting on the order of minutes, and they
typically take a southwest to northeast track.
Their current rating scale (EF) is based on JapaneseAmerican scientist Ted Fujita’s work on wind speed and
associated damage. The twister I witnessed ranked as
16
Nebraskaland • December 2019
a weak tornado (winds between 86 and 100 mph with
moderate damage), but the highest is EF5 (over 200 mph
with incredible damage). These tornados get their rating
based on post-storm damage assessments from trained
National Weather Service personnel.
Other hazards can and often do occur with tornadoproducing storms – hail, lightning, straight-line winds and
flash flooding due to locally heavy rain.
Speaking of hail, let us return to 2016, when softball-size
hailstones pounded Lincoln during that May storm. The same
year, Nebraska experienced some unique holiday cheer in the
form of the latest tornado on record. Christmas brought with
it a rare storm that dropped a couple of tornados in southcentral Nebraska.
Even though we’re into cold season activities, there’s a
chance you may find yourself as an unexpected storm chaser.
Martha D. Shulski, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is
the director of the Nebraska State Climate office.
DEER HUNT
In Nebraska, opportunity isn’t won in a lottery by a few, it’s earned by
those who prepare. Whether you plan to take aim at a muley with a rifle or
your sights are set on hunting whitetail deer with a bow, Nebraska boasts
a wide variety of over-the-counter permits that make it easy to get into
the stand this fall. Seize your opportunity this season and plan your
Nebraska deer hunting adventure today.
GET YOUR PERMIT
>>> Visit us at OutdoorNebraska.org/Deer
IN THE FIELD
PHOTO BY JENNY NGUYEN-WHEATLEY
VENISON AND CHEESE DIP
By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
This recipe is for the queso lovers, and those looking to
satisfy hungry visitors during the holidays or on Husker
game days.
Makes: 4 cups
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
½ to ¾ pound of ground venison
Vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon of onion powder
¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
¼ teaspoon of cumin
½ teaspoon of chili powder
½ teaspoon of ground coriander
1 large jalapeno pepper (seeds and ribs removed), diced
3 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of flour
1 cup of warm milk, plus extra
10-ounce can of Original Rotel Diced Tomatoes and
Green Chilies
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup of shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (or Havarti)
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
18
Nebraskaland • December 2019
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• Freshly chopped cilantro, to taste
• Tortilla chips
1. Coat the bottom of a pan with oil and heat over mediumhigh. Brown ground venison, breaking up the meat with
a wooden spoon. Season with salt, pepper, onion powder,
garlic powder, cumin, chili powder and ground coriander. Add
diced jalapeno and sauté for 2 minutes. Remove meat from
heat and set aside.
2. Melt butter in a medium{nonstick{saucepan over medium
heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.
Turn heat to medium-low. Gradually whisk in the warm milk,
and continue stirring until you get a smooth sauce.
3. Turn heat down to low, and then stir in the shredded
cheese until melted and fully incorporated. Then stir in the
Rotel and cooked ground venison. Take sauce off heat when
heated through – be careful not to scorch the bottom.
4. Stir in chopped cilantro, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper
to taste. If the dip is too thick, thin it out with more warm
milk. Serve warm with tortilla chips. Set a slow cooker on
“warm” to keep this dip hot at parties, stirring occasionally.
Rekindle the fun of being together
at Nebraska’s State Parks
Find events near you at
OutdoorNebraska.org/ParkEvents
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
19
Marshes
a winter refuge for pheasants
Story and Photos by Gerry Steinauer
the importance of stealth when pheasant hunting and how
even the noise of a shutting car door or talking can send
keen-eared pheasants running. Those are the birds that less
cautious hunters would never see.
After a pause in the conversation I asked, “What are the
other rules?”
“Don’t miss,” he responded.
Meduna has been a wildlife
biologist with the Nebraska Game
and Parks Commission for 42 years
and has worked at Sac-Wilcox and
the Kearney office the entire time.
To call him an avid hunter is an
understatement.
The walls of his house are
adorned with trophies from hunts
in the western United States and
Africa, many of the mounts and
rugs prepared by his own hands. He
pursues both big and small game in
his home state with equal passion.
Because neither Meduna nor I now
owns a hunting dog, we had hoped for
a few inches of snow cover to allow
tracking of the birds. The previous
day, however, was warm, and the
On a late January afternoon
snow had become patchy. Tracking
last year, I met Bob Meduna at
would be challenging.
the Sacramento-Wilcox Wildlife
With pheasants on our minds, we
Management Area to chase lateset off into the marsh zig-zagging
season roosters. Sac-Wilcox is located
Bob Meduna on our hunt at the
among the stands of smartweeds,
a hop, skip and a jump from Meduna’s
Sacramento-Wilcox Wildlife Management
Area.
rushes and giant ragweed. Meduna
home in Phelps County. Though the
moved slowly, head down, searching
Rainwater Basin marsh had been
for tracks. When on a trail, however, his pace quickened, and
heavily hunted during the season, he promised me it still
he sometimes ventured off a few hundred yards in pursuit.
held birds.
Once, when our paths re-joined, he whispered one of his
While still in the parking lot readying ourselves for the
many pheasant hunting wisdoms: “You’ve got to trail birds
hunt, Meduna stepped close and said, “Now here’s the
fast. Sometimes I will even run. It wears them out and they
rules. No talking except in whispers.” He then explained
othing beats hunting a frozen-over, snow-covered
marsh for wily rooster pheasants in the dead of
winter. At this time, pheasants are concentrated in the
marshes’ thick cover, and tracking birds in fresh snow
is almost a guarantee for success.
Wetlands occupy about 1.9 million acres in Nebraska,
or about 4 percent of the state’s
area. Major complexes include the
Rainwater Basin wetlands in southcentral Nebraska, the expansive
wet meadows and marshes of the
Sandhills, the salt marshes around
Lincoln and riverbottom marshes
scattered throughout the state.
Though limited in extent, wetlands
provide critical winter cover and food
for pheasants and other wildlife. In
heavily-farmed regions, they provide
much of the last remaining habitat
on the landscape.
N
Rainwater Basin
Marsh Hunt
20
Nebraskaland • December 2019
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
21
Marsh Management
waterbirds including 7 to 9 million ducks that stop
Since European settlement, Nebraska has lost
annually at the Rainwater Basin, and many public
more than a million acres, or 35 percent, of
wetlands are managed to benefit these species. And
its original wetlands to drainage, clearing and
therein lies the rub: geese, ducks and shorebirds
groundwater pumping. Some regions have suffered
prefer shallow, open-water marshes with exposed
more than others. For example, the Rainwater
mudflats for feeding, with limited dense, protective
Basin, once a mecca for pheasant hunters, has lost
cover. On the other hand, pheasants benefit mostly
90 percent of its wetlands, whereas the Sandhills
from wetlands with extensive dense winter cover.
has lost an estimated 15 to 45 percent of its
Adding to the dilemma, several of the marsh plants
wetlands to drainage and conversion to hay lands.
that provide dense cover, such as narrow-leaf
This loss makes conservation of remaining
cattail, are colony-forming, non-natives that displace
wetlands critical. Most conservationists agree
native vegetation.
that preserving and managing larger wetlands or
Hunters are often opinionated on the matter,
wetland complexes is better for pheasants and
lobbying for habitats that most benefit the species
other wildlife when compared to smaller wetlands.
they pursue. The mangers are often stuck in the
Large wetlands provide more escape cover where
middle of this debate. Most find a compromising
pheasants can avoid hunters and predators. In
solution, providing substantial waterbird habitat, but
addition, when a pheasant is flushed from a small
leaving enough dense cover to keep pheasants and
marsh in winter, it will likely have to fly from the
pheasant hunters happy.
wetland into poorer cover, where it is exposed to
predators and the elements. In
large wetlands, a flushed bird is
likely to stay in the marsh.
“It is amazing how many
pheasants we have most years
at the 2,000-acre Funk WPA
[Waterfowl Production Area
located in Phelps County],”
said Brad Krohn, project leader
for the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service’s Rainwater
Basin Wetland Management
District. “The area’s size allows
us to create the diversity of
habitats, in the wetland and
surrounding grasslands, that
pheasants require,” Krohn said.
Though pheasants need dense
cover for wintering, they prefer
moderately dense cover for
nesting and even more open
cover for brood rearing where
the chicks can move about and
forage for insects. “We use a
combination of prescribed fire,
livestock grazing, haying and
idling land to provide these
habitats. And we try to do
something different annually
in each area,” Krohn said.
Prescribed fire and grazing in
the wetlands also stimulates
seed-producing annuals
used by both pheasants and
waterfowl.
Nebraska wetlands are
A prescribed fire is conducted on the Funk Waterfowl Production Area to clear
overly dense cattails and river bulrush.
critical habitat for migratory
22
Nebraskaland • December 2019
On a cold winter day in a South Dakota pothole marsh, a pheasant found shelter in a stand of prairie cordgrass.
will hole up in cover.”
About an hour into the hunt, we crossed the trail of two
walking roosters. We followed. After about 10 minutes, the
tracks entered a patch of thick cover and we prepared for a
flush.
Hoping to capture a photo of Meduna shooting, I set my
gun down and took out my camera. Soon after – you guessed
it – the birds flushed right in front of me. Flustered, I missed
my photo as Meduna dropped the second rooster. We ran
to the spot, but found no bird. It had run or buried itself in
nearby cover.
For 20 minutes we stomped about looking for the downed
bird. We followed a set of tracks leaving the area, but they
vanished in a patch of wet grass. Reluctantly, we gave up the
search and continued hunting until sunset.
Pheasant tracks were fairly common that day. We flushed
about 15 hens and saw the tracks of a few other longstriding, well-educated roosters, but could not flush them. A
dog would have been advantageous on this day with patchy
snow. Though we harvested no birds, it was a fun day, and
hunting with Meduna taught me a few new tricks of the
pheasant hunting trade.
Winter Cover
As winter descends upon the Plains, breathing wind, snow
and cold upon the land, pheasants leave lighter fall cover
and head for the thick stuff. In Nebraska, this is mainly
dense grass or marshes. Radio tracking studies have shown
pheasants will travel up to 10 miles from their normal
home range to winter cover, though most likely travel only
a few miles or less. For them, finding heavy vegetation that
provides thermal insulation on cold winter nights and shelter
from the wind and snow, which can bury or suffocate birds if
caught in the open, is a matter of life and death.
“Over the last few decades as we have lost more old
farmsteads, pastures and Conservation Reserve Program
fields to the plow, the un-farmable marshes have become
even more vital pheasant habitat,” Meduna said. “Here in
farm country, they are especially important as winter cover
as crops have been harvested, pastures grazed short and
snow has buried lighter grass cover making these other
habitats useless.”
In Rainwater Basin wetlands, cattails, river bulrush, prairie
cordgrass and tall patches of giant ragweed and sunflowers
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
23
Pheasants relish the large and nutritious seeds of
smartweeds (center), barnyard grasses (right), docks (lower
center), annual sunflower (lower left), giant ragweed (top)
and other wetland plants.
provide the best winter cover for pheasants. “These plants
are tough, and when snow-covered they stay standing
throughout winter,” Meduna said. “Even when buried deep
in snow, the cattails and bulrushes have open space below
where birds can burrow into for warmth.”
Mel Nenneman, a wildlife biologist for 17 years at the
Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Cherry
County, confirmed the value of marshes as winter habitat
for pheasants in the Sandhills. “In late fall and early winter,
the birds will roost about anywhere on the refuge,” he said.
“They will hunker down in tall grass up on the dunes or in the
wet meadows bordering the marshes. But when the weather
gets cold, they move into the marshes.”
Before the wetlands freeze over, pheasants will roost on
clumps of vegetation standing above the water where they
are safe from mammalian predators. But when the wetlands
ice-over, “they like to roost in the hardstem bulrush patches
as these have openings that they can drop into [when flying
in to roost],” Nenneman said. “When the weather gets
really gnarly, they move to the cattails. They don’t seem to
like patches of common reed. These are so tall and dense
it hinders their flushing [escape] when the coyotes start
running the marshes. Pheasants even seem to avoid the
overly dense, jack-strawed cattail and bulrush stands, except
around their more open edges.”
Even in tough years, when blowing snow has filled most
24
Nebraskaland • December 2019
The tall, dense vegetation of Sandhills marshes provides excellent cover for pheasants when winter sets in.
of the marshes, Nenneman said there are always patches
of open cover where birds can find shelter from storms.
Without the marshes as winter cover, he doubts pheasants
could survive in the expansive, prairie-covered Sandhills.
“McKelvie National Forest [also located in the Cherry County
Sandhills] has few marshes and far fewer pheasants than the
refuge,” Nenneman said.
Winter Food
To survive winter’s chill, pheasants must lose body heat
at a slower rate than they produce it. Although cover is key
to pheasants staying warm, they also need food to survive.
In our region, pheasants require one-third more energy in
December than in October, and with shorter winter days,
they have less time to forage.
In fall and early winter, pheasants feed heavily on grains
and other seeds to build fat reserves in preparation for the
coming cold. During blizzards, they can hunker down in thick
cover and survive on fat for several days without eating.
Pheasants can lose 40 percent of their body weight before
succumbing to starvation, and even in severe winters few die
this way.
Most winter mortality occurs when birds are flushed from
cover or leave voluntarily to feed and die from exposure or
predation. Having a food source close to winter cover is
advantageous, as pheasants burn less energy traveling to
the food and are exposed for shorter periods of time while
feeding.
In farm country, grains, especially corn and soybeans,
are a prime winter food for pheasants. Soybeans, however,
contain digestive inhibitors that restrict their food value
to birds. Pheasants seem aware of this and preferably winter
in marshes adjacent to cornfields rather than soybean fields.
The seeds of marsh plants are also an important winter
food. Many a hunter has found pheasant crops packed with
the large and energy-rich seeds of barnyard grasses, giant
ragweed, sunflowers, docks, smartweeds and other marsh
plants. In the Sandhills, where crops are limited, pheasants
survive winter solely on the nourishment provided by
wetland and prairie plants.
“In dry years, before the marshes freeze, pheasants will
forage on the exposed shorelines and mudflats. Often they
scratch up and eat these fingernail-sized white tubers,”
Nenneman said. “I am not sure what plant they are from.
They also go after the energy-rich seeds of annuals, such as
barnyard grass and smartweeds, which grow on the mudflats
and shorelines as water levels recede in summer.”
Under the right conditions, and if the other birds don’t get
it all first, they will eat the grains of wild rice that grows in
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
25
Tracking Tips
The high sand dune south of Dad’s Lake, as well as the marshy fringes near the shoreline, hold pheasants.
some of our marshes.
Nenneman explained that in wet years, when the marshes
have deep water and few exposed mudflats to produce
annuals, pheasants are forced to forage up in the dunes on
the seeds and fruits of sunflowers, prairie rose, western
snowberry and other prairie wildflowers. “It is harder for a
hunter to locate the birds when they are spread out foraging
on the dunes,” Nenneman said.
Sandhills Marsh Hunt
The 72,000-acre Valentine NWR offers some of the
Midwest’s most scenic and remote upland game bird hunting.
“On opening weekend we get a fair number of hunters,
but only light to moderate pressure most of the season,”
Nenneman said. The refuge has provided some of my most
memorable bird hunts, and a 2005 hunt stands out.
Referring to my hunting journal, on that warm, sunny
November morning, Callie, my Welsh Corgi, and I set out
from the parking lot north of West Long Lake. We headed
southeast toward our goal, the south side of Dad’s Lake
where the grassy dune rises high above the four mile-long
lake.
Arriving at the west end of Dad’s, we pushed into the
narrow band of marsh that forms its shoreline, the perfect
26
Nebraskaland • December 2019
width for a lone hunter and dog. Almost immediately, from
the tall rushes we flushed about 15 pheasants that scattered
onto the dune and into the marsh ahead.
Soon, more birds broke from cover, and I watched one
rooster land in a mid-slope plum thicket. We followed, and
Callie soon had her nose to the ground, hot on its trail. The
chase lasted about 100 yards before the bird took flight and
was in the bag.
We continued east for a couple miles, staying low on the
dunes, hitting plum thickets and pushing a few wild birds.
We stopped for lunch, and after my dry bagel was washed
down with water, we walked the shoreline back west. Right
off the bat, we flushed a group of about 10 pheasants, and
I dropped one. After a while, I tired of trudging through the
marsh and headed up onto the easier-to-walk dunes. Nearing
the lake’s west end, still a bird shy of my limit, a rooster burst
from a thicket, flew low, and just as it was about to crest a
ridge to safety, I dropped it.
But my hunt was not yet done. While crossing the dune
north of Dad’s Lake, I busted a covey of sharp-tailed grouse,
and ended up bagging three. The last mile of my hike back
to the car was rather draining with six birds in my vest, but I
was satisfied.
Nebraska marshes furnish pheasants with shelter, warmth
and food during the stressful cold of winter. And for hunters,
they provide many memorable moments. N
Meduna favors hunting marsh
pheasants in January. By then, the
birds are concentrated, wetlands are
iced-over and accessible, and most
other hunters, his competition, have
put away their guns for the season.
“Hunting is ideal with about three to
five inches of fresh snow, which makes
for great tracking conditions,” Meduna
said. “With more snow, hunting can
be a lot of work, and with less snow,
tracking can be difficult.”
With fresh snow, Meduna will hunt
any time of day. If the snow is old,
however, he prefers to hunt in the
afternoon on sunny days. Letting
the sun melt away old tracks, he can
concentrate solely on fresh tracks
that may end in a flush. Also, on nice
afternoons he often finds pheasants
loafing in cover next to weed patches
or crops, and these birds are less
spooky than when actively feeding.
When tracking birds in snow, Meduna
prefers to hunt alone. “It’s too hard to
coordinate with more than one person
when tracking, and one person can
keep quiet,” he said. “Stealth is key to
pheasant hunting. When tracking birds,
you learn just how smart pheasants
are. Nearly every bird you flush has
run some, moving from the spot where
they first realize someone is after
them. Big groups of hunters, or those
making noise, push the birds ahead,
often flushing them out of range. When
hunting quiet, birds will hold better.”
Meduna also uses strategy when
tracking pheasants. For example, he
will often walk through dense cover “to
push the birds out,” then moves over
100 yards or so and walks it back in
the opposite direction to pick up the
fresh tracks of birds he sent running.
He also watches where flushed roosters land and
moves quickly to the spot. “The second time they
are pursued they will run less before flushing again,
and the third time even less,” he said. “Pheasants
lack the muscle strength for long flights. Basically
you can wear them down and eventually get close
for a shot.” In addition, he can distinguish rooster
tracks from hen tracks: the former are larger and
more widely spaced when a bird is running, and he
wastes no time trailing the latter.
The lean Meduna strongly recommends being
in shape if planning to chase marsh pheasants.
Rooster tracks exiting a marsh.
“Most hunters avoid the dense cover because
it is too difficult to walk, but that’s often where
the birds are,” he said. To ready himself for the
hunting season, Meduna runs once or twice a week
during the summer. As fall and big game seasons
approach, he walks two miles three times a week
carrying a backpack filled with 50 pounds of lead
shot.
As a final hunting tip, Meduna emphasized not
giving up on hunting in late winter. “I always try to
hunt on the last day of the season just to show that
the public marshes still hold birds,” he said. “A few
of those days I have even gotten my limit.”
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
27
Outdoor Nebraska
What To Do in December
By Renae Blum
Winter holds unique delights for the outdoorsman or woman,
with fresh sights and enjoyable reasons to get out of the house.
Here are a few. Learn more about the events listed below at
Calendar.OutdoorNebraska.gov. N
Ice fishing in the
Sandhills
When conditions are right | Northcentral Nebraska
PHOTO BY ERIC FOWLER
PHOTO BY JUSTIN HAAG
PHOTO BY JENNY NGUYEN-WHEATLEY
Offering lots of large fish, the lakes in the
Sandhills region have always been a top ice
fishing destination in Nebraska. Possible sites
include lakes in the Valentine and Crescent
Lake national wildlife refuges, Smith Lake,
Frye Lake and Cottonwood-Steverson Lake
Wildlife Management Area.
Christmas in the Woods
Dec. 7, 14, 21 | Ponca State Park
Roadside hawk viewing
All winter | Statewide
Hawks and other birds of prey, like the red-tailed
hawk and the American kestrel (pictured), can be
readily seen on roadside signs, leafless trees and
fence posts across the state, which they use as
vantage points to look out for prey. Your vehicle can
be an effective blind. Just be safe when pulling over
and don’t block traffic.
Enjoy the park’s features in a festive way, with lighted hayrack
rides, a sledding hill and groomed cross-country skiing trails (snow
permitting). Other seasonal activities include old-fashioned holiday
crafts, free cookies and hot cider and a snowman building contest.
Light Up the Fort
Dec. 7-31, Fort Robinson
State Park
Christmas with
the Codys
Dec. 6-7, 13-14, 2021, Buffalo Bill State
Historical Park
Cross-country skiing at
Nebraska state park areas
December-February, snow permitting | Eastern
Nebraska
Predator hunting
PHOTO BY JEFF KURRUS
Because you’re often using injured prey calls, predator hunting
offers a different kind of hunt. “It’s just a lot of fun to have an
animal come hunt you,” said Game and Parks’ Jeff Rawlinson.
Effective strategies include good camouflage, using unique
and different calls, and playing the wind – setting yourself
up so you’re calling into the wind but can see any predator
heading downwind. Dress for success with layers and heavy
insulated boots, and always practice firearm safety.
28
Nebraskaland • December 2019
PHOTO BY BOB GRIER
November-February | Statewide
Nebraska’s state parks are a great place for cross-country skiing,
offering security, a peaceful, beautiful environment, amenities
and more. Prime opportunities are at Lewis and Clark State
Recreation Area and Mahoney, Platte River, Ponca and Indian
Cave state parks, with Ponca providing groomed trails. Stay safe
by bringing lots of water and a skiing partner, and letting someone
know where you’ll be.
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
29
The Day
After Christmas
L
Photos and Story by Gerry Steinauer
ast year, my wife and I spent the Christmas holidays
with my mother-in-law on our family farm. The week
before Christmas, I hunted pheasants with a friend from
Wyoming. Christmas Eve and Day I spent with family. For the
day after Christmas, I would need a new endeavor to keep away
the post-holiday blues. Photography was the cure.
Above: Snow coats dried plants on the marsh shallows.
Opposite: Sunrise through the cedars.
30
Nebraskaland • December 2019
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
31
Above: A rusty hinge on the old barn door.
Opposite: A deer skull adorns the long-dormant flower garden.
L
ucky for me, the day broke with sunshine,
brisk cold, and a fresh covering of light snow
– great conditions for winter picture taking. At
sunrise, bundled in thick clothes, I started wandering
the farmyard and fields eyeing objects for photo
worthiness. When the climbing sun became too
bright for photography, I sought refuge in the warm
house with a good book.
32
Nebraskaland • December 2019
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
33
L
ate in the afternoon, with the setting sun again radiating
warm light, I ventured back out, returning only when
darkness settled upon the land. These photos were the
results of my day’s adventure. N
Peculiar formations hang from the undersurface of the creek ice.
The setting sun sheds
a warm glow on the
snow-drifted prairie
behind the house.
Prairie cordgrass clings to summer’s seed heads.
34
Nebraskaland • December 2019
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
35
The Old Filling Station
This old Wadhams station in Pilger
was dilapidated by the time this
photo was taken in the mid-20th
century, but the building was a
landmark in its day. Between 1917
and 1930, Wadhams Oil and Grease
Company of Milwaukee built more
than 100 pagoda-roofed filling
stations across the Midwest. The
company had no Japanese ties; it
was simply a marketing strategy at
a time when Japanese culture was
relatively popular in the U.S. History
Nebraska RG2587-1-9
By David L. Bristow, History Nebraska
hen we think about landmark buildings, gas stations
probably aren’t the first places that come to mind.
But they’ve been part of life for more than a century
and tell a story of social and technological change.
These photos illustrate how automobile culture developed in
Nebraska.
In the early days, motorists bought cans of gasoline from
blacksmith shops and pharmacies. An Indiana inventor
named Sylvanus Bowser invented a kerosene pump in 1885.
Years later he adapted it as a gasoline pump, adding a hose
attachment in 1905 so motorists could pump fuel directly
into their automobile’s tank. These curbside pumps became
known as “filling stations.” Usually you found them at
W
blacksmith shops or general stores.
The nation’s first drive-in filling station opened in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1913. As the idea spread,
station owners began to expand the range of products and
services they offered. They promoted themselves with
creative signage and distinctive buildings. Along Nebraska’s
highways, some stations offered “auto camps” or became
colorful tourist traps offering attractions and souvenirs.
Most of the colorful gas stations of the early- to mid-20th
century are gone. Some remain in ruins, some have been
documented by various photographers, and a few remain as
functioning businesses luring travelers with nostalgia for an
earlier era. N
This 1960s postcard promotes
Rasmus Oil Co. in West Point.
Proudly displaying their fleet of
service trucks, the station seems
most interested in promoting
its range of services for the local
community. History Nebraska
RG3334-3-29
Having a women’s restroom was
an amenity worth bragging about.
Arnold, Nebraska, circa 1930.
Archive.org
As automobile tourism grew,
some stations provided lodging
as well as fuel. Auto camps were
a predecessor of motels (short for
“motor hotel”). This one in Ogallala,
shown circa 1930, boasted heated
cabins and “free shower baths.”
History Nebraska RG2105-3-71
The Covered Wagon Gift Shop was already past its prime when photographer John
Margolies took this picture in 1980. Located west of Kearney, the giant team and
wagon lured Highway 30 tourists with a chance to fuel up and purchase souvenirs.
Library of Congress
36
Nebraskaland
• December 2019
This old clockface gas pump was
still standing in Wauneta when
photographer John Margolies noticed
it in 1980. Library of Congress
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
37
Citizen Science
Jessica Gieseke of
Lincoln photographs
a chilled bumble bee
during a survey she
conducted for the
Nebraska Bumble
Bee Atlas.
Making Their Own Discoveries
Story and Photos by Renae Blum
essica Gieseke is a bumble bee-catching machine.
She picks her way through a clump of goldenrod
buzzing with flies and soldier beetles and spots her
target. In one swift, graceful movement, Gieseke slides
a vial along a stem, tips a bumble bee inside and caps the
vial.
The vial joins 25 others in her cooler packed with ice
cubes. The ice chills the bees, rendering them sleepy and
nearly immobile – a perfect photography subject. One by one,
Gieseke taps the bees onto a sheet of white paper, positions
them carefully, and shoots a photo with her cell phone. Later,
she will submit her photos, species identifications and data
about the survey area online.
Gieseke is not a scientist, though insects are a passion
J
of hers. She volunteers for the Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas,
a catch-and-release project created by the Xerces Society
that aims to track and conserve Nebraska’s native bumble
bees. In just two months, participants submitted more than
390 observations from bumble bee surveys they conducted,
which will help researchers better understand the bees’
distribution, status and habitat needs.
This project is part of a growing movement called “citizen
science,” or, sometimes, “community science.” In citizen
science, members of the public participate in scientific
research, partnering with scientists to answer real-world
questions.
There is almost no limit to what citizen science can look
like. Citizen scientists in Nebraska have tagged monarchs,
A volunteer captured this dragonfly in a vial before recording the observation on the iNaturalist app and releasing it.
iNaturalist helps users identify the plants and animals around them, while contributing to scientific knowledge.
38
Nebraskaland • December 2019
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
39
monitored milkweed, measured light pollution, searched for
salamanders and even tested designs for artificial bumble
bee houses. All of this is done without pay, both indoors and
outdoors, by people of all ages, backgrounds and interests.
A Closer Look
“I think science has this reputation for knowing the facts,
when really, science is exploration,” said Louise LynchO’Brien, an assistant professor of insect biology at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “It’s knowing that you don’t
know something and you have to pursue an answer.”
For Lynch-O’Brien and other researchers, partnering with
the public through citizen science is a valuable way of finding
those answers. For one thing, it puts numbers on your side.
“The poster boy example is always the monarch,” LynchO’Brien said. “Tracking their migration across continental
North America would be so difficult for a team of even
20 researchers. So having volunteers throughout the
country, looking and observing and trying to find monarchs,
just allows the research team to expand their geographic
reach.”
Having a volunteer network in place also allows
researchers to study a question over a longer period of time.
Bees are chilled before being photographed and released as
part of the Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas project.
Earl Agpawa of Lincoln discovered a katydid while surveying
for insects at Denton Prairie.
40
Nebraskaland • December 2019
Individual research team members might come and go, but
an enthusiastic and engaged group of citizen scientists can
contribute to a project indefinitely.
For the citizen scientist, projects like the Nebraska
Bumble Bee Atlas can lift the curtain behind how science is
done, allowing average, untrained people to participate in
actual research and see how it works, Lynch-O’Brien said.
“It kind of democratizes science, so that’s why it’s a lot of
fun.”
Most citizen science projects are created and designed by a
science team who recruit volunteers to provide data. In some
projects, citizen scientists are involved at a deeper level,
helping analyze and interpret data. And a small amount of
projects are “co-created,” in which researchers and citizen
scientists collaborate throughout the entire process.
Citizen science data can be used in a variety of ways. It
might turn into maps, publications and long-term databases.
It can also potentially impact policy and conservation
Meredith Steck and Andrew Merwin of Lincoln search for insects during a bioblitz at Denton Prairie. A bioblitz is a citizen
science event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time.
guidelines.
“There’s a lot we don’t know,” Lynch-O’Brien said.
“Scientists need help. And there’s no reason the general
public can’t help, because scientists are people too.”
Personal Experiences
I talked to six Nebraskans who participated in citizen
science last summer, and started to hear reoccurring
comments: They enjoyed the opportunity to get outside, to
learn and to contribute data that mattered. They’d encourage
others to try citizen science. And they’d do citizen science
again in the future.
“It just opens another way of feeling the outdoors,” said
Dan Leuenberger of Lincoln, who participated in a Nebraska
Game and Parks survey for monarchs and regal fritillaries.
“I’ve never paid a lot of attention to butterflies before, but
now, after doing the survey, I think about butterflies and I
look for them more often than I used to.”
Kellie Hayden of Omaha said she wanted to get a degree
in biology as an undergrad, but ended up taking a different
career path. By getting involved in citizen science now, “I’m
learning a lot of the stuff I wasn’t able to learn in school, but
then at the same time I’m actually contributing to the larger
knowledge base,” she said.
To her surprise, doing citizen science also increased her
confidence, Hayden said. “When I first started bird banding I
was very afraid to touch the birds; I really didn’t want to hurt
them. Knowing and understanding what I’m doing has just
really elevated my confidence.”
A Success Story
Nebraska boasts quite a few successful citizen science
projects. One of them, the Nebraska Wildlife Watch, asks
participants to identify species in camera trap images.
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
41
What’s Next?
Citizen science in Nebraska has a bright future. No one
knows for sure how many citizen science projects are out
Citizen Science Projects to Try
To find a citizen science project to contribute to,
visit scistarter.org, zooniverse.org or the Citizen
Scientists of Nebraska Facebook page. Here are just a
few projects you can participate in.
Monarch Watch Monarch Tagging Program (late
August through early October, in Nebraska): Each fall,
Monarch Watch distributes more than a quarter of a
million tags to thousands of volunteers across North
America who tag monarchs as they migrate through
their area. Learn more at monarchwatch.org/tagging.
Christmas Bird Count (mid-December through
early January): The Christmas Bird Count is one of
the longest running citizen science projects in the
nation, and fuels the work of the National Audubon
Society throughout the year. Find a count near you at
noubirds.org/activities/cbc.aspx.
A close-up look at observations that a citizen scientist
recorded on the iNaturalist app.
there in the state, but numbers are increasing, and the
enthusiasm is infectious.
And if all goes according to plan, it’ll
become easier and easier to find projects
and get involved. Last April, LynchO’Brien and Mayes launched Citizen
Scientists of Nebraska, a statewide
network aimed at increasing the
presence of citizen science in Nebraska.
Right now Mayes, Lynch-O’Brien
and their core team are focused on
connecting citizen science program
facilitators, allowing them to collaborate,
share resources, problem-solve and
coordinate efforts. Citizen scientists are
also encouraged to join the network to
connect with projects, resources and
other participants across the region.
“The response back was really
encouraging,” Mayes said. “Maybe
I’m wholly optimistic, but I just think
we’re on the cusp of something really
exciting.”
Meanwhile, citizen scientists across
Nebraska will continue exploring, getting
Zoologist Shaun Dunn shows citizen scientist Phuong Minh Tu Le a live harvest
their hands dirty and having fun. N
mouse that was captured during a small mammal survey at Denton Prairie.
42
Nebraskaland • December 2019
PHOTO BY ERIC FOWLER
In its first two months, it accumulated more than 23,000
identifications.
Among the various citizen science projects she coordinates,
this one is particularly exciting, said Nebraska Game and
Parks Watchable Wildlife Biologist Alie Mayes. Not only does
it save a lot of time for Game and Parks biologists working
with camera traps, Mayes said, but it’s also computer-based,
making it uniquely accessible.
“People can do it anywhere, from their own homes,” Mayes
said. “Not everybody wants to walk a transect and look for
butterflies. So it’s a different kind of citizen science that we’re
offering.”
The goals of the Nebraska Wildlife Watch are to gain
information that will help inform state habitat management
decisions, and to help Mayes’ team gain confirmed sightings
of rare and at-risk species. They also hope it will engage
participants in Nebraska-based citizen science and allow
people to view and recognize Nebraska’s wildlife.
“I think people love viewing nature, and this is a really cool
and different way to do that,” Mayes said, when asked about
the appeal of the project. “Some of the species are common,
like deer and turkeys, but then every so often we get a coyote
or a bobcat or a badger. And those are things people have a
harder time seeing in the wild.”
Tagging monarchs is a popular way to participate in
citizen science for people across North America.
iNaturalist (throughout the year): One of the
world’s most popular nature apps, iNaturalist helps
you identify the plants and animals around you, and
creates research-quality data for scientists. Learn
more at iNaturalist.org.
Nebraska Salamander Search (spring): This
project is an effort to find and record observations
of tiger and smallmouth salamanders in Nebraska.
Nebraska Game and Parks and the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln will use the data to document its
range and abundance. See details at scistarter.org/
nebraska-salamander-search.
Globe at Night (throughout the year): A little
more than 100 years ago, you could walk outside at
night even in a city and see the Milky Way. Because
of light pollution, that’s often no longer the case.
Submit measurements of night sky brightness at
globeatnight.org and contribute to our understanding
of global light pollution.
Curt Blum searches for birds at Pioneers Park in
Lincoln, looking for sightings to add to the eBird app.
eBird (throughout the year): A project of the Cornell
Lab of Ornithology, eBird is the world’s largest
biodiversity-related citizen science project, with more
than 100 million bird sightings contributed each year
from users across the globe. The data documents
bird distribution, abundance, habitat use and trends.
Learn more at eBird.org.
Monarch and Regal Fritillary Butterfly Surveys
(June-July): There is an urgent need to track monarchs
and regal fritillaries across their range over time
to better understand and adjust conservation
methods. Support Nebraska Game and Parks in
this effort by finding and recording observations
of Nebraska’s monarchs and regal fritillaries. Visit
OutdoorNebraska.gov/butterflysurvey.
Maria Wainwright gazes at the sky at the Wildlife
Safari Park during a Globe at Night project session.
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
43
Ol’ Rough-legs
The rough-legged hawk may not stand out among raptors in looks,
but it lives an interesting life.
P
STORY AND PHOTOS BY JUSTIN HAAG
erhaps you have seen this species along the
road lately, but given its somewhat unassuming
appearance, have not given it much thought. The
rough-legged hawk, with its mottled brown plumage,
blends in well with our landscape during the winter
months.
The rough-legged hawk is one of those species that
logs many miles a couple of times annually. Those
fence posts and utility poles that
rough-legged hawks hunt from
in Nebraska this time of year
provide a much different scene
than their hangouts of summer.
Many of these raptors nest
on long cliffs some 2,000 miles
away in the Arctic where the sun
does not set during the summer.
They hunt lemmings to feed
their brood in bulky nests, which
sometimes contain caribou
bones. If Nebraskans notice
many rough-legged hawks
during winter, it might be a
good indicator that the lemming
population way up north is doing
well – at least well enough to provide for the hawks
during the nesting period.
When colder temperatures and much shorter days
arrive there, however, the hawks come south and hunt
small mammals. They can be seen throughout most of
the continental United States, and they really seem to
be at home on our expanses of open country in western
Nebraska.
Rough-legs belong to the genus of soaring raptors
with broad wings known as buteos. Raptors with
variable plumage, such as rough-legs, can be among the
most challenging birds to identify. Thankfully, though,
there are some strong visual indicators with this bird,
which is similar in size to a red-tailed hawk.
One identifying mark while in flight is the bold
white tail, which has a thick, dark stripe at the end. On
the underside, most also have
conspicuous black patches on
their wrists – the area of the
wing a little less than halfway
from the end. They usually have
a dark belly that stands out in
their mottled plumage.
Perhaps one of the best clues
for identifying a rough-leg in
flight, though, is its method
of hunting. The species often
hovers above its prey, zeroing in
for an attack on an unsuspecting
mole, mouse or shrew.
When the hawks are perched,
be sure to take a look at those
legs. The rough-legged hawk is
one of just three raptor species in Nebraska that has
feathers on its legs all the way to its feet – the others
being the ferruginous hawk and the golden eagle.
The next time you see one of these creatures, marvel
at the distance it has traveled and its experiences as a
hunter and provider – and even its appearance. It seems
all species would have fascinating stories to tell us if
they could. N
Birds of the open country, rough-legged hawks seem at home while wintering in western Nebraska,
whether hovering above prey as this one at Kiowa Wildlife Management Area, at left, or perched along
a roadside in Sioux County, above.
44
Nebraskaland • December 2019
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
45
The
The base of
the antlers the
Clearwater elk shed
in 2015 topped 10
inches.
Clearwater
Elk a follow-up
BY ERIC FOWLER
I
t was a bit quieter in farm country southwest of
Clearwater this fall. Missing was the occasional bugle
of a bull elk that showed up in Antelope County during
the summer of 2006 when he was about 2 1/2 years old and
stayed. “The Elk,” as he was known, spent the rest of his life
in this neighborhood, leaving only when he headed 13 miles
south to winter on the edge of the Sandhills in northeastern
Wheeler County. The elk died last winter, apparently of
natural causes. He was 13.
Merle Sehi of Clearwater first saw the elk’s tracks around
his farm, but thought it was a neighbor’s cow. Soon after,
while on his daily walk, he came face to face with the source
of the track. Neighbors didn’t believe him when he told
them he’d seen an elk, until they saw him themselves. The
elk bedded in a shelterbelt during the day and wandered
around the area at night, feeding in crop fields. He showed
up on hunters’ trail cameras and was spotted from county
roads, and became a local celebrity, drawing “tourists” to
Sehi’s neighborhood who hoped to catch a glimpse of the
young bull. I was one of those tourists, making two visits to
photograph the elk that fall and capturing photos of him on
46
Nebraskaland • December 2019
PHOTOS BY ERIC FOWLER
Jim Funk, Mike Dwyer and Ron Funk hold sets of
shed antlers and the skull of a bull elk that made
its home south of Clearwater between 2006 and its
death last April. Dwyer is holding the largest set,
shed in 2015, one of four complete sets he found. Jim
Funk is holding the antlers the bull shed in 2018, one
that he found and the other that a neighbor found.
Ron Funk is holding the skull he salvaged when he
found the bull dead in April.
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
47
These trail camera images (above, opposite) were captured by Mike Dwyer on his ranch.
both trips.
And then, the following January, he was gone, presumably
for good. Young bulls often wander, and reports of just
such a thing have come from many corners of Nebraska. A
resident herd of elk can be found in the forested breaks rising
from the Missouri River in eastern Boyd County 60 miles
north of Sehi’s farm. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
biologists assumed that’s where the elk had come from, and
that’s where he ended up.
But the next fall, the bull was back.
As it turned out, the elk hadn’t gone back north that
winter. He was a snowbird of sorts and headed 13 miles south
to Mike Dwyer’s ranch on the edge of the Sandhills south of
Beaver Creek. Dwyer didn’t see the bull that winter, but a
shed antler he found a year later told of his presence.
Dwyer first spotted the bull less than a mile from his home
while on his regular morning drive to check on his cows in
early May in 2008. “The first time I saw it I didn’t know what
the hell the damn thing was,” Dwyer said, noting the bull
had already shed its antlers.
Soon after, the bull left Dwyer’s place and by summer he
was back in Sehi’s neighborhood. It was a pattern he followed
most years for the rest of his life, heading south in December
or January, and north again in May. “I still remember sitting
on the road at our grove here looking to the south, and he was
up in the hills running and bucking like a calf or anything
else would when they’re young,” he said.
48
Nebraskaland • December 2019
When Dwyer spotted the bull in the winter of 2009, it was
still sporting his antlers. He was in the same area nearly
every morning when Dwyer went on his drive. When he
noticed one day the bull had shed an antler, he went looking
for it. “I didn’t drive around too long before I found it,” he
said. When the elk dropped its second antler, he found it
where the elk had jumped a fence not far from the first. That
search continued each April, and he has four full sets and
the single antler the elk dropped in 2007 to show for it. “It
evolved into kind of a game between him and I,” Dwyer said.
He only found one of the sheds in 2015, but his boy
found the other half while deer hunting later that year and
surprised Mike with it as a Christmas present. “You can’t
believe the joy I had,” he said.
The bull frequented a tree grove on Dwyer’s ranch that
remained from an old homestead. There, he would set up a
trail camera next to mineral tubs filled with cracked corn.
The set provided thousands of photographs of the elk.
He wasn’t there every year. “It broke my heart when I
didn’t see him,” he said.
Sehi, who moved to Elgin a few years ago, said he usually
first saw the bull in the corn fields in June or July. “He’d come
out of the corn field and he’d have leaves hanging on his big
antlers because he was starting to grow a new set,” he said.
“I could drive down the road and see his tracks every day.”
Sehi’s neighbor, Ron Funk, who happens to be Dwyer’s
brother-in-law, saw the bull regularly from mid-September
through December. In the fall, the elk frequented the yard
around his son, Mike’s, home, which sits less than a mile from
Sehi’s old home and “wrecked” a fair share of the trees and
shrubs they planted there as he rubbed his antlers on them
in the fall. One night, while Mike was asleep, the bull let out
a bugle while standing outside his bedroom window. “He said
it sounded like he had his head in the window,” Funk said.
Others heard the bull bugle in the fall. Sehi only heard it
once, but his son has a video of that occasion, captured while
they were deer hunting.
During the past 6 or 8 years, Funk thinks the bull spent
more time in a shelterbelt on his family’s ground on the
next section west of Sehi’s where they had a food plot and
a small patch of alfalfa. In April, he was driving through
that shelterbelt on a four-wheeler, checking damage to
fields following last spring’s flooding and also looking for
shed deer antlers, when he spotted something odd poking
up from behind a cedar tree in a shelterbelt. “I drove by that
and I thought, ‘You know that looked funny,’” Funk said. “I
thought it almost looked like the horn of that elk, so I turned
around and went back and sure enough there he was.
“It looked like he naturally just went and laid down behind
that cedar tree and nature took its course.”
The elk had been dead for some time, and coyotes and
other scavengers had picked the carcass nearly clean. He
was probably buried in snow when rabbit hunters had gone
through there a few months earlier.
After having Jonathan Andreasen, Nebraska Game and
Parks Commission Conservation Officer, inspect the carcass
and confirm the bull died of natural causes, Funk was able to
keep the skull. The bull was far from its prime. It had broken
off its left antler near the base early in the growing stage,
and the points on its right beam weren’t as strong. But it still
sported impressive mass, with bases topping 10 inches.
Ron’s brother, Jim, found one of the antlers the bull shed in
the spring of 2018. A neighbor, Dave Sehi, found the match
2 miles to the south. Fred Buhlmann found another set of
antlers shed in 2009 in his corn field east of Bartlett. One of
that pair found its way into the head of his combine.
Everyone in the neighborhood is going to miss seeing the
elk.
“I already do,” Sehi said. “Everybody asks me about him,
too,” he said. “Everybody wanted to see him. They were
always watching for him. Even the school bus driver would
make a point to go down a different road just to see if they
could catch a glimpse of him.”
Funk last spotted the bull in December of 2018, when his
son got a photo of him with a smaller bull in a corn field
behind his house.
They hope that other elk will make the neighborhood his
home and “we can keep the tradition going,” Funk said.
There has been no sign of him yet, but when there is,
you can bet the residents of this rural community will let
everyone else know. N
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
49
TURTLES
Slowing Down for Winter
Story and Photos by Justin Haag
ome of Nebraska’s most common wildlife have the most
magnificent survival abilities. A blast of below-zero
temperatures got me thinking about a species I often
catch sight of while casting a fishing rod over the soft water,
but is nowhere to be seen around my holes in the ice.
Painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) basking on a partially
submerged log is a familiar scene at ponds throughout
Nebraska, and much of the United States for
that matter, during summer months. It is
not uncommon to see as many as a dozen
S
Cloaca
a multipurpose
orifice which turtles
use to dispose of
waste and lay eggs.
In some species,
cloaca bursa sacs
allow them to use it
for oxygen uptake.
Bursa Sacs
these sacs expand when water enters
and absorbs the oxygen, which then gets
transferred to the turtle through blood
vessels from the sacs.
or more on the same log. Where, though, do those turtles go
when temperatures drop and a heavy sheet of ice surrounds
that log and covers that pond from shore to shore?
Painted turtles, snapping turtles and other species of waterloving shelled reptiles survive the winter in a fascinating
way – they hibernate in the mud at the bottom of the pond.
They do not have gills and still need oxygen, though, so how
do they get by without coming up to breathe in the cold air
as we do?
When temperatures drop, these turtles adjust their
metabolism, so they expend much less energy, and use a
process known as cloacal respiration to glean just enough
oxygen from the water to survive. Cloacal respiration – or to
put it another way – breathing through their butts.
The cloaca on these turtles – an orifice at their posterior
– features a pair of bursa sacs that absorb oxygen from the
water to be used for respiration. With how little these turtles
move at this time of year, it does not take much oxygen to
survive. Hanging out in the mud breathing through the butt
seems like a boring way to spend a winter, but you’ve gotta do
what you’ve gotta do to get by.
Not all turtles winter in this manner. The ornate box
turtle, for example, also has a special tolerance to freezing
temperatures, but as a terrestrial species, does it in a different
way. It, too, ekes out the cold in hibernation, or as biologists
like to call it, brumation. As winter approaches, the box
turtle either digs a burrow, if the ground is soft enough, or
uses a burrow created by another animal and settles down
for three to five months of dormancy. It is a hard time of the
year to be a box turtle. In fact, most hatchlings die in their
first winter. The hardiest and best-protected ones, however,
re-emerge when warmer temperatures arrive.
Seems we all slow down a little when winter rolls around.
True to the stereotype, though, those enduring turtles are a
little better at slowing down than most of us. N
A snapping turtle swims among bluegills in the pond at Chadron State Park during summer. An active, omnivorous forager during warm
seasons, the snapper’s slowed metabolism during the cold of winter minimizes food needs.
A painted turtle is shown on a log in Scotts Bluff County.
An ornate box turtle crosses a road at Merritt Reservoir State Recreation
Area in Cherry County.
ILLUSTRATION BY TIM REIGERT
50
Nebraskaland • December 2019
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
51
Kids on Ice
By Justin Haag
Starting a kid on the ice is a great choice for creating a lifelong
angler. There are just a few additional considerations to make the
experience safe, and memorable, for everyone.
s with any outdoors activity, there are special
considerations to be made when taking kids ice
fishing. When fishing with kids any time of year, one should
remember that the goal is to create good memories and lifelong anglers. Their comfort
and safety are important. The
bottom line is, if the kids don’t
have a lot of fun when they’re
young, it’s going to be harder
to keep them interested or get
them to go later on. Make sure
you’re making the trip about
them and not yourself, and
be prepared to leave and try
it again another day if things
turn out to be miserable for
whatever reason.
A wise man once said
there is no such thing as bad
weather, just bad clothing.
For ice anglers of any age I’d
put a good pair of insulated,
waterproof snow boots at
the top of the list, followed
closely by bibs or snow pants,
a heavy coat, hat and gloves.
One should dress in layers, as
sweating in that big heavy coat when temperatures rise isn’t
much fun either.
Especially when taking inexperienced kids, I love calm
A
PHOTO LEFT BY JEFF KURRUS, PHOTO RIGHT BY JUSTIN HAAG
52
Nebraskaland
• December 2019
sunny days when the ice is thick and temps reach the 50s. For
families without a lot of equipment, I highly suggest making
your first trips on those days.
Through the years I’ve accumulated a stash of gear that
has helped make fishing
during some pretty nasty
days comfortable – or at least
bearable. Thanks to ice huts
and heaters, my family and
I have comfortably fished
without a coat while Old Man
Winter was raging outside
the shanty.
When the kids were little,
I was happy to spend hour
upon hour fishing lakes with
dinky perch, bluegills and
crappies at Panhandle lakes
other anglers often avoided.
We’d often have the place
to ourselves and there was
enough action to keep the
kids interested all day.
Thanks to all of those
small fish, they gained great
experience putting bait on
the hooks and taking fish off
them – not to mention the time-honored tradition of kissing
fish before dropping them back down the hole. The smiles on
their faces were plenty trophy enough for me. N
Opposite: William Marx of Gretna is all smiles as he holds a rainbow trout from the pond at
Ponca State Park. Above: Sawyer Haag holds a yellow perch he caught at Box Butte Reservoir.
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
53
Preparing for Ice
That first trip is usually much more enjoyable
if I’ve taken a li le me in the previous weeks to
make sure things are ready to go. Just by taking a
look, I can usually spot a few items that became
dilapidated in the off-season or worn down toward
the end of the last season.
Once you’ve checked the s cks and string used
for catching fish, check the tool you use to get
that line to the water – the auger. If you have a
gas power drill as I do, hopefully you’ve started
it and let it run periodically throughout the offseason. That simple step is the best way I’ve
found to keep the carburetor from gumming up.
At the start of the season, I always drain the gas
and put new in it. It also might be me to replace
blades – especially if you have a hand-powered
model.
Any electronics you use, such as flashers and
Next, I give what’s inside the tackle box a good
inspec on. Now’s a good me to sharpen hooks
and e leaders and swivels to small jigs so you
don’t have to do it with cold fingers while fishing.
I also like to spend an evening or two building failsafe quick-strike rigs of treble hooks and steel line
for those toothy northern pike.
I buy bait locally when it’s available, but it seems
my suppliers don’t o en have waxworms on the
shelf by the me that first trip comes. That’s
why in late November I search the Internet and
place an order for live waxworms – the old trusty
staple bait of ice fishermen. It’s wise to look at
the long-range forecast for their delivery route
before ordering to make sure they’ll arrive without
freezing, or, heaven forbid, roas ng to death.
Once we get all of our stuff in order, hopefully
Mother Nature will gi us the four inches of solid
clear ice required for walking on to it. To check it,
it’s best to give it a series of whacks with the spud
bar and measure the thickness as you walk. If you
don’t have that four inches, stay home and prep
your gear.
Sawyer Haag of
Chadron pulls gear
from the ice after an
afternoon of fishing
at Walgren Lake State
Recreation Area.
When Kiera Haag was
6 and her brother
Sawyer was 10, an
ice shanty made cold
days much more
comfortable.
More on Ice Safety
In periods of ques onable ice, safety becomes
especially important. Regardless of how cold it is,
I always do that when I’m on unfamiliar territory.
If a heavy bar doesn’t go through a er a few solid
whacks, I feel confident the ice will hold my body
for the next step.
Similar to any outdoor endeavor, you always
want to prepare for the worst case scenario. For
those who are wary, life jackets and floa ng suits
can be worn. Ice picks hanging over your neck
will help you pull yourself back onto the ice should
you happen to fall through. I carry a rope with
a big loop and a floa ng bumper on one end – I
haven’t had to throw it to a wet angler yet, but it’s
good insurance and I’ll keep carrying it in case I
need to.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN HAAG
While four inches of ice is the standard
minimum for ice fishing, people must realize that
all ice isn’t the same in strength or consistency –
and that there are different types of ice fishing.
Clear ice that freezes uniformly is strongest. As
it thaws, turns to slush and refreezes, however, it
54
Nebraskaland
• December 2019
PHOTO BY JUSTIN HAAG
One of the first things I look at is all of my rods
and p-ups. While it’s a good idea to replace
line on all reels, any jigging rods with light line
are definitely candidates. A er all, if you have
only two-pound line to begin with, any nicks or
weathering is going to cause it to break with the
lightest of resistance.
underwater cameras, should be tested along with
their ba eries.
weakens. Be especially cau ous of areas that have
been covered by snow, in effect insulated from the
cold temperatures. A moving water current below
the ice can eat away at it, as can warm wind from
above. Exposed items frozen into the ice, such as
trees, can also soak up the sunshine and weaken
their surroundings.
Four inches may be the green light, but it
doesn’t mean you’ll want to throw a dance party
on it at that point. The thinner the ice, the more
distance people should put between each other
and their heavy gear to distribute weight. In
periods of thinner ice, it’s a good idea to downsize
your gear.
This might be a good me to work your muscles
with a hand drill instead of firing up your big
gas-powered auger, for instance. Every year, it
seems I always get word of a four-wheeler, UTV or
other vehicle that sunk because of an owner who
pushed things a li le too far. You don’t want to be
that person.
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
55
MIXED BAG
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NEBRASKA TOURISM COMMISSION
VISIT SARPY COUNTY
By Erin Lenz, Nebraska Tourism Commission
The fun doesn’t stop in Sarpy County when winter time
comes around.
If you enjoy the outdoors, head to Fontenelle Forest for
a scenic winter hike. Rent snow shoes at Fontenelle Forest
and explore the 19 miles of trails they have to offer. With
adequate snowfall, traverse the trails at Schramm Park State
Recreation Area on cross-country skis. The park offers a
1.5-mile loop trail for families and casual hikers or a longer
three-mile trail through wooded bluffs and over a suspension
bridge.
While you’re there, view the newly renovated, stateof-the-art Schramm Education Center. Open year-round,
the education center has aquariums featuring Nebraska’s
aquatic habitat, 17 live-animal tanks, and interactive and
virtual activities.
Chalco Hills Recreation Area at Wehrspann Lake offers not
only cross-country skiing in the winter, but 245 acres of ice
fishing as well. Prairie Queen Recreation Area is another spot
in the county that boasts great ice fishing.
Looking for indoor activities? Take your friends and family
with you to see a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in
La Vista. The movie theatre is a one-of-a-kind location due to
its Star Wars theme complete with a 10-foot-tall Death Star
Replica in the ceiling of the lobby.
Treat yourself to something warm at one of the many
local coffee shops scattered throughout the county. At The
Beanery in Gretna, order the beanery mocha – an espresso
drink made with white chocolate caramel sauce. At the
56
Nebraskaland • December 2019
Black Sheep Coffee House, stay warm with locally roasted
brewed and whole bean coffees and enjoy a delicious bakery
item like a chili biscotti – a biscotti made with green chile,
jalapeno, sharp cheddar and onion.
Holiday shoppers will love the wide variety of stores Sarpy
County offers. Find the perfect gift for your loved ones at the
Nebraska Crossing Outlets in Gretna with more than 70 retail
outlets.
Have a family member who loves the great outdoors?
Cabela’s is the best retail stop for high-quality fishing,
hunting, camping and outdoor gear in the area.
The Shadow Lake Towne Center in Papillion has a
combination of fashion, home and discount stores. Bonus:
take a quick break from shopping to grab a local craft beer
and bite to eat at the Nebraska Brewing Company. Try the
award-winning Cardinal Pale Ale and pair it with the cajun
chicken pasta.
Searching for more unique, one-of-a-kind items to
give as gifts this holiday season? Sarpy County has an
impressive list of local boutiques and stores. Robin’s Nest
sells repurposed old treasures turned into new heirlooms,
Margie Trembly Chapeaux creates one-of-a-kind couture
hats, J’Amour Boutique sells stylish, down-to-earth clothing,
and Diana’s Papillion Tea Shop offers the finest teas, teaware
and accessories.
Whether you’re shopping for a gift this holiday season or
experiencing the beautiful winter landscapes, Sarpy County
is the perfect retreat this winter.
Winter Wonderland at Papillion City Hall
In Sarpy County, the fun doesn’t end in December. We’ve got plenty of wintertime activities
to keep you busy throughout the season! There are trails for cross country skiing enthusiasts
and you can rent snow shoes at Fontenelle Forest to explore 19 miles of trails. You’ll find
numerous stores ready for you to enjoy, including Nebraska Crossing Outlets in Gretna,
Shadow Lake Towne Center in Papillion, Cabela’s and numerous other unique small shopping
destinations. All this and more located just south of Omaha and along I-80. For a full list of
shopping, restaurants and seasonal events, visit us at
GoSarpy.com.
BELLEVUE • GRETNA • LA VISTA • PAPILLION • SPRINGFIELD • OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE • OMAHA METRO
Nebraska Crossing Outlet Stores
First Presbyterian Church,
the oldest in Nebraska
Lucky Bucket Brewing
Fontenelle Forest
Ice fishing area lakes
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
57
MIXED BAG
DEAD SILENCE
By Roger Welsch
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Nebraskaland • December 2019
Roger Welsch is an author, humorist, folklorist and a
former essayist for CBS News Sunday Morning. He has been
contributing to Nebraskaland Magazine since 1977.
800-657-2184
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58
diffused and seems to come from everywhere. If the shades
are not already open, I roll them up or more likely, get out of
that warm bed and go to the door to look out into the yard and
trees to the west. And if my suspicions are confirmed, there it
is ... a gentle snow, arriving not like so many Nebraska snows,
driven by a gale and slamming into everything in its path,
shaking the house and plastering the screen door. No, this is
that rare and gentle blanket of snow that falls silently and
then muffles every other sound just as surely as if we were in
a 50-acre dead-sound booth in a recording studio.
What I am “hearing” is that rarest of 21st-century
commodities – dead silence. A quiet so deep that even with
my failing hearing (too many unmuffled tractor engines
and rock ‘n’ roll concerts!) I think I can hear the individual
snowflakes hit those already on the ground. Dead quiet. I go
back to bed but try to stay awake to take as much of this in
as possible because it won’t be long before I hear the scrape
and scratch of the snowplows on the highway, and I can start
worrying about the tractor starting and pushing around some
of that snow so we can get out of our lane to that highway.
As Linda says, however, the best three hours of sleep start
an hour before you have to get up, so I know that the wonder
of hearing nothing will soon fade away. But here it is now,
this rare phenomenon of dead quiet, so I might as well take
advantage of it while I can. Soon enough I’ll be downstairs
being bombarded by the noise of the morning’s news, so
in this moment deep in the night I’ll try to stay awake and
take in these rare moments when they really are “beautiful
Nebraska, peaceful prairie land ....”
H
It happened only once during the winter of 2017-2018. As
I write these words in December 2018, it has yet to happen
this winter. But it probably will, and when it does, I will
once again be goofy-happy about living at the edge of the
Nebraska Sandhills, in the middle of nowhere, the middle of
everywhere. Deep into a night, probably soon, I’ll wake up
and sense that something is ... strange. Not exactly wrong.
Just not quite right. Instead of rolling over and going back to
sleep, I’ll lie there listening, trying to figure out what exactly
this “disturbance in the Force” is.
I’m used to how noisy it can be out here. I sleep on a back
porch, windows and doors wide open summer and winter.
When we sleep, we can close our eyes, bury our senses in
blankets, but we can’t shut off our ears. And believe me, I
have lived long enough and covered enough miles that I know
night sounds. I no longer get to Berlin, Oslo, or Milan, not
even New York or Chicago. In fact, it is rare that I overnight in
Omaha or Lincoln. But I know what to expect in cities: there
is a constant, muffled but ever-present ... what? Not exactly
a roar, but more like a rumble or mumble. I imagine it’s the
blended sounds of thousands of automobile engines, air
conditioners and ventilator fans, maybe tires on pavement,
punctuated now and then with the beep of a car horn or siren.
The distinguishing factor is that it is constant. It never lets
up. Maybe it’s not as loud at 2 or 3 in the morning as at 7 in
the evening or 9 in the morning, but it is always there.
The noise out here on the north bank of the Middle Loup
River is more intermittent: All at once there may be the calls
of geese or cranes so loud you can’t hear yourself think. There
is always the squawk of robins, the ever-imaginative calls of
brown thrashers, crows and turkeys, the rattle of cottonwood
leaves, the scream of a red-tail hawk, and rarely the peculiar
hoot of a whippoorwill. Last night just before I dropped off
to sleep the coyotes cut loose a hundred yards or so west of
the house where my sleeping porch windows and door open.
Once in these 42 years out here, as we lay in bed reading, it
was the never-to-be-forgotten scream of a mountain lion just
below our backyard fence.
Those are sounds that wake us but don’t disturb us. In
fact, I rather like being awakened by them; I lie a moment
listening, and then drop off again to sleep, a bit happier for the
disturbance. No, what I am leading up to here is a completely
different auditory experience, not as rare as a lion but not
nearly as common as cranes, owls, or even coyote cacophony.
I wake up and sense something. I listen and slowly it dawns
on me. I rouse enough to look around and see if maybe there
is enough moonlight that I can see if what I suspect is true.
If so, the light doesn’t just pour in from one direction but is
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December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
59
MIXED BAG
LATE-SEASON DEER
By Greg Wagner
PHOTO BY JUSTIN HAAG
Late-season deer hunting offers plenty of potential, so
don’t put away your gear just yet. It’s time to rethink strategy
and start paying attention to the details, particularly when
hunting white-tailed deer. To improve your odds, here are a
few points to consider.
Fronts – Weather fronts affect deer movement in the late
season. Deer will feed heavily a day or two prior to the arrival
of a cold front, and then for a couple days after one.
Snow cover – Deer sign is much easier to see, follow and
interpret when made in the snow. The timing of the snow
also tells you how recently the deer came through an area.
Strategically placed game cameras can add further value to
pattern deer in the snow.
Late afternoons – Hunt late afternoons until the end of
legal shooting time (30 minutes after sunset). Whitetails
conserve energy by waiting until the warmer parts of the
day to feed.
Food – White-tailed deer need to eat lots of highcarbohydrate, high-energy foods in the winter – everything
from corn to acorns – in order to maintain body heat. So find
the food source deer are consistently using and the active trails
leading to these major food sources. Spontaneous set-ups can
work well. Play the wind and position yourself accordingly in
a tree stand or ground blind for a good, safe shot.
High winds – High winds make deer wary and anxious.
Hunters need to find places where deer feel more secure, such
as a ditch, gully, ravine, sheltered creek bottom or the lowest
side of a hill.
Beds – Check south-facing slopes or any areas facing
south; these locations are exposed to the most sun and
offer protection from cold north winds. Thermal cover such
as dense woods, thickets and patches of cedars can be
appealing to white-tailed deer during cold weather, too. Does
prefer these types of bedding areas in the wintertime, and
where there are does, there are typically bucks.
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Nebraskaland • December 2019
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
61
MIXED BAG
VELVET LONGHORNED BEETLE – AN UPDATE
By Julie Van Meter, State Entomologist, Nebraska
Department of Agriculture
In April 2018, a velvet longhorned beetle (Trichoferus
campestris) emerged from a table built from black walnut
wood harvested in southeastern South Dakota, near
the Nebraska border. Due to this find, the Nebraska
Department of Agriculture (NDA) set and monitored traps
for velvet longhorned beetle. In 2018, traps were set at
numerous locations across the state, which included parks,
campgrounds and nurseries. Three funnel traps baited with
an ethanol lure were set at each location, and all traps were
negative.
Trapping continued in 2019, using a new lure from USDA,
called Trichoferone, designed more specifically to attract
these beetles. The lure worked well, and multiple specimens
were collected from traps in Cass, Douglas and Keith
counties.
The velvet longhorned beetle is an exotic, invasive insect,
native to parts of Asia and eastern Russia. Likely introduced
on solid wood packing material, this beetle has been collected
in at least 16 states since 2000, from New York to Utah, and is
considered established in Illinois, Minnesota and Utah.
Most commonly found in apple and mulberry trees, but
62
Nebraskaland • December 2019
also known to infest walnut, honey locust,
maple, birch, spruce, pine, willow, elm, cherry
and peach trees, this borer infests both healthy
and declining trees, and can develop
in dead trees, which makes is very adept at moving in
firewood.
Adults are ½ to ¾ inch in length, with antennae nearly
as long as their bodies. They are brown with scattered,
light colored hairs on their thorax and wing covers, and are
very difficult to distinguish from some of Nebraska’s native
beetles. Adults emerge April through August. Larvae hatch
from eggs laid on tree bark, and bore into the tree, feeding
under the bark. Late in the season, larvae bore deeper into
the wood to overwinter, pupate and emerge in the spring.
Velvet longhorned beetles can easily be transported by
moving firewood. Leave your firewood at home, and instead
obtain it where you plan to burn it. Purchase locally-sourced
firewood for home heating. Nearly 20 states regulate firewood
movement through laws and quarantines, and several
federal quarantines also regulate firewood movement. Visit
dontmovefirewood.org for more information.
To report a possible VLB, contact the Nebraska Department
of Agriculture at 402-471-2351 or agr.plant@nebraska.gov.
AN EXHIBIT EXPLORING 13,000
YEARS OF HISTORY WITH
NEBRASKA’S ARCHEOLOGISTS.
SHOWING NOW THROUGH 2021
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December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
63
MIXED BAG
EASTERN REDCEDAR THREATENS BIRD HABITATS
By Cara Pesek
Eastern redcedar invasion is the single largest threat
to native grasslands across the Midwest, including the
biologically unique Sandhills of Nebraska. This hardy,
fast-growing species has long been appreciated for its use
as an effective shelterbelt or natural snowfence; wildlife
management agencies, including the Nebraska Game and
Parks Commission, have planted eastern redcedar to provide
habitat and winter cover for wildlife.
In retrospect, that wasn’t such a good idea. Eastern
redcedar grows quickly and is extremely adaptable to a
wide range of climates and landscapes. Research shows that
under the right circumstances, eastern redcedar can convert
open grassland to a closed canopy woodland in as little as
40 years.
It’s also not as good for wildlife as we initially thought,
particularly for upland game birds.
“Cedar encroachment is definitely one of the biggest threats
to our existing populations of greater prairie chickens,” said
John Laux, upland habitat and access program manager for
the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
Prairie chickens have a low tolerance for trees and
other disruptions, such as development and conversion of
grassland to cropland, Laux said. Researchers aren’t sure why
prairie chickens are so sensitive, but a recent study of lesser
prairie chickens in Kansas indicated that the birds would
stop using an area when cedar density reached just 2 or 3
trees per acre.
Ring-necked pheasants have a more complicated
relationship with eastern redcedar. Pheasants will still use
grasslands as cedars move in, Laux said. However, this
is often to their detriment, as cedars provide habitat for
predators including skunks, raccoons, bobcats, and raptors –
which together impact nesting success.
Pheasants do use cedars for cover during harsh winters,
Laux said, and for many years, wildlife managers believed
planting eastern redcedar was critical to winter survival of
the birds. Recent research shows that this isn’t the entire
story.
“Eastern redcedar does provide an important type of
winter cover during blizzard conditions when all the other
vegetation is socked in with snow,” he said. “That being said,
cedar cover is far more important in states farther north of us
where they experience much harsher winters.”
Laux estimated it was only once every 12 years or so that
Nebraska had a winter severe enough that eastern redcedar
proved critical to the winter survival of pheasants. However,
any gains in winter survival because of the trees are offset by
predation during the spring and summer months.
“When we have eastern redcedar adjacent to nesting
cover, you’ll likely see a negative impact from predators
every single year,” Laux said.
Game and Parks is currently working with partner
organizations including the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
and Pheasants Forever to stop the spread of eastern redcedar
through use of prescribed fire.
“Fire is eastern redcedar’s natural enemy,” said Dillon
Fogarty, a UNL Ph.D. student in agronomy and horticulture
studying cedar encroachment in grassland ecosystems. “Fire
historically maintained cedar as a relatively rare species in
the Great Plains,” he said.
Through prescribed fire, cedar encroachment is holding
steady in some parts of the state. But throughout most of the
state, including the Sandhills, eastern redcedar continues
to spread and to thrive. Where cedars thrive, game birds,
unfortunately, likely won’t.
For more information, visit the eastern redcedar literacy
project at agronomy.unl.edu/eastern-redcedar-scienceliteracy-project.
REDCEDAR ENCROACHMENT. PHOTO BY ERIN MCCREADY
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Nebraskaland • December 2019
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PORTRAITS FROM THE PAST
Along the North Platte River near the
lakes and small streams were geese and
ducks to hunt. In this image, William
Johns, sons Ernest and Harry, cousins
Bill Short and Bill Dorsch hunting geese
there in 1915. These sports were great
times for Billy, his sons and friends.
– Joan Johns, Omaha
There were bobcats in the Wildcat Hills that
bordered Creighton Valley. Early in the morning
after a snowstorm was a good time to track the
bobcats since there were fresh tracks on the fallen
snow. Here is Ernest Johns with two bobcats which
he shot in the hills south, looking west on William
Johns farm in 1915. The rifle was a Winchester
25-35.
– Joan Johns, Omaha
68
Nebraskaland • December 2019
Summer of 1968, near Winnetoon, Nebraska. My little brother Tim Buchholz and cousin
Norman Buchholz helped me remove carp and dig sediment out of Bernard Jorgensen’s farm
pond. This place was my favorite hunting/fishing/hangout location. Nothing better than
catching 15-pound carp all summer long and bringing them home on my bike for Mom to can.
That’s me with “the big one!”
– Ken Buchholz, Bonner Springs, Kansas
Send contributions to: Portraits from the Past, Nebraskaland Magazine, P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503-0370. Or e-mail to Tim.Reigert@Nebraska.gov. Photos
should show people enjoying Nebraska outdoor activities, such as camping, boating, hunting or fishing, and must have been taken before 1980. 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. Text
may be edited and photos adjusted for reproduction. All photos will be returned.
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
69
THE LAST STOP
PHOTOS BY JEFF KURRUS
THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR
By Jeff Kurrus
I’m not a portrait photographer. I can trip my way through
strobes and indoor lighting, but millions do it better. However,
that doesn’t stop me from volunteering to photograph Santa
Claus each year at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park.
This year, on Dec. 14, there will be a line of families that
stretch throughout the Peter Kiewit Lodge, so their little
people can have a chance to sit in Santa’s lap while I try to
coerce them to smile just long enough to shine a gigantic
light in their eyes to make their moms and dads happy.
It’s an on-your-feet, rapid-fire, four-hour blur.
Except when a kid decides that smiling for the camera is
absolutely out of the question. At that moment, my joy meter
kicks up another notch and I pray to freeze time.
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Nebraskaland • December 2019
The cries, as well as the tears, come in a variety of sizes.
That uncomfortable, how-can-I-get-away-from-this-whitebearded-man scoot begins to occur, as their parents try to
quickly decide how much screaming is too much screaming.
These train wreck moments are my happiest times, but
they are short-lived. Out of the hundreds of kids that will
sit on Santa’s lap on Dec. 14, only a few will grant my
wish, while the overwhelming majority will smile at the
cameraman, take their candy cane and give Santa a big hug
on their way toward Christmas.
Good news is that my newborn will be 5 months old by
then. Maybe, just maybe, my wife will want to get some
photos of his first visit with Santa.
September 1, 2019 — January 31, 2020
Nebraska is an upland bird hunter’s paradise – the mixed bag capital of the
Great Plains – with diverse hunting opportunities, long seasons, great access
to public lands and high rates of hunter satisfaction.
Learn more about the second year of the slam and the prizes you could win at
OutdoorNebraska.org/UplandSlam
December 2019 •
Nebraskaland
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