LINCOLN, Neb. – Eligible landowners may apply for one 2020 Nebraska elk hunting permit during the May 18 – June 5 application period.

To download an application form, regulations and hunting unit descriptions, visit OutdoorNebraska.gov/huntingseasons.

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission district offices still are closed to the public. Landowner elk applications should be mailed to the offices to arrive by June 5, 2020. Offices accepting applications, and their elk units, are:

• Northwest District: 299 Husker Rd., Box 725, Alliance, NE 69301-0725, phone: 308-763-2940 – Ash Creek, Bordeaux Creek, Hat Creek and North Platte River units

• Bassett Service Center: 524 Panzer St., Box 508, Bassett, NE 68714-0508, phone: 402-684-2921 – Niobrara East and Niobrara West units

• Southwest District: 301 East State Farm Rd., North Platte, NE 69101-0430, phone: 308-535-8025 – Box Elder Unit

Details regarding drawings and permits may be found in the 2020 Big Game Guide, which is available at OutdoorNebraska.org.

Other key big game application dates are:

• June 8-26 – Application period for general elk, antelope and deer draw units.

• July 3 – Results of the elk drawing will be available on or before July 5, 2019.

• July 17 – Successful applicants will have until July 19, 2019, to complete the purchase of their awarded permits. Awarded but unpaid permits will result in applicants losing preference or bonus points and forfeiting the permit. Any forfeited draw permits will be sold over the counter on a first-come basis.

• Aug. 3 through the close of hunting seasons – Remaining permits will go on sale online or at Game and Parks permitting offices Aug. 3.

Applicants for deer, antelope and elk draw permits who supply valid email addresses will be notified when the draw is complete. Applicants not providing valid email addresses will be responsible for monitoring their status online at OutdoorNebraska.org.

Awarded permits not paid for by July 17 will result in applicants losing preference points and forfeiting the permit. Any forfeited draw permits will be sold over the counter on a first-come basis beginning Aug. 3.

Only a nonrefundable application fee is due at the time of application. The application and purchase periods begin at 1 p.m. Central Time (CT). Paper applications must be received by Game and Parks by 5 p.m. CT; online applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. One application is allowed per person per species.

New mountain lion data for the Pine Ridge

CHADRON, Neb. — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has new data for a cat that triggers a lot of discussion, yet is rarely seen. It’s the puma, the cougar, or as most people call it, the mountain lion.

Sam Wilson, the furbearer and carnivore program manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, reported updates for the states’ management of the species during the agency’s May 8 commissioners meeting. The report included a new population figure for the Pine Ridge, the region in which cougars have re-established themselves in Nebraska for the longest time.

While the agency doesn’t have scientific estimates for populations in the Wildcat Hills, Niobrara Valley or the entire state, Wilson said the research projects in the Pine Ridge, which include both the Capwire and mark-recapture methods, have resulted in reliable scientific-based estimates of mountain lions for that region. The 2019 surveys arrived at a population estimate of 34 in the Pine Ridge, down from 59 in 2017. The new population figure reflects five mountain lions per 100 square kilometers of suitable habitat for the species. Wilson said the goal is five to seven.

“We wanted to bring that population down because the density was higher in the Pine Ridge than it was in most of the Mountain West states where mountain lions are hunted,” he said.

One important component of managing mountain lions in Nebraska is the hunting season, which ran from Jan. 2 to March 31 in the Pine Ridge. It marked the third regulated hunting season for the species in Nebraska. The season had a quota of eight total cats, with no more than two females allowed for harvest in each of the two designated subunits. The 398 permit holders harvested seven cats, the most of any of the state’s three seasons. Five were harvested in 2019 and three in 2014.

This year’s total consisted of five males and two females. One of those toms was 7 years old and 171 pounds – the largest of any cat taken during Nebraska’s three hunting seasons.

Wilson said Game and Parks plans to keep a close watch on the species, which the Nebraska Legislature has classified as a game animal, and continue making management decisions based on science. The state’s management plan states that Nebraska will have resilient and socially acceptable mountain lion populations that are in balance with habitat and other wildlife populations. The next round of surveys in the Pine Ridge is scheduled for 2021.

“We’re going to continue managing mountain lions as a game animal, so that will include harvest seasons when it’s appropriate to meet our management goals,” Wilson said.

More details are in Wilson’s presentation at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s website for the species, outdoornebraska.org/mountainlions.

Game and Parks accepting grant applications for projects promoting outdoor recreation

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is accepting grant applications to promote outdoor recreation facilities and amenities for political subdivision parks and outdoor recreation areas through the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund is administered by the National Park Service for outdoor recreation projects. Eligible projects include, but are not limited to, ball fields, soccer fields, swimming pools, picnicking facilities, playgrounds, pool renovations, splash pads, park acquisitions and development, and park related support facilities. All projects must encourage outdoor recreation and be in accordance with the Action Plan outlined in the State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan. Project sponsors must be political subdivisions, such as cities, county governments or Natural Resource Districts. The fund provides reimbursable matching grants for up to 50 percent of the project costs.

These grant applications will only be accepted through Game and Parks’ new online grant application system portal. The LWCF grant request for each project may be between $40,000 and $400,000, equating to $80,000 to $800,000 in total project costs.

The fund was established by Congress in 1964 to ensure access to outdoor recreation resources and to provide money to governments to purchase land, water and wetlands to benefit all. The primary source of revenue for the fund is from federal oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf.

Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020. Information and applicable materials are available at OutdoorNebraska.gov/lwcf. Approved grants will be announced in January. For more information, contact Schuyler Sampson at 402-471-5283 or schuyler.sampson@nebraska.gov.

508 species identified in Lincoln’s City Nature Challenge

LINCOLN, Neb. – Contributors to Lincoln’s 2020 City Nature Challenge entered 1,675 observations of wildlife and plants, of which 508 individual species were identified, in the iNaturalist project over four days this spring.

Lincoln and Lancaster County, for the first time, joined 243 other cities for the City Nature Challenge, a global event to observe and record all signs of nature and wildlife.

Lincoln’s City Nature Challenge recorded several species that are considered at-risk in the state, according to the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project. These species included savannah sparrow, marsh wren, pied-billed grebe, eastern meadowlark, American avocet, Blanchard’s cricket frog, and common five-lined skink.

Observations in iNaturalist that receive multiple positive identifications may be considered research grade. Of the 1,675 observations from Lancaster County, 34.8% of them were of high enough quality to be considered research grade for the project.

Globally, more than 41,000 people made 815,258 observations of over 32,600 species. Approximately 1,300 of the species were considered rare to find.

In response to the COVID-19 health crisis, participants completed the challenge online this year. The City Nature Challenge became a way to connect and engage others with nature while practicing safe distancing. Many of the observations were made from windows, yards, local parks, and other natural areas.

Photos and results from the 2020 Lincoln City Nature Challenge are available online at inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020-lincoln-ne.

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the California Academy of Sciences developed the worldwide program in 2016.

Partners in the City Nature Challenge in Lincoln included Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln Parks and Recreation, Lincoln Community Learning Centers, Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center, Friends of Wilderness Park, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, Prairie Pines, Citizen Scientists of Nebraska, University of Nebraska State Museum – Morrill Hall, Nebraska Forest Service, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever of Nebraska, and Lincoln Earth Day.