VALENTINE, Neb. — Visitors to Smith Falls State Park will enjoy many improvements to the grounds this summer, and they will soon be able to reserve a campsite to do so.

This marks the first year that Smith Falls campers are able to ensure a spot via the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s reservation system.

Amy Kucera, park superintendent, said half of the park’s 70 campsites will go live on the system at 9 a.m. CDT on May 10. She said a variety of sites will be available for reservation, including locations at the riverfront in both the east and west campgrounds. The other half are available on a first-come, first-served basis. All of the sites are categorized "basic."

Campsites may be reserved between three and 180 days in advance by visiting outdoornebraska.gov/reservations, at any time. Detailed campsite information is among the features of the online system that helps visitors plan their stay.

Reservations also may be made by calling 402-471-1414 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CDT, Monday through Friday except state holidays.

Among the park’s improvements is a new $140,000 showerhouse that was funded by the Nebraska Outdoor Recreational Development Act. In addition, the park has received three new concrete latrines and a new deck around its headquarters.

The deck, which includes a boardwalk between the park’s campground and its office, is constructed of composite material. The $60,000 project was funded by the Game and Parks Capital Maintenance Fund.

The multitudes of visitors who access the park while floating the Niobrara River will enjoy improvements for increased convenience and safety at the highly popular Smith Falls Landing and the Nickols Landing at the east side of the park. Those projects were completed under a collaboration with the National Park Service and the Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa. The latter organization also has volunteered to improve the park’s Jim MacAllister Nature Trail in recent years.

Smith Falls State Park, which provides access to the park’s 63-foot waterfall via a footbridge over the Niobrara River, is located just off Highway 12 about 12 miles north-northeast of Valentine. A Nebraska Park Entry Permit is required for motorized vehicles entering the park.

Game and Parks to host ‘The Science of …’ virtual webinar series

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will host a seven-week virtual webinar series entitled “The Science of …” starting May 13.

Every Thursday at 3 p.m. Central time, Game and Parks educators will discuss some of the science behind common things regarding nature and animals. The topic on May 13 will be butterflies and moths.

The webinars are free, but separate registration is required for each. See the calendar event entries at calendar.outdoornebraska.gov for registration links.

The webinar schedule of topics: May 13 – Butterflies and Moths; May 20 – Birds; May 27 – Animal Architects; June 3 – Nebraska Trees; June 10 – Shrews, Moles and Voles; June 17 – Nature Differences; June 24 – Sturgeon.

The webinars will be recorded and posted to the Nebraska Game and Parks YouTube Education Channel.

Contact [email protected] for more information. Check out the events on Game and Parks’ Facebook page and the Nebraska Project WILD Facebook page.

Register for Great No Wake Weekend kayak relay race

LINCOLN, Neb. — Registration opens May 7 for the Great No Wake Weekend kayak relay race set for June 12 at Danish Alps State Recreation Area in Hubbard.

Relay teams require four members, who must bring their own kayaks and life jackets for the race. The minimum age for the race is 16, with one teammate required to be older than 18. Cost to participate is $40 per person, fees that will fund the development of a kayak accessibility dock at Kramper Lake.

The Great No Wake Weekend also will include a paddle battle or kayak tug of war; a beginner’s kayaking area; fishing; and a kids’ zone offering activities. These activities are free, and people can register for the paddle battle the day of the event.

To register for the relay race, visit calendar.outdoornebraska.org or visit the Nebraska Northeast Parks Facebook page at Facebook/NebraskaNortheastParks.

A Nebraska state park vehicle permit is required. Get one at outdoornebraska.gov.

Wing commander: Stutheit’s experience evaluating duck wings helps formulate waterfowl regulations across central U.S.

By Jerry Kane
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

LINCOLN, Neb. — By quickly studying a duck’s wing, Randy Stutheit plays a role in determining waterfowl regulations and seasons in states throughout the central portion of the country.

But he’s been doing it awhile – 35 years – and that experience means a lot in the Central Flyway, which stretches from Canada to Mexico.

Stutheit, a longtime wildlife biologist with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, is a “wing checker” on behalf of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It’s a small group. In the Central Flyway there are just six. There are another two biologists who check tail feathers from geese.

In the flyway’s waterfowl parts-collection survey, which includes a process called a “Wingbee,” as many as 40 or 50 people crowd into a large room to ID harvested waterfowl. They evaluate duck wings and goose tails in a scientific process of data collection.

Checkers use their expertise to verify the assessments of the less-experienced people working the Wingbee. Enough information is gathered to get a detailed picture of what the waterfowl harvest looked like in states of the flyway during the previous season.

“This is critical data we collect relating to the waterfowl harvest in the Central Flyway,” Stutheit said. “It helps formulate the waterfowl regulations for the next year based on the species composition of the harvest and age and sex structure of that duck harvest. It’s pretty meaningful data.”

The Wingbee typically takes place at the Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge near Hartford, Kansas, each February. Thanks to COVID-19 and the necessity for social distancing and smaller group sizes, the Wingbee this year was parceled into several sites throughout the flyway, including Lincoln.

How it Started

“Bee” is an Old English term meaning, a prayer or a favor. By the late 18th century, it had become commonly referred to the joining of neighbors to work on a single activity to help a neighbor in need, such as a sewing bee or a quilting bee.

The Service applied that concept when the first Central Flyway Wingbee took place in 1964 in Fort Collins, Colorado. In 1987, the Wingbee moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, then in 1992 to Hartford, Kansas, where it has stayed – until this year.

The Central Flyway includes Nebraska, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. The Wingbee, however, is for the U.S. harvest only. The Canadian Wildlife Service conducts its own monitoring. Wingbees also are held in the other flyways: Pacific, Mississippi and Atlantic.

How it Works

The Service asks a sample of waterfowl hunters, through the Harvest Information Program, each season to voluntarily mail to it a wing from a harvested duck or tail feathers of a harvested goose in postage paid envelopes. The Service determines the species of each wing or tail that is sent to the Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge, then packages them individually in bar-coded envelopes.

Until this year, the envelopes would be collected, sorted and stored at the Flint Hills NWR for the Wingbee. This year, after they were sorted and species of the waterfowl determined at the refuge, they were shipped to several sites throughout the flyway, including Lincoln’s “mini-Wingbee.”

When individuals evaluate duck wings, they first determine the sex of the bird, then determine if it was an adult or juvenile. They do this by assessing the shape, color, condition and markings of a duck wing’s feathers. The envelope then is marked with that wing’s sex and age. The empty envelopes get mailed back to the Service, where a person will scan the bar code to record age and sex.

For geese, species and age are determined; sex of geese can’t be determined from the tail feathers. For goose tail feathers, color, length and shape are evaluated. All goose tail feathers were shipped to checkers in Texas for evaluation this year.

Lincoln’s mini-Wingbee

Over several days in late January and early February of this year, Stutheit led Lincoln’s mini-Wingbee. He was joined by a group of wildlife biologists, wildlife technicians, professors and university students. They evaluated 1,685 duck wings of mallards, northern pintails, American wigeon, blue-winged teal and green-winged teal from across the flyway.

As a wing checker, Stutheit kept a watchful eye over everyone else’s work. The data they collected will be used to help formulate waterfowl regulations for 2022.

“It’s pretty cool that they just didn’t cancel the Wingbee this year because of COVID-19, but that they did choose to go ahead and ship wings and tail feathers out to various experts across the Central Flyway to work on them in our home states,” Stutheit said.

While some of the work was done at Game and Parks’ wildlife laboratory, other sessions were hosted at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Students in the Waterfowl Ecology and Management class of Dr. Mark Vrtiska, Professor of Practice, at the School of Natural Resources, got to participate.

“I think it’s a pretty special opportunity for college students that are majoring in this field to take part in a survey like this,” Stutheit said. “You just don’t get that opportunity otherwise.”

The students get hands-on experience and much-needed practice identifying ducks.

“What they gain from it is that practice of doing it and knowing how to age and sex duck wings and recognizing you can do it,” Vrtiska said. “But part of my waterfowl class has a waterfowl ID component that we’ll have a quiz on. It helps them not only just to gain some experience but to help them in their ID of waterfowl.”

How Collected Data is Used

The information gathered at Wingbees not only breaks down harvest by species, it breaks it down by state and county. Each wing or tail envelope includes information about where the waterfowl was harvested.

“What this does is break down duck harvest by species composition,” said Vrtiska, a former Game and Parks waterfowl program manager. “For example, if it’s determined that there are a million ducks shot in the Central Flyway, with this Wingbee, you can determine out of that million birds harvested that there’s 500,000 mallards, 200,000 green wings, 100,000 gadwall, etc.

“That data can be useful for looking at trends of where ducks may or may not be harvested. You can break that down by state. In Nebraska, duck harvest will be about 100,000 birds. We know 50,000 of those birds are mallards.”

Wing Checker’s Early Beginnings

Stutheit had been participating in five or six Wingbees when, one year, a checker who was planning to retire noticed his work examining wings.

“He’d been watching how I’d been doing, aging and sexing wings and he thought I was getting fairly proficient at it,” Stutheit said. “He asked me if I’d be interested in becoming a checker. I said, ‘Oh, yeah, definitely’.”

Stutheit and three other biologists from California and Oregon in the Pacific Flyway were then flown to Laurel, Maryland, for training to become checkers. “Really what we did is just look at more wings. The only way to really become good at this is to look at a lot of wings.”

He took a test in which he had to correctly identify at least 95 out of 100 wings. “If we did well, we would get a slap on the back, and they would say ‘Congratulations, you’re checkers!’ ”

Vrtiska has been to several Wingbees with Stutheit, around 15. He’s not an official wing checker, but he has aged and sexed wings and goose tails. He said the comradery that builds among the individuals present results in a familiarity with each other’s skills in evaluating wings and tails.

“Individuals show up to the Wingbee for a few years, and some of the same individuals sit with the same checkers, you get comfortable with them,” Vrtiska said. “The checker will know because he’s going through everybody’s wings at his table and he or she can determine that person isn’t missing very many of these wings.

“There is a little bit of an art – and there is definitely a science to it – but I think the cream rises to the top, and you get to know people who are very good at it,” Vrtiska said. “They just don’t miss very many.”

Stutheit hasn’t missed many Wingbees or wings over the years. A very good thing for the waterfowl, whose numbers have remained healthy because of checkers like him.

New online resource helps anglers ID fish

LINCOLN, Neb. — A new online guide will help Nebraska anglers correctly identify the fish on the other end of their line.

Fish Key: A Guide to the Most Commonly Caught Fish in Nebraska is available at OutdoorNebraska.org/fishidentification. It’s viewable on mobile devices or can be downloaded and printed to carry along.

The guide is an important tool in ensuring anglers know what they’ve caught; it is intended to be used in tandem with the Fishing Guide, which lists regulations, such as bag and length limits, for fish species at water bodies across Nebraska. These regulations help maintain healthy fish populations and ecosystems.

The Fish Key allows anglers to determine what they’ve caught by selecting among key characteristics, such as whether a fish has scales, whiskers or teeth. By selecting yes or no, anglers are led to a final answer: a family of fish shown in high-color illustration, accompanied by additional information about each fish, its common characteristics, habitat and range.

To find more fishing resources, visit OutdoorNebraska.org/HowToFish.

Fort Hartsuff Spring Muster set for May 15-16

LINCOLN, Neb. — Come to Fort Hartsuff State Historical Park on May 15-16 for the 13th Annual Spring Muster.

Activities begin at 9 a.m. each day, as guests can interact with reenactors portraying soldiers. There will be cannon firing, drills, skirmishes and blacksmithing. Picnic tables will be available for those who bring a lunch.

The park is located 6 miles southeast of Burwell in Valley County. A vehicle park entry permit is required. Contact the park for more information at 308-346-4715.

Discover Nebraska’s Nine State Historical Parks in New Documentary on NET

EDITOR’S NOTE: A video preview and photo is available at http://netnebraska.org/news-releases/discover-nebraskas-nine-state-historical-parks-new-documentary-net. For more information, contact Kim Rogers at [email protected].

LINCOLN, Neb. – Just in time for summer road trip planning, NET, Nebraska’s PBS & NPR Stations, premieres “Adventures in History: Discovering Nebraska’s State Historical Parks.”

The documentary, produced in partnership with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, airs at 7 p.m. CT, Sunday, May 23, on NET World.

Program host and narrator Stephanie Arne, an accomplished conservationist, explores each of Nebraska’s nine state historical parks, revealing the rich and exciting history available to visitors at some of the most beautiful and storied landscapes in the state.

Viewers can find out more about larger-than-life showman Buffalo Bill, discover how reenactors at historic forts bring life to the past, learn what makes a Champion Tree and walk the same path pioneers took in covered wagons traveling the California-Oregon Trail.

Throughout her travels, Arne goes behind-the-scenes digging for fossils, firing a cannon and learning about ranching past and present. She learns about the accomplishments of Eve Bowring, Nebraska’s first female United States senator; meets Philip James Little Thunder Sr., who remembers his ancestors killed in the Battle of Blue Water near Ash Hollow State Historical Park; and talks with State Archeologist Rob Bozell about how thousands of years of indigenous history and prehistoric mammal activity enriched the landscape at Ash Hollow State Historical Park.

Arne’s trip also takes her to Ashfall Fossil Beds, where she learns how ash from a volcanic eruption 12 million years ago preserved the remains of unique mammals; to Rock Creek Station where she learns about the Pony Express; and to Arbor Lodge, Bowring Ranch and Forts Atkinson, Hartsuff and Kearny, all historical parks spread across the state.

During a revealing journey of exploration and connection, Arne learns that Nebraska’s people, landscapes and history have important stories, ones that can help people understand Nebraska as it is today. But only if they’re willing listen.

“Adventures in History: Discovering Nebraska’s State Historical Parks” is an NET Connects program. It repeats at noon CT, Sunday, May 30, on NET World.

For more information about Nebraska’s state historical parks, visit outdoornebraska.org. For more about “Adventures in History: Discovering Nebraska’s State Historical Parks,” visit netNebraska.org/adventures.

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MEDIA CONTACTS: Kim Rogers, 402-660-5521, [email protected], or Shawna Richter-Ryerson, 402-471-5565, [email protected].

NET, Nebraska’s PBS & NPR Stations, is the statewide public media service dedicated to creating opportunities for Nebraskans to engage with critical issues, compelling stories and quality entertainment. NET serves each of Nebraska’s 93 counties with 52,560 hours of programming each year on four television and two radio channels, plus online and mobile content. In addition to providing free, high-quality educational programming for children, NET provides programming in the arts, award-winning news and current affairs information and emergency alert services. For more information about NET, visit netNebraska.org.

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Established by the Legislature in 1901, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission works to conserve Nebraska’s natural resources. It is responsible for the stewardship of the state’s fish, wildlife, park and outdoor recreation resources in the best long-term interests of the people and those resources. For more information, visit outdoornebraska.org.

Free Fishing and Park Entry Day is May 22

LINCOLN, Neb. – Free Fishing and Park Entry Day in Nebraska is May 22. Enjoy a Saturday of fishing or state park activities during the park system centennial year without the need to purchase a fishing or park entry permit for the day.

Free Fishing and Park Entry Day, held annually in Nebraska on the Saturday preceding Memorial Day weekend, means anyone can explore outdoor opportunities at any Nebraska state park, state recreation area or state historical park. Anglers must observe all fishing regulations. Camping, lodging and all other user fees still apply at state park areas.

In conjunction with the event, Ponca State Park will host the Bill Morris Memorial Fishing Derby and Fremont Lakes State Recreation Area will host the Bob Bruner Memorial Fishing Derby.

Ponca’s derby, which is open to all ages, is from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Participants may fish as long or little as they like and can win prizes. Event rules and an official derby measuring tape should be picked up at the Resource and Education Center, where bait is available for purchase and loaner fishing poles are available upon request.

Fremont Lakes SRA fishing derby, for children, is from 9 a.m. to noon. Local radio stations, volunteers and civic groups will be on hand to provide food, prizes, loaner fishing tackle, bait and instruction.

Those fishing on May 22 also are encouraged to participate in the Take ’em Fishing challenge, in which anglers pledge to take new or inexperienced anglers fishing. Fish permits typically are required for anglers age 16 and older – but not on Free Fishing and Park Entry Day. Visit outdoornebraska.gov/takeemfishing for more information.

For more event information, visit calendar.outdoornebraska.gov.

Nebraska boasts 76 state park areas with innumerable opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, including fishing, kayaking, boating, hiking, horseback riding, wildlife watching, and even learning about history at a state historical park. Visit a park on May 22 to make memories with family, try a new challenge and spend time relaxing in the outdoors.

Reserve sites at Danish Alps, Summit Lake beginning May 10

LINCOLN, Neb. – Reservable campsites will be available beginning May 10 at northeastern Nebraska’s Danish Alps and Summit Lake state recreation areas.

Starting at 9 a.m. Central time, half of the electric-plus Pigeon Creek Equestrian Campground and Jones Creek Campground sites will become available for reservation at Danish Alps. The 22 basic tent sites and six kayak-in sites remain first-come, first-served.

At the same time at Summit Lake, half of the electric-plus Muskrat Campground and Eckdahl Campground sites will become available for reservation. The 33 basic tent sites remain first-come, first-served.

These campsites may be reserved between three and 180 days in advance by visiting outdoornebraska.gov/reservations.

With the increased popularity of camping, advanced reservations allow peace of mind by offering self-service online options and detailed site information, which allow for better trip planning. Site opportunities will remain for last-minute trips planners until campgrounds are full.

Reservations also may be made by calling 402-471-1414 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CDT, Monday through Friday, except state holidays.

Becoming an Outdoors-Family program receives Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund grant

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Becoming an Outdoors-Family for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Camp has received a $1,000 grant from the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund.

Becoming an Outdoors-Family is a workshop focused on teaching basic outdoor skills to help families enjoy the outdoors, including fishing, camping, kayaking, archery, hunting and hiking. Funds from the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund will help keep the program free for participants.

“Due to the generous donation we received from Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops, families are able to learn basic outdoor skills and gain hands-on experience that they will use for a lifetime of fun in the outdoors,” said BOF organizer Christy Christiansen of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Most attendees are new to these outdoor experiences, Christiansen said. Alongside expert instructors, youth can discover that camping and similar outdoor experiences are not out of reach for them, while connecting with their families and other deaf and hard-of-hearing peers, she said.

The Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund supports hundreds of local and national conservation organizations across North America annually.

“Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s is dedicated to introducing new audiences to the outdoors by partnering with organizations like Nebraska Game and Parks to engage our communities,” Cabela’s Market General Manager Scott Matthews said. “We are proud to provide this grant for the Becoming an Outdoors-Family program, as they break down barriers for hearing-impaired children to immerse themselves in nature and engage families to become outdoor enthusiasts.”

The Outdoor Fund empowers Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s 200 million annual customers to support conservation by rounding up their purchases at the register. Rallying passionate customers alongside dedicated team members, industry partners and leading conservation organizations, Bass Pro and Cabela’s is creating North America’s largest conservation movement to collectively shape the future of the outdoors and all who love it for generations to come. Learn more about the Outdoor Fund at about.basspro.com/conservation/outdoor-fund.

The camp will be May 22-23 at Platte River State Park. Learn more about the Becoming an Outdoors-Family program, visit outdoornebraska.gov/bof or contact Christiansen at [email protected].