LINCOLN, Neb. – Visitors to six state recreation areas will be allowed to touch off fireworks on July 4. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is urging them to be especially careful this year.

Visitors should always use caution when lighting fireworks but should be mindful of the dry conditions that exist across the state this year and the risk of wildfire.

The areas that will permit fireworks from 8 a.m. until midnight on July 4 are Branched Oak (Liebers Point only), Fort Kearny, Memphis, Fremont Lakes, Pawnee and Wagon Train.

Signs at recreation areas will point the way to designated fireworks sites, and boundaries will be clearly marked. Use of fireworks elsewhere in state areas or at other times is prohibited.

Only fireworks approved for sale in Nebraska by the state fire marshal are permitted, and visitors must pick up expended fireworks and deposit them in appropriate containers. Minor children must be supervised when discharging fireworks. Use, possession and the discharging of fireworks is at the sole risk of the users.

A park entry permit is required for all vehicles entering state recreation areas.

Experience the Blast from the Past at Victoria Springs SRA

LINCOLN, Neb. — Join the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in celebrating its first state recreation area in a Blast from the Past throwback event July 10 at Victoria Springs in Custer County.

Watch a vintage baseball game; follow along on a history walking tour of grounds; take a paddleboat out for a spin on the lake; or catch a spectacular laser light show highlighting the parks’ centennial year.

“This event truly will be a Blast from the Past and will highlight the many reasons this park originally enthralled Nebraskans,” said Tommy Hicks, central region parks superintendent. “The gorgeous mineral spring lake and groves of trees long have been used for picnics and community events. On July 10, we invite guests far and wide to come enjoy all that our state’s first recreation area has to offer.”

Other activities at the event will include live music, free paddleboat rides, free archery shooting, nature displays, retail vendors, and Game and Parks’ trailers showcasing wildlife, Nebraska park history, and taxidermy mounts confiscated because of game violations.

The Blast from the Past is one of three signature events in honor of the 2021 park system centennial. The first state park was honored in an event June 11-12 at Chadron State Park, and the first state historical park will be celebrated Oct. 2 at Arbor Lodge State Historical.

The anniversary celebration is free to the public, but a Nebraska Park Entry Permit is required for vehicles. Get one or learn more at YourNebraskaParks100.org.

The tentative schedule of events follows; find the latest updates to the schedule of events at calendar.outdoornebraska.gov.

Schedule of events

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Historical cabins and schoolhouse open; retail vendors, fishing trailer and remodeled cabins open; kayak and paddleboat rides

9 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Food vendors open

9:30 to 10:15 a.m. — History Walking Tour

10 a.m. — Raptor Recovery Program

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Hunters for Youth Archery Trailer; kids’ activities; naturalist activities; Game and Parks’ trailers; Dutch-oven cooking

11 to 11:45 a.m. — History Walking Tour

Noon — Raptor Recovery Program

Noon to 10 p.m. — Brush Creek Brewery and Miletta Vista Winery beer garden open

1 p.m. — Nebraska Game and Parks Commission remarks

1:30 to 2:15 p.m. — History Walking Tour

2 p.m. — Raptor Recovery Program

2 to 4 p.m. — Vintage Baseball at the ball field

3:30 to 4:15 p.m. — History Walking Tour

4 p.m. — History presentation on Solomon Butcher, a Nebraska photographer who recorded the settlement of the Great Plains in the late 1800s and early 1900s

7 to 10 p.m. — Live Country music with West Wind

10 p.m. — Laser Light Show

Learn more about Victoria Springs SRA at OutdoorNebraska.org/VictoriaSprings.

Apply for grant to support community recreation improvements

LINCOLN, Neb. — Two grant programs are accepting applications from communities across Nebraska for recreation improvements.

Applications for the Recreation Trails Program are due Sept. 3, 2021. Applications for the grants through the Land and Water Conservation Fund are due Sept. 17, 2021.

The Recreational Trails Program is a grant program through the Federal Highway Administration that reimburses political subdivisions, such as communities, counties, natural resources districts, up to maximum of $250,000 or 80% of project costs for trail acquisition, development, renovation and support facilities.

Applicants must have the financial means to undertake and maintain the project and all funding should be on hand as this is a reimbursable grant program.

This funding source is for both motorized and non-motorized trail projects. It is divided by category: motorized (30% of funding utilized for these projects), non-motorized (30% of funding) and diversified or shared use trail projects (40%).

Applications for RTP grants for the fiscal year 2022 should be submitted at ngpcgrants.outdoornebraska.gov.

For more information on the Recreational Trails Program, visit outdoornebraska.org/rtp.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund grants, administered by the National Park Service, fund outdoor recreation projects.

Eligible projects include, but are not limited to, ballfields, soccer fields, swimming pools, picnicking facilities, playgrounds, pool renovations, splash pads, park acquisitions and development, and park related support facilities. All projects must encourage or promote outdoor recreation.

A grant project sponsor must be a political subdivision, such as a city, county government or Natural Resource District, etc. The LWCF provides reimbursable matching grants for up to 50% of total project costs.

All grant applications will be accepted only through the online grant portal. The LWCF grant award requests for an individual project is established between $40,000 and $400,000.

Grant applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Sept. 17, 2021. All information and applicable materials are available at ngpcgrants.outdoornebraska.gov and outdoornebraska.gov/lwcf.

Approved grants will be announced in January. Contact Schuyler Sampson at 402-471-5283 or schuyler.sampson@nebraska.gov for more information.

Game and Parks officers to participate in BUI awareness and enforcement campaign July 2-4

LINCOLN, Neb. – As part of a national effort to reduce the number of accidents and deaths related to boating under the influence, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will participate July 2-4 in Operation Dry Water.

While Operation Dry Water is a year-round BUI awareness and enforcement campaign. That effort will be heightened by Game and Parks’ Law Enforcement Division officers July 2-4 at waters across the state.

Alcohol use while boating is one of the leading factors in boater deaths. In Nebraska, it is unlawful to operate a motorboat with a blood alcohol level content of .08 percent or greater. Doing so constitutes BUI, which carries penalties such as vessel impoundment, fines, jail time and loss of boating privileges.

Alcohol use can impair a boater’s judgment, balance, vision and reaction time. It can increase fatigue and susceptibility to the effects of cold-water immersion. Alcohol also is dangerous for passengers as intoxication can cause slips, falls overboard and other dangerous accidents.

"The Commission encourages boaters to enjoy the boating season with friends and family, and we also encourage them do it in a safe and responsible way,” said Craig Stover, administrator for the Law Enforcement Division. “Drinking alcohol while boating can have serious, even deadly consequences, and our goal is to make sure everyone is enjoying their time on the water and staying safe.”

Game and Parks also recommends everyone have all required boating safety equipment on board, including life jackets or U.S. Coast Guard-approved floatation devices, lights, fire extinguisher, horn, bailing bucket and an orange flag if pulling skiers and tubers.

Children age 12 and younger and anyone riding or operating a personal watercraft or being pulled on a towable must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket. Anyone operating a motorboat or personal watercraft must be at least 14 years old. Anyone born after Dec. 31, 1985, must complete a boater safety course, which can be taken at OutdoorNebraska.gov/boatereducation. For more information on boating rules and requirements, read the 2021 Boating Guide at OutdoorNebraska.gov/guides.

Nationally, 620 agencies participated in Operation Dry Water in 2020, with 7,612 officers contacting 305,456 boaters. Those resulted in 28,659 safety warnings, 8,666 citations and 625 BUIs.

Operation Dry Water is a joint program of Game and Parks, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, and the U.S. Coast Guard. For more information, visit OperationDryWater.org.

Family from Murray wins Take ’em Hunting grand prize UTV

LINCOLN, Neb. — In their Take ’em Hunting selfie, Kaylee Hellbusch gives the camera a quiet, happy smile as her dad, Leigh, snaps the picture from their tree stand.

On Thursday, the two smiled once more as the Hellbusch family accepted the Take ’em Hunting grand prize John Deere crossover utility vehicle, donated by AKRS Equipment, in a ceremony at the AKRS Gretna store.

Leigh Hellbusch, of Murray, was selected at random from more than 1,400 who participated in the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission challenge to take a beginner hunting and submit a photo online. It was the second year for the seven-month challenge designed to reward people for their efforts inspiring the next generation of hunters.

“Most hunters had someone introduce them to the sport, and it’s the very type of experience that Leigh gave his daughter that helps instill a passion and love of the outdoors," said Jim Douglas, Game and Parks director. "Nebraska’s hunters support conservation of our wildlife and our wild places. I encourage all hunters to share their love of the sport with a beginner and help keep our hunting traditions strong for years to come.”

“It is the family bonds and friendships created through hunting experiences that create memories that strengthen our communities and our state,” added Kent Kirchhoff, vice president of sales and marketing with AKRS Equipment. “It has been an honor and privilege to partner with Nebraska Game and Parks to promote the sport of hunting.”

Hellbusch grew up hunting pheasant, deer and turkey with family, including his dad and two brothers, and he considers meeting up with cousins for family deer hunts in Nance County to be a big highlight of his youth. In his early 20s, he started archery and duck hunting.

“Kaylee really got interested in deer hunting last year, and I couldn’t be happier having her as a hunting partner,” Hellbusch said. Their photo shows the two deer hunting on Thanksgiving morning 2020. “That was a cold morning without much movement, but still better than us being home helping Mom get Thanksgiving dinner ready.”

Though they weren’t successful, they will continue to hunt and make memories together, he said.

In addition to AKRS Equipment, Take ’em Hunting partners included the Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation, Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation, Scheels and Heartland DSC, all which provided prizes, such as gift cards or outdoor gear. Prizes were awarded throughout the challenge to participants drawn randomly.

To learn more about the Take ’em Hunting program, or to see participant stories, visit OutdoorNebraska.org/TakeEmHunting.