Nebraska Chapter June 2025 Update

Welcome to Nebraska Backcountry Hunters & Anglers June newsletter!

Latest:

• Your Nebraska Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers hosted a volunteer event at East Willow Island Wildlife Management Area between Cozad and Gothenburg on June 21st. It was hotter than blazes! The primary objective of the event was to improve the habitat for native wildlife occurring in the region. This state WMA has large areas of invasive Chinese elm and eastern red cedar. Volunteers applied herbicide to a chop in the tree bark of the elm (called ‘hack and squirt’) and cut down red cedars. This will improve the habitat for native game species and nongame as well. In addition, volunteers also worked at reducing the trash load. We want to express our sincere thanks to Julie Geiser of NGPC for getting the word out on this event, and on the work the chapter does, in newspaper and television outlets. Check out her article HERE.

• Nebraska BHA assisted the NGPC southwest district office in the past with determining the background and history of the establishment of Hansen Memorial Wildlife Management Area in southern Lincoln County.  Our intent is to help get that area opened for some type of hunting. The request has gone forward from the office in North Platte to the central office in Lincoln and we are awaiting that decision.

• The Chapter also visited with the Nebraska Game and Parks biologist in charge of Wanamaker Wildlife Management Area about the potential of opening that WMA to any type of hunting. We were informed by the biologist that, for now, NGPC wants to maintain that state WMA as a game refuge. We will follow up in the future to see if any type of access might be granted to hunters, such a through a youth season.

Other News, Requests, and Reminders

• Time sensitive!! Please call our Nebraska senators and your congressman about stopping the sale of our public lands!  Check out our virtual event Wednesday June 25th HERE. Go there and take action! 

• SAVE THE DATE; Nebraska BHA will continue to work on fence removal at Halsey National Forest on August 2^nd in association with the Nebraska Bowhunters Association Jamboree there from 7/31-8/3. We need volunteers. Stay tuned for details!

• Finally, please spend a few minutes each time you’re out fishing, hunting, foraging, etc. on public lands to clean up the area a bit. ANY public lands (for example, state wildlife areas, US Forest Service lands, US Fish and Wildlife Refuges) are good! We certainly would encourage you to do so and send us a photo of the trash pickup and its location. Not only will this help the environment and improve the experience of future visitors but also help with how adjacent landowners view public land and the people that use them.

As always, “leave it better than you found it” and if you have any comments or concerns, such as access to particular public lands in our state, please reach out to the chapter