Danish Alps State Recreation Area near Hubbard is now open to the public. The 746-acre area includes RV and tent camping, equestrian camping facilities, day use areas, a walking and hiking trail and excellent angling and wildlife watching opportunities. 

Kramper Reservoir, a 226-acre lake, was planned with shoreline fishing and boat fishing in mind, and a wide spectrum of aquatic habitat features were incorporated to make this new reservoir suitable for fish to reproduce and grow rapidly. The lake has been stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, walleye and channel catfish. Come fall, hunting will also be permitted on portions of the SRA.

A grand opening celebration is planned for Aug. 1. David Hendee of the Omaha World-Herald recently visited the new area and wrote a story, which is available online. 

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will consider 2015 early teal season dates at its meeting July 16 in Sidney. The commissioners will consider the following recommended season dates: Low Plains, Sept. 5-20; High Plains, Sept. 12-20.

The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. at the Hampton Inn, 635 Cabela’s Drive.

Teal hunting season dates are set to coincide with the teal migration through Nebraska, and the opening day is typically the Saturday following Labor Day. This year, because Labor Day is Sept. 7, an earlier opening day in the Low Plains is recommended to accommodate a 16-day season while avoiding conflicts with possible youth and regular duck season openers later in September and October. Regular duck and goose season dates will be considered at the August 28 Commission meeting in Burwell.

For the second year in a row, the teal season in the northern portion of Nebraska will be on an experimental basis. To view a complete agenda for next week’s meeting, visit our website.    

Learn the basics of rimfire steel challenge and competitive shooting July 11 at Platte River State Park with the First Shots Second Round Rimfire Challenge.

This free event, sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, will be held at the Roger G. Sykes Outdoor Heritage Education Complex at 9 a.m. It is open to the first 20 registrants ages 12 and up. Those who bring their own rimfire rifle must bring their own ammunition. Loaner guns and ammunition are available.

Steel challenge is about shooting fast, but a shooter cannot learn to shoot fast without learning the fundamentals by being slow and methodical. Registration is available online.

Two fishing tournaments are coming up in July for high school anglers – the Nebraska B.A.S.S. High School Team Championship on July 18 and the TBF-SAF Nebraska High School Fishing Tournament on July 25.

The Nebraska B.A.S.S. High School Team Championship will be held July 18 at Leigh Lake at Maple Creek Recreation Area near Leigh in Platte and Colfax counties. 

The TBF-SAF Nebraska High School Fishing Tournament will be held July 25 at Lewis and Clark Lake near Crofton in Knox County. More details on both events, including registration information, is available on our website. 

With so much ornithology occurring in a Nebraska prairie in the summer, it is easy to become distracted.  A few bird species, though, capture one’s attention and won’t let go. One of those species is the Bobolink, a bird so marvelous it has been a subject of several poems (e.g., 1 2 3), including those penned by Emily Dickinson. This week, is was also the subject of Nebraska Game and Parks nongame bird program manager Joel Jorgensen’s popular blog. Visit our website to read about this beautiful bird, to see photos and to find a recording of its unique song. 

Attention photographers! From the Missouri River to the Pine Ridge, every bit of Nebraska holds a new discovery. We welcome all photographers, no matter the age or skill level, to share with us your visions of Nebraska during our second annual NEBRASKAland photo contest.

Open to all photographers, your photo entry in the contest qualifies you for the chance to be published in NEBRASKAland Magazine, as well as win great cash prizes from NEBRASKAland Magazine. Head to the contest portal page to submit photos, or for more details.