Nice NTV Interview for the Center

Weekend Wild Walk - River Explore

In this summer's final Weekend Wild Walk, we'll take a stroll in the Platte River. Yes, in the river itself! We'll examine the many forms of life we can find along and in the water: amphibians, birds, plants and more. We may take a dip net or two along and see what we can capture. We'll walk from our sandbar between the footbridges to the Alda Road bridge.

The part of the river we'll be strolling is fairly shallow, generally a few inches deep, with occasional spots up to a foot in depth. Wear shorts and a shirt that can wet and dirty; same with footwear -- sandals or old tennis shoes are strongly recommended. (Flip-flops are easily lost and are not recommended.) A towel to dry off is optional.

The walk begins this Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and will end no later than 11 a.m. Admission is free, and all ages are invited. The walk will be cancelled if conditions are rainy or stormy. If weather is questionable, please call 308-382-1820 for an update.

Weekend Wild Walk - Dragonflies

The warm summer months have brought dragonflies (and their relatives, the damselflies) out in droves.

North America is home to over 300 species of dragonflies. While dragonfly identification can be confusing, some -- like the female Widow Skimmer above -- are easy, particularly if you can get them to stand still! Dragonflies are indicators of an aquatic ecosystem's health, and they consume many insect pests such as mosquitoes.

In this walk, we'll take a dragonfly field guide, cameras and binoculars into the field and see what dragonflies we can find and ID. We'll take half of the Prairie Loop trail, stop by the pond (dragonfly central right now) and head back. The walk begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and will last no more than 90 minutes. (Walk distance will be approximately one mile.) The walk is free and all ages are invited to attend.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center now Certified by Greener Nebraska

LINCOLN, NEB. (Aug. 8, 2011)—Eight Nebraska businesses recently earned certification from Greener Nebraska by meeting green performance standards.

The eight businesses qualifying for certification were:

Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center, Wood River
Western Nebraska Segway Experience Center, Scottsbluff
Lincoln Children's Museum, Lincoln
Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary, Gibbon
Green Acres Motel & RV Park, Red Cloud
Best Western Settle Inn, Omaha
Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center, Denton
Mom's Pantry, Ogallala

Greener Nebraska, developed by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development’s Travel and Tourism Division, strives to reduce the tourism industry’s impact on the environment and to attract travelers interested in visiting green destinations. Its certification process previously had been restricted to tourism-related businesses along Nebraska's nine Scenic Byways; the program expanded this year to help businesses across the state become more environmentally friendly.

Now that the program is open to businesses throughout the state, getting certified through Greener Nebraska is a simple and free way to promote your conservation efforts.

Visit our website, GreenerNebraska.org , to learn more about the program and to begin the certification process.

Weekend Wild Walk - Wildflowers

Wildflowers are blooming all over our prairie and landscaping. From hoary vervain to black-eyed susans to purple prairie clover (above), we have a lot of beauty out there.

Join us for a look at these and other wildflowers on this Saturday's Weekend Wild Walk, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and wrapping up by 11 a.m. Bring a camera if you have one.

Weekend Wild Walks are free and open to the public. Hope to see you there!

Weekend Wild Walk - Prairie Seed Collecting

This summer, the nature center has been offering our Weekend Wild Walks, held each Saturday morning from 9:30 to 11 a.m. These walks are designed to introduce people of all ages to the wonders of the prairie and the Platte River.

This coming Saturday, July 9, our wild walk takes us offsite, to the properties of the Nature Conservancy. We'll help the Conservancy collect seed of native prairie plants for use in their restorations. This is a great way to view the prairie up close and begin to learn the plant species that make up this beautiful but still overlooked ecosystem.

We'll meet at the nature center at 9:30 a.m. sharp and caravan or carpool from there. We'll need to leave on time. Please bring work gloves and scissors if you have them; otherwise we can provide these.

Weekend Wild Walks are free of charge and will be offered through August 20. For more information, call us at (308) 382-1820.

Weekend Wild Walk - Butterflies

Butterflies are the subject of this Saturday's Weekend Wild Walk. And do we have them in abundance!

Undoubtedly the most conspicuous butterfly out there now -- and often sought-after by visitors from elsewhere -- is the regal fritillary. According to Butterflies of North America by Brock and Kaufman, "This well-named regal creature is one of North America's vanishing butterflies," having disappeared from much of their former range, particularly east of the Mississippi River. Fortunately for them -- and for us -- regal fritillaries are doing quite well in Nebraska.

While regals are quite obvious, closer looks reveal plenty of smaller butterflies too. I had to wait for these fulvia (?) checkerspots to calm down, but they finally stood still long enough for me to take their picture. [Butterfly experts can correct me on the ID if I'm wrong.]

So what about that most famous of butterflies, the monarch? Sadly, I've seen only one on the prairie all year, despite plenty of milkweed (their larval plant). Clearly, they are having trouble here as well as on their wintering grounds in Mexico.

The walk begins at the nature center at 9:30 Saturday morning and wraps up by 11. We encourage participants to bring cameras and binoculars (though these are not required). Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. Hope to see you there!