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Nebraska Game and Parks Commission June 20-21st, 2024 meeting
June 20 @ 8:00 am - June 21 @ 5:00 pm
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has a June 20-21st 2024 meeting at Ogallala
RESULTS:
Meeting at Petrified Wood Gallery, 418 E 1st St.,Ogallala, NE, 69153
Visit this web site when close to the date for the agenda. At this site the Commission agenda is posted online before each meeting. and minutes from previous meetings also are posted after each meeting.
https://outdoornebraska.gov/about/notices/public-notices/
Friday’s agenda, (hearing for Mt lion season at about 8:30 am CT))
https://outdoornebraska.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024_JUNE_GeneralMeetingAgenda.pdf
Thursday’s afternoon agenda (information meeting )
Send comments to – sheri henderson <sheri.henderson@nebraska.gov>, Hearing contact phone
402-471-5539
Sheri Henderson, Division of Administration, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, 2200 North 33rd, P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503 The written comment period will close at 1 pm CT on June 19th, 2024 – you can still testify in person on Friday.
There is also an on-line petition about adding cigar hunting at Wildcat Hills at:
https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/no-sport-hunting-mountain-lions-Wildcats
Here is a copy of PHAS comment letter:
https://phas-wsd.org/wp-content/uploads/nebraska-Mt-lion-2024_FP2.pdf
We suggest folks object to scheduling hunting in Niobrara and WildCat Hills before a formal population estimate has been done. We suggest folks object to the harvest caps set for all 3 units as too high. We write about this in our letter.
We watch the Nebraska Game and Parks around June, as in this month they often propose new mountain lion hunting season. Here are their proposed changes for 2024, Amendments to Title 163, Admin. Code Chapt. 4, – Regulations Wildlife, Section 037 on Mountain lions.
For mountain lions I think these are the existing rules:
Current rule title 163:
file:///Users/mac/Downloads/163%20NAC%204%20(05-05-2024)-4.pdf
Explanat0ry statement of reasons to proposed rule changes
file:///Users/mac/Downloads/3610d934-9605-4b98-b740-81b6f045a9d0.pdf
Here is a link to find other related docs
https://rules.nebraska.gov/docket
Here is a link to review the Booklet that Nebraska Game and Parks created on this years Mountain lion population information.
https://phas-wsd.org/wp-content/uploads/NE.Mountain-Lion-Booklet-June-2024.pdf
It looks like they are proposing increasing the harvest limit at the Pine Ridge Unit from 4 any sex/2 females to 12 any sex/6 females (triple increase) , looks like increasing Niobrara Unit from 2 any sex/1 female to 4 any sex/2 females (double increase) and adding a new unit at WildCat Hills to 3 any sex/2 females. That appears in the sheet on explanation of rule changes. This seems like excessive increases.
We, in SD, care very much about NE cougar hunting as the Pine Ridge Ecosystem exists in 3 states – Wyoming, NE and SD. Also 3 of the Reservations in southern SD, that have mountain lions, are north of various NE mt. lion populations (Pine Ridge, Niobrara and Missouri River) and we expect that dispersal from NE helps SD reservation populations.
There is a shorter afternoon meeting on afternoon of 20th and a longer meeting on 21st. The public hearing is on the second day, mountain lions at about 8:30 am CT.
For community for people who care about Nebraska lions – visit Colin Croft of Gering Nebraska, Facebook page “Nebraskans Living with Mountain Lions”. He has a petition opposing the new hunting unit at Wildcat Hills.
<https://www.facebook.com/groups/426003722258026>