Seven State Recreation Areas Will Allow Fireworks on July 4

LINCOLN – Visitors to seven state recreation areas will be allowed to touch off fireworks on Independence Day, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Those visitors should always use caution when lighting fireworks.

Branched Oak State Recreation Area (SRA) near Malcolm, Fort Kearny SRA near Kearney,  Memphis SRA near Memphis, Fremont SRA near Fremont, Two Rivers SRA near Venice, Pawnee SRA near Emerald and Wagon Train SRA near Hickman will permit fireworks from 8 a.m. until midnight on July 4 only. Signs at recreation areas will point the way to designated fireworks sites and their 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 SRAs.

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Paddlefish Snagging Permit Application Period Is July 1-14

LINCOLN – Applications may be made for Nebraska paddlefish snagging permits July 1-14.

Snagging of paddlefish and nongame fish is permitted Oct. 1-31 in the Missouri River from the Gavins Point Dam west of Yankton, S.D., downstream to the mouth of the Big Sioux River at mile marker 734, west of Sioux City, Iowa. All inland waters in Nebraska are closed to paddlefish harvest.

There are 1,520 permits authorized for residents and 80 for nonresidents. The application fees of $21 for residents and $41 for nonresidents includes an issuing fee.

Visit OutdoorNebraska.org to apply or use the form in the 2015 Fishing Guide. Applicants must be 12 years of age by this Oct. 1 to be eligible for a permit. The application period begins at 1 p.m. Central time on July 1. Mailed applications must be received in Nebraska Game and Parks Commission headquarters in Lincoln by 5 p.m. on July 14. Online applications end at midnight.

Permits remaining following the first drawing will be sold over the counter on a first-come basis beginning at 1 p.m. Central time on Sept. 1.

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Merritt Reservoir SRA Boat Launch Facility Improvements Begin

LINCOLN – Work has begun on improvements to the Main Landing boat launch facility at Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area (SRA).

Visitors will find construction equipment entering the Main Landing boat launch and Willow Cove Campground areas over the next several months. A new concrete ramp, boat dock and breakwaters will be built this summer and fall as water levels recede. In preparation for that construction, the delivery of rock rip-rap has started.

The new boat ramp will be built just to the south of the existing one. Once completed, it will provide boater and angler access at that location for a longer duration during the summer irrigation months. The original boat ramp was built in the 1960s and often went out of service by the first part of July.

A new breakwater is planned near the Willow Cove Campground area to the southwest of the new ramp. The breakwater will provide protection from southwest winds and slow sand from being deposited around the ramp. This breakwater also will provide some bank angler fishing access.

The project is being accomplished by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation. Funding has been provided by Game and Parks’ Aquatic Habitat and Angler Access programs, capital development maintenance funds, and U.S. Coast Guard boating safety funds.

For more information on the project, call Zac Brashears at 402-376-8080 or Steve Satra at 402-471-5446.

Merritt Reservoir SRA is located 26 miles southwest of Valentine in Cherry County. A park entry permit is required of each vehicle entering the park.

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Two Trail Roads to Be Temporarily Closed at Swanson Reservoir SRA

LINCOLN – Two trail roads at Swanson Reservoir State Recreation Area (SRA) will be temporarily closed June 22 so that BNSF Railway can replace crossings on them.

Trail Roads 5 and 7 on the north side of the lake will be closed so that work can begin at 7 a.m. on June 22. The crossings will be closed all day. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is posting signs and notifying campers of the closure.

Swanson Reservoir SRA is located just west of Trenton in Hitchcock County.

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Flooding Affects Southeast Nebraska Parks

LINCOLN – Several state recreation areas in Southeast Nebraska have been affected by heavy rainfall and not all areas may be accessible, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

At Stagecoach State Recreation Area (SRA), Dam Road remains closed, there is standing water on approaches to docks.

At Wagon Train SRA, all areas are open, though there is standing water on approaches to docks.

At Bluestem SRA, North Road remains closed.

At Olive Creek SRA, Area 2 is now open, but there is still standing water in some places.

All other parks and recreation areas are open, though lake water levels are high. Game and Parks staff will continue to monitor conditions at parks statewide.

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