LINCOLN – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will consider staff recommendations to increase the fee for state park entry permits when it meets on August 4 in Valentine.
The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. Central time at the Niobrara Lodge, 803 East Highway 2.
Staff will propose raising the annual permit for Nebraska-licensed vehicles from $30 to $35 and a temporary, daily permit from $6 to $7 beginning January 1, 2024.
Approval would also activate an increase in permit fees for vehicles licensed outside of Nebraska. Those annual permits would increase from $60 to $70, with the daily permit increasing from $12 to $14.
The duplicate permit would go from $15 to $17.50 for Nebraska-licensed vehicles and $30 to $35 for vehicles licensed outside of Nebraska.
The commissioners also will consider authorizing one lottery and one auction permit for a 2024 bighorn sheep hunting season. The season would be from December 3 through December 22.
Separately, staff will recommend commissioners approve an application period for a potential bighorn management hunt, though a hunt is not recommended at this time.
Approval would allow for a management hunt application period separate from a regular sheep hunt application period.
If a management season were approved in the future, it would be for Nebraska residents only, and the application period would begin 60 days before the opening of the management season and last 14 days. Management hunts would only be approved to manage the health and sustainability of a bighorn herd.
Commissioners will also consider recommendations to apply for a 2023 Recreational Trails Program grant to enhance the entrance of Smith Falls State Park east of Valentine, approve permitting of hunting in some state and historical parks for 2023 seasons, and approve a permanent easement request from the Southern Public Power District for installation of an anchor for an overhead power line at Mormon Island State Recreation Area near Grand Island.
Staff will report on the Dark Skies Project educational programs at Merritt Reservoir SRA, which has been certified as an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark Sky Association.
Commissioners also will hear updates on muskellunge research at Merritt Reservoir and on the agency’s shooting range plans, including a new range at Buffalo Bill State Historical Park.
