OutdoorNebraska

35 S U P P LY O F O U T D O O R R E C R E AT I O N Introduction This chapter highlights the supply of outdoor recreation and major recreation providers in Nebraska including federal, state, and local agencies, communities, and nonprofit and private providers. Collectively, these providers play unique and vital roles in supporting diverse outdoor recreation experiences, which account for much of the supply of recreation within the state. Although it is impossible to be inclusive of every single provider in the state, significant providers that affect recreation statewide are described in this chapter. Nebraska has more than one million acres of land and water available to the public for outdoor recreation. Additionally, there are thousands of privately owned acres available for hunting and wildlife viewing. The parks in Nebraska provide an array of uses for recreation, and the providers of outdoor recreation have done an excellent job capitalizing on the wild places and things to do. For example, communities offer events like fairs, festivals, and sports tournaments in their park areas to encourage outdoor play. Depending on what type of recreation the user is looking for and how communities plan to provide those recreational opportunities, a number of options are available in Nebraska. There are wildlife viewing areas in the Rainwater Basin central flyway zone in public and private ownership; and serene campgrounds that offer unique experiences throughout the state. Kayaking or canoeing down a river, primitive camping in the bluffs, kite sailing on a lake, hiking in remote forests, cross-country skiing in the north, mountain biking through ravines and hills, or horseback-riding through thousands of acres of parkland are just a few other examples of the outdoor recreation experiences Nebraska has to offer for all ages and abilities. This chapter will not only discuss the providers of outdoor recreation, but delve deeper into the amenities provided by communities and the role wetlands can play in outdoor recreation. Run Wild event on the trails of Eugene T. Mahoney State Park. (Cass County) See page 37 for information on the Public Access Atlas and hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities.

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