Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
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Mountain lion hunting expands to Niobrara River Valley
For the first time, the Commission in 2023 approved a mountain lion hunting season outside the Pine
Ridge. It created the Niobrara Unit for 2024, encompassing parts of Brown, Cherry, Keya Paha, Rock and
Sheridan counties.
The objective for the Niobrara Unit is to provide a harvest opportunity for mountain lions that allows the
population to remain resilient and healthy, while slowing growth of the population. Mountain lion presence
has been documented in the Niobrara River Valley of north-central Nebraska since 2001. There has been
a resident reproducing population there since 2013 and information gathered through research suggests a
population that is growing and will be resilient to harvest.
Harvest continues to be allowed in the Pine Ridge Unit during an open season.
Volunteers respond to Rock Creek SHP wildfire
The response to the wildfire at Rock Creek Station State Historical Park in April included Game and Parks law
enforcement, parks and wildlife staff in addition to several volunteers and emergency management agencies.
The fire burned 1,800 acres of near the SHP and adjacent state recreation area, closing the areas temporarily.
The historical park sustained significant damage after the wildfire, though the reconstructed historical
buildings narrowly were saved from the flames. Crews dowsed them in fire-resistant foam prior to the fire
reaching the historical park grounds. No damage occurred at the adjacent state recreation area, which offers
camping and other recreation, including trails.
Rock Glen Wildlife Management Area, just south of the state historical park, was mostly consumed in the
wildfire.
The reconstructed historical buildings
at Rock Creek State Historical Park
were spared from the wildfire.
