OutdoorNebraska

2018-2022 Focus on the Future • Nebraska Game and Parks Commission 5 The challenges the agency faces come in many different forms. Growth, development, and technology have continued to change the natural resources, as well as the way people use resources. While most people still care about fish, wildlife and parks, how they value them continues to evolve. It is important to recognize these challenges, and to work toward innovative solutions. The agency should find common ground with non-traditional partners and take advantage of opportunities that arise. While we do not control many of the internal and external factors that we will face in the future, how we respond to them will create the roadmap to success in conserving our natural resources, providing our public recreational opportunities and creating strong bonds with our partners to further our mission. external factors The agency deals with universal external dynamics: changing demographics, climate fluctuations, relevancy to the public, and water availability and quality. We must adapt to these changes to conserve our natural resources and provide outdoor experiences for all. Among the challenges we face: DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES: We must service audiences that are diverse in culture and outdoor- related interests. There continues to be shifts in socio-economic classes in the state, and providing affordable outdoor experiences to all citizens is of utmost importance. We are beginning to see an influx of younger, urban people who are less connected to the outdoors. In addition to the traditional wildlife and outdoor recreation activities we offer, the public is starting to show more demand for opportunities such as shooting sports, wildlife viewing and interpretation, water-based recreation and other experiential activities. LAND USE CHANGES: Increasing temperature, changes in precipitation patterns, and increases in the frequency and intensity of storms, flooding, droughts, and wildfires affect species and natural resources. In addition, we have seen large-scale changes in land-use across the Great Plains. Radical land use changes have been seen in the conversion of grassland to cropland and in the transition from prairie to forest acres where the eastern red cedar has been encroaching. Such broad landscape changes affect the ability of species to move and migrate through and within the state, and also cause shifts in species' home ranges and the type of species that call Nebraska home. RELEVANCY TO THE PUBLIC: There is an ongoing shift in the way people value and interact with wildlife and the outdoors. Many Nebraskans are at risk of being disconnected from the outdoors. Early and guided involvement is critical to participation and understanding of nature by the next generation. To pass on Nebraska's tradition of conservation and the love of the outdoors to future generations, we must continue to engage the public regarding the outdoor resources available to them. Continued participation of recreational pursuits is necessary to establish a lasting conservation ethic. Remaining competitive for people's time challenges us to be more responsive to the diverse demographics of Nebraska and requires us to embrace citizens' different social values. WATER AVAILABILITY AND QUALITY: Recreational opportunities are connected tightly to the health of our natural resources and must be managed with particular attention to water. The agency can acquire instream flow water rights for fish and wildlife when unappropriated water is available. Other water users often control inflows into reservoirs, which limits the ability to manage effectively aquatic species and recreation opportunities. Watershed land-use practices primarily determine the water quality in rivers, streams and reservoirs. With continuing pressure on the water resources in the state, it is vital we recognize this challenge and work toward solutions with partners to conserve our water resources for a variety of uses. POLICY CHALLENGES: Local, state and federal policies play a big role in how we manage our resources and conduct business as a state fish, wildlife and park agency. Examples of local policies include additional permits required near metropolitan areas and zoning regulations that impact our use of recreational lands. State policies affect how we conduct business as a today's challenges

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