NEBRASKAland
April 1973 50 cents 1CD 08615
Speak Up
NEBRASKAland Magazine invites all readers to submit their comments, suggestions, and gripes to Speak Up. Each month the magazine will publish as many letters as space permits. Pictures are welcome. NEBRASKAland reserves the right to edit and condense letters. - Editor.
A STEP UP-"As a resident of the Ash Hollow area,. I would like to commend the Game and Parks Commission on the newly completed path up Windlass Hill. I have always wanted to walk to the top, but not being very agile, I have never done so. Last Sunday, our family spent several hours in Ash Hollow and we were very pleased to be able to walk up Windlass Hill. My 69-year-old mother accompanied us and the rest benches were quite a comfort for her. The view from the top is overwhelming and makes you feei a part of the past, the joys and the hardships the pioneers felt.
"I have traveled the highway through Ash Hollow for 20 years and I am so pleased to see this area turned into a state park. Be fore, people seemed to drive past and never be aware of the beauty and history that was there. Now, I always see someone stopping to observe and use the facilities.
"Also, I would like to comment on the neatness of the park. I have yet to see any foot of Hiehwav 26 between Qgallala and Lewellen as well kept as the Ash Hollow State Park area. I have never seen a beer can or paper there. Before this was a park, it was a party area or dumping ground for beer cans. Thank you for beautifying and preserving our historical areas." —Mrs. Jack Beard, Lewellen.
COMPLIMENTS-"! want to extend my compliments and thanks for the fine article in your December 1972 issue, The Future of Farming. It was simply magnificent and, APRIL 1973 unfortunately for us all, much too true and imminent. But I was glad to hear the data stated so clearly. Perhaps we will begin to listen." —Kent Bedient, New York City.
OFF BASE —"I would like to know where some people get so much misinformation. I am speaking of Dr. J. G. Spangler's letter in the January Speak Up column. "I can remember back in the late 1920s and early 30s. I lived in Sherman County and did lots of fishing; hunting and trapping. At that time, there was no legal hunting of quail and I only knew of two coveys. Now, since they have* been hunted, and only the first-rate ones are left, I can find 20 coveys in the same territory. "My grandfather was the last one to kill a deer legally in that county before the seasons were suspended. And, before the season was again opened in Nebraska, I never saw a deer in that part of the state until after World War II. "Our beaver were nearly extinct until the late 1930s. Now they issue special licenses to farmers to trap them since they are felling too many trees."I know the pheasants were more numerous in the 20s, 30s and 40s, but look how much more pressure is on them now. Far more pheasants are killed today in the egg by fast-moving farm machinery —especially those machines which work at night chopping alfalfa." —M. W. Brammer, Omaha.
NO PRUDE —"I am writing in regard to Mrs. Kathryn Haglund's letter which appeared in the December 1972 Speak Up column, and referred to the August NEBRASKAland hostess. After reading her letter, I hunted up the issue in question, expecting to find a half-nude girl.
"Instead, I was confronted by a girl in a swimsuit going up a ladder to a diving board. I have one question for Mrs. Haglund. How long has it been since you visited a swimming pool? Twenty years? I would invite Mrs. Haglund to visit any pool and I am sure she will see much of the same or 'worse'. I have seen many issues of NEBRASKAland and pictures of the hostess only reflect current styles and trends, like it or not." —Robert Kelley, Jr., Johnson.
GOOD TASTE-"Being former Nebraska residents, but still Nebraskans at heart, we were amazed at Mrs. Haglund's letter in the December issue condemning NEBRASKA land's August hostess.
"First of all it is darned refreshing to show the world that there are pretty girls in Nebraska.
"Evidence shows that there is a 'slight breeze' (the hostess' wind-blown hair), yet there is no apparent danger of her losing her suit. Besides, even peering at the other side of the page does not reveal a 'bare behind'. Maybe our eyesight is failing.
"So, who needs Mrs. Haglund? We say bravo to (Continued on page 7)
NEBRASKAland
VOL 51 / NO. 4/APRIL 1973 Published monthly by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Fifty cents per copy. Subscription rates $3 for one year, $6 for two years. Send subscription orders to NEBRASKAland, Box 30370, Lincoln, Nebraska 68503. commission Chairman: William C. Ltndeken, Chadron Northwest District, (308) 432-3755 Vice Chairman: Gerald R. Campbell, Ravenna South-central District, (308) 452-3800 Second Vice Chairman: James W. McNair, Imperial Southwest District, (308) 822-4425 Jack D. Obbink, Lincoln Southeast District, (402) 488-3862 Arthur D. Brown, Omaha Douglas-Sarpy District, (402) 553-9625 Kenneth R. Zimmerman, Loup City North-central District, (308) 745-1694 Director: Willard R. Barbee Assistant Director: William J. Bailey, jr. Assistant Director: Richard J. Spady staff Editor: Irvin J. Kroeker Editorial Assistants: Ken Bouc, Jon Farrar Lowell Johnson, Faye Musil Photography: Greg Beaumont, Bob Grier Layout Design: Michele Angle Illustration: C. G. Pritchard Advertising: Cliff Griffin Circulation: Juanita Stefkovich Copyright Nebraska Game and Parks Commission ]97$. All rights reserved. Postmaster: if undeliverable, send notice by form 3579 to Nebraska Came and Parks Commission, Box 30370, Lincoln, Nebraska 68503. Second class postage paid at Lincoln, Nebraska Travel articles financially supported by Department of Economic Development Stan Matzke, Direc tor John Rosenovv, Tourism and Travel Director Contents FEATURES WHEN THE CARP RUN BOY OF THE PRAIRIE 10 12 ALL YOU NEED IS A FUNNY LITTLE BOX 14 GET OUT AND WALK! TO NET A SONGBIRD TILL DEATH DO US PART 16 18 24 WHY WE STILL NEED GAME WARDENS 30 FLOWERS CALL US INTO SPRING 32 LAND OF THE PIONEER 42 THE VICIOUS CIRCLE 46 DEPARTMENTS SPEAK UP FOR THE RECORD. WHERE TOGO 8 57 WHAT TO DO 61 TRADING POST 65 COVER: Fringed loosestrife, a portrait from the plains LEFT: Morning on the Cedar. Photos by Greg Beaumont
SPEAK UP
(Continued from page 3)your work. You're always in good taste and we enjoy every issue." —Mr. and Mrs. Gary Kukas, Longmont, Colorado.
A LOT OF TRUTH - I guess it always depends on what side of the fence a person is on as to whether an article is one-sided or not. On Neil McCormick and Audrey Frauen's comments in the November Speak Up: I disagree with them.
"I thought the article Anthology in Acetate had a lot of truth in it. As for the proposed dam bringing in people, I might say a few good roads would do the same thing and cost a lot less than $11 3 million ($20 million of this an increase in the past year and probably still a low estimate). As for beauty, I feel it will be awfully hard for man to improve on what Mother Nature has now. They are right about Rocky Ford versus Mill Dam, but the proponents of the project have been calling it Rocky Ford as long as it has been proposed. Maybe this is where the author was misled. I was born and raised along this river and have explored it, hunted and fished it and have enjoyed the scenery and at times cussed it all my life. I am 45 years old. I also have checked the daily flow for the past 17 years and don't feel it can be considered a flood stream in this area." — Loring E. Kuhre, Ainsworth.
BARBARIC-"In your January Speak Up column, there was a hunter complaining about unsportsmanlike treatment used on coyotes. He said that people who hunt them with a squeal cali are just as unsportsmanlike as people who use airplanes.
"I would like to say that in our community a few years ago, a group of hunters (so they called themselves), got together and formed a hunting 'club'. Soon, people from a near by city joined them. They charged every body that carried a gun a fee to hunt. They rented a plane, and then every Sunday these people would hunt. I've watched them on several days, and must say that if your readers have ever seen an unsportsmanlike hunt, they should watch these guys.
"Soon after they began hunting, farmers started complaining that their fences were being knocked down, gates left open, live stock being run by the plane and snowmobiles that were also being used.
"Coyotes were being shot in farmers' front yards and being run over. I've seen coyotes run by this bunch, and I feel sorry for the wild, free animal that doesn't have a chance because of a hovering plane. I've seen them shoot coyotes where they didn't have permission to hunt.
"So, I think that anybody complaining about how unsportsmanlike a caller is should think about the slaughter with an airplane. That's about 15 per day, com pared to one or two with a call." —Robert Whitney, Waverly.
for the Record
Endangered Species
Perhaps one of the most unsettling comments wildlife managers face today is that sport hunting has created endangered species. Everyone, at one time or another, has heard the remark that if it weren't for hunters, many species our forefathers knew would still be around. To the uninitiated, such arguments must seem extremely convincing. Given a little thought, though, they quickly fall apart.
Animals, by their very nature, are cyclical. Take prehistoric wildlife species, which were gone long before man ever became capable of stamping them out. The dinosaur was not hunted into extinction, and the hairy mammoth did not cease to exist because a few spear-wielding hunters practiced some ancient form of overkill on him. The prime reason why neither is around today is because they could not adapt to the changing world around them. They fell victim to nature, not man.
In a more contemporary vein, the passenger pigeon has faded from existence, despite the fact that great flocks once winged across the countryside, and black-footed ferrets have become so rare in Nebraska that few residents have ever seen one. Probably no Nebraska fisherman will land a lake sturgeon this summer, and lucky indeed the outdoorsman who encounters the swift fox. The American peregrine falcon, too, has been classified as an endangered species, and the whooping crane, despite what seems to be a comeback, remains on the list. Hunters cannot take the blame for what has happened to these species —their fate has been brought on by what we call progress.
There are years when pheasant populations are better than others, but the overall trend is down. Part of the blame rests with rugged winters when extreme weather destroys unhatched eggs, or chicks shortly after they emerge from the eggs. But the real culprit is lack of habitat. As suitable homes for these animals dwindle, so do their populations.
What once was prime wildlife habitat succumbs to urban expansion, and acre after acre of land suitable for wildlife disappears. Our commercial society has sounded the death knell for the animals which inhabit our fields. Sections of farmland are placed under irrigation —good for crop production, but bad for wildlife. Feedlot and agricultural chemical runoff from cropland smothers fish in mile after mile of river and stream.
Forces are at work, however, to stem this tide of disaster. Wildlife agencies across the nation are working to bring about a new way of think ing amongst those who can do something about the dilemma. Sportsmen's organizations are launching campaigns to acquaint non-hunters with the benefits of modern game management. Agricultural agencies are making efforts to help farmers not only produce larger crops, but preserve the aesthetics of wildlife on their land as well. Perhaps, through these combined efforts, all wildlife is not doomed to the status of those species which appear elsewhere in this issue. Perhaps we can all learn to live together. The winner from such understanding will be wildlife, but that will be a benefit for all concerned.
When the Carp Run
Fish in the Loup Canal and anglers along the banks are hectic combination
WHEN THE CARP run at Monroe, only a burning house or free drinks on dance night outdraw them. Even at that, there are bound to be a few people dotting the pilings along the Loup power canal north of town who don't imbibe or belong to the volunteer fire department.
Just like salmon in Washington or bream in Louisiana, spawning carp in this placid, man-made waterway draw special anglers. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but a common purpose unites them —to catch lots of fish.
Ed (Jab) Boss would be there —doesn't eat the fish but doesn't miss a day when they're hitting. Leroy Ditter would more than likely drive down, now that he'd finished coaching his high school teams for the season. He gives the fish away by the gunnysack. Francis Adamy and Jim Lawthers from Shelby would probably pop in too if it was a nice day. They don't miss many when the carp are at it. Roy Sheldon would probably drive up from Millard to fish with Jab. He usually makes it once or twice —wouldn't think of giving away the carp he catches, though, not unless a neighbor pitches in to help clean them.
It was mid-May when the European imports did their thing last year.
"There were about 20 down there fishing off the pilings early this morning," Ralph Schmidt, operator of the power plant, told a newcomer asking about the big attraction. Ralph is the local sports reporter, tip-giver, prognosticator and yarn spinner all rolled up into one. Between his rounds at the plant, he keeps tabs on the hotspots and offers tips and suggestions. If you want to know where the action is, Ralph is the one to talk with.
"Had a better turnout here this morning than at the last school picnic," he continued. "Most of them are gone now. It makes you think the carp have stopped hitting. Jab and Roy are down there though, so you can bet that something is still going on." (Continued on page 62)
10 NEBRASKAland APRIL 1973 11
Boy of the Prairie
He was only 12 years old, but the questions young McCanles asked about events which made Bill Hickok famous are today still unanswered
12 NEBRASKAland APRIL 1973YOUNG MONROE McCANLES looked around the room in Pap Towle's log cabin: not at the few familiar faces and seemingly numberless strangers, but at the chinks in the walls filled with "Nebraska Marble" -clay that had dried and hard ened to fill the spaces between the logs. The heavy odor of unwashed cattle drovers and stage drivers mingled with the dust and the heat. The heat, the dust, the stench, and the fact that Monroe's father had been killed only four days ago, placed an almost unbearable pressure on the boy.
Monroe was used to the hot prairie summers. As used to them, that is, as a boy of nearly 12 could get. But this summer in 1861 had been different. It was not only the heat that bothered him. Mounting tension in the little set tlement of Rock Creek in Nebraska Territory made him nervous and uncomfortable. Rock Creek Station, in southeast Nebraska, served as a distribution point for Civil War Cavalry mounts moving east. It was also a Pony Express Station and an Overland Stage stop.
Spring planting this year had kept Monroe busier than usual. His father was involved in a dispute with the Overland Stage Company regarding some back rent, and was frequently absent from the fields, so the extra burden went to Monroe. The work had been hard. But now he wished the trial would end and he could get out of this cabin and back to the fields.
Monroe had known there would be trouble in Rock Creek, but he hadn't realized that he would be right smack in the middle of it, that here in this cabin, on a hot July day in 1861, he would be playing a role in what would become an important part of American history. Out (Continued on page 53)
13
ALL YOU NEED IS A FUNNY LITTLE BOX
IF IT HAD BEEN GROUSE, quail, pheasant, or any other upland game bird, I wouldn't have been so uneasy about the hunt ahead. But the prospect of stalking old Tom Turkey on unfamiliar territory was shaky. I had already resigned myself to the fact that Tom would elude me, due to the continual jibbering of my hunting companions —seasoned old turkey hunters that they are.
"Three years," said John. "Yep. Took me years before I scratched a feather, and Denny here has never scored on a spring hunt in about six years."
"You bet. Tom's a wary and smart old bird," said Denny.
My neighbor John Dudley, and I left Lincoln Friday afternoon and headed for Grand Island. We picked up Dennis Garrels and the three of us headed for Chadron.
"You know Denny, I figure the best way to fool old Tom is to locate him, follow him over a rise, and then run like heck to get a surprise shot. What do you think?"
''Well, I don't know John," said Denny. "I think maybe we should locate him, then circle around and let him feed to us."
"Wait a minute, you guys," I said. "I paid $2.98 for this funny little box, and the idea, I thought, was to call the bird to you."
After the roar of laughter subsided and the car was back on the road, I asked an obviously stupid question: "What do I do with this call?"
"In the first place, that $2.98 funny box must be inadequate. I paid $7 for my fine turkey calling instrument, and Denny has the same thing. Secondly, any body who thinks he is going to lure a love-sick Tom by scratching on a box must be touched or have a month to hunt," volunteered John. "If you plan to use that thing, make sure you hunt alone and far from me!"
On reaching Chadron, we registered at the motel and then drove out to visit the landowner whose property we would cross during our hunt. All arrangements were made and we headed back to Chadron, where the fourth member of our crew, Doug Peters, joined us for dinner.
Before going to sleep I mulled over a big question in my mind. I had heard two different methods of taking Tom and both seemed logical. Which should I use? To call him with my box must be ridiculous. I wondered. Why the law that you must carry a call on spring hunts?
After breakfast we headed for the forest. The morning was pleasant, calm, and not too cold. I'm a native of Kansas and had not visited this part of Nebraska before. As the sun began to climb into the eastern sky, the pine forest began to unfold around me and I was amazed. For a moment I found myself thinking of the foothills and forests of Colorado to the west — the same clean, pine-scented air and rugged, lodgepole-studded bluffs and ridges. Stillness. Tranquility that only a person nurtured by the out-of-doors knows.
Gobble, gobble, gobble. Totally unfamiliar to my ear, but unmistakably the voice of Tom, the sound rang through the still silence with as many decibels as a fast freight.
The four of us had entered the forest to gether. Doug and John had decided to work the ridges to the south and Denny had led me about three quarters of a mile west. We had all decided to meet at the windmill at 9 a.m. to plan our strategy for the rest of the hunt. As we passed close by, Denny had pointed out the broken down remains of the wind mill. At this point, he had suggested we split up and work opposite ridges, heading back south. It had sounded good to me, so I started off up a slight incline.
At the first sound of old Tom, my already thumping heart almost left my body. For some reason I found myself flat on my stomach. As he gobbled again, I fumbled for my funny box and finally had the call in my hands. I chalked it up and began scratching. Silence filled the woods.
Tom's calls seemed to be coming from the other side of the rise just ahead. I crawled to the top and peered over. The sun formed an arena on a grassy slope directly across and on the opposite ridge. Tom had four of his girlfriends herded together and was moving them out. My chirping had evidently spooked them. The undeniable urges of mother nature, however, soon made him forget me and his mating antics continued. When he approached a hen, his tail feathers would quiver and he would prance about. At the same time, that silence . breaking call would come from his high, arched head. It caused my heart to jump each time. I watched for a while, then planned my attack. I scratched on the funny box again and strained to watch the reaction. Immediately, Tom headed his harem toward the ravine on the other side of the ridge. I decided Denny's plan should be implemented, and (Continued on page 55)
APRIL 1973 15
Get Out and Walk!
It's the only way you can let yourself be drawn into nature's outdoor magic
WHY CAN'T I drive there? When people arrive at one of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's wildlife areas, they often think they should be able to drive every where on the area for any legal purpose. On the surface, this seems to be a fair and reasonable request.
But, let's explore some of the problems in allowing or providing unlimited vehicular access. Several key questions must be answered in considering internal access on wildlife areas. What is the primary purpose of the area and what secondary uses are feasible? What type of terrain is on the area? How extensively will it be used, so what facilities should be built? What will be the cost? A large area, designed primarily for big-game hunting, needs only a few trails, if any at all. A small fishing site below an irrigation diversion dam needs only a sizable parking lot.
A large multi-use area, on the other hand, which encompasses numerous small lakes, wetlands, river frontage, trees and varying terrain, needs more development. A large area surrounding a reservoir, for instance, offers numerous possibilities for beneficial construction of roads and trails.
The Game and Parks Commission's philosophy is that sufficient access should be provided to allow reasonable use of the area and its resources. To some extent, each area most part, anglers like to be able to drive as close as they can to the place they wish to fish —streamside or lakeside. This means they would like to see roads all around their favorite lakes or along all streams. And, for many hunters, it means they would like complete road networks to be able to drive over hills and through woods wherever the game they pursue might be. When game is sighted or flushed from cover, that is the time to jump from the car and pursue it, they think. In some instances, hunters don't even leave their cars except to retrieve the game they have shot.
Thus we arrive at the philosophy of the hunt and the aesthetics of fishing. This is where we find ourselves in a position to enjoy the delights of outdoor life — respite from the sedentary life so many of us lead. Why stay in the car as if you're driving to work an other Monday morning? Use the car to carry you and your gear to the area, then leave the vehicle and begin the outdoor experience.
Another problem brought about by too many roads is exemplified in this anecdote. Several years ago, a hunter stalked a wild turkey flock all morning on one of the Commission's Pine Ridge tracts. His pursuit led him to the highest point in the area where he found a panoramic view of the countryside and a shot at a bird. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, a Cadillac arrived in a cloud of dust. The turkeys took off; one hunter was mad; another hunter was befuddled. We must be considered on an individual basis. On the other hand, all must be considered as a whole because some 115 tracts, covering more than 90,000 acres of land and water, are under Commission control. Budget limitations must be considered from an umbrella perspective —all these areas must be maintained. To give one area undue consideration at the expense of another is not a good policy. In fact, it results only in temporary satisfaction, then confusion in the long run.
What are some of the problems? For the later prohibited vehicular use of the road to that plateau, and we subsequently got personal expressions from several hunters who were in agreement with the decision.
Many fishermen pursue their sport in the presence of others, especially when access is readily available and fishing is hot. On the other hand, some anglers enjoy silence away from other people. They like to walk out doors until they happen upon the untried pool. We cater to both these types on public areas, although (Continued on page 63)
16 NEBRASKAland
to net a songbird
Knowledge grows from banders' efforts
LITTLE OLD LADIES in tennis shoes is as inept a description of song bird fanciers as long-haired hippies is of college students. Bird watchers are probably no more homogeneous than any other special interest group. Farmers, university professors, bankers —people from all professions have "gone to the birds."
While the number of bird watchers has increased dramatically in recent years, those involved in bird banding
While no one person typifies bird banders, Willetta Lueshen of rural Wisner is a good example. Willetta was an elementary school teacher before she married. She credits John, her husband, with sparking a latent interest in birds soon after they were married.
"John used to come in from the fields and tell me that the dickcissels were back, or that the orchard orioles were nesting in the old hackberry tree again this year, and I really didn't have the slightest idea what he was talking about. I had been a school teacher and decided I should learn about them."
In 1955, she obtained her banding license and has held it continuously to date. The prerequisites for obtaining a banding permit have stiffened since then. Now applicants must have a research project to justify their permit.
During the early 1950s, before Willetta began banding birds, the Lueshens planted more than 20 acres of land around their home with plant species known to be attractive to songbirds as well as other wildlife. An expansive, open-pit gravel excavation that once scarred an area north of their farmstead became a luxuriant woodland magnet.
The Elkhorn Valley, which their 160 acre farm overlooks, supplies their private wildlife sanctuary with varied and abundant songbirds.
In September of 1955, Willetta trapped and banded a brown thrasher, her first bird. In July the following year, she retrapped the same brown thrasher, and then a third time in June of 1957. Finally, in May of 1964, nine years after she first banded it, she trapped the thrasher the fourth and final time. The band was so worn by then that she finally replaced it.
Such complete records of an individual songbird are exceptional. Most years, Willetta bands between 1,500 and 2,000 songbirds. To date, she has banded 131 species on her place alone and there are new ones yet to be found. From all birds banded, she has received only 25 recoveries, birds banded by her and recovered dead by others. Unlike waterfowl or game birds which are harvested, songbirds are rarely recovered when they die. Few people pick up a songbird and examine it for a band. The small, protectively colored bodies are returned to the soil quickly and valuable information that could have been recovered from the bracelet is lost.
During her 17 years of banding, Willetta has trapped only two birds that were previously banded by others. Retraps of birds she banded other years are fairly common though, since most birds migrate along the same path year after year and nest where they were reared or have nested before. Three to four percent of the total number of some banded birds, like the Harris' sparrow, tree sparrow or junco, return to be retrapped other years.
18 NEBRASKAland APRIL 1973 19
to net a
songbird
Many of the bird species netted during the
spring months are passing migrants,
others common residents, all uniquely beautiful
Data collected from bird-band returns provides a wealth of information, some of it immediately practical, some abstract, all of it valuable in the scientific store of knowledge. Banding returns were responsible for the formulation of the flyway concept of waterfowl migration, a basic phenomenon to be understood if waterfowl harvest is to be properly managed. Information gleaned from national band returns has contributed significantly to current knowledge of natural history, lifespans, migration routes, nesting sites and wintering areas.
Most banders use either of two kinds of equipment to capture songbirds. For ground-feeding birds after seeds or grain, traps are used. Some are wire enclosures with one or two funnel shaped entrances leading in. Grain is spread inside the trap and in the funnels to entice the birds. Once inside they seldom escape. Other traps, usually custom made, are wire enclosures baited with grain. Entering birds cross a wire treadle which trips a door, locking the birds inside. Willetta usually sets a substantial group of traps on the theory that a few trapped birds will attract others.
Mist nets, the second method, offer the only practical means of capturing insect-feeding birds. These nets, originally made of fine silk, are loosely woven nylon threads crisscrossed between heavier braided strands. When stretched they are almost invisible, hence the name mist. When located in areas of heavy traffic, birds fly into the
Some birds, like the mourning dove, are strong enough to change direction in flight just before hitting a net. They are seldom captured this way. Most other birds, though, do not notice the net until they are trapped.
After the trapped birds are identified, sex and age determined if possible, and banded, they are released unharmed. The band number, along with all other information, is recorded and sent to the Fish and Wildlife Service Bird Band ing Laboratory at Laurel, Maryland. The information is permanently filed there.
While bird banding is not without its rewards, its demands are heavy. Nets and traps must be set, maintained and checked often. Extreme weather hampers netting procedures. Cottonwood seeds get into the mist nets, and it takes hours to remove them. Large insects sometimes entangle themselves in the nets and damage them. Substantial funds are invested in equipment and the hours are long, all without remuneration or thanks. Meticulous records must be maintained or the banding is useless. It is not a hobby. Yet, after all this, the rewards are great enough to make it worthwhile. For Willetta, part of the reward has been sharing her knowledge of songbirds with others.
When a second grade class arrived to visit recently, Willetta was just coming down from the mist nets holding a brilliantly colored male Baltimore oriole in each hand. They had been trapped while performing their courtship displays. While the young students sat around a picnic table spread with band ing equipment, bird books and other interesting items, the two males sang their territorial challenges to each other.
Willetta held the birds as the children examined the bills and feet, learn ing how they have adapted for their way of life. They learned why the males are so brilliantly plumed and the females so dull. In the birds' natural environment with someone nearby to answer their questions, they learned more about songbirds in one afternoon than would be possible even after days of classroom reading. What better way to teach a young generation appreciation of the natural world than in this in formal way.
Like most bird buffs, Willetta has her favorite —the relatively dull-colored Harris' sparrow captured her admiration years ago.
Audubon and his group first discovered the black-bibbed sparrow during a collecting trip up the Missouri River. The type specimen of this species was first recovered and recorded near Bellevue. Harris, one of Audubon's companions, actually collected the first specimen, hence the species' name. The Harris' sparrow passes from its
net a songbird The responsibility of maintaining detailed records is the price bird banders pay for the pleasure of holding a bird in the hand Wing measurements, left, are recorded along with species, sex, age and notes on the specimen's general condition. This information is later filed at Laurel, Maryland. Unharmed birds, above, are released.southern wintering grounds to its breeding grounds in the north along a narrow corridor through eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. Not until 1929 was its nesting site discovered in northern Manitoba. John and Willetta have traveled to its nesting grounds several times in recent years.
For many banders, actual field work is only a small part of their total in volvement. In addition to her banding work, Willetta has served as an officer of the 850-member Inland Bird Banders Association since 1962, recently as president. Her winter evenings are occupied preparing a bimonthly column and reviewing books on the environment and wildlife for the association's magazine. She compiles an annual in dex of published papers for AUK, an international ornithological scientific publication —all this in addition to uncounted school programs and a college class she recently taught. For many banders, their hobby has become a demanding, full-time job without pay.
"It is exciting to have a handsome bird in the hand, so seldom seen at such close range, but the record keeping and other duties are as essential as the banding of the birds," Willetta says. "While a bander may enjoy being out of doors and working with wild birds, many hours must be spent keeping records and data for scientific research.
"But still I can't think of any better way to occupy my time. I know I am performing a worthwhile service."
22 NEBRASKAland APRIL 1973 23
TILL DEATH DO US PART
Too many animals are being dealt their final blows because man has taken over areas which would have waxed best left alone
SINCE early days, when man first started walking erect, using his cunning and tools to outwit lesser animals, he has been a major influence in the course of world events. In those distant times, the contest between man and beast was tolerable, since man himself was often set upon by hungry predators. It was a way of life, and each creature faced survival on an individual basis.
Modern man, however, has advanced beyond the danger of predation. Due to his technological progress, he has exceeded his comprehension of the value of maintaining the quality of his natural environment. Today man doesn't face lesser animals on an individual level except for sporting purposes. Instead, he has the capability of wiping out entire species.
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission lists five species as endangered — the most critical level —and 24 as rare. It is also conducting a study of selected rare and endangered species. People are generally unconcerned about the criteria whereby animals qualify as endangered or rare and, more often than not, it is of I ittle consequence
Many birds, mammals, even reptiles are going the way of the passenger pigeon —into oblivion. Perhaps not all losses are economically detrimental, but each is another indication of man's ineptitude as steward of his own destiny. When a small, unused portion of rangeland is poisoned to rid it of prairie dogs merely to prevent them from digging holes, it affects many other species on up the food chain. Foxes, owls, coyotes, hawks and eagles may die when they eat poisoned animals or, at best, are deprived of another hunting ground. Man loses something too — another patch of land with less animal life.
Each pond that is drained decreases
24 NEBRASKAland APRIL 1973 25
the life potential for wild creatures. Each cover area burned without reasons, each tree torn down, each river straightened-all reduce the quality of the environment. Each loss, taken in dividually, is small, but such thought less acts are being repeated millions of times, resulting in the loss of millions of acres of habitat, thus the extinction of dozens of species is being brought about by a burgeoning, increasingly mobile and demanding human population.
Nebraska's endangered species-the black-footed ferret, swift fox, whoop ing crane, American peregrine falcon and lake sturgeon —are all suffering from this loss of suitable habitat. Perhaps never numerous, they are being dealt the final blows by the loss of wild, natural land and water. Joining these five hapless species are 24 others classified as rare. Among them are the bald eagle, burrowing owl, sage and ruffed grouse, greater sandhill crane, trumpeter swan and eastern chipmunk. Two snakes are included —the timber rattler and western massasauga. But, aside from these, where did Nebraska's elk, bison, wolf, bear and big-horned sheep go? Antelope and turkey were reintroduced, and deer were virtually gone until the early 40s.
Certainly man has had a hand in the extinction of many former inhabitants of the earth, as his influence has surpassed even the cataclysmic natural phenomena which altered earth's living conditions. Like billions of parasitic insect larvae, man is virtually eating himself out of house and home and contaminating his host, the earth, as he goes. To an outsider, earthling must seem bent on a fantastic suicide mission, destroying everything around him.
A trickle of concern has started emerging in recent years, but it may be too little too late. It is not so much a concern for individual creatures or species, but a concern which pleads for a new philosophy. In his dealings with nature, man must give as much as he takes, striving for a balanced ecology. This is man's greatest challenge.
If they must perish, let the rare and endangered species be the martyrs to eventually bring about change, but if they survive, let it be an indication that man is awakening to the challenge.
26 NEBRASKAland APRIL 1973 27
STATUS: Destruction of spawning and feeding grounds from silting and pollution has led to a rapid population decline. Over-exploitation may also have been a factor. No information is available as to its present population in Nebraska.
PROTECTIVE MEASURES: This fish is fully protected under state law.
MANAGEMENT: Little can be done to alter the habitat or improve conditions for the benefit of this fish, since major siltation and pollution problems would have to be solved in the entire Missouri River drainage system.
A rare animal, although not threatened with extinction, occurs in such small numbers in Nebraska that it may be in danger of extinction if the environment deteriorates.
The animal must meet at least one of the following criteria:
1. Habitat requirements are threatened and the animal is incapable of adapting to other habitats or environmental conditions.
2. The animal exists in small numbers because of specialized habitat requirements, and its numbers are declining.
3. The animal in Nebraska is endemic to a particular locality of specialized habitat, and if its habitat deteriorates, the animal can become endangered.
4. Current management practices are not adequate to prevent population decline, and there is need for additional studies and corrective measures to assure its survival.
5. Although only the edge of the animal's range lies in Nebraska, or the animal occurs only as a migrant, the animal does not exist anywhere else in the world in substantial numbers.
Rare Richardson's ground squirrel Eastern chipmunk Flying squirrel Southern bog lemming Meadow vole Eastern wood rat Greater sandhill crane Trumpeter swan Bald eagle Burrowing owl Pileated woodpecker Summer tanager Sage grouse Ruffed grouse Timber rattlesnake Western massasauga Pallid sturgeon Northern red belly dace Finescale dace Sturgeon dace Hornyhead chub Blacknose shiner Topeka shiner Golden redhorse Criteria for endangered speciesAn endangered animal is one whose existence and prospects for survival throughout its range are in immediate jeopardy because its habitat is threatened with destruction, over-exploitation, disease, predation or competition.
The animal must meet at least one of the following criteria:
1. Habitat essential for continued survival is threatened with destruction or disturbance, and the animal is in immediate jeopardy.
2. The species exists in such small numbers that reproduction is consistently less than mortality.
3. Use of toxic materials in animal-damage control or environmental pollution threatens survival of the species.
4. The animal occurs only as a migratory species in Nebraska and is listed as endangered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
Endangered Black-footed ferret Swift fox Whooping crane American peregrine falcon Lake sturgeon ProtectionSpecies on the endangered list have full protection under Nebraska law. Any person taking or hunting or attempting to take or hunt an endangered species is subject to the penalties set forth in sections 37-103 and 37-308 of the State Statutes.
28 NEBRASKAland APRIL 1973 29
Why We Still Need Wardens
Today's poacher is just as much a thief as a person who steals your personal belongings
PERHAPS the earliest record of game wardens dates back to the reign of Edgar, King of England during the latter half of the 10th Century: "...but in Edgar's Time...he having an elegant Taste prohibited Hunting his Deer, and appointed Officers to preserve all Game of the Table, in his Woods..."
Immeasurably more difficult to document is why, after 1,000 years of progress, it is still necessary to employ professionals to protect our interests from ourselves. It is easy to understand why, during Medieval times, game-law violators were abundant. Poaching the king's deer to feed a hungry family was justification enough at a time when the science of game management was still far in the future. Under standing today's violator, though is a thorny problem. Few members of our society are dependent on wild game as a food source, and the benefits of modern game management practices are generally understood by today's sportsmen. Why, then, have game-law violators persisted through the centuries? The psychological make up of these people defies description, and sportsmen who condone their acts are even more difficultto understand.
Today's game-law violator is just as much a thief as a person who breaks into your home and steals your belongings. Because of some quirk of our society, though, many people —even sportsmen —view wildlife theft in a different light. For many years, the game-law violator has enjoyed sanctioning by the citizenry at large, often viewed as a harmless fellow who shoots a deer now and then.
In this country wildlife is public domain-each of us has a stake in the deer that browse the river bottoms and the prairie grouse at home in the Sand Hills. The culprit who takes a deer in the headlights of his car or ground shoots a flock of young sharptails is not robbing some unknown entity, but is stealing what belongs to you and me. Much of our state and federal tax dollars, and most revenue from the sale of hunting and fishing permits, is channeled into the management, research and protection of our wildlife resources. Viewed in that context, each of us has a stake in what the violator sees fit to take.
Motel operators, restaurateurs, and other service-oriented business men who cater to sportsmen and tourists in search of wildlife, should be especially concerned about this filching of game animals. The violator is not only stealing your tax-supported wildlife, but is systematically eliminating the clientele of these businesses.
The sportsman is especially affected by game-law violators. Ethical hunters and fishermen spend time and money staying within the law. The violator, on the other hand, picks the easiest and least expensive way of filling his freezer with the game everyone else pursues within the guidelines necessary to assure a plentiful supply next season.
As long as man and his handiwork — sprawling cities and burgeoning agriculture—is around to disrupt the natural scheme of things, there will always be a need for man agement practices. By necessity, the implementation of these practices demands that certain steps be followed to insure the proliferation of wildlife. Until homo sapiens sees fit to develop a wildlife conscience, or at least recognize that game management measures are beneficial, he will need professionals to enforce game laws.
While game management deals largely with the resource —the land and the creatures on it —game-law enforcement is more complex because it involves humans. Game management concerns itself with creating the best environment for the perpetuation of wildlife. Enforcement, on the other hand, insures that management practices are followed.
Today's enforcement officers are highly trained professionals who use modern, sophisticated techniques and equipment. Detailed laboratory procedures, light aircraft and radio equipment, and other enforcement and surveillance techniques are used to serve the sportsman's interest.
A new innovation in game-law enforcement, developed recently by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, has already proven itself instrumental in illegal hunting convictions. Immunological tests make positive identification of blood or tissue samples possible. Laboratory rabbits inoculated with the blood of different game animals build an immunity (antibodies) to that blood type in much the same fashion as a human body will to different bacteria and viruses. Later, when blood is extracted from that test rabbit, it carries an antiserum specific for that animal's blood. When an unknown blood or tissue sample is placed on a slide with the antiserum, a characteristic reaction pattern develops, identifying the game animal from which it came. Using this technique meat from freezers, or blood on clothing, knives or cars can be identified and presented as court evidence.
Light aircraft are frequently used to help officers on the ground locate violators. Prior to, and during upland game seasons, officers patrol miles of country road by air. Shotgun-toting criminals intent on opening the season early or too lazy to leave their cars often discover that the steady drone overhead is more than the 7 a.m. Omaha-to-Denver flight.
Spotlights are visible for miles in the air and raVely escape the attention of officer-pilots. Jacklighters after big game or fur-bearing animals fight stiff odds and face the possibility of even stiffer court fines every time they plug their spotlights into the dashes of their cars.
Every year, duck hunters are surprised after downing an extra bird, to discover that the water fowler in the next blind has a badge under his hunting coat. During the last few years, over-limit trout fishermen have offered game wardens their extra fish, unlicensed bait vendors have sold them minnows, and commercial poachers have offered them illegal game only to find themselves stuffing a citation into their hip pockets. Much to the chagrin of many violators, the guy who is fly-casting nearby or goose-shooting next door is often a plain-clothed conservation officer.
The real key to locking the game law violator out of the picture is a concerned citizenry. Only when society views these people as it does other criminals can the problem be solved. It is, without question, easier to look the other way when you see the law broken than to become involved. Modern man is too large a part of the natural world to think that it will ever again maintain itself without protection from certain members of our society. If we want to start weeding out the undesirables from the ranks of the sportsmen, someone is going to have to start giving a damn. Someone is going to have to get involved. Rarely, in Nebraska, does the name of an individual giving information ever become public knowledge, but even if that were not the case, we should approach the matter just as we would in offering police assistance after a burglary.
Any sportsman who thinks the damage caused by game-law violators is insignificant should listen to James R. Vilkitis of Amherst, Massachusetts. His research indicates that only one percent of all violations afield are detected. Those figures, says Bob Havel of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, indicate that we lose 8,400 deer in Nebraska to illegal hunters each year. Next time you end a deer season without a buck, consider that and think twice when you see a violator in action.
Wallace Grange, author of The Way To Game Abundance, estimates that despite all educational efforts in the conservation field, five to 30 percent of the hunting public openly objects to game laws or deliberately violates them.
''Enforcement cannot restore habitats," he says. "It can only curb the often unbelievable persecutions and depredations of man. Let no one suppose that we do not need game wardens."
30 NEBRASKAland APRIL 1973 31
SOMEWHERE on the ridge road in Indian Cave State Park, an unmarked spur drops toward the river far below. Untraveled, unsurfaced, more of a trail than a road (and the April breeze fragrant with the spring earth, promising discovery), it was impossible for me to pass by.
The adventure quickly turned to disappointment, however, for the road ended in a turn-around a few hundred feet down the steep slope. It led nowhere, unless it was to that unfortunate old marker which leaned out among straight trees like an Indian trying to read the distance. Well, since I was there, I supposed I should stay; it might be worth at least a look.
As I got out of the car and stepped onto the soft ground, I was suddenly confronted with a revelation of flowers —adder's-tongues, white adder's-tongues everywhere.
For a moment I stood transfixed by the sight, wondering how they could have so long escaped my at tention. In the light wind the hillside snaked with these bright lilies. Had they really been there all this time, so plainly visible? Or had they conspired to hide in ambush, waiting for a signal to appear suddenly from behind the trees and dumbfound the winter-dead hills with a white announcement of spring?
It was a fine moment, the kind of experience that seizes the spirit and expels all other sensation, the kind of experience the memory retains in deathless form.
Years hence I will probably stand before another cold window, looking out across the infinite, snow-piled earth, that crowd of adder's-tongues still fresh and vivid in my mind, and wonder at the many discoveries the spring prepares. I will await the swift celebration and remember how it begins in the east ern hills along the Missouri, hiding among the trees and in protected places with bloodroot and lady's slipper, Solomon's seal and jack-in the-pulpit, sweeping the hillsides with Dutchman's-breeches and columbine. Sweet william is there and the violet wood sorrel, all the pink societies of spring beauty spreading west. The prairies bring forth the pasqueflower —in springs past so dense the pioneers called them prairie smoke. Harebells stud the Pine Ridge and prickly pear the dry places.
When I try to remember the inscription on that monument, or even its purpose, what comes back is not the stone, not even the awe such high-bluff places inspire with their far-flung views of man's comings and goings. I remember only the sight of a few flowers in early spring, a sharp moment which is like the memory of an old romance —brief, clear, untroubled.
Most of spring's fire passes unattended. But perhaps spring will step in upon some of us while we concern ourselves with trivials and not let us continue deaf, the hill sides, prairies and deserts all around us shouting "now!"
Tour of Nebraska's southeast starts at the Capitol...
Land of the Pioneer
Grand IslandFREE LAND LURED the settlers west, and good land kept them. Those courageous pioneers of yesteryear set a mode that is now a rule of life for their descendants today. Nebraskans and their guests can visit the special spot the nation has set aside to honor those tenacious, tough sodbusters who helped tame the plains by traveling the Blue Valley Loop to Homestead National Monument in Beatrice. The Capital City of Lincoln is the jumping off point of this southeast Nebraska jaunt. Here, the nostalgic mementos of yesterday blend with the trappings of the 20th Century to create a unique appeal to youngster and oldster alike. At one time or another, most Nebraskans have drawn in their breath in wonder while beholding the unique beauty of the architectural masterpiece that is the State Capitol as it rises from the prairie to dominate the horizon. Voted by a panel of architects as the fourth architectural wonder of the world, the Capitoi is generally the first stop for sightseers in Lincoln. Tours are conducted there almost hourly on weekdays, with ample times scheduled on weekends. However, the Capitol is but one of many attractions on tap in the hometown of the University of Nebraska and the mighty Big Red
... then swings through historic sites
and modern attractions
Land of
the
Pioneer
football Cornhuskers. Perhaps the best way to see those sights is to follow the city's Old West Trail approved City Circle Tour.
It leads to a diverse array of things to see and do. At fun-filled Children's Zoo,, kids of all ages can pet and touch many of the young animals roaming the area. And, while there, the youngsters can enjoy a ride on the miniature train that circles the perimeter of the zoo.
At the State Historical Society Museum, visitors can see the story of the winning of the West unfold in a variety of exhibits and dioramas. Nearby, the University of Nebraska State Museum's Elephant Hall offers a glimpse into the misty eons of time. Its unique exhibits run the gamut of prehistoric creatures and feature the restructured skeletons of the world's largest and smallest mammoths.
The self-guided tour also takes in such attractions as Sheldon Art Gallery, with its outdoor sculpture garden, and historic Kennard House. A stop at Fairview, the home of William Jennings Bryan, recalls the era of the "silver-tongued orator." Period furnishings and Bryan memorabilia fill the house. Sightseers will want to unlimber the camera at the picturesque Sunken Gardens. And, on the southwest edge of the city, Pioneer Park offers a look-see at some enchanting scenery and exotic animals, such as llamas.
After seeing the sights in Lincoln, take U. S. Highway 77 south from the city to catch the attractions along the Blue Valley Loop.
En route to Beatrice (a straight shot south of Lincoln on U.S. 77), turn west on State Highways 33 and 103 to Wilber, Nebraska's Czech Capital. Almost 80 percent of the population is of Czech descent, and proud of it. You can absorb the Old World atmosphere at their Czech Museum, which is chock full of costumes, relics and other treasures. And, the first weekend in August is always Nebraska Czech Festival time in Wilber, complete with all the trimmings.
The Czechs were but one of many peoples that helped tame the (Continued on page 64)
44 NEBRASKAland APRIL 1973 45
the Vicious Circle
Sutherland's Gerald Gentleman plant is another link in the chain whipping the battle between Gross National Product and Ecology to environmental climax
I REMEMBER seeing, quite a few years ago, a drawing which graphically illustrated both a realism and a popular idiom. It showed a beer-can top which had been severely altered with a punch-type opener. Each stroke had been positioned so that when the project was complete there remained, protruding inward from the rim, a circle of jagged metal spurs. Beneath his masterpiece, some anony mous artist had scrawled, "The Vicious Circle." I understood the ferocity of the device by imagining what would happen to a hand thrust through the open center. The idiomatic symbolism eluded me, however, until later when I realized each spur represented an in surmountable obstacle; you just couldn't win against such odds.
Having led something of a sheltered life, I doubt whether I ever expected to encounter a vicious circle, unless it was of the beer-can variety. And, until April 22, 1970, I avoided (primarily through ignorance) perhaps the most ominous example of all. But on that spring day three years ago, a lot of people found themselves entangled in the vicious circle of Gross National Product versus Ecology. If you will recall, April 22, 1970, was the first Earth Day when what a few elitists had known all along suddenly became common knowledge and an ecumenical problem in need of a solution. Our posh little planet was, and is in big trouble. Earth Day made that point abundantly clear. Things haven't been quite the same since, for as Thomas Wolfe once wrote: "You can't go home again." Our age of innocence has been deflowered. No longer can we allow our Gross National Product and our quest as a super-industrial society to rule our lives and the planet on which we live.
With Earth Day came the realization that there really isn't much left of the world we have taken for granted so long. Sensing devices tell us we have breathed our last clean air. There is little or no pure water left. And, our own greed tells us that we are not about to stem production of creature comforts for one minute to revitalize that elusive intangible called nature. Forests are now furniture and paper. Mineral deposits are television sets and second, third and fourth cars. Petroleum reserves are parceled out at 50 cents a gallon and 85 cents a quart. Progress rolls on with one hand tabulating the mounting consumer buying power, the other in its hip pocket. Mankind, in its search for the global "affluent society" has gone deaf and contracted a terminal case of stupidity.
We continue to tilt windmills. We salve our collective conscience and shaft Mother Nature two steps at a time. A Boy Scout troupe polices a roadside and collects thousands of pounds of rubbish while growing industries and communities turn our rivers into communal sewers. Native oil reserves hit all-time lows while new-car sales hit all-time highs. A point system is instituted on huntable waterfowl species to preserve their populations and provide sport hunters with the impetus to identify their game while the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation launches the Mid-State Project which will severely damage resting sites for migratory waterfowl, including sandhill and almost extinct whooping cranes. The Bureau proposes the Norden Dam which will inundate a naturally unique area. The U.S. Corps of Engineers lays plans to stabilize the last remaining wild stretch of the Missouri River for the same reason HiIlery cIimbed Everest: because it is there.
Reviewing such happenings, it seems only appropriate to borrow and slightly modify a Madison Avenue creation: "You've come a long way, baby," — backward. And to do so, we've had to have more of everything. Boil that down and it comes to the basic known as power. Take it one step further, and you reach the core —energy.
In the spring of 1972, the Nebraska Public Power District announced that Sutherland, a west-central town of 867 inhabitants, would be the site for the Gerald Gentleman power plant. In the days and weeks that passed, state and local officials reviewed the recommendations, finally reporting to NPPD that Sutherland was an acceptable site. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Nebraska State Historical So ciety pointed out that much of the state's pioneer heritage lies within a few miles of Bridgeport, a previously considered alternative. Jail and Courthouse rocks are just south of the town and Chimney Rock is a scant 12 miles west. Remnants of the Oregon and Mormon trails are found throughout the area. Expected ill effects of construction and eventual operation on these historical landmarks near Bridgeport made Sutherland more attractive.
On Tuesday, May 30, 1972, the Lincoln Evening Journal reported: "State Senator Terry Carpenter [of Scottsbluff] has urged opponents [of the site selection] to seek permanent injunctions against Nebraska Public Power District to prevent it from building its new $180 million power plant at the Sutherland Reservoir near North Platte.
"He said that all towns served by NPPD ought to take direct action in response to this action."
The next day, the same paper reported :
"Norman Christensen of Bridgeport attributed 'mounting' opposition to Sutherland's selection over his city to Carpenter's remarks earlier." Opposition in both Bridgeport and Bayard came in the form of a petition drive.
Don Jacobsen of the Greater Scottsbluff-Gering Chamber of Commerce said he would be interested in promoting a petition drive or "whatever it might take" to attempt to affect a change in the decision. And, Gering City Administrator Richard Kroon agreed that steps were necessary to as sure construction of the plant in the Panhandle area.
NPPD had said earlier that its reason for selecting Sutherland was based on ecological aspects of the Bridgeport site. Henry Kosman, himself a Panhandle resident from Scottsbluff, and NPPD board chairman, noted that Sutherland had been chosen in part be cause the company feared a fight over those issues, and that that fight might slow construction.
Reports indicated that peak construction would provide some 750 jobs and that construction supervision costs would run about $1 million a month. With such figures, the plant must have looked pretty inviting to an area where major industries are relatively limited. Attractive, too, were the 65 jobs and $70,000 monthly payroll that would be assured upon plant completion.
There is another aspect to be considered, however. Twenty years ago, or even 10, building a power plant could cure a passel of ills, both in the need for power and in the sagging job market. That is no longer true. You have to go way back beyond that particular plant to find out what's really going on. Electricity, it seems, is like much-revered federal money; few people know its source or its inherent dangers. Let's take an example.
A flood sweeps through a community, causing considerable damage. Several buildings are swept away, and several people are killed. When it's over, the town council, or whoever happens to
46 NEBRASKAland APRIL 1973 47
be in charge, takes one look at what has happened and begins drawing up forms to claim federal money for clean up and restoration. The local news media gets into the act with banner headlines proclaiming the application, then reports with equal gusto the approval of the application and the allocation of money. Delirious with gratitude, people of the area kneel down and give thanks unto benevolent Washington. It's a scene that repeats itself almost monthly in one configuration or an other throughout the nation, and it is good — to an extent. The problem is that people in general haven't the foggiest notion of where federal funds originate. They do not realize that if it were not for the inflated taxes they shell out hourly, there would be no such cash. In essence, they are falling on their knees to themselves. The money they are so thankful for is theirs as American citizens anyway, and the deification of a bureaucracy for doing what it was set up to do anyway borders on being ludicrous.
But enough pontificating. Listen to the experts who, until just a few short years ago, found their research data interesting to few outside the scientific community. Now the findings take on a frightening new perspective.
"What is certain is that the demand for energy will continue to increase, that the future supply conditions for the separate sources of energy are too uncertain to permit confident predictions and that many of the problems of energy policy will arise out of these uncertainties," says U.S. Energy Policies and Adjenda for Research by Resources for the Future, Inc., published in 1968.
"A review of recent estimates of future energy demands, and of the resources available to meet them yields several conclusions. 1 -Projections for demand of total energy tend to cluster in the range of 80 to 90 percent in crease from 1960 to 1980, and in the order of 200 percent from 1960 to the year 2000. 2-There is widespread belief that energy requirements in the next 22 years or more can be met without serious upward pressure on real costs. 3 —It is commonly assumed that pressure of demand will affect adequacy, first in the case of crude oil and natural gas, and that substitutes will be called for. 4 —The prospects for growth in specific energy sources are subject to much greater differences of opinion than in total energy. 5 —Nuclear energy, which is now a very small component of the total is projected to increase at a rapid rate as a source of electrical power. 6 —There are sharp differences in the time pattern of future changes in energy mix and prices."
What Resources for the Future said, in essence, is that there just isn't enough energy-giving material to last indefinitely at the rate we are going. It will take more and more money to buy a kilowatt hour or gallon of gas or tank of energy, and then there won't be enough money to buy any at all be cause there won't be any at all. A scant nine years earlier, though, at least one specialist didn't think things looked so bleak.
"...the portent of competitive nuclear energy may well be the challenge to the fossil fuel industry, for some sources could be priced out of the market long before their recoverable reserves are exhausted." Speaking was C. Keith Millen, in 1959 the Superintendent of Planning and Analysis for Electric Operations, Public Service Company of Colorado. His statements were made at the Frontiers for Research Western Resources Conference.
"The National Coal Association estimates 400 to 500 years' supply for the nation, minable at or near present-day prices, but this could be modified greatly by rising transportation costs. Concern over this one cost component has prompted a test program in which crushed coal in a water slurry is pumped toageneratingsiteviapipeline.
"Coal reserves in the four-state area of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming total some 375 billion short tons as of January 1953, according to the Minerals Yearbook. At the present time, our country is in a period in which the demand for coal has been greatly reduced, mainly because of diesel conversion in rail transportation and increased natural gas use in power plant boilers, and mines with great reserves have been closed down. It is perhaps true that coal reserves are dwindling in some areas of the country, but 375 billion tons should be suf ficient to serve this area's needs for many generations to come. There are 50 billion tons of coal deemed economically recoverable in Colorado. This should serve the present prediction of three million tons per year for 1 7,000 years. Looking ahead to 1975, the demands for Colorado's major coal-burning industries —utilities, steel and sugar — at that time could be served for 5,000 years. Coal is still potentially the cheapest, most abundant fuel resource we have to date."
Millen, like many utility employees working with fossil fuel availability 15 years ago, found it easy to boost the area in which he lived and worked, despite the effects their optimism might have on the land, and ultimately on man himself.
"The West is looking ahead to a rapid growth as industry seeks sources of more economic energy supply and as man continues to elevate his standard of living. The West stands ready to produce these energy requirements from its vast storehouses of resources not yet exploited in the 100 years of the Rush to the Rockies. With the successful development of extra-high voltage transmission methods, it is entirely conceivable that fuel-space areas on the Pacific Coast would receive future electric energy requirements via long distance transmission from giant thermal generating stations located in the resource-rich Rocky Mountain region. The federal government has an orderly program underway to assist the states and their local entities in developing water resources. To the extent possible, hydroelectric development is incorporated in these plans. However, the federal government is not a utility, and it is the responsibility of the electric utility industry to supply the energy requirements. Continued development of this vast, semi-arid segment of the United States is a natural sequel, and in a sense, a continuing of the pioneer ing that has been a stimulus to the national welfare and national prosperity for almost two centuries."
Of course Mr. Millen was speaking of coal reserves that would be used primarily in the Rocky Mountain states where industry was just beginning to take hold. His comments are appropriate here, however, to point out the change in thinking which has become evident throughout the electric industry and scientific community in less than 20 years. No longer do his parochial views hold true. No longer can coal fields and oil deposits be looked upon as the sole possessions of a single area. Rather, the entire nation must be able to partake of the fossil fuels recovered. Such dispersion, however, places an accelerated drain on the products.
"Since the earth's deposits of fossil fuels are finite in amount and non-renewable during time periods of less than millions of years, it follows that energy from this source can be obtained for only a limited periodof time." So says the Committee on Resources and Man, National Academy of Sciences, in its publication Resources and Man, published in 1969. "In the present study, it is estimated that the earth's coal supplies are sufficient to serve as a major source of industrial energy for two or three centuries. The correspond ing period for petroleum, both because of its smaller initial supply and because of its more rapid rate of consumption, is only about 70 or 80 years."
Nuclear energy has become the popular conception of a panacea for our power woes. The National Academy, too, turns to this "energy of the future," but with reservations.
"This leaves us with nuclear energy as the only remaining energy source of sufficient magnitude and practicability of exploitation to meet the world's future energy needs at either present or increased rates of consumption. Of the possible sources of nuclear energy, that from fusion has not yet been achieved and may never be. Power from the fission of Uranium-235 (U-235) is an accomplished fact...However, the supply of U-235 is such that serious shortages in the United States are already anticipated within the next two decades.
"...In the light of present technology, we are left, then, with the development of full-breeding nuclear reactors capable of consuming all of natural uranium or of thorium as our only adequate source of long-range industrial power. In view of the impending shortage of U-235, which is essential as an initial fuel for breeder reactors, it is urgent that the present generation of light water reactors using U-235 be replaced by full breeders at as early a date as possible. Once this has been done, power production from low-concentration deposits of uranium and thorium becomes economically practicable. The amount of energy represented by these sources is many times larger than that of the fossil fuels."
In their book, Population, Resources and Environment: Issues in Human Ecology, 1970, Paul R. and Anne H. Erlich examine dwindling fuel reserves and power-production contingencies perhaps a bit more broadly, if equally realistically.
"Our supplies of fossil fuels, coals, petroleum and natural gas are finite, [having definable limits] and will probably be consumed within a few hundred years, possibly much sooner. Coal will probably be the last to go, perhaps 300 to 400 years from now. Petroleum, including that in oil shales, will go much sooner. The most recent and thorough estimate by geologist M. King Hubbert gives us about a century be fore our petroleum reserves, including recent Alaskan discoveries, are depleted. Already we are being forced to consider more expensive mining techniques to permit utilization of the oil shales. We are living beyond our means, spending our capital, depleting what are essentially non-renewable resources. Furthermore, some organic chemists consider the burning of fossil fuels for energy production to be one of the least desirable uses for these large organic molecules. Petroleum and coal have many other uses in areas as diverse as lubrication and the production of plastics.
"...The world's potential production of hydroelectric power is roughly equivalent to the amount of power now produced by fossil fuels. There are, however, serious problems in utilizing it to the utmost. Much of the potential lies in under-developed countries where the power could not be used unless these countries became industrial ized, and global ecological factors in shortages of resources will prevent industrialization in most of them. Further more, hydroelectric power depends on dams which, under present conditions of technology, are temporary structures. In a few hundred years, sometimes much less, their reservoirs fill with silt and become useless. Finally, there is an aesthetic question. Do we wish to impound and control all the wild rivers of the earth?"
Solar and geothermal power sources
are two alternatives to the present use
of fossil fuels, but the former poses its
own special brand of problems in just
the mechanics, the Erlichs point out.
Sunlight, which would be converted to
power, must be gathered over large
areas, a serious obstacle in this crowded
world. For instance, a collector with a
capacity of 1,000 megawatts, enough
power to serve a city of around 1.5 million, would require approximately 16
square miles of space. Geothermal
sources, harnessing the energy emitted
by the molten core of the earth, are in
hardly more than the experimental
stages now. So, once again, nuclear
48
NEBRASKAland
APRIL 1973
49
generation gains the attention of those
who fear the disappearance of coal,
petroleum and natural gas.
The Erlichs:
"Prospects for major reductions in the cost of nuclear power in the future hinge on the possibility that safe and economical breeder reactors can be developed and on the more remote possibility that a successful thermonuclear fusion reactor can be produced. The time scale for availability and the ultimate cost of energy are uncertain possibilities. The breeder reactor would convert more unfissionable uranium and thorium to plutonium than it would consume as fuel for itself. Although breeder reactors would effectively extend our fissionable fuel supply by a factor of 400, they are not expected to become economically competitive with conventional reactors until the 1980s.
"The first major misconception about nuclear power is that it is dirt cheap. The second common misconception about nuclear power is that it can reduce our dependence upon fossil fuels to zero as soon as it becomes necessary or desirable. In fact, nuclear power plants produce only electrical energy and electrical constitutes only 19 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States in 1960. [More recently, it was estimated that Nebraska's need for electric power will double every 8V2 years.] Thus, the length of time that nuclear fuels can postpone the exhaustion of our coal and oil deposits depends on how much the use of electrical energy can be increased. The task is immense and revolutionary. It will require a conversion from engines fueled by petroleum products to elec tric or fuel-cell-powered transportation, conversion from coal and oil to electric heating and conversion to electrically powered industry.
"In the foreseeable future, however, coal, oil and gas heating plants are far more efficient than electric heat. All such conversions will take time and be extremely expensive. Nuclear energy, then, is a panacea neither for developed countries nor the underdeveloped countries. It may relieve, but not remove the pressure on fossil fuel supplies, and may provide reasonably priced power in certain parts of the world where those fuels are not abundant. It has substantial, if expensive, potential applications in increasing food production. It is clear that mankind, if it survives another century or so, will witness drastic changes in the use of energy sources. It does not appear, however, that availability of energy itself will place a limit on population growth, although difficulties accompanying the transition from one source to another might well do so. The ultimate limits to the use of energy, as suming radioactive pollution and other safety problems associated with nuclear energy can be solved, came not from its shortage, but from the problem of dissipating the heat to which all useful energy is ultimately engraded."
So, with the above quotes as a perspective guideline, the question be comes whether Nebraska, or any state for that matter, can afford the Gerald Gentleman Plant at Sutherland. Certainly it will be built, and in all probability, it should be, if for no other reason than to simply sustain our present standard of living and supply a growing demand for electrical power. But what price must we pay, not only as a state and nation, but as a people? Must our Gross National Product and our personal conveniences in 1973 obliterate the natural resources which generations yet unborn will need much more desperately than we?
According to the National Academy of Sciences, coal has been the principle source of the world's industrial power since 1800. They say, though, that a significant question concerning coal is "...not how long it will last, but rather over what period of time will it serve as a major source of industrial energy. In answer to this, we may eliminate the long periods of time at relatively low rates of production required to produce the first and last 10 percentiles of the ultimate cumulative production, and consider only the time span required to consume the middle 80 percent. For the United States, this means the 400 year period from about the year 2040 to 2440. These figures are approximate. If coal is used as the main energy source, it would take only one or two centuries to exhaust the world supply."
Fred Cotrell, in Energy and Society concurs that coal is the largest single source of energy being used in the world today. And for what? To convert that fossil fuel into calories or, more specifically, caloric energy. Cotrell cited mid-1950s statistics by way of explanation. At that time, the average production of a coal miner in the United States was 7.3 tons. When used in a modern steam generating plant, this coal would yield about 19,500 horsepower hours of energy. Even if burned in an average locomotive, which is only one-fifth as efficient, it would yield about 3,900 horsepower hours. Just to keep present generating plants in operation, it is going to take a lot of coal; then add the Gerald Gentleman plant to the growing list, drawing off the same dwindling reserves of minable coal. And keep in mind that it is our most plentiful fossil fuel.
These examples are of world-wide impact, and therefore of lesser importance to Nebraskans. Traditionally semi-isolationistic in viewpoint, residents of the state have escaped much of what is going on in the rest of the world concerning environmental disasters and the threat to the ecosystem. We have settled back and watched events play themselves to conclusion, secure in the knowledge that oil spills, choking air pollution and a noisy environment were far away. But the time for an ounce of prevention is upon us. Unless we become more aware of what has happened elsewhere and realize that it could happen here, then take steps to assure that it doesn't, we are in for a rough time.
The Gerald Gentleman plant will burn coal —a lot of it. Taken as an example of what can and will happen, it becomes vitally important in the national scheme of the dwindling supply of fossil fuels. It will become another link in the power chain in a nation comprising just six percent of the world population while consuming about 35 percent of the world's total electrical power.
Mention coal in Nebraska and a thousand minds envision "the dirty East." Indeed, the heaviest producers in the country have been Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky, with several other Southern and Eastern regions supplying large amounts. But the No. 1 coal state in the union lies less than a day's drive from Nebraska's northern border. North Dakota has become the kingpin in the search for economically minable coal. One deposit of lignite alone, the Fort Union formation, reportedly amounts to 5.5 million acres an area the size of the state of New Hampshire. These new fields spill over into South Dakota's Northwest with sizable deposits in Wyoming, massive formations in Montana, and some in Colorado. All areas are ideal for relatively economical mining operations since the coal lies close to the surface and can be stripped off. Unlike deep shaft mining where the surface above remains useful, stripping leaves a wake of slag and scars that render the land all but useless. Experiments with revitalizing such areas in Europe have met with limited success, but officials in the U.S. say that they will put the soil back in productive shape after they have removed the coal. At any rate, that problem belongs to North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. Right? Wrong!
These coal fields are attractive for two reasons. Their inherent minability because of the coal's close proximity to the surface is one of the big points. But, too, the coal is low in sulfur, a characteristic which makes it low in pollutants. This is most attractive to Eastern industries located where pollution laws have become most stringent. There is another factor, though, one which could directly affect Nebraska should it become a reality. Perhaps Not Man Apart, the official publication of the Friends of the Earth, a national protectionist organization, tells it best.
"It must be clear by now that some thing bigger is in the wind than Eastern demand for an occasional shipment of low-sulfur coal. That bigger something is the North Central Power Study, here after unaffectionately known as NCPS. We'll reserve the details for later. In a broad outline, NCPS is a joint project of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and 35 utilities that envisions 42 mine mouth, coal-fired power plants —21 in Montana, 15 in Wyoming, four in North Dakota and one apiece in Colorado and South Dakota. The combined capacity would be 53,000 megawatts enough in this sparsely populated and not notably industrialized region to provide for the present consumption of densely populated and heavily industrialized Japan. Transmission line rights-of-way, though a lot longer and thinner, would be the size of Connecticut. It would take a lot of water to cool these plants. The Environmental Defense Fund believes they would take 81 percent of the Yellowstone River's mean annual flow-more water than the river has in it in dry years. 'One of the major issues is going to be whether we dam the Yellowstone,' says James Posewitz of the Montana Fish and Game Department. 'The Yellowstone River is an exceptional trout fishery and the only major uncontrolled river in Montana.'
'The time has passed, praises be, when such a grandiose scheme would be greeted with acclaim by one and all. FOE's Ed Dobson quotes the University of Montana's Dr. Clancy Gordon, a foremost authority on stack emissions, to the effect that full implementation of NCPS might wipe out agriculture in the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas, down wind. Despite* the coal's low sulfur content, an Environmental Defense Fund study indicates that the NCPS plants would produce approximately 2.1 million tons of sulfur dioxide per year (which downwind farming areas would ultimately receive as sulfurous and sulfuric acids). EDG calculates also that the plants would produce from 94,500 to 787,000 tons of fly ash per year and as much as 1.87 million tons of nitrogen dioxide. Noting the direction of prevailing winds, Montana state representative George Darrow said of South Dakota's Black Hills, 'They will be black, black with soot.'"
Locally, the Bluestem Chapter of the Sierra Club has asked the Lincoln Electric System for assurance that antipollution devices be installed in the Gerald Gentleman plant before LES would purchase power produced there. And the Sierra Club and conservationist preservationist forces like them are working nationwide to stem the collision course with disaster onto which we have steered. But, progress marches on, regardless of the public outcry.
We know that we are verging on a period when our needs can no longer be supplied. Raw materials and fossil fuels are rapidly being depleted, and alternatives for either are a long way off. Yet we continue to press onward in search of an earthly Eden in electric gadgetry which demands fuel, and creature comforts which erode our ecological stockpiles. And we have little choice, for we are a nation dedicated to the proposition that the only way to go is an increasing Gross National Product. Perhaps, though, it has come time to falter in that pursuit; to slow down and take stock of where we are and where we are going. Population growth and economic affluence are our roads to ruin, and the necessity for the Gerald Gentleman plant at Sutherland Reservoir is just another link in the chain which tethers man to his own end. It is just one spur in our own private vicious circle.
BOY OF THE PRAIRIE
(Continued from page 13)of this hearing was to emerge a character whose name would spread from the Western frontier to all parts of the nation and, in future generations, would become a legendary hero to millions.
Justice T. M. Coulter's rap on the home made kitchen table pulled Monroe's attention away from the log walls of the room.
"The case of the Territory of Nebraska versus William B. Hickok, J. W. Brink and Horace G. Wellman will continue."
Horace Wellman and his wife operated Rock Creek's Overland Trail Station and Pony Express stop. "Dock" Brink was the stock tender, and Hickok was the stable hand. The land and buildings were owned by Monroe's father, Dave McCanles. Sheriff Hendee came into the room with Brink on one side of him and Wellman on the other. Immediately behind them strode the six-foot, two-inch, 180-pound Hickok, guarded by a deputy.
Hickok was wearing buckskin breeches with a red, silk sash knotted around his waist. Monroe had seen this sash many times, but this was the first time he had seen "Jim," as the boy had known him, without his ivory-handled gun butts protruding from the contrasting red band. The boy's gaze fell on Hickok's long hair and he wondered why he let it grow to shoulder length, and why the color of his eyes was neither brown nor blue like other men's, but instead a cold, blue-gray. Monroe knew the stories about Hickok's mustache, and tried to visualize what this man, now on trial for murder, would look like without it. It was a scraggly mustache. Monroe had been told that it hid a large, protruding upper lip under Hickok's very prominent nose. Before he had grown the mustache, Hickok had been nicknamed "Duck Bill" by Monroe's father. Hickok had always resented the nickname —and the man who had given it to him.
"John Hughes will come to the front of the room," announced Justice Coulter. This was the third Rock Creek resident to testify for the territory.
Monroe was sitting between his mother, Mary, and his uncle, James. His uncle had filed the complaint against the three defendants in the slayings of Monroe's father and two other men, James Gordon and James Woods.
The low, hard, backless bench was uncomfortable, and the boy wished he was sitting near one of the walls so he would have something to lean against.
Uncle James had told him that this was only a hearing, not a regular trial. This was the first criminal case to be tried in Nebraska Territory and neither side had a lawyer. If Justice of the Peace Coulter found the defendants guilty, Hickok and his accomplices would be held for more than two years awaiting the next term of the District Court. In that case, costs of housing and feeding the prisoners would have to be paid by residents of the county.
"I live just a mile from Rock Creek," Mr. Hughes was explaining. "I was the first one at the station after the shootings. Reckon I got there just a few minutes after it happened."
"Mr. Hughes, you have heard Martin Ney and Joseph Baker testify as to the locations of the bodies. Is there anything you can add to their testimony?"
"No sir. Not much anyway. Dave McCanles' body was lying on the ground just outside the door of a lean-to which had been added to the south side of the cabin. His cousin, James Woods, was in back of the cabin and a hired hand, James Gordon, was found near the creek to the north. All were dead of course."
"Did you notice any weapons, Mr. Hughes?"
"There were no guns near any of the three bodies when I got there."
Thus far the testimony had been pretty much the same. No one, except the men who were involved in the shootings, Mrs. Wellman, and Monroe could tell what had really taken place. There were no other eye witnesses.
"When will I be asked to tell what happened?" Monroe whispered to his mother. He had been aware of Mrs. Wellman standing in the door of the cabin, clapping her hands and yelling: "Kill 'em all! Kill 'em all!"
"He then told Jim: If you've anything against me, come out and fight me fair.'
"The next thing I knew, I heard a rifle shot and saw Father fall to the ground. As I leaned over him he tried to raise up and speak, but fell back to the ground.
"Jim had fired the shot from behind a curtain which separated the bedroom from the rest of the cabin."
Monroe's uncle asked him what happened then.
"That's when Gordon and Woods came running up. They had stayed at the barn while Father and I were at the cabin. When they came toward the cabin I saw Jim fire two shots at Woods from a revolver. He was only wounded. But then Wellman chased him around the north side of the cabin where he finished him off with a garden hoe."
The boy continued his description with out hesitating.
"Gordon turned to run when Jim shot him with his revolver. He shot him twice, too. Gordon crawled to the creek and there he was ended by a blast from Brinks' shotgun.
"Wellman came at me with the hoe. He was yelling 'Let's kill 'em all!' I dodged the blow and ran past Mrs. Wellman, who was standing in the doorway, clapping her hands and yelling 'Kill 'em all! Kill 'em all!'
"Then I hid for a while in a ravine before running the three miles home where I told Ma what had happened. She sent Tom Finian for you while she went to the station."
"Your Ma told me that Hickok refused to say anything when she asked him why he did it," said James. Then he added: "I guess one of the fellows at the trial hit it about right when he said 'that Hickok sure is a wild one.' Is there anything else you can tell me?"
"Only that none of us were carrying any guns," the boy replied.
"Well, lad, we'd best get busy. Your Ma wants to get some supplies tomorrow and you'll have to help her carry them back here. We'll build a lean-to for the supplies she buys and those in the wagon. Then we'll get some sleep. I'll leave about sunup and try to get back Thursday morning."
The boy spent the next day carrying supplies back to the lean-to, wishing he could put them directly into the wagon and not have to handle them twice.
Late in the afternoon, he noticed the storekeeper looking at his pocket watch. "It's half past five, Mrs. McCanles," the storekeeper remarked.
Suddenly the loss of his father fully struck Monroe. He recalled the prairie tradition that when a boy became 21 years old his father would give him a pocket watch. Monroe had hoped that when he was 21 he would get one of those new stem winders he had heard about. Now he realized that he wouldn't even get a key-wind timepiece. Monroe stayed in the cabin that night, but sleep came slowly. When he awoke in the morning he was almost as tired as when he'd gone to bed.
"I wonder if she'll tell Mr. Coulter that," Monroe asked himself as he left the mock trial.
The youngster stepped out onto the dusty trail in front of the cabin. It was mid-afternoon and the day's hearing should end soon. He circled the cabin and went to the clump of trees a short distance away where he and his uncle were camping. Monroe's mother was staying in the cabin which also served as hotel, cafe and jail.
Camp chores would keep young McCanles busy the rest of the afternoon. It was his responsibility to gather firewood which was abundant near their camp near the Blue River.
It wasn't long until the sounds of muffled voices and of teams being hitched to wagons told Monroe that the second day of the trial had ended.
"Let's eat supper at the cabin tonight," called James McCanles, as he approached their camp. "Then we've got a heap o' talkin' to do before we bed down."
On their way to the cabin, James explained to the boy that Jane Wellman had claimed that Brinks, Jim Hickok, and her husband had acted in self defense. "Naturally the defendants made the same claim," said James. "I did get a recess for two days, though, to give me some time to try to locate Noah Brown."
52 NEBRASKAland APRIL 1973 53
Monroe couldn't understand what good it would do for his uncle to bring back Rock Creek's school teacher, or anyone else for that matter. "After all." he thought, "me, Mrs. Wellman, an' them that done the killin' are the only ones who saw it. And they ain't about to tell the truth."
"Why won't Mr. Coulter let me tell what I know, Uncle James?"
"I don't know, boy. Maybe you'll get your chance on Thursday when I get back." After they had eaten and returned to camp, James told Monroe that he would have to take the team and wagon and leave early in the morning. "But right now I want you to tell me again just what happened last Friday."
"Well," started young McCanles, as he kicked a few pieces of wood back onto the fire. "I just got back to Rock Creek after a trip to the Missouri River with Mr. Wellman. I waited for father, who met me at about four o'clock. Mr. Wellman went on home. Father was glad to see me but acted worried when I tolcj him that Wellman hadn't been able to raise the rent money owed by the stage company.
"As we got near the station, Mrs. Wellman came to the door. Father demanded to see Wellman and when he refused to come out, Father threatened to go in and drag him out. That's when Jim Hickok came to the door.
"Father asked Jim if they hadn't been friends for a long time, and Jim said yes. Then Father asked for a drink of water. Jim went to get it for him, but then Father acted like he'd seen something strange inside the cabin. He moved quickly to the other door. "Sure hope your uncle gets back early today," said Mrs. McCanles. However, it was mid-morning before they heard the big wagon come rolling in.
"I couldn't locate Noah any place. I stopped to tell Coulter and he wants to get right on with the hearing," James McCanles explained. He stepped down from the wagon and handed the reins to Monroe. "I also asked Coulter why you haven't been allowed to testify, but he wouldn't tell me. I don't know why he issued a subpoena for you if he doesn't want to hear your story." Monroe helped unhitch the team, wondering what his uncle meant by a subpoena.
Employees of the stage company and local residents filled the room, far out numbering the visitors from Rock Creek. Justice Coulter restated the purpose of the hearing and explained that the witness for whom the recess had been called could not be located. "Costs of this hearing are al ready near $200. I see no reason for continuing any longer," he stated.
"Mr. Coulter," yelled James McCanles as he jumped to his feet. "I would like to have you listen to what my nephew has to say. He's the only living witness that will tell the truth."
James McCanles' violent objection was disregarded by the justice. "I believe there has been sufficient testimony given by both sides," Coulter replied. "On the basis of the testimony given, it is my decision that there is not enough evidence to warrant holding the defendants for the next term of District Court."
Employees of the stage company swarmed around the defendants. The confusion was terrifying for young Monroe, who couldn't understand why these people would be congratulating the three murderers. Monroe's mother explained to him that the hearing was over, that Brinks, Well man and Hickok were ruled not guilty. The boy raced out the door and all the way to the camp. By the time his mother and uncle arrived he had already started loading the wagon.
Trail dust seemed to rise in little swirls from under the wheels of the heavy wagon. Monroe watched the dry dirt attach itself to the wheels, then slide back down the iron rims as the wheels continued turning. Monroe's mother and his uncle talked for a while about the hearing, then fell silent.
Monroe was glad. Everything had happened so fast the past week that this was the first time he'd had a chance to relax. Now that the hearing had ended, he suddenly realized how tired he really was. Monroe settled down on the floor of the
wagon and lay his head on a sack of supplies. But there were too many unanswered questions going through his head to let sleep come easily. Why were there so many Overland employees present at the trial? Did the fact that this was the most influential company in the territory have any bearing on dismissing the charges? Did the lack of court funds and jail facilities have anything to do with Justice Coulter's decision? Why did Coulter allow Mrs. Well man to testify in favor of the territory? And, above all, why hadn't he been allowed to give his testimony and to listen to that of the defendants?
Monroe sat up and started to speak. "Mother..."
Then he realized that his uncle and his mother were asking themselves the same questions, questions that would never be answered. He slumped back down among the gunnysacks and fell asleep.
Young Monroe McCanles had no way of knowing at the time that a few months later, Justice Coulter would be arrested and convicted for failure to turn over to his successor as county treasurer, more than $500 in public funds. Or, that Monroe's Uncle James, now driving a wagon across the hot, dusty, Nebraska prairie, would help lay out the town of Florence, Colorado, and be come a U.S. Senator from that state. Neither could he know that the casual statement: "That Hickok sure is a wild one," was the origin of one of the most famous nicknames of the West. Nor, that the Jim this boy of the prairie knew as his father's killer, would become a famous frontier marshal — that the name and reputation of Wild Bill Hickok would become a legend to outlive all memories of a triple slaying and an unorthodox hearing that may have helped make a hero out of a frontier murderer.
FUNNY LITTLE BOX
(Continued from page 15)banked on the 50-percent chance that they would come back down the ravine to my right. I proceeded in that direction and worked my way up under a protruding granite boulder next to the anticipated route. I cautiously moved my head and gun around the corner. Suddenly, to my right, there appeared a hen-not more than 10 yards away. The start she gave me was worse than the kind you get when you are surprised by a large muley crashing out of the quakies under your feet. No way could I have shot. The hen took off up the ravine and, when I stood up, I saw her join the others and watched them all disappear over the rim of the next ridge. What now?
I figured my last chance with this flock was to implement John's plan. I would wait a few minutes to let them quiet down, then pursue, hoping to surprise them just over the crest of a ridge. At the first ridge I found them just out of range. From then on it was like a game of roller coaster. Just as I topped APRIL 1973 a ridge, they topped the next one. The game soon grew old and I was about to drop from exhaustion. I gave them up. I found out later that Denny had been pursuing the same flock, but the birds had given him the shake, too.
I retraced my steps until I again reached the top of my first ridge. After surveying the terrain, I glanced at my watch and noticed it was 7 a.m. Pursuit of the game, and the warm rays of the sun affected me, and I found myself lying on my back with my head resting on a rock. My hand fumbled with something in my pocket —the call — and I placed it oh my chest. How ridiculous, I thought. That funny squawk. What was It? Churrup. Churrup. Churrup. The sound went out as I stroked the cedar plate. Then, closing my eyes I drifted into semi-sleep.
Gobble, gobble, gobble! My eyes opened as I heard the unexpected sound. I seemed to be dreaming. Again. Gobble, gobble, gobble! No mistake!
The events that followed are still vivid in my mind, more so than any hunting experience I can recall. The calls were coming from my left, not too close, but I was afraid to move. Remembering some bits of turkey calling advice I had heard somewhere, I would have to wait five minutes before calling again. Checking my watch it was 7:05. Lack of time and space prohibit me from writing about the tension and anxiety I experienced during those five minutes, and the many five-minute intervals that followed. From where I was, the bottom of the ravine to my left was about 75 yards away. From the bottom of the ravine to the top of the next ridge was a good 175-yard distance. The top of that ridge was covered with boulders and I remember so well that beautiful bird slipping out from behind one of them after my second call.
Each time I would call, he would flare his tail, stiffen and shake all over. At one point he went behind some trees, and I took the opportunity to slide down the hill to hide behind some yucca cactus, and to get my gun ready. Then, just as he came into view again, I realized I had left my chalk in my coat up the hill. My calls now sounded more like ducks than love-sick hen turkeys, but this didn't seem to deter his steady, determined march toward me. It was 7:20. He reached the trees near the bottom of the ravine, and there were long periods of time when he was out of sight. This definitely added to my anxiety. Time passed. Minutes seemed like hours. My strained muscles began to ache. Sharp cactus points found their way into my skin. Then he would appear again, and all such unpleasantness left my mind.
Sporting a Browning superimposed, full choke, three-inch magnum loaded with number 2s, I marked a spot which I guessed to be about 25 yards downhill from me. This is where I would shoot him. As he started up the slope toward me, I realized how steep the incline was, and he had to crisscross the slope to get to me. This took more time. I continued calling and he
continued gobbling, although I don't know why. My calls sounded terrible. I had to press hard to get any sound, and the squawks were more like squeaks, but on he came. Finally he reached that predetermined spot.
I was surprised by his size, I remember, as I sighted down the barrel. At 7:45, the roar of the magnum raked the silent hills, and Tom went down in a flurry of feathers. I raced down the hill. Actually, it was a controlled fall.
He was still alive and at full height as I approached, and his size and not-so-handsome head made me put on the brakes. What an enormous bird! In a matter of seconds it was all over. Silence again. I was sure I had just experienced the thrill of a lifetime for a turkey hunter and I had only been at it for an hour and a half. After walking the distance, I found that my 25-yard estimate stretched to an actual 40.
I was again reminded of his size as I carried him on my back toward the windmill. Another shot broke the silence as I approached the meeting place. It was far off and I wondered who had been the lucky hunter. The shot came from John and Doug's direction.
At 9, Denny came in, and I related the story of the kill to him. He seemed more interested in the Tom I had stalked than the one I had shot, and soon he departed.
The weather turned. Skies were gray and the wind came up. Rain began falling and soon I was wet because I had left my rain gear in the motel. I walked back to the car with Tom, drove back to town, changed my clothes, took a snooze, and then drove back out to meet the rest.
Everybody had seen turkeys and Doug was the other lucky hunter. He and John had surprised the Tom and some hens as they had rounded a large bluff.
As we drove back to town I began, shall we say, to rub it in. "It's a snap," I began. "All you need is a funny little box. Leave the chalk at home. It's just added weight. Find yourself a warm, sunny knoll, lay down and take a nap. Rouse yourself every five minutes or so and chirp on the call. When you feel rested, roll over on your side and shoot yourself a Tom. Get back to the motel early, take another snooze, clean up, and have a hot lunch. It's a snap!"
"You were just lucky," they all chimed in. Only Doug agreed that the real hunters had proven themselves that day.
My bird checked in at 21 pounds and had a nine-inch beard. Doug's was about the same size. Doug left for home that night. In the morning, we went to the forest again to try to fill John's and Denny's licenses. They wouldn't try my method and, needless to say, we headed home at noon with just my bird.
I'll always remember that hunt, although my buddies might think it best forgotten, but you can bet two hunters from eastern Nebraska will be heading toward Chadron this April, each one armed with a funny box —price, $2.98.
where to go... Lincoln Circle tour
TAKE JUST about any town in Nebraska, and rest assured there are many things to see and do within a given radius, but one of the busiest is Lincoln. Located in the populous eastern third of the state and the capital of Nebraska, this second largest city is a sure pleaser for those who visit here. Lincoln has a lot of past, plenty of present and an exciting future, so it follows that its tour is broken down into two parts —Inner-city and Outer-city. The two segments run together, though, offering a slice of each for all those on the Live A Little In Lincoln City Circle Tour.
Starting with the Inner-city tour, you enter Lincoln from Interstate 80 on Interstate 180 to the downtown area and begin the tour at the new County City Building (No. 1 on the map) at 555 South 10th Street. This multi-million-dollar structure utilizes the principle of a close working relation ship between governmental agencies, and a glance into the ultra-modern structure is a must. Not far from the seat of local and tounty government is the Thomas P. Kennard Home (No. 2). The restored residence of Nebraska's first Secretary of State, the house today serves as a statehood memorial and is open to the public year-round. Only several blocks west is the present Governor's Mansion (No. 3) just across the street south from the Capitol (No. 4). The mansion, too, is open to the public throughout the year, and the Capitol provides regularly scheduled tours. Lincoln's tallest and most famous building, the Capitol has been heralded by architects around the world as a unique example of the builders' art.
Take L Street and Capitol Parkway to 27th Street for a visit at the Sunken Gardens, Antelope Park and Children's Zoo (all No. 5). The Sunken Gardens add a sylvan setting to the center of Lincoln while the park features a separate zoo with ample room to roam. Children's Zoo appeals to children of all ages with common and rare animals and a special feature which allows many of the animals to be handled.
Around the country, railroading is once again gaining favor as more and more buffs take up the avocation of watching trains and collecting railroad artifacts. The restored Rock Island Rail road Station (No. 6) is guaranteed to bring back memories of early railroading. Now a drive-in bank, the station also boasts a gift shop at 20th and O streets.
From the station it is only a few blocks to the fountains of the 15th Street Mall in downtown Lincoln. This area links the Nebraska State Historical Society building on the north with the State Capitol on the south. In between is Pershing Municipal Auditorium, headquarters for conventions and show-time activities. Just north of downtown on the University of Nebraska campus is Memorial Stadium (No. 8), home of the mighty Cornhusker football team. Twice national champions and consistent Big 8 conference contenders, Big Red's trophies galore are the main attraction at the Cornhusker Coliseum (No. 9). The world's
largest elephant also calls NU home and is on display in Morrill Hall. Here, too, is a broad selection of wildlife dioramas and artifacts from the early cultures of Nebraska (No. 10). And Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Gardens bring good contemporary art into focus through all the artistic media (No. 11).
Beginning the Outer-city tour, take 9th Street south to South Street, turn right to Van Dorn and discover Camp Minis Kuya Boy Scout Camp (No. 13). Sprawling Pioneers Park lies just west of the camp. Follow Van Dorn to South Coddington, turn left, and watch for the entrance signs. Wildlife, a golf course and bridle paths are among attractions at Pioneers Park (No. 14). Retrace your path on Van Dorn to U.S. Highway 77 to reach the State Penal Complex (No. 15). Tours are available with prior con firmation. Just across the highway east is one of Lincoln's new, modern in dustrial parks (No. 16).
Swinging east on Sheridan Boulevard, you'll find the Cathedral of the Risen Christ (No. 17). A marvel of modern architecture, the cathedral is open daily. Continuing southeast on Sheridan to 48th Street, and turning south will take you to Union College (No. 18). Then take 48th Street south to Pioneers Boulevard, turn east to 70th and then north to Holmes Park (No. 19) with its acres of boating, golfing or just quiet relaxing. Return to 48th Street via Normal Boulevard and turn north to discover the restored home of William Jennings Bryan (No. 20). Drive south and east on Cotner Boulevard and A Street to the East High School and Park on 70th (No. 21).
From East High, drive north to O Street, then west to 66th. Take in the sprawling Gateway Shopping Center before continuing north on 66th to Cotner and Havelock Avenue and the Havelock Shops of the Burlington-Northern Rail road (No. 22). The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company is nearby on 56th Street off Seward Street (No. 23).
Nebraska Wesleyan University is just a few blocks south on 56th Street. This university welcomes all comers to its impressive planetarium and other facilities (No. 24). For a visit to the University of Nebraska's East Campus (agricultural), drive south on 48th and west on Holdrege (No. 25). Also on the East Campus is the Nebraska Center for Continuing Education (No. 26). The last stop on the tour is the State Fair Grounds (No. 27) just north of the intersection of Holdrege and 17th streets.
NEBRASKAland
APRIL is a mixing time, with improving weather signalling the beginning of summer activities, but with many indoor events still vying for attention. Everything from elephants at the final performance of the Shrine Circus in Lincoln April 1 to racing horses, dogs, fish, and a flea circus come up. With April considered the best fishing month of the year, even archers can get in on the action starting April 1, and snaggers have until the last day of the month to ply their sport. Archers will also be involved April 8 during the state archery tournament in Norfolk.
One of the most popular sites for fishing, as well as many other outdoor activities, is Lewis and Clark Lake and al! its environs. The photograph on the opposite page, shot by NEBRASKAland's Bob Grier, shows a small group of sight-seers on a scenic lookout west of Gavins Point Dam at the east end of the reservoir. This afternoon mood repeats itself day after day on the lake, and many tourists visit the area year after year.
Fee trout fishing at two state areas, Two Rivers and Soldiers Creek, opens April Fools Day, and Wesleyan University in Lincoln honors that day with a concert in Elder Gallery. Several field trials ensure that sporting dogs get a APRIL 1973 little exercise and a chance to show their stuff, with the grounds at Malcolm the scene for three events.
Horses racing at Fonner Park in Grand Island are not the only equine stars, as they will also be the basic ingredients at the University of Nebraska rodeo and horse show April 12 through 15, the Maywood Trail Ride April 29, and a pony show in Lincoln April 26 and 27. Several musical and dramatic presentations promise their own type of excitement, and special art shows are slated for Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, and Sheldon Art Gallery and Wesleyan University in Lincoln.
Among stage presentations drawing the spotlight during the month are musical puppet shows in the afternoon and evening April 1, sponsored by the Lincoln Community Playhouse, and Memorandum, a modern comedy which becomes entangled in red tape at the University of Nebraska April 27, 28 and 30. A second show scheduled by the Lincoln Community Playhouse April 27 and 28 will feature a gallery classic by a guest director, and Wesleyan University will be the site of performances of Candida April 26 through 29.
The days may not be long enough to fit in all the hectic activities, but they will be a little longer starting April 29 with the arrival of Daylight Saving Time. On that same day, Nebraska's own holiday —Arbor Day —will be celebrated at its place of origin, Nebraska City. Each year the observance takes on more significance and prestige.
Although the ice will hopefully be gone by April, the Omaha Knights play two home games on indoor ice as the hockey season comes to an end. These contests are against the Fort Worth Wings April 4 and the Tulsa Oilers April 7.
Musical programs are liberally sprinkled throughout the month, with both the University of Nebraska and Wesleyan featuring recitals, ensembles, bands and choruses. The Omaha Symphony Music Hall features the symphony with chorus April 24.
The outdoors beckon with special magnetism after the doldrums of the cold season.
In addition, many communities across the state have various school and civic programs to absorb people's spare time. Spring is a pleasant and busy time in Nebraska, bringing with it a renewal of interest and ambition even to the most lethargic armchair athletes.
List of Events 1 —Shrine Circus, Lincoln 1 —Musical Puppet Show, Lincoln Community Playhouse 1 —April Fools Concert, Wesleyan University, Lincoln 1 —Jaycees Home Show, Norfolk 1 — Put-and-take Trout Fishing Opens, Two Rivers and Soldiers Creek 1-28 —Horse Racing, Fonner Park, Grand Island 1-22 —Colorado-Nebraska Artists, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha 1-3 —Shakespeare First Editions, Sheldon Art Gallery, Lincoln 1-November 30 —Archery Fishing for Game Species Opens, Statewide 3 —Flute Recital, April Erickson, Wesleyan University, Lincoln 4 —Angus Show and Sale, Broken Bow 4 —Omaha Knights vs. Fort Worth Wings, Ice Hockey, Omaha 5 —Spring Orchestra Concert, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 6 —Brass Choir and Brass Ensemble, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 7 —Omaha Knights vs. Tulsa Oilers, Ice Hockey, Omaha 7 —German Shorthaired Pointer Club of Lincoln Field Trial, Malcolm 7-8 —Flea Market, State Fairgrounds, Lincoln 8 —State Archery Tournament, Norfolk 8 —Recitals, Morris Collier, Dr. Norman Sunderman and Lyle Juracek, Wesleyan University, Lincoln 9 —Faculty Brass and Woodwind Quintets, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 12 —Symphonic Band Concert, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 12-15 —Rodeo and Horse Show, University of Nebraska, State Fairgounds, Lincoln 14—Nebraska Dog and Hunt Club Trial, Malcolm 14 —Beaux Arts Annual Costume Ball, Lincoln Community Playhouse 15 —Fishing Opens, DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge 15 —Band Concert, Wesleyan University, Lincoln 19 —Varsity Glee Club, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 21 —University of Nebraska vs. Kansas State, Rowing Meet, Lincoln 21 —Ham Day, Cambridge 21 —Blue Valley Beef Revue, Fairbury 21 —Town and Country Day, Gordon 21-May 27 —American Porcelain Tradition, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha 24 —University Singers Concert, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 24 —Recital, Dr. and Mrs. Cary Lewis, Wesleyan University, Lincoln 24 —All Rachmaninoff Symphony and Chorus, Omaha Symphony Music Hall 26-27 —Capital City Pony Show, State Fairgrounds, Lincoln 26-29 — Candida, Wesleyan University, Lincoln 27-28 —Home Show, Neligh 27-28 —Gallery Theater, Lincoln Community Playhouse 27, 28 and 30 —University Theater, Memorandum, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 27-29 —Weekend Music Festival, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 28 —Cather Spring Conference, 100th Anniversary, Red Cloud 28-Open Breed Pointing Dog Club of Nebraska Field Trial, Malcolm 29-Daylight Saving Time Begins, Statewide 29 —Trophy Trap Shoot, Papillion 29 —Arbor Day National Awards Ceremony, Nebraska City 29 —Maywood Trail Ride, Maywood 29 —Holiday Festival, Fleming Brothers Exposition, State Fairgrounds, Lincoln 30 —Snagging in Missouri River Closes 61
WHEN THE CARP RUN
(Continued from page 11)Roy and Jab were paired off, competing a bit, arguing a lot. Jab was winning. He had already stuffed a half a dozen 21/2-pounders into his gunnysack. Roy only had one.
"It's easy to stay ahead of you, Roy," Jab mused. "When you get too many I just cut your line. Haven't had to do that, though. You couldn't catch one today if it landed in your lap. Why don't you move up above and let your line drift down in front of me," Jab suggested.
"That way you'd get down where I'm at with your line," Roy retorted. "What's the matter? You think you've got your hole fished out? Besides, every time you'd land one you'd disturb my bait. No siree, I won't."
Jab's ancient bamboo flyrod twitched ever so slightly. He swears you can't feel that preliminary mouthing on any other rod. A snap of the wrist and the two-pounder was as good as in the net.
Perched atop one of the pilings most of the morning, Russ Crumley epitomized boyhood on warm summer days. He wore old tennis shoes with the tongues missing, faded blue jeans speckled with mud and a red baseball cap. And for a 14-year-old, he was doing alright. In fact, he was the only mixed-bag fisherman around. His bike was loaded down with bait buckets and fishing rods bristling from the rear. He was only too glad to stop along the canal on his way back toward town to heft his stringer of catfish, drum and carp for the older anglers to see.
Russ stopped and laughed at Larry Baum gart. At first it looked as if Larry had abandoned the traditional hook and line approach for hand fishing. Only a pair of dangling legs showed as he hung over the piling to retrieve a snagged line. Larry did alright on the carp, once he borrowed some No. 6 hooks from Ralph, retrieving the bronze-colored carp with regularity.
Francis and Jim finally drove in and be gan unloading an assortment of gear from the trunk of their car. An aging gunnysack showed that they had come to fish in ear nest. Retired and in their 70s, they spend much of their summer time with fishing rods in hand.
Like most carp fishermen, they were us ing homemade doughballs of mysterious making, guaranteed to adhere to the hook the best, smell the worst and catch the most. Jim's concoction had a ground corncob base with cornmeal, cotton, vanilla, anise and all the other ingredients that go into doughball mixes.
"You've got to use a smaller doughball," Jab lectured, as he rebaited after landing another carp. "About half the size of a marble is right, just enough to cover the hook's point, barb and bend. That way it's easy to set the hook with just the slightest mouthing. A No. 8 hook is about the right size. Most carp fishermen use way too large a hook."
Jab landed his sixth carp, dumped his gunnysack of fish into Roy's basket and called it a morning.
Meanwhile, a hundred yards down stream, Francis and Jim were methodically filling their gunnysack. The friendly feud that characterized Jab's and Roy's fishing was noticeably absent as they quietly landed one carp after another.
Two housewives arrived with their flock of young, each one equipped with appropriate gear. The youngsters fanned out on the concrete banks just below the power plant to absorb the noonday heat.
The parade continued. From early morning until well after dark, hopeful anglers arrived with only most basic equipment and, without fail, left with a heavy load of carp.
Roy's luck took a decided turn for the better once Jab left. Perhaps it was because he had the hole to himself now, but more than likely because he was able to devote full attention to fishing, rather than the good-natured kibitzing that had occupied his time before.
Things weren't going quite so well for Francis and Jim, though. The bottom of their gunnysack had ripped open and their 12 carp had slipped back into the canal. Undaunted by the loss, they dug to the depths of the car trunk and withdrew a new bag. After testing its strength, they began filling that one.
Gene Miller, while he was a fisheries biologist for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, conducted a carp angling study. He concluded that carp do not hit as well in larger, deep areas like below the power plant at Monroe when the water temperature is below 38 degrees. When the temperature ranges from 39 to 50 degrees, however, these areas can be highly productive. When the water is warm, tailwater areas are especially productive. He also found that carp fishing, in lakes especially, is best from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. He suggested using as little a weight as possible with canned corn or doughball made of corn for bait.
By mid-afternoon, Roy had filled his fish basket to overflowing and was starting to do the same to a stringer he pulled from his pocket.
"Boy, will the neighbors back in Millard be upset when I return with all these fish," Roy thought out loud. "I was supposed to bring a few of them up here with me this year, but I left at 4:30 this morning and really hated to get them up when I didn't know if the carp were running or not. I was beginning to think the fish might not be biting here before I left for Canada next week."
Roy is the kind of guy you like to watch because he catches fish so well, be it walleye in northern Canada or carp by the bushel in Nebraska. Boyish delight completely unexpected because of his 76 years spreads over his face every time he hooks a carp. He called it quits late that afternoon as the night shift of fishermen flocked to the pilings. "Got 34 today," he beamed as Ralph walked down the road with him on his way home for dinner. "Must have lost twice that many and I had hundreds of nibbles."
"Usually I just skin them, score them deep and cut them into eating-size pieces," Roy answered, when Ralph asked how to cook the bony fish. "The real secret, though, is to have fairly thin slices of fish and grease just as hot as you can get it. That way the small bones just crystalize and you don't have to fight tr\em. The taste of these canal carp compares well with channel cats, once you get rid of the bones."
Two new anglers took Roy's place on the pilings even before the dust behind his car settled. Jab would more than likely be back. Earl Warner drove up about the same time Dan Laudenklos landed his first carp. Bud Taylor had run out of seed corn and stopped by to see how things were going. Dusk settled in.
There was no dance that night, and it had rained too much lately for any fires, so more than likely the pilings would be full to night. It was just like Ralph said —"Draws a better crowd than the school picnic."
GET OUT AND WALK!
(Continued from page 16)sometimes we receive complaints that if a lake or stream cannot be reached by car, old people can't fish there. You'd be surprised how many "old" people are willing to walk to these out-of-the-way haunts — even more so than young folk. Much of our public fishing water is, in fact, easily accessible, and if some is not so easy to reach, that's good too because it encourages them to get out and walk.
The Game Commission has 240 miles of roads or trails on public wildlife areas, most all of them open for public use. Once firmly established, these trails must be maintained by the Commission for all time to come unless they are closed for some reason or transferred to the control of another agency. Since our budget is rather static, even though most costs continue rising, we must be conservative in our thinking when it comes to construction of new roads and trails. Furthermore, we must continually examine our roadways in the light of the possibility of abandoning those which no longer serve useful purposes. On occasion, we find two or more trails leading to the same destination, yet still we maintain them all for no reason except that "it has always been that way."
We don't envision any major policy shift in providing access on public hunting lands and fishing waters. On the other hand, we feel that outdoor needs are sometimes best met by excluding rather than constructing roads.
Another aspect should be mentioned. People often press us for more than one en
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trance to or exit from an area. As the problems of vandalism and misuse of these areas increase, it behooves us to restrict entry and exit to one location. This enables us to better control the area's use.
One of the dilemmas wildlife land man agers constantly face is the popular concept that recreational areas should be managed for vehicular rather than pedestrian use. But it just isn't true. The best way to enjoy the outdoors is to get out of your car and walk.
So, when you visit our wildlife areas, keep this in mind and ask yourself: would more roads or trails really make the area more beautiful? Is it right to extend a road to every corner of an area just because the bulldozer is there to do it?
LAND OF THE PIONEER
(Continued from page 45)prairies. It took all kinds to win the West, some good and even some bad.
You can visit the site of one of the most controversial events in the annals of Western history by simply following Nebraska Highways 41 and 15 from Wilber to Fair bury. At Rock Creek Station near Fairbury, James Butler (Wild Bill) Hickok blasted his way into the legends of the West. He became one of the most feared and admired, despised and praised figures of his day. Was he a hero or a villain? It is difficult to say, for the answer is shrouded in the conflicting stories of the happening. In any case, it was at Rock Creek near Fairbury where Wild Bill Hickok gunned down Dave McCanles and two companions.
There's history of another more peaceful but nonetheless rugged sort to be found at Homestead National Monument, the final stop on the Blue Valley Loop. Simply take U.S. Highway 136 from Fairbury to Beatrice, where Nebraska Highway 4 leads to the monument four miles from town.
Homestead encompasses the land staked out by the nation's first homesteader, Daniel Freeman, in 1862. Both Freeman and his wife are buried there atop a small rise at the far edge of the grounds. At the Visitor Center/Museum, you will find displays of the "conveniences" that helped make life tolerable for the pioneer. Push-button tapes provide instant narrative on many of the items and their history. A stroll through the grounds will take you to the site of Freeman's actual cabin to an authentically furnished log cabin that has been moved onto the area, and past an exceptional display of antique farm equipment and machinery.
On completing the tour, you can swing back to your starting point at Lincoln, just 40 miles north on U.S. Highway 77, or you may choose to take in a few more sights to the past. Beatrice is just 52 miles from the historic river town Brownville, via U.S. Highway 136. And, there are plenty of things to take in along the wide Missouri. Whatever your pleasure, you'll find some thing to your liking along the Blue Valley Loop and throughout the land of the pioneer in southeast Nebraska.
NEBRASKAland TRADING
Acceptance of advertising implies no endorsement of products or services. Classified Ads: 18 cents a word, minimum order $3.60. June 1973 closing date, April 9. Send classified ads to: Trading Post, NEBRASKA Iand, 2200 N. 33rd St., Lincoln. Nebraska 68503, P.O. Box 30370. DOGS AKC hunting dogs. Irish setter, English springer spaniel. Pups and dogs. Breeding stock and stud service. Also Westie and Basenji. Kirulu Kennels, Hebron, Nebraska 68370. Phone (402) 768-6237. DRAHTHAARS: (German Wirehaired Pointers) If you can only have one hunting dog—make it a Drahthaar. Sagamore Kennels. Office 501 Jeffery Drive, Lincoln, Nebraska 68505. Phone, (402) 466 7986. ENGLISH pointers. Excellent gun dogs. Pups, dogs, and stud service. M. D. Mathews, M.D., St. Paul, Nebraska 68873. GERMAN Shorthair pups. Top field trial and hunting bloodlines. Don Sallenbach, M.D., Gibbon, Nebraska 68840. Phone (308) 468-5822. HUNTING DOGS: German shorthairs, English pointers, Weimaraners, English, Irish, and Gordon setters, Chesapeakes, Labradors, and golden re trievers. Registered pups, all ages, $65 each. Robert Stevenson, Orleans, Nebraska 68966. TRAINING: Gun dogs, retrievers and all pointing breeds. Individual concrete runs, best of feed and care. Year-round boarding. Champion bred stud service—Labrador or Pointer. Pointer pups avail able. Platte Valley Kennels, 925 E. Capitol Ave., Grand Island, Nebraska 68801. Phone (308) 382 9126. YOUNG English setters and pointers available. Three to six months old. Registered and have had excellent care. Darrell Yentes, 1118 McMillan Street, Holdrege, Nebraska 68949. Phone (308) 995-8570 after 6:00 p.m. MISCELLANEOUS "A" FRAME cabin. 1184 square feet: $19.50 ma terial. Purchase locally. Complete plans, instruc tion manual and material list: $5.00. Money back guarantee. Specify plan #1501. "Dependable Products," Box #113, Vista, California 92083. AFRICANS. Large $12/1,000 postpaid. 25* extra beyond 3rd zone. Clif's Worm Hatchery, 1801 Alabama Street, Lawrence, Kansas 66044. BRASS Nameplates for dog collars and 1,000's of identifications. Free catalog. Write Bill Boatman & Co., 241 Maple Street, Dept. 89C, Bainbridge, Ohio 45612. BURGLAR-PROOF your home. Do-it-yourself and save. "Home Security Manual" shows how. Guaranteed. $2.50 postpaid. Information free. REL HOUSE, Dept. I, P. O. Box 9362, Phoenix, Arizona 85068. CALAMUS River canoe trips. Weekend group trips. Maximum 18 people. All meals and equipment furnished. Under leadership of two experienced guides. Inquire Wilderness Experiences, Inc., P. O. Box 110, Nebraska City, Nebraska 68410. Phone (402) 873-7447. "CHUCK Wagon Gang" records. Giant package. Five new collector's longplay stereo albums. 50 freat old gospel songs sung by the original group. 9.95 postpaid. Keepsakes, 202NL, Carlsbad, Texas 76934. COLOR slides or 5x7 prints of beautiful Colorado mountain scenery, autumn aspens, mountain wild life. Specify types of pictures desired. Satisfaction guaranteed. 25 pictures $5.00 or 12 for $2.75. Mail C & S Photo Lab, 2307 19th Avenue, Greeley, Colorado 80631. COUNTRY Records and Tape Cartridges. Fiddle Tunes-Blue Grass-Etc. Free Circular. Uncle Jim O'Neal, Box A-NM, Arcadia, California 91006. ENGINEERS, designers, draftsmen subscribe to the "Midwest Engineering Newsletter," a vehicle for the classified advertising of Engineering/Manufac turing Firms and Engineering Personnel with a compilation of employment opportunities from the papers of the Midwest's cities. Send $10.00 check or money order for year's subscription (12 issues) to "Midwest Engineering," P.O. Box 5512, Lincoln, Nebraska 68505. FOR Rent. Reasonable. Small ten stool cafe, at Lake McConaughy. Clean, equipped, ready to go. April 20 through October 20. French's Paradise, Lemoyne, Nebraska 69146. Phone (308) 355-2102. FOR sale: Cut shad stink bait, shad gizzards, wholesale and retail. Pick up here in Wymore. Stueve's Highway 77 and E, Wymore, Nebraska 68466. Phone (402) 645-3081. FOR Sale: 85 HP Chrysler outboard. New in May 1971. Located at Lake McConaughy. About 250 hours on motor. $1,050. See Ed Cobb at Ogallala or Lloyd E. Solt at 3411 J, Lincoln, Nebraska. HOW much are your bottles worth? "Bottle Col- lector's Handbook—Pricing Guide" identifies, prices over 2,500 collectible bottles. $3.95 postpaid. (Guaranteed!) Infobooks, Box 5001-NL, San An gelo, Texas 76901. HUNTING knives custom-made using finest quality materials. Firearms repaired, reblued, restocked. Mike Fisher, RR 3, Beatrice, Nebraska 68310. Phone (402) 228-0680. INTRODUCTORY offer—finest fillet knife used by Canadian guides and commercial fishermen. Flexi ble, high carbon steel blade, hand ground for razor edge. Unbelievable $4.95 prepaid. Free fillet instructions included. Moneyback guarantee. Skip's Tackle Box, Box 153, Alexandria, Minnesota 56308. METAL Detectors—Thinking of treasure hunting? Use the metal detector the professionals use, a Garrett. Free literature. Spartan Shop. 335 North Williams, Fremont, Nebraska 68025. Phone (402) 721-9438. "PREPARE for driver's test." 100 questions and answers based on the newest Nebraska Driver's Manual. $1.25. E. Glebe, Box 295, Fairbury, Ne braska 68352. QUALITY weekend canoe trips! Niobrara, Loup, Dismal, Calamus, Platte, Elkhorn, Blue, and other area rivers! April through October. Complete food, equipment and guide service for groups of 16 to 54 persons. Send inquiries to Wilson Outfitters, 6211 Sunrise Road, Lincoln, Nebraska 68510. SELLING it? Think color. Color sells. Creative, stimulating, "customer-pulling" photographs! Post cards, brochures and related sales aids. Describe needs for free estimate. On your letterhead, write: O P.N., 1521 Louise, Grand Island, Nebraska 68801. 600 assorted sweet onion plants with free planting guide $4.80 postpaid. TONCO, "home of the sweet onion," Farmersville, Texas 75031. SOLID plastic decoys. Original Do-It-Yourself Decoy-Making Kit. All species available. Catalog 25 cents. Decoys Unlimited, Box 69E, Clinton, Iowa 52732. TRAP & Skeet Brownings, Winchester Commemora tives, over 500 new and used guns in stock. Bed Ian's Sports, 14th & E, Fairbury, Nebraska 68352. Phone (402) 729-2888. TURKEY call. Cedar wood box with oak lid. Proven and reliable. $5.95, postpaid. Instructions. Gene's Taxidermy, 416 17th St., Aurora, Nebraska 68818. VACATION at Country-Lakeview Cabins, near Alexandria State Lakes. Enjoy the quiet of the country and recreation at the lakes. Cabins com pletely furnished. Paddle boat. Country-Lakeview, Alexandria, Nebraska 68303. Phone (402) 749-4016. WANT to purchase: 85 or 125 continental air engine jug and parts. Need not be airworthy. Send information and asking price to: Michael Reis, c/o Fremont High School, Fremont, Nebraska 68025. REAL ESTATE BRICK cottage for sale. Hunt, fish, vacation, re tire. Completely remodeled. New plumbing and heating. New bath and kitchen, full basement. $200 down. Immediate possession. Three miles from lakes. Chauncey Aksamit, Alexandria, Nebraska 68303. Phone (402) 749-4016. BUFFALO Bill Ranch. You can own a legal deed to part (6"x6") of the original ranch for only $2.00. Can be recorded for $3.25 extra. Deeds, Box 462, North Platte, Nebraska 69101. GOVERNMENT lands — Low as $1.25 acre! Buy; lease or homestead . . . Free details! Lands Digest, Box 1555-PT, Tacoma, Washington 98401. IDEAL 5-acre ranch. Lake Conchas, New Mexico. $3,475. No down. No interest. $25 monthly. Vaca tion paradise. Hunt, camp, fish. Money maker. Free brochure. Ranchos: Box 2003RW, Alameda, California 94501. TAXIDERMY BIG Bear Taxidermy. Rt. 2, Mitchell, Nebraska 69357. We specialize in all big game from Alaska to Nebraska, also birds and fish. Hair on and hair off tanning. 41/& miles west of Scottsbluff on High way 26. Phone (308) 635-3013. CREATIVE Taxidermy. Modern methods and life like workmanship on all fish and game since 1935, also tanning, rugs, and deerskin products. Joe Voges, Naturecrafts, 925 4th Corso, Nebraska City, Nebraska 68410. Phone (402) 873-5491. KARL Schwarz Master Taxidermists. Mounting of game heads - birds - fish - animals - fur rugs robes - tanning buckskin. Since 1910. 424 South 13th Street, Dept. A., Omaha, Nebraska 68102. TAXIDERMY service,, guaranteed expert workman- ship, modern methods, prompt service. Complete mounting. Prices: Pheasant $25. Duck $29. Goose $35. Deer or Antelope head $55. Horns from $8. Other prices on request. Joe's Taxidermy, 2724 Olive Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68147. Phone (402) 733-2808. TAXIDERMY work—big-game heads, fish-and-bird mounting; rug making, hide tanning, 36 years experience. Visitors welcome. Floyd Houser Sutherland, Nebraska 69165. Phone (308) 386-4780'. WORLD'S most complete taxidermy supply house. We have everything! Big full color catalog only 50*. Vandyke's, Woonsocket 18, South Dakota 57385.Patience Please
This month, NEBRASKAland Magazine is being mailed to you with a new label printed by computer. We've checked your old address plate against the computer's printout, but there are bound to be some errors we have overlooked, so please bear with us and be patient. If there is a mistake in the spelling of your name, or if your address is not correct, please let us know. We've hired a special interpreter to tell the computer. And, if you should happen to receive more than one magazine, just drop us a line and we'll check it out. Address all correspondence to:
NEBRASKAland Magazine 2200 North 33rd Street Post Office Box 30370 Lincoln, Nebraska 68503
OUTDOOR NEBRASKAland of the Air
SUNDAY KHAS Hastings (1230) 6:45 a.m. KMMJ Grand Island (750) 7:00 a.m. KBRL McCook (1300) 8:15 a.m. KRFS Superior (1600) 9:45 a.m. KXXX Colby, Kan. (790) 10:15 a.m. KLMS Lincoln (1480) 10:15 a.m. KRGI Grand Island (1430) 10:33 a.m. KODY North Platte (1240) 10:45 a.m. KOTD Plattsmouth (100) 12 Noon KCOW Alliance (1400) 12:15 p.m. KFOR Lincoln (1240) 12:45 p.m. KCNI Broken Bow (1280) 1:15 p.m. KAMI Cozad (1580) 2:45 p.m. KAWL York (1370) 3:30 p.m. KUVR Holdrege (1380) 4:45 p.m. KGFW Kearney (1340) 5:45 p.m. KMA Shenandoah, la. (960) 7:15 p.m. KNEB Scottsbluff (960) 9:05 p.m. FRIDAY KTCH Wayne (1590) 3:45 p.m. KVSH Valentine (940) 5:10 p.m. KHUB Fremont (1340) 5:15 p.m. WJAG Norfolk (780) 5:30 p.m. KBRB Ainsworth (1400) 6:00 p.m. SATURDAY KJSK Columbus (900) 6:00 a.m. KICS Hastings (1550) 6:15 a.m. KEYR Scottsbluff (690) 7:45 a.m. KICX McCook (1360) 8:30 a.m. KRNY Kearney (1460) 8:30 a.m. KTNC Falls City (1230) 8:45 a.m. KSID Sidney (1340) 9:15 a.m. KCSR Chadron (610) 11:45 a.m. KGMT Fairbury (1310) 12:45 p.m. KBRX O'Neill (1350) 4:30 p.m. KNLV Ord (1060) 4:45 p.m. KKAN Phillipsburg, Kan. (1490) 5:15 p.m. KOLT Scottsbluff (1320) 5:40 p.m. KMNS Sioux City, la. (620) 6:10 p.m. KRVN Lexington (880) 9:15 p.m. KJSK-FM Columbus (101.1) 9:45 p.m. DIVISION CHIEFS Harold K. Edwards, Resource Services Glen R. Foster, Fish Production Carl E. Gettmann, Law Enforcement Jack Hanna, Budget and Fiscal Ken Johnson, Game Earl R. Kendle, Research Lloyd Steen, Personnel^ Lyle K. Tanderup, Engineering Bob Thomas, Fish Management Delvin Whitelev, Federal Aid Jim Wofford, Information and Education CONSERVATION OFFICERS Ainsworth—Max Showalter, 387-1960 Albion—Robert Kelly, 395-2538 Alliance—Richard FuHey, 762-2024 Al'iance—Richard Seward, 762-5605 Alma—William F. Bonsall, 928-2313 Arapahoe—Don Schaepler, 962-7818 Auburn—James Newcome, 274-3644 Bassett—Leonard Spoerina, 684-3645 Bassett—Bruce Wiebe, 684-4867 Benkelman—H. Lee Bowers, 423-2893 Bridgeport—Joe UI rich, 262-0541 Broken Bow—Gene Jeffries, 872-5953 Columbus—Lyman Wilkinson, 564-4375 Crawford—Cecil Avey, 665-2517 Creighton—Gary R. Ralston, 358-3411 Crofton—John Schuckman, 388-4421 David City—Lester H. Johnson, 367-4037 Fairbury—Larry Bauman, 729-3734 Fremont—Andy Nielsen, 721-2482 Geneva—Kenneth L. Adkisson, 759-4241 Gering—Jim McCole, 436-2686 Grand Island—Fred Salak, 384-0582 Hastings—Norbert Kampsnider, 462-8953 Hay Springs—Marvin E. Kampbell. 638-5262 Lexington—Loren A. Noecker, 324-2845 Lincoln—Dayton Shultis, 488-8164 Linco'n—Ross Oestmann, 799-3515 Lincoln—Leroy Orvis, 488-1663 Lincoln—William O. Anderson, 432-9013 Milford—Dale Bruha, 761-4531 Norfolk—Marion Shafer, 371-2031 Norfolk—Robert Downing, 371-2675 North Platte—Dwiqht Allbery, 532-2753 North Platte—Gail Woodside, 532-0279 Ogallala—Parker Erickson, 284-2992 Omaha—Dick Wilson, 334-1234 Omaha—Roger A. Guenther, 333-33AQ O'Neill—Roger W. Hurdle, 336-3988 Ord—Gerald Woodgate, 728-5060 Oshkosh— Donald D. Hunt, 772-3697 Plattsmouth—Larry D. Elston 296-35A? Ponca—Richard D. Turpin, 755-2612 Riverdale—Bill Earnest. 893-2571 Sidney—Raymond Frandsen, 254-443R Stapleton—John D. Henderson, 63A Kin Syracuse-Mick Gray, 269-3351 OJ6-2430 Tekamah—Richard Elston, 374-1698 Valentine—Elvin Zimmerman, 376-3AJ4
