We recently saw this exciting article in the Sidney Sun-Telegraph on this proposal recently, and like many folks with the holidays we missed the report on this great idea. Our State representative Steve Erdman (47th district) is proposing a bill to relocate the headquarters for the Game and Parks Commission to the Panhandle in Sidney. To Steve's point, the management of wildlife needs to be where the wildlife is the most populous and resources used most effectively. The wildlife in the panhandle has grown significantly in recent years. As we all know, neglecting the management of wildlife can lead to devastating damage to farmland, fences, crops, and much more. Moving the headquarters here would obviously do wonders for job creation and economic growth.
Steve also makes the case for the ability to manage the parks on the western side of the state, which are often times short changed in terms of upkeep and amenities. Steve stated that a lot of the park fee collections get used on the parks on the eastern side of the state, leaving the western panhandle short changed when it comes to park enhancements and improvements. Parks in the eastern side have features such as, indoor playgrounds, treetop rope courses, water spray parks, horseback riding, and many other amenities that are just not seen on the western side parks. Its the same concept as the wildlife management; come closer and you'll get good look at what's really going on.
The current state law says the commission headquarters must be in Lincoln, Steve has been fighting to change this for some time. He proposed the idea in a bill back in 2021, but the bill never made it out of committee. This is often the case with many proposed bills, it takes time and persistence to get these passed into law. We support Steve and this idea to have a better balance of wildlife and park management for the betterment of all of Nebraska. Feel free to contact Steve and pledge your support for this great idea. Please visit Sidney Sun-Telegraph for more exciting articles like this one.