Bluebird House Trail Update

The Fish & Wildlife Committee installed ten bluebird houses today starting at the northeast corner of Copper Penny Lake and extending onto Copper Dollar Lake. They are evenly spaced at one hundred yards apart. The boxes will be monitored and the progress will be reported on this blog. We would appreciate it if everyone (especially children) would leave the boxes alone. If anyone is interested in helping or has any questions, give me a call or send me an email.

With the lakes mostly thawed, there doesn't seem to be much evidence of a fish kill over the winter. There were a few as expected on Copper Penny but today Copper Dollar still had quite a bit of ice on it. If anybody notices what they feel to be an excessive amount of dead fish in the lake, please notify anyone on the Committee so we can take a look or do a cleanup if necessary. Thanks.

Bluebird nest box trail

The latest topic being discussed right now with the F&W Committee is the idea of having another bluebird house trail at Copper Dollar Cove. This one would start on Copper Penny Lake and probably extend to the East end of Copper Dollar. I will be attending a "Bluebirds Across Nebraska" workshop in a couple of weeks at Schramm State Park. Here I hope to learn the exact number of boxes that we will need, the correct way to monitor them and also make the purchases all at the same time. There are three types of bluebird houses available and they all come with the mounting poles included. These are really nice houses and cost only about eleven or twelve dollars each. This workshop is free and open to the public. Anyone interested in attending, give me a call for the particulars.

2010 Update

Since the creation of the Fish and Wildlife Committee, we have always had seven members. This seemed like a good size group with the right number of people when things came down to a vote. Over the years some people have left the group and others have joined. We have also had people in the wings that just wanted to be volunteers when a project got underway. This year we have decided to open up the Committee to all residents that are interested in joining. We would like to hear new ideas and concerns in regards to improving the fishing and wildlife habitat at the Cove. Please email or give me a call if interested in joining.

Q & A from the CDC Annual Meeting 2-2-10

Thanks goes out to Matt and Terri Bellini for hosting the CDC Annual Meeting yesterday. Here's the answers to a couple of questions that came up at the meeting.

Do we need a fishing permit at Copper Dollar Cove?

Answer: YES

References: 2010 Nebraska Fishing Guide, Nebraska Game & Parks Private Lakes Specialist

Some people are under the assumption that a permit is not required because the lakes are private. The State does not consider these private lakes in this situation because all the fish were not entirely privately stocked. Also, Copper Penny Lake is not totally located on Copper Dollar Cove property but extends onto the farm south of Cove Rd.

Are boats required to be registered with the State of Nebraska?

References: 2010 Nebraska Boating Guide, Cass County Treasurers Office

Answer: YES. All vessels powered by any mechanical device (gas, electric and diesel) capable of propelling the vessel over any public or private waters of Nebraska needs to be registered with the State.

Exceptions: Vessels not powered by machinery at any time. Examples: canoes, kayaks, pedal boats, etc. Note: According to the Treasurers office, these vessels would also have to be registered if required by the CDC Association.

The States definition of a vessel is -- Every description of watercraft used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water with the exception of a seaplane.

Outdoorsman Swap Meet & Flea Market

If interested, there is a local bass club sponsoring a Flea Market at the Holiday Inn at 72nd St. and Grover on Saturday, 2-6-10 from 8:00AM to 3:00PM. Admission is $3.00. There is supposed to be a large selection of new and used fishing tackle and other outdoor equipment. For information call 402-502-0275 or 402-490-2699.

Ice Condition Update

During the last week I have been out on Copper Penny Lake twice. The ice is about twelve inches thick but some areas have quite a bit of snow. There seems to be some water between the snow and ice so you might want to bring a shovel to clear it off before you start fishing or set up a shanty. Warmer weather is in the forecast for the immediate future so always be careful when exploring new ice. We caught fish but nothing I would consider as "keepers".

Ice Fishing

The season is here.......a little bit earlier this year perhaps but it has already started. Just a word of caution to all the ice fisherman at the Cove from the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission. There are always bad spots on a lake so always use extreme caution and it's recommended to not fish alone and always bring a cellphone. Four inches of clear blue lake ice will support one person, six inches for several people and eight inches for a snowmobile or 4-wheeler. Haven't heard any reports of how the fishing is yet but I hope to see all of you out there real soon.