The Nebraska Forest Service on Friday will host its annual Forest Festival Family Fun Night at Horning State Farm Demonstration Forest near Plattsmouth.
Benjamin Bohall, public information officer at NFS, said the event serves as an opportunity to educate attendees about Nebraska’s forests.
“It’s so easy nowadays for us to just get caught up with scrolling through screens,” Bohall said. “How do we get people outside and have a way for younger generations to appreciate some of Nebraska’s natural resources? That was the goal.”
NFS partnered with Conservation Nebraska, along with over 20 other organizations, for the event. Rebecca Chandler, AmeriCorps Common Ground Program Manager at Conservation Nebraska, said their role is to present activities that teach attendees about how they can contribute to conservation efforts in Nebraska.
“Wildlife conservation can be a lot more accessible because you can do it in your own backyard,” Chandler said. “So learning about native trees that help support wildlife in Nebraska, I think is really important.”
Chandler said Conservation Nebraska will encourage those who participate in their activity to plant native trees, like Bur Oaks and White Oaks, to help support local bird and insect populations. Bur Oaks have been dying en masse due to widespread drought and disease.
“Plant trees, plant native plants, and pay attention to not just if they’re ornamental and pretty, but also what trees support what animals,” Chandler said.
The free event marks the one time a year that the demonstration forest, which is normally used for tree species cultivation research, is open to the public.
“It's several hundred acres of just pristine woodland. It's absolutely gorgeous,” Bohall said. “This is our opportunity to open it up for folks to come enjoy it.”