News Release

National Public Lands Day Bioblitz at Homestead National Historical Park

Date: September 15, 2025
Contact: Jesse Bolli, 402-223-3514

BEATRICE, Neb. – Homestead National Historical Park is planning three guided biodiversity walks on Saturday, September 27, 2025, for National Public Lands Day. The three nature walks will start at Homestead’s Education Center; each will last about 90 minutes and will be appropriate for all ages.

At 8 a.m., staff will lead a bird walk exploring the prairie and woodland. Visitors may see woodpeckers, eastern phoebes and possibly a few fall migrants like the Nashville warbler and Lincoln’s sparrow.

At 10 a.m. there will be a mushroom walk led by Woodland Ecologist Chance Brueggemann. Brueggemann works for the Northern Prairies Land Trust in partnership with Nebraska Game and Parks and is a driving force in the nebraskamushrooms.org online mushroom guide. 

At 12:30 p.m., staff, with help from Doane University Professor Taylor Hancock, will lead an insect walk. Nets and jars will be available. Some of the highlights may include monarch butterflies, red-legged grasshoppers and soldier beetles.

For assisting with documenting the biodiversity of the park on National Public Lands Day, participants will receive a coupon that will provide free access to federal lands that charge an entrance fee. Examples of where the coupon can be used include Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge near Blair, Nebraska.

The goal during the walks is to look for, photograph, and record species that are encountered. Data will be collected using the iNaturalist app, but you do not need a device to participate; no experience is needed, and everyone is welcome.

For information on available accommodations please contact Accessibility Coordinator, Amber Kirkendall at [phone] or e-mail us.

Homestead National Historical Park is a unit of the National Park Service, located four miles west of Beatrice, Nebraska. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Trails are open daily from dawn to dusk, and admission is free. The park has a diverse schedule of events planned for 2025. For more information, please call [phone], or visit https://www.nps.gov/home/index.htm; Instagram (@HomesteadNPS “X” (@HomesteadNHP), and Facebook (Homestead National Historical Park).
 

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About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 430+ national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.