Dworak honored for work in wildlife

COLUMBUS - Former Columbus state senator Don Dworak spent countless hours criss-crossing the state in the mid-1970s marshaling support for public funding of wildlife development and conservation efforts.

He attended dozens of public meetings, mustered citizen support and introduced legislation in the Unicameral that eventually led to the passage of Nebraska's Habitat Stamp Program in 1977.

“There is no conservationist or hunter in the state more dedicated to the preservation of outdoor resources and wildlife than Don Dworak,'' said Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Chairman Gary Parker this morning while honoring the former District 22 senator.

The commission voted unanimously this morning to rename Prairie Wolf Wildlife Management Area south of Genoa as the Don Dworak Wildlife Management Area. The commission held its regular meeting today at Columbus' Holiday Inn Express.

“He (Dworak) led the charge, led the crusade and carried the banner for the habitat stamp program,'' Parker said. Dworak's efforts have created a legacy that will continue for generations to come, he said.

The program has raised more than $43 million, along with another $50 million in federal grants and gifts, that has allowed the commission to purchase more than 50,000 acres of wildlife lands for public hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation, Parker said. The commission manages thousands more acres for hunting and outdoor activities.

Dworak attended this morning's commission hearing and accepted a plaque commemorating his service. He also posed with Parker beside a replica of the sign that will mark the newly named wildlife management area.

“I want to thank the commission for bestowing this honor today, and I want to thank my family for the sacrifices they made,'' said Dworak, noting that he attended more than 80 meetings across the state while gathering support for the habitat program.

“But most of all,'' Dworak said, “I want to thank the sportsmen and hunters who contributed to the program by buying habitat stamps.'' The cost of a habitat stamp has increased from $7.50 a year at the inception of the program in the 1970s to $13 today, he said.

“They are the ones who stood up (for wildlife habitat preservation),'' he said.

Dworak's vision three decades ago was to generate public funds for habitat acquisition, development and management on public and private lands. The habitat stamp program provided that public funding mechanism.

The new Don Dworak WMA (formerly Prairie Wolf) was one of the first tracts of land to be acquired with habitat stamp funds. WMAs are managed to provide public hunting opportunities as well as compatible recreational and educational activities.

Initially, Prairie Wolf was 155 acres of bottomlands along the Loup River south of Genoa on Highway 39. The area, made up of grasslands and marshes, has grown to 972 acres today.

The area now offers deer, dove, pheasant, quail, rabbit, turkey and waterfowl hunting opportunities for hunters and nature observers.