The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has renamed its Outdoor Education Center in Lincoln to honor one of the agency’s best-known staffers – the late Dick Turpin, who died February 22 at the age of 84.
An.avid outdoorsman and master storyteller, Turpin was the face and voice of Nebraska Game and Parks for decades as the long-time host of the Outdoor Nebraska radio show and the creator of Turpin Time outdoor tip segments on TV.
Turpin was equally at home training hunter safety instructors, speaking to groups, conducting adult and youth workshops, and telling stories and leading sing-alongs around many campfires. He was also active in many wildlife conservation organizations.
A public dedication of the Dick Turpin Outdoor Education Center will be held at a later date.
The commission has also recognized agency wetlands program manager Ted LaGrange for 30 years service and his contributions to Nebraska’s wetland resources and the wildlife that depend on them.
LaGrange coordinated the recent Wetlands of Nebraska Outreach and Education project, which is aimed at increasing awareness of the importance of wetlands in Nebraska.
Partners in the Wetlands project were Game and Parks, Ducks Unlimited, the UNL Platte Basin Timelapse group, and the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Funding came from the EPA.
The project produced five documentary films and several publications, all available at NebraskaWetlands.com.