Omaha, Neb., May 15, 2012 – North Platte, Neb., has been awarded a membership in Union Pacific’s Train Town USA Registry as part of the railroad’s year-long 150th anniversary celebration.

North Platte received an official Train Town USA resolution signed by Union Pacific Chairman Jim Young, and North Platte’s historical connection with Union Pacific will be featured at www.up150.com.

“We are proud to recognize North Platte as we commemorate our railroad’s sesquicentennial celebration and growing up together,” said Brenda Mainwaring, Union Pacific director – Public Affairs for Nebraska and Iowa. “Union Pacific has been part of the country’s fabric throughout the railroad’s 150-year history. That bond between us and the nearly 7,300 communities we serve continues to strengthen.

“Our shared heritage with North Platte is a source of pride as we remember our past while serving and connecting our nation for years to come.”

North Platte, Nebraska became, from creation, a “Train Town” and was first platted as a railroad town by Union Pacific Railroad’s Chief Engineer, Grenville Dodge. Dodge chose the location because water was readily available, and its distance from Grand Island, Nebraska. The town received its first train in 1866. Dodge then constructed major shop facilities and winter quarters for its crews. In 1867, main line operations through the town began.

William “Buffalo Bill’ Cody located Scouts Rest Ranch at North Platte because it allowed him to move his Wild West Show by train or by wagon across the United States relatively quickly. During World War II, the North Platte Canteen, supported by thousands of area citizens, served baked goods and refreshments to more than six million service members during a 10-minute stop as they were convoyed across the United States. After 105 years, passenger service was discontinued in 1971.

North Platte became a division point where trains are sorted, railroad crews are exchanged, and maintenance or repairs are performed on equipment. Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard is the largest railroad classification yard in the world. Named in honor of former Union Pacific President Edd H. Bailey, the massive yard covers 2,850 acres and is eight miles long.

About Union Pacific

It was 150 years ago that Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act of July 1, 1862, creating the original Union Pacific. One of America’s iconic companies, today, Union Pacific Railroad is the principal operating company of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP), linking 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country by rail and providing freight solutions and logistics expertise to the global supply chain. From 2000 through 2011, Union Pacific spent more than $31 billion on its network and operations, making needed investments in America’s infrastructure and enhancing its ability to provide safe, reliable, fuel-efficient and environmentally responsible freight transportation. Union Pacific’s diversified business mix includes Agricultural Products, Automotive, Chemicals, Energy, Industrial Products and Intermodal. The railroad serves many of the fastest-growing U.S. population centers and emphasizes excellent customer service. Union Pacific operates competitive routes from all major West Coast and Gulf Coast ports to eastern gateways, connects with Canada’s rail systems and is the only railroad serving all six major Mexico gateways.

Tourism is an important driver of our local economy, and the same is true all across America. May 6 – 12 is National Travel and Tourism Week, just in time to gear up for the summer travel season, which “officially” starts on Memorial Day Weekend.

The Lincoln County Tourism Advisory Council, made up of our tourism partners here in Lincoln County celebrated the week with the Attraction Tour, in which they hosted frontline employees – those with the most face-to-face interaction with visitors on a tour of area attractions that included America’s 20th Century Veterans Memorial, Buffalo Bill Ranch, Lincoln County Historical Museum, Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center, Maranatha Camp, Fort McPherson National Cemetery, the Prairie Arts Center and the historic Downtown Walking Tour. It also included a presentation from Rail Fest. We’re all geared up now to help visitors have a good time in our area.

According to figures released by the Nebraska Department of Revenue, Lincoln County collected $734,830.25 in lodging tax receipts in 2011, up 3.02% or $21,530.72 from the 2010 receipts. The tax receipts represent nearly $19 million in spending at local lodging properties. Visitors to the area would have spent just over $81 million in 2011 on things like lodging, meals, shopping, attractions, entertainment and transportation expenses. Visitor spending supports 1,500 local jobs and generates $1.5 million in total local tax revenue and $5.04 million in state tax revenue.

Nationally, the travel industry supports nearly 14.5 million jobs, and those workers joined in to support the industry in rallies across the U.S. on May 8. Travel-generated employment in the U.S. grew by 7,000 jobs in April alone, adding to 48,700 jobs created in the first quarter of 2012.

Historically, travel in the I-80 corridor hasn’t been affected by spikes in gas prices, so we’re looking forward to a great summer travel season!

The Lincoln County Tourism Advisory Council has scheduled the annual attraction tour for Monday, May 7.

This all-day tour includes visits to major area attractions with a knowledgeable and entertaining tour guide, transportation and lunch.

It is open to the public. There is a small fee to attend, and there is a discount for TAC members and multiple people from a single business.

For more information about attending the 2012 Attraction Tour, contact the North Platte/Lincoln County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau at 308-532-4729. Hurry, because the tour is limited to a single motorcoach, with a capacity of about 50 people.

Click on the link below for more information.

Spring 2012 Attraction Tour

This tour is a great way to become more familiar with all that the North Platte area has to offer. We’re looking forward to sharing it with you.

Muriel Clark
North Platte/Lincoln County Convention
and Visitors Bureau

Travel season is nearly upon us, and we’re all looking for ways to welcome visitors to our communities.

Might I suggest Operation Beautiful?

Here is an example from their website:

Crystal wrote, “I am a freshman at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska. My suitemate found some of the Operation Beautiful sticky notes in one of the buildings here on campus and she brought some to our dorm room to show the rest of us who don’t have classes in that building. She said that they made her smile. Now the sticky notes are hanging on the mirrors in our bathroom and everyday before I leave for class, I look at those notes and they remind me that I am beautiful. Every time I look at the sticky notes, I smile. Positive talk is a great way to show people that they are perfect just the way they are.”

According to their website: The mission of Operation Beautiful is to post anonymous notes in public places for other people to find. The point is that WE ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL. You are enough… just the way you are!

On gas pumps… on the mirrors in restrooms… on restaurant menus…

Where would you post your Operation Beautiful notes, and what would you say?

Welcome visitors to town. Let them know we’re glad they’re here. Tell them where your favorite place in and around North Platte is.

Let’s take this nearly free and easy step to make a visit to North Platte truly an incredible experience for tourists this summer.

You may be wondering why all the emphasis on eco tourism lately, with videos like this:

and this:

and finally:

Then there are pictures like this:

Here’s the reason why: Eco Tourism is big business!

Here’s a recent article from Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman:

Dear Fellow Nebraskans:

Last week, I was pleased host Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas and Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado as we met to discuss common efforts and issues related to ecotourism and economic development. In addition to discussing tourism efforts, my colleagues and I had the opportunity to view the world-renowned migration of the sandhill cranes, a significant ecotourism attraction in Nebraska.

From mid-February to mid-April each year, visitors to the Platte River valley in south-central Nebraska can enjoy the migration of 90 percent of the world’s sandhill cranes. Our location along the central flyway provides wildlife watchers the opportunity to experience the annual migration of 500,000 Sandhill cranes as they stop along a 40 mile stretch of the Platte River en route to their summer breeding grounds in Canada, Alaska and Siberia.

The abundance of rivers and waterways in our state create excellent opportunities for outdoor recreation. Our amazing state parks also play a vital role in attracting visitors. Nebraska offers a range of landscapes from pine-covered bluffs in the northwest to the rolling Sandhills and prairie grasslands of central Nebraska. There are unique and picturesque rock formations in western Nebraska, scenic river communities along the Missouri River and acres of wide open range and pastureland in between.

Ecotourism is vital in Nebraska where 97 percent of the land is privately owned. Forging partnerships with private land owners are critical in providing access to our beautiful landscapes and bountiful hunting opportunities.

According to statistics gathered by the Nebraska Division of Tourism and Travel in the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, Nebraskans and visitors to Nebraska together made more than 19 million trips in the state in 2010 to destinations 100 miles or more away from home. Travelers spent nearly $4 billion in Nebraska during 2010 on day trips more than 100 miles away and trips with overnight stays. Annual spending on these trips has increased by $2.3 billion since 1990. Jobs attributable to travel in Nebraska totaled more than 45,000 in 2010. For trips by visitors, the leading states of origin were Kansas, Iowa, Colorado, Missouri and South Dakota.

Together with hunting, fishing, birding, camping, hiking, and biking, opportunities for outdoor recreation are some of the fastest growing segments of our tourism industry. Growth in all these areas is helping to make Nebraska a tourism destination. In addition, visitors experience all the great things Nebraska has to offer, and then spread the word to friends and family members. I look forward to continued growth in ecotourism across our state.

The North Platte/Lincoln County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau will continue exploring ways to increase ecotourism locally.

Union Pacific Railroad’s legendary steam locomotive No. 844 is traveling from Cheyenne to Marion, Arkansas, pulling a special 150th anniversary commemoration Civil War troop train with nearly 300 civil war historians from the midwest on their journey to participate in the 150th anniversary Battle of Shiloh Reenactment, as hosted by the BlueGray Alliance, near the Shiloh National Military Park.

The train will pull into North Platte at 5pm on March 22 and overnight on the business track near Front Street just north of Bailey (north of the Alco shopping center). It will depart at approximately 8am on the morning of March 23.

A Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) transmitter was installed on one of the railcars that travel with No. 844. The GPS system has been integrated with a map on UP’s website at www.upsteam.com. Website visitors will be able to access route maps with varying amounts of detail which are updated every five minutes showing No. 844′s location.

This is a rare opportunity to witness the last steam engine built for Union Pacific in operation as it travels from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Marion, Arkansas. The railroads of America during the Civil War conflict were very essential in developing the rebirth of America. Union Pacific Railroad would like to recognize that fact on this 150th Anniversary of that event. Union Pacific Railroad’s long history lay the foundation for America’s current and future freight transportation needs.

For those Civil War history buffs, here is some information on the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh Reenactment, which can be found at www.Shiloh150.org:

Artillery pieces to be carried on the special flatbed cars will load in Omaha on Monday March 26, 2012.

The train and 13 (thirteen) passenger cars will then leave for the first leg and stop in Kansas City MO. The train will arrive at the station on Tuesday morning where the first soldiers and civilians in proper period attire will board for the journey south. The train will stop in Jefferson City where it will load additional folks as well as hold a short ceremony.

The next stop will be in St. Louis on Tuesday afternoon where the train will continue taking on soldiers and civilians and spending the night. Wednesday morning the train will depart for Memphis.

A full-scale reproduction of the CSS Hunley will be at the reenactment site.

The 150th anniversary of the battle of Shiloh will have troops coming from the West by train, troops coming from the North by paddle wheel boat, the CSS Hunley will be on site, and the organizers have secured over 2000 acres next to the ORIGINAL BATTLEFIELD this site is on the actual field known as “The Fallen Timbers.” This piece of land is where Sherman was nearly captured and where Nathan Bedford Forrest received his first serious wound from a Federal infantryman from the 77th Ohio at point blank range.

Buffalo Bill Rodeo hosts rodeo camp

North Platte, Neb. (March 1, 2012) – If a young buckaroo wants to learn how to stay on the back of a bucking horse or bull for eight seconds, where does he go?

He goes to the rodeo camp in Curtis, Nebraska, March 10.

That’s where he will get a taste of a variety of topics, all dealing with bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, and bull riding.

The second annual rodeo camp, hosted by the Buffalo Bill Rodeo committee and the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association will be held March 10 from 10 am to 3 pm in Curtis, Neb. at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture.

Participants can be of any skill level, ages eight and up. The curriculum includes an introduction to roughstock events: safety and fundamentals, injury prevention, chute procedures, riding equipment overview, and an introduction to the PRCA.

Several PRCA cowboys will be on hand to instruct and offer tips. Idaho cowboy Kelly Wardell, a four time National Finals Rodeo qualifier, will instruct in the bareback riding; Wisconsin cowboy Fred Boettcher, a bull rider who has been to the NFR six times, will be on hand, along with a saddle bronc rider to be determined.

The camp is hosted by the Buffalo Bill Rodeo in North Platte, and committee co-chair Jack Morris says it is worthwhile. “It’s a way to foster prospective contestants, and help them with fundamentals. And it’s a chance for them to talk to NFR cowboys who are professionals.” Two years ago, the rodeo hosted the camp, and Morris said the students learned a lot. “They were like sponges, soaking up what the pro cowboys were telling them.”

The camp is free of charge. Participants are asked to register online at www.prorodeo.com/youthrodeo.aspx. Parents are free to visit the camp as well.

North Platte/Lincoln County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Lisa Burke announces that Lincoln County collected record Lodging Tax Revenues in 2011.

The final lodging tax receipts numbers for 2011 show good news for Lincoln County’s tourism industry. According to figures released by the Nebraska Department of Revenue, Lincoln County collected $734,830.25 in lodging tax receipts, up 3.02% or $21,530.72 from the 2010 receipts. According to Lisa Burke, Executive Director of the North Platte/Lincoln County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the tax receipts represent nearly $19 million in spending at local lodging properties. “Based on calculations provided by the Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism, visitors to the area would have spent just over $81 million in 2011 on things like lodging, meals, shopping, attractions, entertainment and transportation expenses.” Visitor spending supports 1,500 local jobs and generates $1.5 million in total local tax revenue and $5.04 million in state tax revenue.

Burke attributes the increased spending by visitors to the outstanding job being done by Lincoln County’s tourism partners including sports organizations, events, attractions, lodging properties and convention facilities as well as to the increased marketing activities of the NP/LCCVB. “Our partners here in Lincoln County can always be counted on to do everything they can to make sure visitors to our area enjoy their stay,” said Burke. “They work hard to attract visitors, and then they take care of them after they’re here.” In addition, the staff of the NP/LCCVB tirelessly markets Lincoln County as a destination. According to Burke, “We place advertising in traditional publications such as the Nebraska Travel Guide, True West Magazine and Trains Magazine. We are aggressive in our social media marketing that includes periodic email newsletters, Facebook and Twitter. Our staff attends travel shows and group tour marketplaces. We partner with local sports organizations to attract tournaments and with convention properties to attract meetings. We also grant promotional funds to organizations like the Lincoln County Historical Museum, NEBRASKAland DAYS and the Country Bluegrass Show to help them attract visitors.”

Burke also credits the investment of Improvement Fund tax receipts with helping to offer more to visitors. The Improvement Fund was created in 2006, first as one-quarter of the existing 2% lodging tax collection and was increased in October of 2008 to a full 2% while the existing collection was restored to its original 2%. “Since the implementation of the Improvement Fund, the NP/LCCVB has awarded $483,000 to local attractions. We’ve helped fund improvements to the skate park, many of our sports venues, the Wild West Arena, and the Childrens Museum just to name a few beneficiaries,” said Burke. “We target our investments to benefit visitors and residents alike, and many of these projects reflect that emphasis.”

Looking ahead, Burke is not too concerned about the prospect of rising gas prices. “We are closely monitoring predictions of record high gas prices this summer. We’ve been here before. Gas prices were at a record high in 2008 and we weren’t affected, so we’re guardedly optimistic about travel in 2012. Nebraska’s Interstate 80 remains a heavily traveled transportation corridor. When that is added to all of our efforts to attract visitors, our occupancy rates should remain steady.”

Omaha, Neb., February 17, 2012 – In conjunction with Union Pacific Railroad’s 150th anniversary this year, the Friends of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum is sponsoring a specialty license plate for Nebraska residents.

“The Friends of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum Board and all who work or volunteer at the museum are proud to be a part of Union Pacific’s 150th anniversary celebration, ” said Carl Heinrich, Friends of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum Board President. “Union Pacific is integral to America’s history, providing the connection from east to west that helped build this great nation. The Friends organization is passionate about preserving the railroad’s legacy and tell Union Pacific’s story to thousands of visitors each year.”

The Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles will begin producing the specialty plates once 500 applications are submitted. The plates cannot be personalized and cost $70.

Union Pacific employees are being offered the opportunity to purchase the specialty plates starting February 17 through February 29, 2012. Once the 500 applications have been submitted to the DMV, the UP specialty plates will be offered on the DMV website.

About Union Pacific

It was 150 years ago that Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act of July 1, 1862, creating the original Union Pacific. One of America’s iconic companies, today, Union Pacific Railroad is the principal operating company of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP), linking 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country by rail and providing freight solutions and logistics expertise to the global supply chain. From 2000 through 2011, Union Pacific spent more than $31 billion on its network and operations, making needed investments in America’s infrastructure and enhancing its ability to provide safe, reliable, fuel-efficient and environmentally responsible freight transportation. Union Pacific’s diversified business mix includes Agricultural Products, Automotive, Chemicals, Energy, Industrial Products and Intermodal. The railroad serves many of the fastest-growing U.S. population centers and emphasizes excellent customer service.

North Platte’s Railroad Ties

As home to Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard, the largest railroad classification yard in the world, North Platte has a long association with the Union Pacific Railroad and has always been known as a railroad town. The Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center, an 8-story tower that overlooks the yard operation, the Cody Park Railroad Display that exhibits a 6900 series Diesel Locomotive and the only Challenger Steam Engine on static public display and the North Platte Rail Fest held in North Platte annually in September are examples of how North Platte celebrates its railroad heritage. Make plans to visit North Platte to see for yourself.

An estimated 500,000 Sandhill Cranes pass through the Nebraska Platte River valley heading northward every year during the Annual spring migration. It is estimated that about 80% of the world’s population of Sandhill Cranes do an annual migration layover in this area of the Platte River.

The Spring migration usually begins on the Platte River in late February, peaks in mid March, and has a mass exodus in mid April. During the Spring migration, cranes stay in the area for several weeks to “fuel up” for the long trip north.

An individual crane spends about 29 days along the Platte. During that time, it will deposit up to a pound of fat, which provides the energy necessary to complete the migration and initiate nesting. About 90 percent of their diet consists of corn while the remaining 10 percent is made up of invertebrates such as earthworms, snails, and insect larvae. It has been estimated that the cranes consume nearly 1,600 tons of corn during their stay. Fortunately, this is waste grain leftover from the fall harvest and, as such, provides a service to the local farmers by removing what would become volunteer corn in the next year’s crop. Before there was corn, cranes ate starchy tubers from a variety of aquatic plants such as nutsedge, a species once abundant in the widespread wetlands bordering the Platte before European settlement. Now about 75 percent of these wetlands have been converted to croplands.

Roosting
At dusk, the cranes gather along the broad, shallow reaches of the Platte to roost for the night. They prefer to stand in water about six inches deep, taking on the configuration of submerged sandbars. Densities of more than 12,000 cranes per half mile of river can occur. During inclement weather they seek out the narrower, more protected stretches of the river. Occasionally, the river freezes, and the birds must roost in the fields adjacent to the river, huddled together for warmth and protection.

Dining & Dancing
At dawn, the cranes leave the river and head to the fields to feed. They usually range within five miles of the river. The cornfields provide cranes with a source of energy , while meadows and alfalfa fields provide essential proteins and minerals. They also serve an important social function as loafing and courtship areas.

The “dance” of the Sandhill Crane is well known. Pairs engage in elaborate bowing displays with outstretched wings and leap high into the air. Often, a corncob or stick is picked up and thrown upward repeatedly. This behavior is believed to strengthen or establish new pair bonds. Although cranes generally “mate for life” (i.e. pairs remain faithful), they are hunted in several states and provinces, and if mates are lost, cranes will select another mate if necessary. Consequently, the Platte has been referred to as “the greatest singles bar for cranes” or “the melting pot of crane world”, since it provides the best opportunity to find a new mate as sub-populations from throughout the Northern Hemisphere mingle.

For more information on the annual spring migration, visit the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission website.