Duck Creek

Many of you in southeast Nebraska have been looking forward to the opening of a new reservoir, Duck Creek, located near Peru. Specifically the reservoir was labeled as Duck Creek #12, but it looks like the Nemaha Natural Resource District is going to call it Duck Creek Recreation Area.

Now a formal “grand opening” is planned for June 2, but a person might just want to take a drive by and see if the gates are open (wink, wink):

Duck Creek Recreation Area Opening April 16

The long-anticipated opening of the Duck Creek Recreation Area northwest of Peru, Nebraska, is finally here. Kind of. At noon on Monday, April 16, the Nemaha Natural Resources District, sponsor of the public recreation project, will unlock and open the gates. However, don’t expect all amenities to be available just yet. Mother Nature has had a say in how much work was accomplished at the park this spring.

Both tent camping and RV camping areas will remain closed to the public until later in May to allow grass to become better established. Colder than normal spring weather so far has limited the amount of growth on the newly seeded areas. Additional finishing touches to other areas of the park include installing informational and directional signs, completion of picnic shelters, and the addition of rubber mulch in playground areas. So while the park will be open, NRD crews may still be busy working in the area for the next few weeks.

In December of 2015 the flood control dam that impounds the water for the 60-acre lake was completed. Since then interior roads, parking lots, and camping pads were built, the beach and boat dock added, electricity and water lines installed, playgrounds established, and concrete trails and restrooms erected. Picnic areas, tables, grills, and fire rings are also provided throughout the park. Fish stocked by the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission in the no-wake lake include largemouth bass, bluegill, and catfish.

Duck Creek Recreation Area is located seven miles north of Auburn on Highway 75 and two miles east on County Road 736. A Nemaha NRD vehicle entry permit is required at this park and may be purchased at the NRD office in Tecumseh, online at www.nemahanrd.org, or at the park itself. Annual permits cost just $15 and admit your vehicle to four Nemaha NRD parks (Duck Creek Recreation Area, Kirkman’s Cove, Iron Horse Trail Lake, and Wirth Brothers Lake) through December 31.

Camping areas at Duck Creek are scheduled to open Monday, May 21, just in time for the following Memorial Day holiday weekend. A formal grand opening and dedication ceremony will take place on Saturday, June 2, with a ribbon cutting at 11:00 a.m. and food and activities to follow.

For more information contact the Nemaha NRD at 402-335-3325, or check our website or Facebook page for future updates.

As that news release from the Nemaha NRD noted, there are fish present in Duck Creek now, and some of them may be bigger than one might expect, but I am betting most of them are going to need another couple, three years to grow. Do not go there expecting to catch any trophies, yet.

Also note that the Nemaha NRD has an entry permit for their recreation areas, make sure you get one before you go check it out.