As I write this morning, it seems that spring just cannot seem to break loose! The air is crisp and cool, which reduces my urge to go fishing down to a dream. How I love the great outdoors!

For those of you who have not seen the latest restrictions released by the Nebraska Game and Parks Department: If you own a recreational vehicle that is a self-contained vehicle, has a potable water system, and can connect to an electrical outlet, then you will be allowed to stay at select outdoor recreational areas beginning May 20. However, if you camp in a tent, you will not be allowed to stay overnight at any Game and Parks controlled facilities.

So enjoying the outdoors is not available, except for those who can afford a self-contained recreational vehicle or RV. The rest of us folks, who do not own an RV, well, we are not allowed to camp at any Nebraska Game and Park recreational areas. We can buy a park sticker and we can pay taxes, but we are not allowed to enjoy these parks which we help support.

There is no evidence to prove that anyone has ever contacted the COVID-19 virus outdoors; in fact, sunlight actually kills the virus. So, when Bill Bryan, who is the acting homeland security undersecretary for science and technology said at a White House briefing on April 23 that sunlight kills the virus, he was correct and his statement has been corroborated by infectious disease experts, such as Dr. Amesh A. Adaljah, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, who has stated that ultra-violet rays from the sun kills the virus on surfaces.

For this reason, Florida refused to close all of its beaches and other outdoor venues. Some of them have stayed open and have never been closed throughout this pandemic. Florida is the Sunshine State, where UV rays from the sun kills the coronavirus on contact. So, the great outdoors really is the safest place on earth to be during a coronavirus pandemic!

We now know that a vast majority of all of those who have contacted the Covid-19 virus have done so inside their homes. As many as 80 percent of those infected were infected indoors and at home. So the Directive Health Measure which says to, “Stay Home and Stay Safe” may not be the safest thing for you to be doing after all.

With the knowledge that being outdoors is safe, why would the Nebraska Game and Parks Department restrict people from being outdoors? If the people leading the Game and Parks Department really believe that the Governor is somehow responsible for restricting visitors at our state parks, then I want to remind them about what Gov. Ricketts said last week. When asked about the restrictions the Game and Parks Department has placed on these recreational areas, he said they are an agency which makes decisions for themselves.

So, the Game and Parks Department can no longer blame Gov. Ricketts for their own uninformed decision making. It is time for the Game and Parks Department to reopen these parks for everyone, not just a select few who can afford it. It is time for them to make a decision based upon the scientific facts about being outdoors, being safe, and the coronavirus.

If you are a person who likes to camp in a tent or any other way that does not include an RV please reach out to your Game and Parks Commissioners and the management and share what you believe about who should be allowed to use these public parks. Then, go out and enjoy the great outdoors!

Indian Cave State Park