Kester receives Public Lands Hero Award

The Nebraska chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers presented its inaugural Public Lands Hero Award to Adam Kester, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission access program manager, Aug. 13 in North Platte.

The Hero Award, which will be presented annually after this year, recognizes those who make outstanding efforts to improve public access for hunters and anglers in Nebraska. Kester has been with Game and Parks since 2011 and served many roles in its Wildlife Division.

Loren Smith of North Platte, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers board member, had high praise for Kester.

“There is no one more deserving of the Nebraska BHA chapter’s Public Lands Hero Award than Adam Kester,” he said. “His dogged determination to improve hunting and fishing access to folks in a state with 97% private land is simply outstanding. We are all fortunate in Nebraska to have Kester working tirelessly for the outdoor recreation public.”    

Kester credited others for the honor.

“It’s all due to the team we have and the generous Nebraska landowners that participate,” he said. “We like to be innovative and develop options that benefit both the landowner and hunters.”  

Game and Parks offers a variety of voluntary access programs that offer landowners financial incentives and provide public opportunities for hunting, fishing and trapping.  

While Kester was a private lands biologist with Game and Parks, he promoted the Open Fields and Waters Program and administered more than 100 agreements with landowners that included nearly 70,000 acres of access opportunities for hunters.

Kester also created the Canyons Access Initiative that grew from about 400 acres to nearly 25,000 acres of walk-in hunting opportunities across the grasslands and woodlands of the Loess Canyons. He pursued funds through the National Wild Turkey Federation to increase payment rates for landowners to open access in prime habitat for deer, turkey, elk and other game species. 

As a district manager for the partners section, Kester found creative ways to tie habitat management and access incentives with Game and Parks’ Berggren Plan for Pheasants. The approach increased Open Fields and Waters enrollments in the plan’s southwest and south-central focus areas.  

In his current role, Kester oversees statewide efforts and has developed the Elk Hunter Access Program, which includes nearly 50,000 acres in four elk units. He partnered with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to increase funding and start the program in 2024.

He was involved with the development and implementation of the Nebraska Community Access Partnership with Pheasants Forever that has added over 31,000 acres of Open Fields and Waters enrollments in the Ogallala area.

Kester also is working to add a Managed Access Program, which will be a reservation-based access program providing custom options for landowners and more hunting opportunities across the state.

Kester commended his coworkers and landowners for growing Open Fields and Waters, which has more than 435,000 acres across Nebraska.

“Our team works with over 900 landowners and the OFW program grows every year,” Kester said. “All the programs are voluntary, and we have a 97% retention rate with landowners. They (landowners) return to the program because of the relationships with our staff and the compensation NGPC provides.” 

To learn more about OFW, visit OutdoorNebraska.gov. For more information about Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, visit backcountryhunters.org.