Special Events at Glacier Creek Preserve
Events at Glacier Creek Preserve are open to the public and all ages are welcome. There are no associated fees to attend, but an RSVP may be required for some events. All events are located at Glacier Creek Preserve, 14810 State St. Bennington, NE 68007.
We look forward to seeing you at the Preserve!
Click HERE for information about Volunteer Workdays.
Upcoming Events:
Wildflower Week! - Wildflower Planting Project
Join Glacier Creek Preserve Staff & Volunteers in weeding the newly established pollinator habitat areas near the Barn. We'll also be prepping the ground for more plantings and then planting prairie wildflowers.
Date: June 2, 2026
Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm; It's optional to bring a sack lunch to enjoy lunchtime conversation with a beautiful view at 12:00 pm
Location: UNO’s Glacier Creek Preserve, 14810 State Street, Bennington, NE 68007
This event is free and open to the public. We provide weeding and planting supplies as well as garden gloves. Water bottle refill station/water fountains and restroom are available on site in The Barn.
Please RSVP to 402-554-6300 or unoglaciercreek@unomaha.edu
Spring Strings at Glacier Creek Preserve
This year’s Spring Strings performance, organized by Rangbrook Ensemble cellist Sophia Potter, will feature Chicago-based Fulton Music Society musicians Addison Teng (violin) and Amy Hess (viola), and UNO School of Music faculty/Maverick String Quartet members Dr. Mary Perkinson (violin) and Tyler Sieh (viola). The quintet will spend the week before Spring Strings working with high school chamber ensembles for UNO’s Chamber Music Institute, as well as opening some of their rehearsals to student musicians to observe. This collection of accomplished artists will perform the String Quintet No. 2 in G major, Op. 111 by Johannes Brahms. For bios and links to more information about the Fulton Music Society and the UNO School of Music, please visit https://www.rangbrookensemble.org/hear-us-live.html
Date: Saturday, 6 June 2026
Time: Refreshments at 6:30 pm; Music 7:00 – 8:30 pm (In the Barn)
Location: The Barn at Glacier Creek Preserve, 14810 State St., Bennington, NE 68007
Performing: String Quintet No. 2 in G major, Op. 111 by Johannes Brahms
Spring Strings is an event that connects the melodies of great composers with the beauty of the spring prairie. Please join us for this unique blend of music and nature. RSVP’s are appreciated but not required to unoglaciercreek@unomaha.edu or 402-554-6300.
Passage - a traveling movement + sound experience through the prairie
By tbd. dance collective https://www.tbddancecollective.org/
Dates: June 11-14, 2026 at 7:30 pm (Free event but registration required - see link below)
Overview
Join tbd. dance collective for Passage; an outdoor, guided, traveling movement and sound experience at Glacier Creek Preserve. Attendees will walk the main trail within the Preserve where they will encounter movement and sound installations at five locations throughout the tall grass prairie. Each performance location was carefully selected in conversation with Preserve Operations Administrator, Tracy Coleman, for the purpose of highlighting the tall grass prairie conservation efforts of the preserve, and celebrating this unique Nebraska landscape through movement and sound.
Our intent is to create a thought provoking and intimate site specific performance experience that allows audience members to connect with nature, movement, sound, and surroundings. Audiences for each performance will be limited in size (20-30 people) Registration is required. If you register and are no longer able to attend, please let us know as soon as possible so we may open up a spot for someone else.
For more details and to register for the event please go to Eventbrite at the link below.
Guided Hike - Pollinator Week!
Join us for an evening guided hike for Pollinator Week! We hope to view various pollinators and their nectar sources as we hike the 1.5 mile prairie loop.
Event Details
Date: Monday, June 22, 2026
Time: 6:00-7:30 pm
Location: The Barn at Glacier Creek Preserve, 14810 State St., Bennington, NE 68007
This event is free and open to the public. All ages welcome. RSVPs are not required but appreciated to unoglaciercreek@unomaha.edu.
Night Life at Glacier Creek Preserve
Save-the-date for Night Life on July 31, 2026 from 8:45pm-11:45pm. Check back for more information!
Experience the wild after dark!
- Night Life at Glacier Creek Preserve offers a chance to explore the fascinating world of animals that become active after sunset.
- Light traps and other methods used to attract moths, beetles, and other invertebrates will be set up at various locations around the Barn with bat nets set up nearby to allow for observation of this group of night-time animals. Individuals with special knowledge of the various night-time animals will move throughout the stations taking notes, sharing observations, and answering questions.
- Visitors are encouraged to move freely between the stations to observe the diversity of animals that are active at night and to ask questions about them.
- If you have them, headlamps or flashlights will be helpful should you wish to take an evening or night hike along one of the Preserve’s mowed fire trails.
- Optional guided hikes related to bats, insects, and snakes will be provided.
- The Barn will be open for walk throughs and restroom use. Insect repellent will be available on site.
- This relaxed, come-and-go event, is free and open to the public - feel free to arrive any time after 8:45 PM. No RSVP required.
- Questions? Contact us at unoglaciercreek@unomaha.edu or call 402-554-6300.
Guided Hike - Golden Hour!
Have your eyes and your camera ready! Golden hour casts a warm, golden glow across the landscape, transforming the prairie into a dreamscape of light and shadow. With its soft, golden tones, it’s the perfect moment for slowing down and soaking in the beauty around you.
Event Details
Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Time: 7:00-8:15 pm
Location: The Barn at Glacier Creek Preserve, 14810 State St., Bennington, NE 68007
Do you want to walk, talk, and learn with others? Then these guided hikes are for you!
- Hikes will average 1 hour and range from 1-2 miles.
- All ages are welcome.
- Pets are not allowed at the Preserve, so leave those buddies at home.
- Hikes will be cancelled in the event of severe weather or rain.
- Recommended clothing: Closed-toe shoes, long pants, and hats.
- Bring plenty of water.
- Available on-site: Water bottle refill stations, insect repellant, and restrooms.
- We look forward to seeing you at the Preserve!
This event is free and open to the public. All ages welcome. RSVPs are not required but appreciated to unoglaciercreek@unomaha.edu.
The Bouteloua LitART Fest
Check back for the fall 2026 event details.
Monarch Tagging Events
Check back for details. We will host Monarch Tagging on two dates in mid-September 2026.
Past Events:
The Bouteloua LitART Fest
The LitART Fest is a celebration of authors and artists held at UNO’s Glacier Creek Prairie Preserve that includes book readings and signings, writers’ discussion panel, local artists exhibition, and prairie walks. This event was a collaboration of the UNO Creative Nonfiction Writing Program, Moonrise Gallery, and Glacier Creek Preserve.
Past event dates: 11 September 2022, 1 October 2023, 22 September 2024 and 28 September 2025.
Guided Hikes at Glacier Creek Preserve
Guided hikes provide the opportunity to walk, talk and learn about the prairie with other interested individuals. Come enjoy the beautiful landscape and the breathtaking sunsets.
Night Life at Glacier Creek Preserve
The Night Life events provide an opportunity to experience the sights and sounds of animal activities that go on after dark. Light traps and other collection methods are used to observe insects. The songs of crickets, katydids, and cicadas increase as the evening progresses. Check out the moth species list that has developed from this event.
Overhead, we observe bat activity while looking and listening for other sights and sounds of the night-time preserve. Local scientist provide tools and knowledge to guide attendees through the evening.
Past event dates include: 2 August 2018, 21 July 2019, 17 August 2019, 17 July 2021, 18 June 2022, 19 August 2022, 23 June 2023, 18 August 2023, 14 June 2024, and 20 August 2025.
Research Conversations at Glacier Creek Preserve
Research Conversations is an opportunity for those conducting research at the Preserve to share either the results of their efforts to date or plans for future research at the Preserve. The event is also intended to provide a venue to encourage discussions among those attending for possible future projects. For others, the event is an opportunity to learn about the kinds of research being conducted at the Preserve. Research Conversations at Glacier Creek Preserve is an annual meeting and an opportunity for Preserve users to share their present work, initiate ideas about future research and projects, and for others to hear about ongoing research at the Preserve. This event is scheduled annually during February or March.
Research Conversations is open to faculty, students and interested individuals.
Spring Strings at Glacier Creek Preserve
Spring Strings at Glacier Creek Preserve Featuring The Rangbrook Ensemble, a mix of cello, viola, and violin. Spring Strings is an event that connects the melodies of great composers with the beauty of the spring prairie. The next Spring Strings will be held Saturday, June 6, 2026 so check back for more details.
Past event dates include: 2 June 2018, 7 June 2019, 11 June 2022, 17 June 2023, 8 June 2024, and 7 June 2025.
About the Rangbrook Ensemble:
Founded in 2011, the Rangbrook Ensemble is a string trio and string sextet made up of Omaha and Lincoln-based professional musicians. Members of the ensemble are active in the Omaha and Lincoln Symphonies and various music education programs throughout the Southeast Nebraska area.
The Rangbrook Ensemble’s members come from a variety of educational backgrounds including studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Boston University, and the Oberlin Conservatory. The Ensemble has performed their self-presented series in a wide variety of locations throughout Lincoln and Omaha, as well as performing on local concert series, including Lincoln Friends of Chamber Music and Vesper Concerts.
Links to individual bios:
(Bill Wolcott) https://www.rangbrookensemble.org/violins.html
(Jesse Griggs) https://www.rangbrookensemble.org/violas.html
(Sophia Potter) https://www.rangbrookensemble.org/cellos.html