Cabela's Apprenticeship Research Program

Our Cabela’s Apprenticeship Program is an opportunity for students to gain experience doing research that addresses real issues centered around:

recruiting and maintaining participants in outdoor activities
managing fish and wildlife and creating their habitat
protecting threatened and endangered species
supporting ecosystem conservation

Students with at least 27 credit hours or sophomore standing are eligible to apply.

Funding for apprentices typically averages about $3,000, but other levels of funding are considered if justified in the application.

The program is a partnership among Cabela’s, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with funding provided by Cabela’s.

Applications for 2026 were due Friday, February 13, 2026 at 5:00 pm

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Apprenticeship Stories

"I kept a lot of aquariums, and getting to see those different exotic species and learning about them in a captive setting really piqued my interest. That inspired me to take this path and now I’ve gotten to see different species of fish in their natural habitat." – Ella Humphrey – Read more

"My research experience this summer at the Niobrara Valley Preserve simply would not have been possible without the financial support from Cabela's. Without the burden of working a part-time job this summer to support myself, I was able to dive fully into the research and learn as much as possible while maintaining a healthy work/leisure balance. With Cabela's emphasis on an apprenticeship rather than just a typical research experience, I was able expand beyond my forest ecology focus and learn from other folks at the Nature Conservancy about things like prescribed fire, prairie restoration, and land management. Oh, and how to change a flat tire on a big truck!" – Brittni McGuire – See more

investigate the impacts of pesticides on amphibians

"The stipend is very helpful since I would otherwise likely not be able to afford room and board in Lincoln for the summer, " – Abagail Schoup – Read more

2026-2027 Apprentices

Carter Bowen

Conserving the Kendall Warm Springs Dace

Carter will combine field surveys in Wyoming with hatchery experiments in South Dakota and Nebraska to improve population estimates and identify rearing conditions that support recovery of the endangered Kendall Warm Springs Dace. His work will help refine propagation strategies and long-term monitoring for one of the region's rarest fish species.

Mentors: Dr. Elizabeth Renner, Dr. Mark Pegg, Kate Olsen, Rachel Arrick

Sydney Honaker

House Wrens Across a Gradient of Human Disturbance

Sydney will use nest boxes at Cedar Point Biological Station to measure how clutch size, nest success, territoriality, and defense behavior shift as human influence increases across the landscape. Her work explores how birds trade off stress, vigilance, and reproduction as habitat conditions become more shaped by people.

Mentors: Sarah Beres, Dr. Allison Johnson

Jane Jewell

Tree Swallow Incubation and Thermal Stress

Jane will use temperature-sensing PIT tags and heated nest boxes at Cedar Point Biological Station to test how female tree swallows balance incubation demands, body temperature, and reproductive success. Her study pairs new technology with field experimentation to better understand the physiological costs of breeding in wild bird populations.

Mentors: Dr. Dai Shizuka, Dr. Allison Johnson

Lily Mack

Bat Habitat Use Under Forest Management

Lily will monitor bat activity at Indian Cave State Park to learn how thinning and other overgrowth management practices influence species richness, habitat use, and conservation opportunities for Nebraska bat populations. The project will help managers evaluate whether habitat restoration practices are improving conditions for both common and at-risk bat species.

Mentor: Brett Anderson

Isabella Minatti

Viruses, Bacteria, and Phosphorus in Freshwater Systems

Isabella will test whether viral particles can become a meaningful phosphorus source for bacteria under nutrient stress, helping researchers better understand nutrient cycling and microbe-virus interactions in aquatic ecosystems. Her project connects microbiology, freshwater ecology, and nutrient dynamics in ways that could reshape how these systems are studied.

Mentors: Dr. Jessica Corman

Sarah Springer

A Savanna Herbarium for Kruger National Park

Sarah will build a photographic and pressed-plant collection of native grasses and forbs in Makuleke Contractual Park, creating a long-term field education resource for guide training in northern Kruger National Park. The herbarium will support plant identification, ecological learning, and future conservation education in one of South Africa's most diverse savanna regions.

Mentors: Dr. John Carroll

Aaron Topil

Landscape Patterns Behind Pheasant Harvest Success

Aaron will compare counties in Nebraska and South Dakota to examine how habitat, land cover, and public access shape ring-necked pheasant harvest, then translate those findings for agencies, landowners, and hunters. The project combines spatial analysis and science communication to support clearer habitat strategies for sustaining pheasant populations.

Mentors: Dr. Andrew Little

Jacob Vankat

How Grassland Fire Ash Reshapes Aquatic Food Webs

Jacob will study how ash from differently managed grasslands affects zooplankton communities, connecting land management decisions to downstream water quality and the health of aquatic ecosystems in the Great Plains. His project bridges prairie management and freshwater ecology to better predict how fire and vegetation change ripple through aquatic food webs.