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MCC Alum Finds Himself Through Nature
Justin Haag’s days are filled with wonder.
From watching a rising sun cast pink and orange rays across snow-covered hills to chasing lightning bolts raging through a summer sky — Haag (’91-’93) is constantly immersed in beauty.
The only other witnesses to his experiences are those of the natural world — the prairie chickens, antelope, bighorn sheep and coyotes that call Western Nebraska home.
Haag wouldn’t want it any other way. In fact, he’s living out his dream. As the public information officer for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Panhandle region and regional editor of, “NEBRASKAland Magazine,” Haag’s job is to capture those moments in time that most people don’t get to see.
“A big part of my job is nature photography, and I live in a great part of the world to do it,” Haag said. “The landscapes, parks and wildlife of the Panhandle give me a lot of opportunities. I love bringing attention to some of Nebraska’s best places and most captivating wildlife and fostering a deeper appreciation for them from the public.”
Developing interests
Nature has always been a big part of Haag’s life. A native of Southwest Nebraska, Haag attended elementary and high school at Beaver Valley.
“I’ll be the first to admit that I was a less than ideal student,” said Haag. “Until late in high school, I didn’t think much about going to college. I was more concerned about fishing at Medicine Creek, Red Willow and Swanson reservoirs and hunting squirrels and pheasants along Beaver Creek.”
It took the encouragement of his guidance counselor to convince Haag to at least consider a postsecondary education. Haag eventually decided to enroll, as a first-generation college student, at McCook Community College where he had qualified for scholarships and financial aid.
“That financial aid allowed me to study in McCook for two years without amassing any school debt, which was huge,” Haag said. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and always said I would have stayed for a four-year degree had it been offered.”
He credits former instructors Rod Horst, Roger Wilson and Sue Watts with being some of his biggest academic influencers.
A persistent calling
It was during his time in McCook that Haag was introduced to journalism.
“I worked as a part-time sportswriter at the ‘McCook Gazette’,” Haag said. “I was part of a team of writers who reported to duty on busy Friday nights, and some Saturdays, to field calls from high school coaches after games. Even though the articles were short, it gave me some great experience writing on a deadline, and it was fun seeing my work in the following morning’s newspaper.”
Despite that, Haag wasn’t planning on becoming a journalist. He had already decided to be a teacher.
“I grew up in a small town,” Haag said. “I graduated from a class of 11 in high school, and there wasn’t a huge variety of professions around me. I saw a lot of ag producers, and I saw a lot of teachers. I really admired my teachers, and they had a huge influence on me, so I had decided to be like them.”
Studying at MCC helped Haag gain enough confidence to pursue a four-year degree, and he transferred to Chadron State College. About a year in, he decided to change paths.
“I took a journalism class, and met the great LaVida Dickinson,” Haag said. “She was a fantastic instructor and pulled me into working on the student newspaper, ‘The Eagle.’ I thought that was pretty fun to be someone reporting on the news. I think the idea of finding something that fit my talents and capabilities is what attracted me to it. I really took to the whole romanticism of the newspaper industry.”
“The Eagle” exposed Haag to a lot of different aspects of newspaper production – from writing stories and shooting photos to layout, pulling papers off the press and even delivery.
He started out writing sports, then became a
news editor, editor and production manager. Haag also did some of the department’s first digital photography. He graduated from CSC in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in English: Journalism and a minor in political science.
Haag then spent a couple years working as a news and sports reporter for “The Chadron Record” before returning to McCook to serve as associate editor for the Gazette. One of his favorite parts of the latter job was that it allowed him to stay connected to nature. He photographed wildlife and put together an outdoor page for the newspaper every week.
Starting a new chapter
It was during his time at the Gazette that Haag began dating his future wife, Cricket Morehead, a certified public accountant, who was also a MCC and CSC grad. The couple married in 2000 and moved back to Chadron.
Justin spent 12 years as the communications and marketing coordinator for CSC. He covered many speakers at the college during that time, one of whom was Michael Forsberg, a prominent conservation photographer.
“That was a changing point for me,” Justin said. “The things Forsberg talked about really struck a chord. He did a wonderful job of tying photos into a message of conservation, and I just really admired how he used photography to foster an appreciation for wildlife – especially threatened and endangered species. I had never thought about photography being a good tool for that sort of thing until I saw that presentation.”
Justin had been a photographer for years by that point and had always maintained an interest for capturing imagery of wildlife. However, his gear was limited. After paying off his student loans and completing a wildlife course at the college, he decided to buy a telephoto zoom lens and try his hand at photographing the region’s fauna.
Justin was amazed at how many different species he could photograph in a short amount of time, and the hobby became his new obsession. When the opportunity arose to make his passion a career, he jumped at it. He began his current role with Game and Parks in January of 2013.
When not peering through a lens, Justin can be found writing news releases, playing around with video and producing a weekly radio segment. His efforts have earned him awards from the Association for Conservation Information.
Although Justin is grateful for the many blessings and experiences he’s been given over the years, he remains true to his roots. Southwest Nebraska and MCC will always have a special place in his heart.
“I am a firm believer in the role and mission of community colleges and am thankful for the opportunities provided to me in McCook,” Justin said. “I’m not sure where I’d be now without that experience. While I may have somehow stumbled into an equally fulfilling career, there’s no doubt that my time at McCook Community College broadened my options and set a great educational foundation for what I’m doing today.”
