Dioramas, wildlife displays, educational events lure outdoor enthusiasts
PRATT
— The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) operates
five nature centers across the state, each offering
great outdoor
education experiences for visitors of all ages. On your next outdoor
outing, take advantage of one of these or
other nature centers.
Information on KDWPT nature centers may be found online at
ksoutdoors.com, and those operated by other entities may be found at
naturalkansas.org, including center details, events, and other wildlife
links.
Learn more about the wildlife and ecology of outdoor Kansas, and enjoy
the next camping, hunting, fishing, or birdwatching trip all the more,
buy visiting a KDWPT nature center this spring or summer.
Great Plains Nature Center — 6232 E 29th Street North, Wichita, KS 67220, phone 316-683-5499
The
Great Plains Nature Center (GPNC) is operated and maintained jointly by
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Kansas Department of Wildlife,
Parks and Tourism; and the Wichita Department of Park and Recreation.
All three entities share the common goal of providing recreational,
interpretive, and environmental education opportunities to the public.
This nature center is an exciting place to learn about natural
resources, especially the wildlife and habitats of the Great Plains.
Nature-related programs are offered quarterly. These are advertised on
the nature center’s website, www.gpnc.org, and in the newsletter
Prairie Reflections.
GPNC’s biggest event of the year takes place the second Saturday in
June. Walk With Wildlife, entering its third decade, provides a glimpse
of native Kansas wildlife to approximately 1,500 visitors annually and
includes a fishing clinic for kids 12 and younger.
Other opportunities include wildlife programs, field trips, discovery
boxes, adult workshops, junior naturalist classes, scout programs, and
nature hikes.
Kansas Wetlands Education Center — 592 NE K-156 Highway, Great Bend, KS 67530, phone 620-786-7456 or 1-877-243-9268
Operated
by Fort Hays State University as an annex of the college’s Sternberg
Museum on KDWPT land, the Kansas Wetlands Education Center (KWEC)
includes a 2,000 square-foot exhibit gallery, classroom, auditorium, and
gift store. A handicapped-accessible ½-mile nature trail displays
grasslands, marshes, and woodlands. A vast expanse of windows allows
visitors to comfortably view wildlife on the wetland.
From a spiny soft-shell turtle to grasshopper mice, visitors can view
some of the lesser known inhabitants of Cheyenne Bottoms in the KWEC
classroom. Children can discover the feel of animal furs, snake skins,
and feathers; match animals to their tracks; and make their own track
stencil or rubbing.
Combine a visit with a drive through the 19,857-acre Cheyenne Bottoms
Wildlife Area and The Nature Conservancy’s 7,600-acre reserve. The
largest interior wetland in the United States, Cheyenne Bottoms is one
of only 22 U.S. “Wetlands of International Importance,” where more than
330 bird species have been observed.
Milford Nature Center — 3415 Hatchery Dr., Junction City, KS 66441, phone 785-238-5323
Located
near beautiful Milford Reservoir in the Flint Hills, the Milford Nature
Center offers visitors a better understanding of the natural
communities of Kansas. Visitors can see and touch native animal furs,
print their own animals tracks, and use their sense of touch to identify
natural mystery items. Dioramas line the halls, depicting an aquatic
system with more than 300 life-like fish, turtles, snakes, and insects
and a terrestrial system showcasing wildlife from the prairies, marshes,
and woods.
Live animal exhibits feature snakes, amphibians, turtles, lizards,
prairie dogs, and more. A large bird of prey exhibit outside the
building features many native raptors, including both bald eagle and
golden eagle. Adjacent to the raptor cages is the bobcat display. Nature
trails, a birdwatching wall, and a backyard habitat area can also be
enjoyed on the center's grounds. The educational sites housed in these
areas demonstrate how to attract birds, butterflies, and other animals
to your backyard. The Butterfly House Exhibit is open from late May
through early October (weather and butterflies permitting).
The Nature Playground has quickly become a favorite among visitors. This
playground gives kids a chance to slide through the belly of a snake or
jump on the back of a spider. A picnic shelter can be found next to the
playground area and is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Milford Fish Hatchery is adjacent to the nature center, and visitors
are welcome to walk around the outside raceways during their visit.
Hatchery tours are offered on weekends at 1 p.m. or by appointment.
Prairie Center — 26235 West 135th Street, Olathe, KS 66061, phone 913-856-7669
Just
five minutes from downtown Olathe, the Prairie Center is a 300-acre
tallgrass preserve and education site with trails winding through
remnant and reestablished prairie and riparian woodlands. Most of the
eight ponds on the property serve as intermittent wetlands for wildlife.
There is a small lake for fishing and water studies. Visitors can
explore a bedrock creek provides for aquatic life and a look back in
time through the fossil remains embedded in the limestone creek bed. In
mid-summer, native grasses grow taller than a living room ceiling.
The primary goal of the Prairie Center is to serve as a preserve for
local flora and fauna. There are no public buildings, and public access
is restricted to trails and a few gathering areas. No horses, bicycles,
or motorized vehicles are allowed, and dogs must be on leashes. Pit
toilets and an archery range are available. The Prairie Center is open
to the public from dawn to dusk seven days a week for trail walking or
fishing in the lake.
The center also provides educational opportunities for the public. Most
of the programs are educator-led, with supplies provided by the Prairie
Center. One such opportunity is Stations Programming, where students
rotate through 10 stations with specific studies such as mammals, soil,
water quality, macro-invertebrate exploration, birds, and reptiles and
amphibians. Other educational programming is also available. The center
will help tailor a program to fit your needs.
Pratt Education Center — 512 SE 25th Ave., Pratt, KS 67124, phone 620-672-5911
Numerous
displays, dioramas, and exhibits provide close encounters with the
native birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles of Kansas. The center’s winter
diorama provides a glimpse at how wildlife deals with the snow and cold
of Kansas winters. The grassland display depicts the three grasslands
(short, mixed, and tall) of Kansas and wildlife common to each region,
as well as a rare black-footed ferret mount. The raptor exhibit features
owls, hawks, falcons, and kite mounts. The wetland wall depicts
Cheyenne Bottoms, one of the five most important wetlands in North
America.
The Aquarium Room contains 12 aquaria, ranging from 400 to 600 gallons
and displaying fish species native to Kansas or that have been
successfully introduced into Kansas. Wall panels feature the early
history of the Pratt Hatchery and the catfish rearing program, along
with a working model of the hatchery’s innovative incubating trough.
More than 128 species of birds and their eggs are displayed in the Bird
Room. Across from this room, visitors can enjoy duplicating the tracks
of Kansas animals using the vinyl replica tracks. Numerous interactive
exhibits test knowledge of Kansas wildlife.
