GREAT PLAINS NATURE CENTER TO HOST 30TH ANNUAL WALK WITH WILDLIFE

Participants can get up-close with more than 50 wildlife species

PRATT – How many times have you taken a hike and not seen any wildlife? Well, if you visit Saturday, June 14, the Great Plains Nature Center staff will bring the animals to you!

Chisholm Creek Park, 6232 E. 29th Street North, Wichita, on

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., visitors can leisurely stroll through the park’s universally-accessible nature trail as they get up-close with more than 50 wildlife species at stations set up along the way. Volunteers will be available at each station to visit with guests and answer questions. Apart from wildlife viewing, attendees will also have a slew of other events to enjoy, including:

-Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism’s Mobile Aquarium

-Wichita Eagle Kids Fishing Clinic (registration form available in the Wichita Eagle newspaper)

-Lunch concessions

-Programs, movies and activities in the Coleman Auditorium

-Hands-on animal, plant and habitat displays in the Koch Habitat Hall

Kiddos also might see a familiar face walking along the trail as “Clifford the Big Red Dog” character will be making the rounds thanks to Kansas Public Telecommunications Service, a PBS station.  

Before heading home, attendees can visit the Owl’s Nest Gift Shop located inside the Great Plains Nature Center to purchase a souvenir to help them remember their wild day.  

The event, sponsored by Spirit Aerosystems, is a great activity for young or old, or any group or organization. Admission donations are $2 per person, and strollers are welcome.

For more information, call the Great Plains Nature Center at (316) 683-5499, or visit www.gpnc.org.

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KANSAS WILDLIFE, PARKS AND TOURISM COMMISSION EXAMINES EARLY MIGRATORY BIRD SEASONS

The 2014 antelope season was approved by the commission at the April 17 meeting

WICHITA – Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) Commissioners heard several topics covering the gamut during the April 17 meeting and public hearing held at the Great Plains Nature Center in Wichita, including discussion of upcoming migratory bird seasons.

During the workshop session, KDWPT migratory game bird program manager, Tom Bidrowski, presented staff recommendations for the upcoming early migratory bird seasons. This item will be presented as a public hearing item for approval at the June 19 meeting in Pittsburg. The June 19 meeting in Pittsburg will take place at the Lamplighter Inn & Suites, 4020 Parkview Dr., at 1 p.m.

Commissioners also discussed the late migratory bird seasons, which will be workshopped at the June 19 meeting and voted on at the August meeting. The August 21 meeting will be conducted in Great Bend at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center.

During the public hearing portion of the April 17 meeting, commissioners approved recommendations for the 2014-2015 antelope seasons as follows:

Firearm & Muzzleloader permit application deadline: June 13, 2014

Archery permit deadline: Oct. 30, 2014

2014 Antelope Season Dates:

• Archery:  Sept. 20 - Sept. 28 and Oct. 11 - Oct. 31, 2014
• Muzzleloader-only:  Sept 29 - Oct. 2, 2014 (Muzzleloader-only permit holders may also hunt during the firearm season.)
• Firearm:  Oct. 3 - Oct. 6, 2014

Shooting Hours: One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. 

For more information on the 2014-2015 antelope season, visit ksoutdoors.com and click “Hunting / Big Game Information / Antelope.”

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15TH ANNUAL STATE FINALS ECO-MEET A SUCCESS

Students tested on knowledge of Kansas flora and fauna

PRATT – A total of 23 teams consisting of 88 students from 21 Kansas high schools participated in the 15th Annual State Finals ECO-Meet on Thursday, Nov. 7 at the Dyck Arboretum at Hesston College. Schools represented at the competition include: Blue Valley Center for Advanced Professional Studies, Chapman, Goddard, Goodland, Haven, Lakewood Middle School of Salina, Maize, McLouth, Mission Valley, Olathe South, Palco, Pratt, Salina South, Shawnee Mission South, St. Mary’s-Colgan of Pittsburg, St. John’s of Beloit, St. Xavier of Junction City, Tescott, Wakefield, Wilson Junior High and Wilson High School.

ECO-Meets are a series of quiz bowl-type competitions based on knowledge of Kansas plants and animals. Winners were awarded scholarship prizes. The event proved to be an exciting, hard-fought contest, with the following results posted:

Overall Team

1st place: Olathe South HS – Stephen DeHart, Rachel Meyers, Hannah Parrinello, Nadia Qureshi and team coach Rene Gloshen. ($300/student scholarship.)

2nd place: Shawnee Mission South HS – Jessica Jurczak, Jake Morrissey, Joe Petty, Ashleigh Smith and team coach P.J. Born. ($200/student scholarship.)

3rd place: Maize HS, Team A – Sam Urban, Skyler Roth, Ben Emerson, Kris Super, and team coach Jay Super. ($100/student scholarship.)

Individual Events

Mammalogy

1st Place: Stephen DeHart, Olathe South HS ($200 scholarship)

2nd Place: Jake Morrissey, Shawnee Mission South HS ($100 scholarship)

Shortgrass Prairie Ecosystem

1st Place: Stephen DeHart, Olathe South HS ($200 scholarship)

2nd Place: Kris Super, Maize HS ($100 scholarship)

Eight regional qualifying competitions were held to see who claimed the honor of representing their location at the state finals. The regional locations were: Wilson Lake in Russell County, the Sternberg Museum in Hays, Milford Nature Center near Junction City, Lakewood Discovery Center in Salina, Great Plains Nature Center in Wichita, Dillon Nature Center in Hutchinson, Prairie Park Nature Center in Lawrence, and the Ernie Miller Nature Center in Olathe. The Kansas ECO-Meet committee is considering at least one new location (Garden City) for 2014 and also a return to the Southeast Kansas Education Service Center at Greenbush to host the regionals, so there is potential for continued growth of this program.

The Kansas ECO-Meet committee would like to thank the Kansas Wildscape Foundation; the Kansas Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, Simpson Farm Enterprises of Ransom; Barton Community College; Friends of Cheyenne Bottoms; Marelcy of Hutchinson; the Kansas Wildlife Federation; the Ellsworth County Chapter of Pheasants Forever; Friends of Milford Nature Center; Mid America Awards of Salina; Goodwin Sporting Goods of Hays; and the Wildlife Education Service Section of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism in Pratt for their continued support.

For more information, visit kansasecomeet.org, or contact Mike Rader at mike.rader@ksoutdoors.com or (620) 672-0708.

WALK WITH WILDLIFE EVENT TO SHOWCASE KANSAS WILDLIFE

Are snakes slimy or smooth? What does a kestrel’s call sound like? You can learn this and more when you attend the 29th Annual Walk With Wildlife event, Saturday, June 8, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. The Great Plains

Participants get up-close to wildlife
species without leaving the sidewalk

Nature Center (GPNC) will be holding the event at Chisholm Creek Park, 6232 E. 29th Street North in Wichita. The cost to attend is $2 per person, and lunch concessions will be available.

Chisholm Creek Park’s 1-mile handicapped-accessible trail loop will be decorated with multiple stations, each featuring different wildlife species. Visitors can get up-close views of native mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects and more.

While visiting the GPNC, participants can also enjoy fun and educational videos in the Coleman Auditorium, hands-on nature exhibits in the Koch Habitat Hall, or shop the Owl’s Nest Gift Shop.

In addition, the GPNC will also host a Kids Fishing Clinic for youth age 12 and under at no additional charge. Each participant will receive fishing equipment, as well as a free photo with their fish. Registration forms can be obtained from The Wichita Eagle newspaper, or by calling (316) 268-2640. Attendance is limited, so early registration is encouraged. Participants must be accompanied by an adult.

For more information on the Walk With Wildlife event, call (316) 683-5499.

Spirit Aerosystems is an annual sponsor of the Walk With Wildlife event.

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KDHE Modifies Public Health Advisory for Arkansas River

Downtown Wichita, Kansas, skyline at night from The Keeper of the Plains at the Arkansas River (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Friday work will permanently plug leak at Wichita’s wastewater treatment plant
TOPEKA, Kan.—The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has modified the public health advisory first issued on May 25 for the Arkansas River. Water samples collected by KDHE and the city of Wichita indicate that bacteria concentrations above the 47th Street bridge are safe for recreation. Therefore, KDHE is modifying the current health advisory to include the portion of the Arkansas River from the 47th Street bridge to the state line.

Last week, elevated levels of bacteria were recorded during routine stream sampling by KDHE’s ambient water quality monitoring program. The city then discovered a leak at an intermediate pump station at the wastewater treatment plant. Work crews constructed a temporary fix for the leaking valve, and it has been partially successful. Therefore, the city is implementing a permanent solution that is scheduled to be completed on June 1.

KDHE advises individuals to have no contact with the Arkansas River from the 47th Street bridge in central Wichita to the Oklahoma state line. Residents are also advised to keep their pets and livestock from making contact with the water.

State and local officials will continue working to assess the situation and are committed to minimizing the impact downstream. The affected portion of the Arkansas River is south, or downstream, of Wichita's Riverfest activities, which begin June 1.

KDHE will continue to follow up with water testing to determine when this advisory can be lifted.

Public Health Advisory Issued for Portion of Arkansas River

Map of the Arkansas River watershed in the south-central United States. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Advisory extends from Lincoln Street Bridge in Wichita to Oklahoma state line
TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has issued a public health advisory for a portion of the Arkansas River due to elevated levels of bacteria discovered during routine stream sampling by KDHE’s ambient water quality monitoring program. KDHE has also confirmed a report of a fish kill in the Arkansas River in areas where there is black, odiferous water.

The health advisory covers a the stretch of the Arkansas River from the Lincoln Street Bridge in central Wichita to the Oklahoma state line.

KDHE advises individuals to have no contact with the Arkansas River between the locations identified above until further notice. Residents are also advised to keep their pets and livestock from making contact with the water.

The cause has not been identified. KDHE is conducting an investigation and will follow up with additional water testing to determine when this notice can be lifted.

WILDLIFE, PARKS AND TOURISM COMMISSION MEETING APRIL 26 IN WICHITA

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Public hearing on fall turkey, antelope, and elk seasons; workshop on early migratory birds, prairie chickens, more
WICHITA — The Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission will conduct a public meeting and hearing on Thursday, April 26, at the Great Plains Nature Center Auditorium, 6232 East 29th Street North in Wichita. The afternoon session will begin at 1:30 p.m. and recess at 5 p.m., and the evening session will begin at 7 p.m.
The afternoon session will begin with time for public comments on non-agenda items, followed by a general discussion period on the following topics:

• Secretary’s remarks;
• 2011 legislative update;
• Hunter/Angler Recruitment and Retention Program update, Pass It On Program;
• fishing regulations;
• hand fishing harvest analysis;
• potential changes in deer regulations 2013; and
• late migratory bird seasons.

The afternoon will also include a workshop session, in preparation for potential future regulatory action, covering preliminary recommendations on the following regulations:

• early migratory bird seasons;
• webless migratory birds;
• commercial mussel harvest;
• prairie chicken seasons;
• falconry regulations;
• public land regulations; and
• KAR 115-25-9a — deer open season, bag limit, permits, and additional considerations.

The commission will recess at 5 p.m., then reconvene at 7 p.m. at the same location for a public hearing on the following regulations:

• KAR 115-25-5 — turkey fall season, bag limit, and permits;
• KAR 115-25-7 — antelope open season, bag limit, and permits; and
• KAR 115-25-8 — elk open season, bag limit, and permits.

Time will be set aside in both the afternoon and evening sessions for public comment on topics that are not on the agenda. If necessary, the commission will recess on April 26 and reconvene at the same location at 9 a.m., April 27, to complete unfinished business.
Live video and audio streaming of this meeting will be broadcast through the KDWP website, ksoutdoors.com.
If notified in advance, the department will have an interpreter available for the hearing impaired. To request an interpreter, call the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at 1-800-432-0698. Any individual with a disability may request other accommodations by contacting the Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission secretary at 620-672-5911.
The next commission meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 21, at Cabela's, 10300 Cabela Dr. in Kansas City, Kan.

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2011 KANSAS STATE ECO-MEET BRINGS HEAVY COMPETITION

Courtesy KDWPT

Nov. 24, 2012
Twenty-six teams, 101 students, 20 high schools display conservation knowledge
ELMDALE — On Nov. 3, the 13th Annual State Finals ECO-Meet competition was held at Camp Wood YMCA facility near Elmdale. The event was held in the Flint Hills, making for a great day of competition. The event proved to be an exciting, hard-fought contest, with the following results posted:

Overall Team Competition

• First Place — Maize High School Team B, Ana Fornoza, Deanna Hazelton, Samm Nguyen, Zac Thiessen, and team coach Jay Super — $300 student scholarships;
• Second Place — St. Mary’s-Colgan High School of Pittsburg, Hayden Compton, Ben Cortes, Joe Otter, Taylor Thomas, and team coach Donna Maus — $200 student scholarships; and
• Third Place — Maize High School Team A, Luke Bartz, Maureen McCafferty, Shannon Nelson, Kris Super, and team coach Jay Super — $100 student scholarships.

Individual Events

• Ornithology — First Place, Stephen DeHart, Olathe South High School, $200 scholarship — Second Place, Blake Bradford, Clay Center High School, $100 scholarship; and
• Woodlands Ecosystem — First Place, Stephen DeHart, Olathe South High School, $200 scholarship — Second Place, Shannon Nelson, Maize High School, $100 scholarship.

Twenty-six teams consisting of 101 students from 20 high schools across the state competed. An additional seven students qualified as individuals from five other schools in the two test events. Nine regional qualifying competitions determined representatives from across the state. Regional locations were Wilson Reservoir in Russell County, the Sternberg Museum in Hays, the Milford Nature Center near Junction City, the Lakewood Discovery Center in Salina, the Great Plains Nature Center in Wichita, the Dillon Nature Center in Hutchinson, Prairie Park Nature Center in Lawrence, the Southeast Kansas Education Service Center at Greenbush, and the Ernie Miller Nature Center in Olathe. The Kansas ECO-meet committee is considering at least two new locations for 2012 to host regional competitions.

Sponsors of the Kansas ECO-Meet include the Kansas Wildscape Foundation; the Kansas Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, Simpson Farm Enterprises of Ransom, Superior/Essex of Hoisington, Barton Community College of Great Bend, Friends of Milford Nature Center, Mid-America Awards of Salina, Goodwin Sporting Goods of Hays, and the Wildlife Education Service Section of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism.

To view the results from all regional events and the state competition or for more information about the Kansas ECO-Meet, go online to www.kansasecomeet.org, email Mike Rader at mike.rader@ksoutdoors.com or phone 620-672-0708.

WILDLIFE AND PARKS COMMISSION MEETING APRIL 21 IN WICHITA

Image via Wikipedia

Public hearing on antelope and elk seasons; workshop on deer, fish bait regulations
WICHITA — The Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission will conduct a public meeting and hearing on Thursday, April 21, at the Great Plains Nature Center Auditorium, 6232 East 29th Street North in Wichita. The afternoon session will begin at 1:30 p.m. and recess at 5 p.m., and the evening session will begin at 7 p.m.

The afternoon session will begin with time for public comments on on-agenda items, followed by a general discussion period on the following topics:

• Secretary’s remarks;
• 2011 legislative update;
• agency and state fiscal status;
• vehicles on the ice;
• fishing regulations;
• late migratory bird seasons;
• park regulations;
• falconry regulations; and
• K.A.R. 115-16-3 — nuisance bird control permit application, provisions, and requirements.

The afternoon will also include a workshop session, in preparation for potential future regulatory action, covering preliminary recommendations on the following regulations:

• early migratory bird seasons;
• duck zone regulations from 2011 through 2015; and
• furbearer regulations.

The commission will recess at 5 p.m., then reconvene at 7 p.m. at the same location to hear more general public comments on non-agenda items, general discussion of potential changes in deer regulations, and continued workshop discussion on the following topics:

• KAR 115-25-9a, deer — open season, bag limit, permits; and additional considerations; and
• aquatic nuisance species and bait regulations.

This workshop session will be followed by a public hearing on the following regulations:

• KAR 115-25-7, antelope — open season, bag limit, and permits;
• KAR 115-25-8, elk — open season, bag limit, and permits; and
• KAR 115-7-9 — weigh-in black bass fishing tournaments.

Time will be set aside in both the afternoon and evening sessions for public comment on topics that are not on the agenda. If necessary, the commission will recess on April 21 and reconvene at the same location at 9 a.m., April 22, to complete unfinished business.

Live video and audio streaming of this meeting will be broadcast through the KDWP website, www.kdwp.state.ks.us.

If notified in advance, the department will have an interpreter available for the hearing impaired. To request an interpreter, call the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at 1-800-432-0698. Any individual with a disability may request other accommodations by contacting the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission secretary at 620-672-5911.

The next commission meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 23, at the Norton Community High School, 103 West Woodsfield in Norton.

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WICHITA YOUTH WINS JUNIOR DUCK STAMP CONTEST

Detailed pencil drawing of American wigeon earns top honors
WICHITA — For the third straight year, Christina Stockton, a 17-year old student at Stockton Academy in Wichita, claimed the state’s top prize in the annual Junior Duck Stamp program on Friday, March 18.

Stockton has been participating in the Junior Duck Stamp program for six years, and this is her third Best of Show. Her 2011 colored pencil entry, “This Side of Heaven,” features an American wigeon in intricate detail. Stockton used reference photos from professional photographers online at Birds in Focus, along with live birds observed on wetlands near her home.

Stockton’s entry will compete against Best of Show winners from 49 other states in the national competition on April 15 at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum (outside of Philadelphia, Pa.), the host of this year’s Junior Duck Stamp Contest. The first place national winner receives a $5,000 scholarship and a free trip to Washington, D.C., and has their entry made into a Junior Duck Stamp that is sold nationwide. Proceeds from the sale of the $5 stamp fund conservation education and art scholarships.

Stockton’s wigeon bested 776 entries, including those of two of her sisters, who were also in the running for Best of Show. Entries were submitted in four age categories: Group 1 — K-3rd grade (287 entries); Group II — 4th-6th grade (293 entries); Group III — 7th-9th grade (101 entries); and Group IV — 10th-12th grade (95 entries).

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