23RD ANNUAL OUTDOOR ADVENTURE CAMP JUNE 5-10

Six-day camp teaches youngsters outdoor skills from fishing, swimming, and star-gazing to canoeing, archery, and wingshooting
JUNCTION CITY — The Kansas Wildlife Federation (KWF) and the K-State Cooperative Extension Service are sponsoring the 23rd Annual Outdoor Adventure Camp (OAC) June 5-10 at the Camp WaShunGa area of Rock Springs 4-H Center, near Junction City. Youngsters ages 10 through 12 are eligible to attend.

“This six-day summer camp is for kids who either enjoy the outdoors or want to learn more about it,” says KWF event organizer Tommie Berger. “If you are a Kansas youngster who will be in age group 10 through 12 this summer — or are a parent of one of these youngsters — and enjoy being outdoors, please consider this opportunity. It is open to all Kansas boys and girls. We even get a few youngsters from surrounding states. And we allow youngsters to come back as junior counselors once they turn 16.”

Participants will spend mornings exploring the grounds at Rock Springs with instructors, observing Kansas animals and plants close-up. Session subjects include insects, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, fish management, wildlife management, wetlands, birds, and stream ecology. Afternoons will be spent learning about birds of prey, skins and skulls, bats, streams, and more general topics, including ecology, wetlands, riparian areas, and watersheds. Instructors from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Kansas State University, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, county conservation districts, the Riley County Fish and Game Association, 4-H clubs, and other organizations will be on hand.

“This camp is meant to be an outdoor experience just short of camping in a tent, so we’ll sleep in screened-in bunk houses that do not have air conditioning,” Berger explains. “But it’s not truly primitive; the swimming pool and dining hall are the main hubs of activity during free time.”

After dark, participants may prowl for owls, star-gaze, or watch bats hunt bugs. Evening swims will be followed by campfire stories and snacks. One evening will feature a friendly fishing competition.

Other activities include scavenger hunts; swimming and canoeing; fishing; rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, archery, and pellet gun shooting; arts and crafts; and horseback riding. A trip to the Milford Nature Center and Fish Hatchery will occupy one day.

Participants should bring a swimsuit, sleeping gear, and clothes for a week. Sunscreen, insect repellent, a cap, a fishing pole, and a water bottle are also recommended. Food, instruction, and lodging are all included in the $250 price of the six-day camp. Some conservation groups and sportsman’s clubs offer Outdoor Adventure Camp scholarships. The Kansas Wildlife Federation and the Outdoor Writers of Kansas offer scholarships in cooperation with Kansas Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Space is limited to 50 youngsters, and the registration deadline is June 4.

“Youngsters and parents are required to sign a Code of Conduct form, which is basically an acknowledgement that everyone is aware of the camp rules and policies,” cautions Berger. “If poor behavior or homesickness lead to a child being sent home, there are no refunds, so please consider that before enrolling a youngster in OAC.”

For application, camp, or scholarship information, write Outdoor Adventure Camp, Theresa Berger, 406 S. New York Ave., Sylvan Grove, KS 67481; phone785-526-7466; or e-mail bergkwf@wtciweb.com. Checks should be made out to the Kansas Wildlife Federation.

TUTTLE CREEK SHOOTING RANGE GETS 50-METER LANE

Fancy Creek Range gets upgrade with help of grants
MANHATTAN — The Friends of Fancy Creek Range will dedicate a new 50-meter shooting lane on Saturday, April 16, at 10 a.m. at the range in Tuttle Creek State Park, near Manhattan. The range dedication is free, but regular range fees will apply for those who want to test their skills on the new lane.

The Fancy Creek Range 50-meter lane was constructed with grants from the federal Wildlife Restoration Act, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Justin Corbet Shooting Foundation, and the National Rifle Association (NRA) Foundation.

During the year, the range hosts a variety of events and services, such as NRA Kids Day and Women on Target, from the Women of the NRA. The range also offers range safety and officer training, 50- and 100-meter rifle lanes, 7-, 10-, and 22-meter pistol lanes, and rimfire silhouette shooting.

The Fancy Creek Range is located approximately one-half mile east of the junction of U.S. Highway 77 and Kansas Highway 16. Because the range is located within Tuttle Creek State Park, a park permit is required to enter. The range is normally open the first and third weekends and the fourth Thursday of every month.

For more range information, contact Kerry Moore, Friends of Fancy Creek Range, at 785-485-5527.

LOVEWELL STATE PARK EVENT CANCELLED

O.K. Kids day scheduled for April 16 meets scheduling conflicts
WEBBER — This year’s O.K. Kids Day at Lovewell State Park, originally scheduled for Saturday April 16, has been cancelled due to program scheduling conflicts.

Lovewell State Park facilities previously closed for the winter season are scheduled to be open by April 15, including Cottonwood and Cedar Point utility campgrounds and shower and restroom facilities, the Willow shower and restroom facility, Rosehill and Walleye Point dump stations, and Rosehill and Pioneer fish cleaning stations.

Lovewell State Park office will begin regular weekend hours April 16, with Fridays open until 8:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office will be closed periodically through the week, by posted notice, to accommodate weekend staffing. For more information, phone the state park office at 785-753-4971.

CHEYENNE BOTTOMS WETLANDERS FESTIVAL APRIL 15-17

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Event celebrates Cheyenne Bottoms’ unique wetlands system
HOISINGTON — The 6th annual Cheyenne Bottoms Wetlanders Festival will take place April 15-17 in Hoisington. Organized and hosted by Hoisington Main Street, Inc., the festival celebrates the Cheyenne Bottoms region and the myriad flora and fauna it harbors. Activities for the whole family are designed to showcase these natural wonders.

Most activities will occur on Saturday, April 16, but some will be held on April 15 and April 17. Included in the festivities is a Ducks Unlimited Banquet on April 15 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hoisington Knights of Columbus Hall. On April 16, participants can compete in a 5k run, take tours of the Kansas Wetlands Education Center and Cheyenne Bottoms, watch a Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks K-9 dog demonstration, enjoy children's story time, test archery skills, compete in a fish casting contest, hone skills at a duck calling clinic, and learn more about Kansas mammals.

The event ends with a 10th anniversary remembrance of the tornado that hit Hoisington on April 21, 2001. Most events are free of charge. For more detailed information, go online to www.wetlanders.org.

K-STATE DUCKS UNLIMITED CHAPTER IN “SWEET 16”

Student organization to hold banquet and dinner April 29
MANHATTAN — The Kansas State University Ducks Unlimited chapter (KSU DU) has recently been recognized as a “Sweet 16 Collegiate Chapter” by Ducks Unlimited (DU), placing them in the top 16 among 100 collegiate chapters nationally. DU adopted the NCAA Basketball Championship terminology because the announcement came during the recent tournament in March. The K-State chapter has more than 20 active committee members who hail from all parts of Kansas, as well as Texas and Missouri. Since the beginning of 2010, this chapter raised more $10,000 for wetland conservation.

“Chapters are ranked by the dollars they raise, and the highest-ranked chapter automatically wins,” says chapter spokesman Scott Alexander. “There are no upsets in this bracket. The only prize for making the Sweet 16 is being acknowledged in Ducks Unlimited, the national organization’s magazine. There’s no award ceremony, just pride and bragging rights.”

On April 29, KSU DU will host a dinner banquet at Purple Wave Auction Group in Manhattan. The doors will open at 6 p.m., with dinner at 7 p.m. and a live auction following.

“The chapter would strongly encourage everyone to come out and support their alma mater, the ducks, or both,” Alexander says. “Chances are there may be a young man or woman on the committee from your home town who would also appreciate your support. The K-State DU chapter is looking to make a run at the “Elite 8” for 2011, and a successful fundraising banquet would help that effort. The chapter is also looking for more committee members from the K-State student body.”

"The true reward for our efforts as a college chapter is knowing that we are contributing to DU's efforts and are helping to ensure that future generations can experience waterfowl migrations at least as numerous as what they are today," adds chapter president Patrick Mellard.

Those who are able to attend or have questions about the event should contact Mellard at pmellard@ksu.edu.

LUKE NIHART MEMORIAL RUN APRIL 16 IN WAMEGO

Event to honor Tuttle Creek State Park ranger
WAMEGO — On June 26, 2010, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) ranger Luke Nihart died of injuries he received while patrolling Tuttle Creek State Park in the early morning hours of the park’s annual Country Stampede Music Festival. The 32-year-old Nihart, an 11-year KDWP veteran, lost control of his ATV while entering a parking lot. It was a great loss for Nihart’s family and for KDWP. In 2005, Nihart had received a commendation for valor shown in a water rescue on Tuttle Creek in which he and another ranger exposed themselves to dangerous conditions to rescue boaters caught in a severe thunderstorm on the lake.

To honor Nihart, the Wamego MOMs Running For Others will conduct a Luke Nihart Memorial Run on Saturday, April 16. The event is being held in association with Wamego’s 24th Annual Tulip Festival. The race will include a 5k run-walk and a 10k run beginning at 8 a.m. at the Wamego Recreation Complex, on the southwest corner of Highway 24 and Balderson Boulevard in Wamego. Online reservations are available at www.active.com. Race packets and registrations will be available on Friday, April 15, from 12 p.m.-6 p.m. at the Wamego Chamber Of Commerce, 529 Lincoln Avenue in Wamego. Same-day registration will be available on Saturday, April 16, from 7 a.m.-7:30 a.m. Strollers are welcome in the 5K race.

For the kids, there will be a “bounce house” and gymnastics obstacle course available for $5 per child, unlimited play time. These are open activities, not competition, and all money will go to the Nihart Children’s Education Fund.

“Running has often been described by those mourning losses as an avenue to find peace throughout the grieving process,” explains Jessica Kueker, event organizer and founder of the MOMS group. “As someone who runs, I can see how this could be true. I have seen how other runs have benefitted great causes, and there appears to be a huge running community in our area, so it made sense to have a run be our fundraiser for the Nihart family.”

Nihart graduated from Wamego High School in 1995, then attended Cloud County Community College for two years prior to graduating from Kansas State University in 2000 with a B.S. in agriculture. He also graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center in December of 2000. After graduation, he worked for a short time as a park ranger at El Dorado State Park before accepting the position at Tuttle Creek. An avid outdoorsman, Nihart was especially interested in getting youth involved in the shooting sports and other outdoor activities.

For more information, email momsclubofwamego@gmail.com.

O.K. KIDS DAYS CONNECT YOUTH WITH OUTDOORS

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Kansas Wildscape, Wildlife and Parks events held statewide throughout summer
LAWRENCE — The Kansas Wildscape Foundation works closely with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) on a number of programs, but Outdoor Kansas for Kids (O.K. Kids) may do more than any other to help promote the department’s mission “to instill an understanding of our responsibilities to the land.” O.K. Kids gets youngsters outside and into nature in ways that can make a lasting impact on their lives.

Most kids no longer grow up in rural environments where knowledge of wildlife and the land are sewn into the fabric of their lives. That’s where O.K. Kids comes in. The program’s mission is “to provide multiple outdoor recreation opportunities for Kansas youth with adult partnering and mentoring to encourage outdoor recreational opportunities and promote and provide an active lifestyle as an alternative to sedentary activities.”

That’s good news for kids and conservation of the land. O.K. Kids covers the entire state of Kansas. Most events are held at the Kansas state parks, but other venues, such as city and county parks and recreation departments and private sites also hold O.K. Kids events. More than 50 sites host O.K. Kids events annually. Participation has steadily grown, with more than 13,000 Kansas youth and their parents or grandparents enjoying the outdoors at 46 different sites across Kansas in 2010. Events are free to all participants and open to all.

Through these events, youth learn about Kansas natural resources and wildlife primarily through games and activities. Staff at each site determine specific activities offered to participants based on local resources and perceived community interests and needs. Kansas Wildscape Foundation provides the operating manuals, event signage, free participant caps or T-shirts, gifts, and prizes, as well as overall organizational, promotional, and marketing support. Not all activities are nature-oriented, but all are outdoors in settings that expose youth to nature. Events include activities such as fishing derbies and clinics, wingshooting instruction, horseshoes, mini-triathlons, scavenger hunts, volleyball, sack races, archery, bird watching, birdhouse building, hiking, bike safety clinics, outdoor cooking contests, and much more.

The following is a list of 2011 O.K. Kids Day events throughout the state. For more information, phone 785-843-9453 or 1-866-655-4377, emailjennrader@sunflower.com, or visit O.K. Kids at the Kansas Wildscape website,www.kansaswildscape.org. For those areas listed at state parks, go to the state park locations page on the KDWP website, www.kdwp.state.ks.us, to find phone numbers for each park. More events may be scheduled at a later date, so check these websites throughout the summer for updated information. (If the event has a sponsor, they are listed in parentheses after the event.)

April

• April 16 — First City TRYathlon for Kids (Leavenworth Parks and Recreation), 7 a.m.-10 a.m., Riverfront Community Center;
• April 20 — Cross Timbers State Park Earth Day (Toronto Reservoir) 9 a.m.-2 p.m.;
• April 23 — Cheney Lake Association O.K. Kids Day 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Cheney State Park;
• April 27 — Kids Conservation Roundup (Northwest Kansas Conservation and Environmental Alliance), 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Colby;
• April 29 — Hillsdale Watershed Festival (Hillsdale Water Quality Project), 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Hillsdale State Park or Spring Hill Civic Center (phone 913-783-4507); and
• April 30 — Ernie Miller Nature Center/Timber Ridge Adventure Center O.K. Kids Event (Olathe), 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Timber Ridge Adventure Center in Olathe.

May

• May 1 — Kanza Days O.K. Kids Fishing Derby (Winfield Recreation Commission) 1 p.m.-3 p.m., Winfield City Park;
• May 7 — Meade State Park O.K. Kids Day, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.;
• May 7 — Pittsburg Parks and Recreation Commission O.K. Kids Day, 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Lakeside Park;
• May 14 — Fall River State Park Earth Day, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.;
• May 14 — Gardner Fishing Derby (Gardner Parks and Recreation Commission), 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m., Gardner Lake;
• May 14 — Lansing Fishing Derby (Lansing Parks and Recreation Commission), 9 a.m.-11 a.m., Kenneth W. Bernard Community Park.; and
• May 21 — Watson Park O.K. Kids Day (Wichita), 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

June

• June 3-4 — Sgt. Mills Jr. Fishing Derby (Arkansas City Recreation Commission), 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Veteran’s Lake;
• June 4 — Dillon Nature Center/Wal-Mart O.K. Kids Fishing Derby (Hutchinson), 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m.;
• June 4 — Gardner Bike Rodeo (Gardner Parks and Recreation Commission), 1 p.m.-3 p.m., Gardner Edgerton High School Parking Lot;
• June 4 — Lakewood Fishing Derby (Salina Parks and Recreation Commission), 8:30 a.m.-11 a.m., Lakewood Park in Salina;
• June 4 — Prairie Dog State Park O.K. Kids Day, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. (Norton);
• June 4 — Turner Recreation Commission Fishing Derby, 8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. in Pierson Park (Kansas City, rain date June 11);
• June 9-11 — Flint Hills Region Girl Scout O.K. Kids Day, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day, Girl Scout Camp Double E (Emporia);
• June 11 — Cedar Bluff State Park Kids Outdoor Adventure, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.;
• June 18 — Rose Hill Recreation Commission O.K. Kids Day Fishing Event, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Sienna Ranch Pond; and
• June 18 — Wilson State Park O.K. Kids Day, 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Kids Fishing Pond.

July

• July 4 — Haysville Recreation Department O.K. Kids Fishing Derby, 9 a.m.-11 a.m., Riggs Park Pond.

August

• August 13 — Clinton State Park O.K. Kids Day (Lawrence), 9-11 a.m.; and
• August 27 — Olathe Parks and Recreation Commission Aquafest, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Cedar Lake (Olathe).

September

• Nothing listed to date; check Wildscape website later in the summer.

October

• Oct. 1 — El Dorado State Park O.K. Kids Day 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; and
• Oct. 8 — Shawnee County O.K. Kids Day On the Trail, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Shawnee North Community Park Shelter (Topeka).