SAFE COLD-WEATHER BOATING

Boating during the winter requires added precautions to ensure safety
Following basic safe boating rules is necessary whenever you’re on the water, but it takes on a new level of importance when the water is cold. As a rule of thumb, if the sum of the air and water temperatures added together equals less than 100 degrees and you fall into the water, you could be looking at a hypothermic situation.
Hypothermia occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can produce it, and cold water robs the body of heat 25 times faster than cold air. When your core body temperature drops below normal (98.6 degrees F), you become hypothermic. Your preparation and how you handle yourself following a fall into cold water will determine your odds of survival.
Remember the “1-10-1” rule. If you fall overboard, you usually have one minute to get your breathing under control. An involuntary gasp occurs when your body encounters the cold water, and this can cause you to breathe in a large amount of water, which can lead to drowning. After the initial shock, you will experience about one minute of deep and uncontrolled breathing. Calming yourself will be easier if you're wearing a life jacket because it will keep your head above the water line and help you avoid breathing in mouthfuls of water.
Over the next ten minutes, your blood flow will start to move away from your hands and feet in order to keep your body’s core warm. The body instinctively attempts to keep vital organs warm and functioning. This affects nerves and muscles farther away from your core, limiting their ability to function. It is during this crucial time that any attempt at self rescue should be made. Get out of the water. Even if your boat is capsized and upside down, crawling onto the part of the boat that is still above water will increase your odds of survival. If you are not wearing a life jacket and can’t get out of the water, you will eventually lose the ability to tread water or swim due to the lack of response from your arms and legs.
Keeping your core protected can help keep you conscious longer, and using the Heat Escape Lessening Position (HELP) will keep your core warmer longer. Wearing a life jacket makes the HELP position easier; you just pull your legs up to your chest and hug your knees. This keeps your body compact and surrounds your chest with protection. If you are in the water with other people, you can huddle together and share warmth. Most people will lose consciousness in one hour, but if you are wearing a life jacket, your face will be above the water and you will still be able to breathe even if you start to fade.
Always dress for the weather by wearing layers that can be removed if the weather warms, and avoid cotton clothing. Cotton will keep the water trapped by your body instead of wicking it away, and it takes a long time to dry. But if you do end up soaking wet, never remove your clothing and shoes unless you have a dry set to change into. Even though the clothes are cold and wet, they provide insulation to your body and will actually keep you warmer. By understanding how hypothermia affects your body and the 1-10-1 rule -- one minute to control your breathing, 10 minutes to rescue yourself and one hour before you lose consciousness -- you can increase your chance for survival if you run into problems while boating in cold water. Of course, wearing life jacket is always the smart choice while boating during any time of the year.

FLOODING FORCES CHANGE IN GLEN ELDER GEOCACHE COORDINATES

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Park manager snags, relocates floating geocache boxes

GLEN ELDER — Due to flooding at Glen Elder Reservoir, locations for Glen Elder State Park’s caches in the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) geocache contest have changed. The original sites are now under water, and may be for quite some time.

The park manager was able to retrieve floating geocache boxes and reset them, so geocachers can still participate in the contest. New coordinates for the first cache box are N 98° 30.065 W 98° 19.359. Geocachers with questions should phone the park office at 785-545-3345 or KDWP’s Pratt Operations Office at620-672-5911.

Now in its fourth year, the KDWP geocaching contest began May 27. From then until Nov. 1, the game is to find two hidden caches at each Kansas state park, as well as a few other locations. The coordinates of one cache at each site and the official statewide KDWP Geocaching Entry Form is posted on the KDWP website,www.kdwp.state.ks.us. (Click “Other Services/Outdoor Activities/Geocaching.”)

Participants use hand-held global positioning systems (GPS) to locate and open the first cache, where they will find the coordinates of the second. Upon finding the second cache, the participant signs a log sheet and takes a certificate. Participants who show the certificate to that park office will receive a park-specific location ink pen. Cachers must retain each certificate to turn in with the downloadable entry form for point verification toward prizes.

KDWP GEOCACHE NEWS CORRECTION

In the KDWP news story dated 5/26/11 and entitled STATE PARK TREASURE HUNTERS ON THE LOOSE, there were a few errors that are worth noting. First, the contest does not begin until noon, May 27. Therefore, coordinates won't be posted until then. Cachers will then be able to download the entry form and won't have to go to the state park office to get one. They can still get the pens at the park office, but they won't have to have anything validated there. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. The release has been corrected on the KDWP website and now reads as follows:

STATE PARK TREASURE HUNTERS ON THE LOOSE
Geocache contest in fourth year; prizes include annual camping permit, 14-day camping permit, and annual vehicle permits; contest runs through Nov. 1
PRATT — Now in its fourth year, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) geocaching contest will begin May 27 in Kansas state parks. From then until Nov. 1, the game is to find two hidden caches at each Kansas state park, as well as a few other locations. The coordinates of the one cache at each site and the official statewide KDWP Geocaching Entry Form will be posted on the KDWP website, www.kdwp.state.ks.us. (Click “Other Services/Outdoor Activities/Geocaching.”) at noon, May 27.

Participants use hand-held global positioning systems (GPS) to locate and open the first cache, where they will find the coordinates of the second. Upon finding the second cache, the participant signs a log sheet and takes a certificate. If they show the certificate to that park office, they receive a park-specific location ink pen. Cachers must retain each certificate to turn in with the downloadable entry form for point verification toward prizes.

Prizes will be awarded based first on how many points are earned. Every second geocache found at each participating location will be worth one point. Prizes will be awarded on a point and time system after the contest ends Nov. 1, though cachers may turn in their entry form whenever it is completed. One first place prize of an annual camping permit for 2012 will be awarded to the first participant to turn in all 31 second-cache certificates. The next two geocachers to earn all 31 points and submit their forms win 14-day camping permits for 2012. Other geocachers who earn all of the 31 points and who turn in their forms, including each second cache certificate, to the Pratt Operations Office by Nov. 1 will receive a 2012 annual vehicle permit.

This activity is a great way to introduce new patrons to state parks and other KDWP areas, as well as provide new activities for regular customers. Youngsters are usually adept at using electronic hand-held devices and find this activity doubly interesting when it gets them outdoors.

STATE PARK TREASURE HUNTERS ON THE LOOSE

Geocache contest in fourth year; prizes include annual camping permit, 14-day camping permit, and annual vehicle permits; contest runs through Nov. 1
PRATT — Now in its fourth year, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) geocaching contest began May 17 in Kansas state parks. From then until Nov. 1, the game is to find two hidden caches at each Kansas state park, as well as a few other locations. The coordinates of the one cache at each site are posted on the KDWP website, www.kdwp.state.ks.us. (Click “Other Services/Outdoor Activities/Geocaching.”)
Participants use hand-held global positioning systems (GPS) to locate and open the first cache, where they will find the coordinates of the second. Upon finding the second cache, the participant signs a log sheet and takes a certificate to that park office. Then they receive a park-specific location ink pen and the official statewide KDWP Geocaching Entry Form. Cachers must retain each certificate to turn in with the downloadable entry form for point verification toward prizes.
Prizes will be awarded based first on how many points are earned. Every second geocache found at each participating location will be worth one point. Prizes will be awarded on a point and time system after the contest ends Nov. 1. One first place prize of an annual camping permit for 2012 will be awarded to the first participant to turn in all 31 second-cache certificates. The next two geocachers to earn all 31 points and submit their forms win 14-day camping permits for 2012. Other geocachers who earn all of the 31 points and who turn in their forms, including each second cache certificate, to the Pratt Operations Office by Nov. 1 will receive a 2012 annual vehicle permit. This activity is a great way to introduce new patrons to state parks and other KDWP areas, as well as provide new activities for regular customers. Youngsters are usually adept at using electronic hand-held devices and find this activity doubly interesting when it gets them outdoors.

KDWP BIOLOGISTS USE TECHNOLOGY TO PREDICT FISHING PROSPECTS

PRATT — To monitor the health of fisheries and help anglers find the best places to fish, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) fisheries biologists spend most of each fall sampling lakes throughout the state. In addition, the agency raises and stocks millions of fish throughout the state annually, providing anglers with special opportunities to catch a wide variety of species. Sampling lakes is the best way to determine population health and stocking needs, and fall is the best time to sample fish because it’s the end of the growing season.

Although KDWP biologists can't sample every lake in the state every year, periodic sampling results are assembled to show trends and multi-year averages for some lakes. This information is posted online with the KDWP Fishing Forecast, available on the KDWP website (www.kdwp.state.ks.us) in January and published in the March/April issue of Kansas Wildlife & Parksmagazine. The forecast and lake data are valuable tools that can help anglers decide where to fish.

Across the state, 18 district fisheries biologists are responsible for 26 large reservoirs, 40 state fishing lakes, and more than 230 community lakes. KDWP biologists have completed the 2010 sampling and are in the process of compiling results. This data will be used for next year's stocking requests, recommendations for future length and creel limit regulations, other management recommendations, as well as the annual Fishing Forecast.

In September, fisheries biologists may use electroshocking for bass, and in October and November, gill-nets and trap nets are used to sample all sportfish. The nets are pulled onto a boat and the fish removed. Biologists then count, weigh, and measure each fish and record this information, taking care to get the fish back in the water quickly. Netting results are recorded on waterproof paper or a laptop computer.

With a laptop, biologists can enter data on the water, then enter it directly into the department's Aquatic Data Analysis System (ADAS) when they get back to the office, eliminating paperwork. ADAS also allows biologists to enter paper-recorded testing data into the system through a desktop computer. They can then compare results with past years' data, which lets them know the population dynamics of the lake tested and make management decisions, from stocking plans to length and creel limits.

Biologists also use Fisheries Analysis and Simulation Tools (FAST) software program, developed in conjunction with 20 other states. This computer application allows the field biologist to use data from the ADAS system and separate age and growth testing to predict what would happen if certain length or creel limits were imposed on a given lake. Tools such as this allow biologists to better manage fish populations and enhance angling opportunities.
Now that sampling is complete, anglers across Kansas can look forward to the 2011 Kansas Fishing Forecast, which will be available on the KDWP website,www.kdwp.state.ks.us, in early 2011.

GPS TECHNOLOGY HELPS HUNTERS FIND HOTSPOTS

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KDWP offers Garmin GPS and Google Earth tools to locate Walk-In properties
PRATT — Are you one of those hunters who loves to use technology to help with the hunt? When it comes to finding out where to hunt, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) has just what you’re looking for. Both the Garmin GPS (global positioning) and Google Earth files provided on the KDWP website can help hunters find the locations of KDWP Walk-In Hunting Access (WIHA) properties. For all the details, click KDWP Info/Locations/Hunting & Fishing Maps by County/2010 Fall Hunting Atlas/GPS Information & Files. You’ll find instructions for adding WIHA maps to Garmin GPS units, instructions for adding WIHA to Google Earth (GE), and links for uploading necessary software.

Two different files are available for Garmin units. One file contains only the WIHA tracts and has a transparent background so that it can overlay existing maps (such as TopoUSA Quads). For those who do not have map layers for Kansas already on their GPS units, a second file available for download will add the WIHA tracts and a base map. This file includes all WIHA tracts, streams, lakes, roads, and incorporated cities within Kansas.

Downloading and using Google Earth software requires an active Internet connection. GE is a virtual globe, map, and geographic information program. The basic version of GE is currently available as a free software download. Once installed, GE will automatically connect to Google’s servers each time you open the program, streaming terabytes of geographical data (including seamless imagery) in the format of a 3-D globe to your Internet browser.

The file named “KS_WIHA_Fall_2010” is available for download and allows users to add the tract boundaries for WIHA properties to the digital globe. While the imagery on the 3-D globe is not real-time, it does provide a good idea of the terrain and, to an extent, the land-cover of the WIHA tracts.

WIHA tracts are available only during the access dates indicated on posted signs or in the 2010 Kansas Hunting Atlas, available at any KDWP office. In addition, landowners may opt out of the program after the seasons have started; in this case, signs will be posted marking the area as closed. Aside from access dates, some WIHA tracts have restrictions prohibiting firearm deer hunting. Restrictions will be posted on the areas and will take precedence over those listed or omitted in the maps. Citations can be issued for violating these restrictions. When in doubt, err on the side of caution and avoid entering areas questioned until you have checked with a KDWP official.

For more information, contact Jake George, private lands coordinator, KDWP, 512 SE 25th Ave., Pratt, KS 67124, phone 620-672-0760.