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.

Related articles

• Walk With Wildlife Event to Showcase Kansas Wildlife (kansas-outdoors.blogspot.com)

GREAT PLAINS NATURE CENTER HONORED WITH NATIONAL AWARD

Wichita’s GPNC recognized for its unique partnerships

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell presented the 2013 Partners in Conservation awards at a ceremony in Washington, DC on Jan. 16. The Secretary honored 20 partnership projects that have demonstrated exemplary natural resource conservation efforts through public-private cooperation. Four

partnerships nominated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service(USFWS), including The Great Plains Nature Center in Wichita,received awards.

 The Great Plains Nature Center, located at 6232 E. 29th Street N in Wichita, is a wild oasis in an urban setting. Each year the Center provides outdoor recreation and educational opportunities to hundreds of thousands of visitors. The facility is a one-of-a-kind partnership that began in 1988. It serves as an outdoor education center for the City of Wichita, a regional office for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism, and an administrative site for theUSFWS. The Friends of the Great Plains Nature Center help visitors learn about the plants and animals of the Great Plains through live animal exhibits, dioramas depicting native flora and fauna, and nature trails leading to abundant wildlife viewing opportunities on the adjacent Chisholm Creek Park. Its education programs operate throughout the year, and a highlight of the Center is a massive 2,200-gallon aquarium offering close-up views of native fish.

Other award winners include the Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program in Texas, the Klamath Tribal Leadership Development for Integrative Science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge Program in northern California and southern Oregon, and the Center for Land-Based Learning Partnership in California.

Partnerships are vital to wildlife conservation efforts nationwide as they allow us to combine the strengths of our stakeholders with the resources and abilities of our staff, saidUSFWSDirector Dan Ashe. Almost anything is possible when you leverage the skills, talents, dedication and abilities of diverse groups of stakeholders that share a common conservation agenda.

A total of 14 partnerships were submitted nationwide by Service staff for consideration as part of this year’s awards.

Additional information on the selected programs and full listings of entities involved are available here:
http://www.fws.gov/home/feature/2014/2013-pic-awards.html.

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.

SENTENCING IN KANSAS FELONY DEER POACHING OPERATION SET FOR JUNE 21 AND 24

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Pair face prison sentencing, heavy fines, suspension of hunting privileges

WICHITA — On March 16, James Bobby Butler Jr. and Marlin Jackson Butler — both of Martinsville, Texas — pleaded guilty in federal court in Wichita to felony conspiracy and wildlife trafficking charges stemming from the illegal sale of guided deer hunts in southern Kansas. On Tuesday, June 21, James Bobby Butler, Jr., will be sentenced in the federal court at 10 a.m. At 1 p.m., Kansas U.S. attorney Barry Grissom will hold a press conference regarding the case at the Great Plains Nature Center, 29th and Woodlawn in Wichita.

Butler, Jr., 42, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, one substantive Lacey Act count, and one count of obstruction of justice. Marlin Butler, 36, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and one Lacey Act count. Marlin Butler will be sentenced June 24. Charges for others involved in the case are still pending.

The Lacey Act is a federal law that makes it illegal to knowingly transport or sell in interstate commerce any wildlife taken or possessed in violation of state law or regulation. The maximum penalty for a felony violation of the conspiracy statute and the Lacey Act includes as many as five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for the obstruction charge against James Butler includes as many as 20 years in prison and $250,000 fine. According to the plea agreements, the prosecution agreed to recommend sentences of 41 months in prison for James Butler and 27 months in prison for Marlin Butler, in addition to fines, restitution, and three years of supervised release during which time both Butler brothers would be prohibited from all hunting and guiding activity.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The case is being jointly prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas and Environmental Crimes Section of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.

For more information, phone the U.S. Attorney's Office at 316-269-6481.

WILDLIFE AND PARKS COMMISSION MEETING APRIL 21 IN WICHITA

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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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