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.

SALINA MALL’S BRUCE ZAMRZLA AQUARIUM RE-OPENED MAY 12

May 12 ceremony to include unveiling of the refurbished 15,000-gallon aquarium and kid’s casting event.

SALINA- The Salina Central Mall and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism (KDWPT) will host a grand re-opening ceremony of the Bruce Zamrzla Memorial Aquarium on May 12, beginning at 1 p.m. and ending at 3 p.m. The Central Mall is located at 2259 S. 9^th St. in Salina.

The 15,000-gallon aquarium is 25 feet long and is home to many amazing species of Kansas fish and turtles. The display was originally constructed in 1987 at the urging of Bruce Zamrzla, who was the district fisheries biologist for the area. “Zam,” as he was affectionately known, was tragically killed in a car accident on April 19, 1994, but he left an amazing legacy as a resource manager and champion of outdoor education. Fittingly, the aquarium was renamed and dedicated in his honor.

The aquarium has long served as an excellent outdoor education exhibit but in recent years had begun to show its age. As part of the Central Mall’s 25^th Anniversary, KDWPT and Central Mall teamed up to restore the aquarium to a first-class attraction. The aquarium features new designs and graphics, an educational PowerPoint display, Kansas fisheries videos, and an updated rustic look and feel. The neon fish formerly on the overhead display have been removed and replaced with a structure designed by Melissa Bowell, a commercial art student at Salina Area Technical College. Bowell’s design was judged the best in a contest with 24 other entries, and she will receive a $1,000 scholarship award for efforts. An amended version of the design has been created and donated by Kasa Fab and will be unveiled at the re-opening event.

The aquarium also received attention. The fish were transferred to the Milford Hatchery for safe keeping while the aquarium was drained, cleaned, and new filtration and water quality devices were added. The fish are in great shape, and the water is now even more crystal clear than Wilson Lake.

The ceremony on Saturday will include presentations by Central Mall staff and KDWPT Assistant Secretary Keith Sexson. A ribbon cutting will be conducted by the Central Mall, Salina Chamber of Commerce, and KDWPT Fisheries Chief Doug Nygren.
Following, the ceremony, Fishing’s Future and the KDWPT Fish KS Aquatic Education Program will host a Kids’ Casting Event. All participants will receive prizes, and a drawing will be held for Central Mall gift cards and a framed fish print.

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WILSON RESERVOIR, POST ROCK SCENIC BYWAY ACCESSIBLE DURING INTERCHANGE WORK

Parks users will have a short detour to access Wilson State Park WILSON — A short detour will be required to visit the Wilson Reservoir area and the Post Rock Scenic Byway this travel season. Beginning in early April and ending in the fall, the I-70/K-232 interchange (Exit 206, Wilson/Lucas) will undergo reconstruction, but K-232 will still be accessible. K-232 leads to Wilson Reservoir, Wilson State Park and Wildlife Area, the Post Rock Scenic Byway, and the cities of Lucas and Wilson. Between early April and early June, westbound I-70 travelers heading to K-232 will be detoured about seven miles farther west to Exit 199 (Dorrance), where they can exit, cross I-70, and enter eastbound I-70 to the K-232 exit. During this time, eastbound I-70 travelers can exit at K-232 without a detour. Between early June and sometime this fall, eastbound I-70 travelers heading to use K-232 will be detoured about 10 miles farther east to Exit 216 (Vesper), where they can exit, cross I-70, and enter westbound I-70 to the K-232 exit. During this time, westbound I-70 travelers can exit at K-232 without a detour. Throughout the project, K-232 travelers intending to go either direction on I-70 will be detoured in the opposite direction on I-70 to Exit 199 or Exit 216, where they can cross I-70 and re-enter I-70 in their intended direction. Wilson state park (Photo credit: SuzanneWendelken) Dial 511 (landline and wireless) for up-to-date road conditions, construction detours, and travel weather information for the Kansas Turnpike and any Interstate, U.S., or state highway in Kansas and Nebraska. If dialing 511 doesn't work from your phone, phone 1-866-511-KDOT (5368). Visit KanDrive.org for online travel information, including an interactive map and highway camera views.