Monthly Archives: August 2012

KWPT Commission Approves Duck and Goose Seasons

Low Plains Southeast Zone duck season to open Nov. 15

The Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission approved season dates for the 2012-2013 duck and goose seasons at a public hearing conducted at the Kansas Wetlands EducationCenter near Great Bend on Aug. 23. Duck seasons are as follows: High Plains Unit – Oct. 6-Dec. 30 and Jan. 19-27, 2013; Low Plains Early Zone – Oct. 6-Dec. 2 and Dec. 15-30, 2012; Low Plains Late Zone – Oct. 27-Dec. 30 and Jan. 19-27, 2013; Low Plains Southeast Zone – Nov. 15, 2012-Jan. 27, 2013.

The 2012-2013 goose seasons are as follows: White-fronted geese – Oct. 27-Dec. 30 and Feb. 2-10, 2013; Canada and brant geese – Oct. 27-Nov. 4 and Nov. 7, 2012-Feb. 10, 2013; Light geese (Ross’ and snow) – Oct. 27-Nov. 4 and Nov. 7, 2012-Feb. 10, 2013; Light geese conservation order – Feb. 11-April 30, 2013.

Shooting hours for duck and goose hunting are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. The daily bag limit for ducks is 6 ducks with species and sex restrictions as follows: 5 mallards (only 2 of which may be hens), 3 wood ducks, 2 pintails, 2 redheads and 1 canvasback. Daily bag limit for mergansers is 5 (only 2 of which may be hooded). Daily bag limit for coots is 15. Daily bag limits for geese are as follows: 3 Canada geese, 2 white-fronted geese, and 20 light geese. Possession limit for ducks and geese is twice the daily bag limit, except there is no possession limit for light geese. During the conservation order for light geese, there is no daily bag or possession limit.

Special youth waterfowl seasons allow youth 15 and younger to hunt under the supervision of an adult 18 years old or older. The adult may not hunt. Shooting hours and bag limits are the same as during the regular duck and goose seasons. Youth seasons are as follows: High Plains Unit and Low Plains Early Zone – Sept. 29-30; Low Plains Late Zone – Oct. 20-21; and Low Plains Southeast Zone – Nov. 3-4.

The Commission also approved changes to the falconry regulations, which bring Kansasstate regulations in compliance with federal requirements and allows falconers to operate under a state-managed system with federal oversight.

Changes were approved to rehabilitation permit regulations as a result of changes in the falconry regulations related to the possession requirements for treatment of injured animals.

The Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission will meet next on October 18 at Flint Oak,Fall River.

Sixty-five Prairie Dogs Relocated to Hutton Niobrara Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary

For the full report visit http://audubonofkansas.org/2012/08/22/sixty-five-prairie-dogs-relocated-to-hutton-niobrara-ranch-wildlife-sanctuary/

This is a report on the status of our project that involves transferring prairie dogs from the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge to the 5,000-acre Hutton Niobrara Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary in order to establish a new colony. 
Please be sure to view the extensive photo gallery with detailed descriptions on our website. Click here to visit the gallery.
We are hoping that the experience and information obtained will help to encourage and/or prove useful to other landowners and managers who want to establish new and/or maintain existing prairie dog colonies-and also benefit many of the associated wildlife species (including Burrowing Owls, Swift Foxes, Ferruginous Hawks, Golden Eagles and Ornate Box Turtles).  In particular, success with fencing may prove useful for landowners who want to include it along with other techniques, such as vegetative barriers, to discourage dispersal from existing prairie dog colonies to adjacent areas where they are not wanted.

Fishing Legend Videos Available to Support KeepAmericaFishing

Legendary professional anglers from across the country recently gathered at the 2012 International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades, better known as ICAST, to show their support for KeepAmericaFishing, the American Sportfishing Association’s (ASA) angler advocacy campaign.

Fishing legends such as Kevin VanDam, Mike Iaconelli, 

Chris Lane

, Shaw Grigsby, Lefty Kreh and Mark Sosin share what fishing means to them and how supporting KeepAmericaFishing helps ensure that our nation’s waters remain open, clean and abundant with fish.

KeepAmericaFishing is working hard on behalf of all anglers, from novice to professional, to support fisheries conservation and keep our public waters open to recreational fishing. Together, we can ensure the future of recreational fishing for generations to come, and keep America fishing.

Videos are available at http://www.keepamericafishing.org/ambassadors.html or athttp://www.youtube.com/keepamericafishing.

7th Annual Darrell Brown Memorial Youth Upland Hunt Oct. 27

Hunt for youth ages 12 through 18

Smoky Hill Pheasants Forever No. 424, in cooperation with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT), Pheasant Runn Controlled Shooting Area, and the Hunting Heritage Group, Inc., will host the 7th Annual Darrell Brown Youth Upland Hunt, in memory of former volunteer Darrell Brown, on Oct. 27. The event will be held at Hays City Sportsman Club, ¼ mile north of I-70 off Exit 157 near Hays.

The hunt is for youth ages 12 through 18 years old. Each youth hunter will have the opportunity to harvest at least four birds while hunting over pointing dogs.

Participants will hunt and be mentored on a variety of related subjects, including how to hunt with pointing dogs, field safety, how hunting dogs are trained, gun handling, how to clean and prepare harvested birds, and what type of habitat to look for when hunting upland birds. The D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program is also incorporated into the event.

Special hunts like this are part of KDWPT’s Hunter Recruitment and Retention Program, called PASS IT ON. This program recruits new hunters and helps retain existing hunters to ensure the future of hunting and wildlife conservation.

To register for the hunt, contact Shayne Wilson at 785-628-1415, 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. There is no charge for the event.

El Dorado State Park Named Top "Waterpark"

Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation lists eight best parks

El Dorado State Park has been voted by fans of the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation’s (RBFF) Take Me Fishing campaign as one of eight best “waterparks” in the country. This summer, RBFF fans visited the organization’s Facebook page to participate in Nature’s Waterpark Showdown. Each fan was invited to help determine the top eight natural “waterparks,” or state parks, for boating and fishing inAmerica. Participants could also register to win the grand prize, a vacation to a state park for a family of four.

El Dorado State Park, in Butler County, was voted one of the top eight state parks in America based on fishing, boating, and “family fun.”

The list of eight stretched from New Hampshire to Kansas, including these parks:

♦ Lake Murray State Park, Oklahoma

♦ Itasca State Park, Minnesota

♦ Blue Spring State Park, Florida

♦ El Dorado State Park, Kansas

♦ Presque Isle State Park, Pennsylvania

♦ Cave Lake State Park, Nevada

♦ Fall Creek Falls State Park, Tennessee

♦ Wellington State Park, New Hampshire

El Dorado Reservoir was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and was completed in June of 1981. The lake consists of approximately 8,000 surface acres of water, 4,500 acres of state park lands, and 3,500 acres of wildlife area. The park consists of four primary campgrounds offering a full service marina, a sailing club, approximately 1,000 campsites, picnic shelters, rental cabins, trails (horse, hiking, and bicycling), swim beaches, shower houses and restrooms, ADA playgrounds, boat ramps, and a laundry facility. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism manages the park and the reservoir resources.

For more information on the Nature’s Waterpark Showdown winners visit the Take Me Fishing™ Facebook page at facebook.com/takemefishing. The parks showcased in the campaign are just a fraction of the many outdoor recreation spots available throughout the nation. For more information on boating and fishing and a full list of places to participate in the sports, visit TakeMeFishing.org.
Visit the El Dorado State Park website at http://www.kdwpt.state.ks.us/news/State-Parks/Locations/El-Dorado

EPA Stops Importation of Chemical Harmful to Wildlife.

EPA Stops Importation of short-chained chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) that are harmful to wildlife.

SCCPs used as lubricants and coolants for metal working and as plasticizers and flame retardants in plastics, are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic to aquatic life. Even relatively small releases of these chemicals from individual manufacturing, processing, or waste management facilities have the potential to accumulate over time to higher levels and have been detected in wildlife and humans.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with INEOS Chlor Americas, Inc., based in Wilmington, Del., to resolve violations of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). INEOS allegedly imported various chain-length chlorinated paraffins into the United States without providing the required notice to EPA. INEOS will also pay a $175,000 civil penalty. This is an excerpt from an EPA announcement posted August 22, 2012.

Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission Meeting Aug. 23 at Great Bend

Duck, goose season dates to highlight public hearing

The Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission will conduct a public meeting and hearing on Thursday, Aug. 23, at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center, 

592 NE K156 Highway

, northeast of Great Bend. 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;

♦ agency and state fiscal status;

♦ 2013 Legislature;

♦ feral swine control efforts in Kansas;

♦ Tourism Division briefing;

♦ waterfowl management briefing;

♦ Cheyenne Bottoms signage project; and

♦ big game permanent regulations.

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

♦ fishing regulations;

♦ spring turkey regulations;

♦ park fees;

♦ alcohol on Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism property;

♦ scoring methods for poaching penalty;

♦ senior hunt-fish licenses/pass pricing; and

♦ agritourism regulations.

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 115-14 series on falconry;

♦ KAR 115-18-1 — wildlife rehabilitation permit, application, reporting and general provisions, new regulation; and

♦ late migratory bird seasons.

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 Aug. 23 and reconvene at the same location at 9 a.m., Aug. 24, to complete unfinished business.

Live video and audio streaming of this meeting will be broadcast through the KDWPT website, ksoutdoors.com.

2012 Kansas Hunting Atlas Coming Soon

Atlas locates all Walk-In Hunting Access areas and public wildlife areas

Want hunting access to one million acres of private land? The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) provides just that and more in the 2012 KansasHunting Atlas. This essential hunting tool includes maps showing locations of Walk-In Hunting Access (WIHA) areas and public wildlife areas and will be available online at the KDWPT website, ksoutdoors.com, the week of Aug. 27. Click “Hunting/Where to Hunt inKansas” to find a link to the document. Printed copies of the atlas will be available in late August or early September at KDWPT offices and hunting license vendors around the state.

The atlas provides dozens of full-page maps covering the entire state. Online visitors can view and print the complete atlas or select specific maps. Hunters can also download maps to GPS units for easy navigation. Each map includes an index listing the game species most likely to occur on properties listed.
For information on hunting seasons and regulations, copies of the 2012 Kansas Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary will be available at KDWPT offices and license vendors the first week in September, but hunters can view or download the complete publication from the KDWPT website after the Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission meeting Aug. 23. Type “Hunting Regulations” in the search box at the department’s homepage or click “Hunting/Hunting Regulations.

Governor Appoints Marshall to Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission

Great Bend doctor an active outdoorsman

`Kansas Governor Sam Brownback announced Monday the appointment of Roger Marshall, M.D., Great Bend, to the Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission.Marshall replaces Frank Meyer, Herington, whose second term on the commission expired in at the end of June.

Marshall lives in Great Bend and was born and raised in Butler County. He received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Kansas State University and graduated from the University of Kansas Medical School. He is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting upland birds, waterfowl, and turkeys, as well as bowhunting deer, fishing, and boating.

Marshall and his wife of 29 years have four children. He operates an obstetrics and gynecology private practice in Great Bend and serves as the chairman of the Great Bend Regional Hospital Maternal and Child Health Service. He also served in the U.S. Army reserves from 1984 to 1991.

The seven-member KWPT Commission is made up of no more than four members of any one political party. Members are appointed by the Governor and serve staggered four-year terms. The commission advises the agency’s Secretary on planning and policy issues. Regulations approved by the commission are adopted and administrated by the Secretary.

Dr. Marshall can be reached through his e-mail address of [email protected].

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