Monthly Archives: March 2013

Kansas Grazing Lands Coalition, McPherson, wins KWF Conservation Organization Award

Bill Edwards, left, from Olsburg, receives the 2012 Organization of the Year award from Troy Schroeder, Kansas Wildlife Federation President. Bill is the Vice-Chairman of the Kansas Grazing Lands Coalition, the award recipient.

The Kansas Wildlife Federation (KWF) proudly announces winners of the 2012 Conservation Achievement Program Awards (CAP). KWF honored thirteen recipients on February 23rd at a reception and banquet in their honor in Emporia.

For 49 years, the Federation has recognized Kansans who have devoted exceptional efforts for wildlife conservation in the state. Kansans, who wished to recognize the awardees for their contributions, supplied the nominations. 

The CAP awards are given in several categories including youth, land, water, wildlife, forest, education, farming and ranching. For 2012, 12 awards were given, along with the President’s special award for meritorious service to the KWF.

These are the most prestigious conservation-related awards given in Kansas and are patterned after similar awards in most other states through respective state affiliates of the National Wildlife Federation. Long-time professor of biology at Kansas State University, Robert Robel of Manhattan won the overall award, Conservationist of the Year. Dr. Robel passed away last month so his wife, Anise, accepted the award in his place. 

Award sponsors for these awards included Westar, Inc., Kansas State Chapters of the National Wild Turkey Federation, Kansas Chapter of the Wildlife Society, Kansas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, Geary County Fish and Game Association, the Watershed Institute, the Jim Ruder family of WaKeeney, Kansas Farmers Union and the Emporia Area Chapter of the Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation.

The 2012 Conservation Organization Award was presented to the Kansas Grazing Lands Coalition (KGLC) of McPherson.  The KGLC was organized shortly after the formation of the National Grazing Lands Coalition Initiative (GLCI) in 1991. Since its inception KGLC has accomplished many great things to better Kansas grazing lands through collaborative education such as range schools, coffee shop meetings, youth education contests, public education meetings, and videos covering management topics. 

KGLC organized as a not-for-profit in 2006. KGLC holds numerous meetings, special events, tours, implements two adult range schools each summer, and interacts with regional grazing groups such as the Tallgrass Legacy Alliance, Comanche Pool Prairie Resource Foundation, Smoky Hills Graziers Association, Kansas Graziers Association, and the Clark-Comanche-Meade Counties Grazing Group to support local efforts to solve priority grassland issues and concerns, primarily through educational efforts often keying on grassland wildlife species. 

The Coalition helped birth the Kansas Prescribed Fire Council (KS PFC) in 2008, and has supported it with staff assistance and finances.  The Coalition recently worked with KS PFC and the Comanche Pool to secure a $250,000 2012 Conservation Partners Grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to place two regional fire coordinators in the Lesser Prairie-chicken Initiative area of western Kansas to help start and support new local prescribed burning associations.

KGLC just updated its long-term strategy guiding its growth through 2015. It includes key elements of developing and helping to implement a comprehensive statewide grasslands invasive species plan, reducing the impacts of grassland fragmentation, continuing expansion and support for regional grazing groups where interest exists, continuing to support the use of prescribed fire as a grasslands management tool (through the KS PFC), and maintaining and expanding its cutting edge web site as a primary informational resource for ranchers, agency staffs, educators, and others. 

The Kansas Wildlife Federation is proud to present the 2012 Conservation Organization of the Year award to the Kansas Grazing Lands Coalition.

Tom Meek, Clay Center, wins KWF Water Conservationist Award

Tom Meek, left, from Clay Center receives the 2012 Water Conservationist of the Year award from Troy Schroeder, Kansas Wildlife Federation President. The Kansas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society sponsored the Water Conservationist award.

The Kansas Wildlife Federation (KWF) proudly announces winners of the 2012 Conservation Achievement Program Awards (CAP). KWF honored thirteen recipients on February 23rd at a reception and banquet in their honor in Emporia.

For 49 years, the Federation has recognized Kansans who have devoted exceptional efforts for wildlife conservation in the state. Kansans, who wished to recognize the awardees for their contributions, supplied the nominations. 

The CAP awards are given in several categories including youth, land, water, wildlife, forest, education, farming and ranching. For 2012, 12 awards were given, along with the President’s special award for meritorious service to the KWF.

These are the most prestigious conservation-related awards given in Kansas and are patterned after similar awards in most other states through respective state affiliates of the National Wildlife Federation. Long-time professor of biology at Kansas State University, Robert Robel of Manhattan won the overall award, Conservationist of the Year. Dr. Robel passed away last month so his wife, Anise, accepted the award in his place. 

Award sponsors for these awards included Westar, Inc., Kansas State Chapters of the National Wild Turkey Federation, Kansas Chapter of the Wildlife Society, Kansas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, Geary County Fish and Game Association, the Watershed Institute, the Jim Ruder family of WaKeeney, Kansas Farmers Union and the Emporia Area Chapter of the Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation.

The 2012 Water Conservationist Award was presented to Tom Meek of Clay Center. Tom is the District Manager for the Clay County Conservation District in Clay Center. He administers the conservation district’s Water Resources and Nonpoint Source cost share programs. Tom assists the Clay County Natural Resources and Conservation Service (NRCS) staff with federal conservation programs such as the Environmental Quality Improvement Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

Tom actively participates in Milford and Smoky Hill Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) groups. He has administered $83,000 in cost share funds approved in Clay County for projects in Milford WRAPS targeted areas. Tom assisted with development of the district’s 5-year plan which includes new initiatives that will focus on water quality through nutrient management and flood mitigation.

Tom was instrumental in starting the Clay County Water Festival in 2004, with a grant from the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE). The first Water Festival was a community-wide event associated with the Piotique Fall Festival in Clay Center. Water Festivals since then have been for allClay County 4th Graders. He has continued the annual 6th Grade Environmental Education Day.

The Kansas Wildlife Federation has relied on Tom to provide presentations on water quality with the district’s stream trailer at our Outdoor Adventure Camp for 10-12 year-old students at Camp Washunga. He gives other educational presentations on request throughout Clay County. Tom coordinates the Conservation District’s poster contest for elementary students – this year’s theme is “Where Does Your Water Shed?”.

This year Tom serves as Vice-Chair of the Kansas Envirothon Committee. He attended the Canon National Envirothon with the Kansas Team in 2012. Tom has served as a facilitator and/or presenter at many regional Environthons. He has helped with fund-raising for numerous local Envirothon teams and has served as a judge for the scavenger hunt for the Milford Eco-meet many times.

Tom serves on the Kansas Crossroads Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC&D) and has helped that group coordinate water quality events for agriculture producers.

As a farm operator, Tom has implemented many water quality improvement practices including no-till crop production, filter strips and conservation buffers, and riparian forest improvement. He is conducting an on-farm research project on the use of cover crops for soil and water quality improvement in cooperation with the Kansas State University Extension and NRCS.

The Kansas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society sponsored the Water Conservationist of the Year award.

For all he does for water conservation, Tom Meek is the Kansas Wildlife Federation Water Conservationist of the Year for 2012.


Tom Meek, left, from Clay Center receives the 2012 Water Conservationist of the Year award from Troy Schroeder, Kansas Wildlife Federation President. The Kansas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society sponsored the Water Conservationist award.

"Wisdom" the Albatross Does it Again

If you didn’t already hear, “Wisdom,” the female Laysan Albatross on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, a bird who is at least 62 years old, is a mother again. Early on Sunday morning, 3 February, Wisdom’s most recent chick was observed in the nest, pecking its way out of the egg.
            You’ve probably heard about Wisdom and her chicks before. She was first banded in 1956, when she was incubating an egg in the same area of the refuge. She was at least five years old at the time.
For more on the blessed event, see here: www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=3504

                                      Photo Credit: Pete Leary/ U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service                        
And here is a good interview from NPR’s “All Things Considered” for 6 February:
www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/02/06/171290097/oh-mama-worlds-oldest-bird-has-another-chick

Light Goose Conservation Order Provides Late-season Hunting

Special season set to reduce light goose populations

The dark and light goose regular seasons end Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013. However, from Feb. 11-April 30, 2013, hunters can hunt snow and Ross’ geese during the Light Goose Conservation Order. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established the special season 13 years ago to increase the harvest of light geese.

Since the mid-1970s, mid-continent light goose populations have increased more than 300 percent. These historic numbers of geese have denuded portions of their fragile tundra breeding habitat in the arctic, which may take decades to recover. This impacts other bird species that nest there, including semi-palmated sandpipers and red-necked phalaropes.

The harvest of light geese has more than doubled since the first conservation order in 1999, in turn reducing population growth. However, the management goal is to reduce the population of mid-continent light geese by 50 percent.

To increase hunter success, the conservation order authorizes hunting methods not allowed during the regular seasons, including the use of electronic calls and unplugged shotguns. Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset and there is no bag or possession limit for light geese.

For more information on goose hunting, visit www.ksoutdoors.com and click on “Hunting/When to Hunt/Migratory Birds.”
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