Daily Archives: April 29, 2013

Ad Astra Archery Tournament Successful

                                         Photo Credit: Michael Pearce/The Wichita Eagle

The 3rd annual Secretary of State Ad Astra Archery Tournament took place on Saturday, April 20, 2013 at MacLennan Park in Topeka. An outdoor event, 155 school children from kindergarten through 12thgrade braved the chilly breezy day and took part in the competition. In addition, the general public enjoyed the Learn to Shoot area with one-on-one instruction. Archers and the public also enjoyed the horses from the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Posse, as well as the fishing clinic by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT), and various rides such as the gladiator joust and whirly bird.

            Secretary of State Kris Kobach presented plaques and other items to the following winners of this tournament:

            K-3 division

·         

1st Place

:  Jalee DeVader, Centershot Ministries at Wanamaker Woods Church of the Nazarene

·         2nd Place  Reagan Kobach, Centershot Ministries at Open Door Baptist Church

·         

3rd Place

:  KayLynn Hall, Centershot Ministries at Wanamaker Woods Church of the Nazarene

4th-6th grade division

·         

1st Place

:  Grant Ricke, Clearwater USD 264

·         

2nd Place

:  Jack Rowland, Clearwater USD 264

·         

3rd Place

:  Hannah Schoonover, Erie Arrows (Erie & Chanute)

7th-8th grade division

·         

1st Place

:  Nikki Duerksen, Clearwater USD 264

·         

2nd Place

:  Jacob Spellman-Sak, Clearwater USD 264

·         

3rd Place

:  Cody Hanna, Clearwater USD 264

9th-12th grade division

·         

1st Place

:  Micaela Keehn, Jackson Heights High School

·         

2nd Place

:  Jessica Koch, Clearwater USD 264

·         

3rd Place

:  Bradon Williams, Clearwater USD 264

Ad Astra Archery Tournament Inc. was formed this year as a not for profit corporation.  Tax deductible donations enabled Secretary Kobach to present financial awards for the highest scoring archers in each division at the Kansas Archery in the Schools Program tournament held in Hays, Kansas, who are eligible to participate in the national championships of the National Archery in the Schools Program inLouisville, Kentucky, and who make the trip to represent Kansas there. Two individuals met the criteria this year, and they are:

Elementary School Division, 

1st Place

:  Katelyn Blanco, Clearwater

Middle School Division, 

1st Place

:  Tatyana Miner, Clearwater

            Special thanks to Gary Keehn (KDWPT) for serving as range master and Joyce Ellis (KASP tournament) and Shelby Stevens (KDWPT) for serving as scorekeepers. Plans are to hold the 4th annual Ad Astra Archery Tournament in the spring of 2014.

Range Schools Focus on Soil Health in August

“Creating Range Wealth Through Soil Health is the theme for the Kansas Grazing Lands Coalition (KGLC) summer range schools,” said Tim Christian, state coordinator for the group. “The Mid-/Shortgrass Range School runs from August 6-8 at Camp Lakeside, Lake Scott, and the Tallgrass Range School is set for August 20-22 at Camp Wood YMCA, Elmdale.”

            The theme is indicative of the need for ranchers and land managers to employ grazing, structural and management practices that benefit the native grasses which in turn sustain or improve soil health creating a positive cycle that improves over time. The benefit to ranchers is their ability to harvest the increased forage with their livestock that occurs as soil water intake increases, microbial activity is stimulated, and other well-documented cyclic functions come into balance, said Christian. Our cadre of instructors – ranchers, agency, university and organizational staffs – will balance a good deal of hands-on instruction with classroom presentations.

            The 2013 registration fees have not changed from previous years at $300 per person. The fee covers course materials, on-site lodging and meals, and other related costs. Ranchers, landowners, and students may qualify for a $150 scholarship if they meet eligibility and request one using KGLC’s scholarship form. Agency staffs may qualify for $100 in scholarships. The form and more information on the Schools is available at www.kglc.org under 2013 Range Schools found in the navigation bar. Scholarship applications must be submitted by July 23 for the Mid-/Shortgrass School and August 6 for the Tallgrass School. 

            We try to hold down costs for those interested in attending, said Christian, and we rely on our supporting partners to provide in-kind and cash underwriting to offset our costs to put the Schools on. Partners include the Natural Resources Conservation Service; Fort Hays State University; Kansas State University; Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism; The Nature Conservancy (which hosts one-day of the Mid-/Shortgrass School on their Smoky Valley Ranch); Kansas Section of the Society for Range Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service Partners Program, and Feed-Lot Magazine. Other partners will be coming onboard in coming weeks, he said. 

            KGLC organized in 1991 as a non-profit educational organization and its vision is to regenerateKansas grazing lands. This is achieved through the management, economics, ecology, production, and technical assistance programs provided by voluntary methods to reach landowners, ranchers, and others making decisions on grazing lands.

            For more information on the 2013 KGLC Range School, contact Tim Christian, state coordinator, at 620-241-3636, email to [email protected] or Ken Sherraden, assistant coordinator, at 785-922-7061, email[email protected]. You also may go to the web at www.kglc.org.