Resident youth can win cool prizes for being active outside through WildLifer Challenge Program
For a lot of youngsters, summer can mean unlimited video games, all-day snacking, and 24/7 air conditioning – it’s a time to sit back, relax, and do a whole lot of nothing. In an effort to buck the status quo and redefine area youths’ perceptions of what summer should be like, the Kansas Wildscape Foundation is hosting the 2013 Kansas WildLifer Challenge Program. This program is designed to get youth active, outdoors, and engaged in all the wonderful outdoor fun that Kansas has to offer – no electrical outlet needed.
In order to be dubbed as an official Kansas WildLifer, participants are required to complete a total of 15 outdoor challenges from an approved list of 20 activities. They are then required to take a picture of themselves completing the task and answer a few questions regarding their experience. Some challenges may take an hour, while others may take an entire day. Activities include things like pitching a tent, planting a tree, hiking a trail, shooting a 20-yard target, enrolling in a Kansas hunter education course, bird watching, catching a fish or even something as simple as getting muddy.
Challenges can be completed simultaneously when possible, and can be done outside the state as long as the participant is a Kansas resident. The program is free, and there is no age limit or participant limit per household.
Participants who successfully complete the program will receive an official WildLifer t-shirt, poster, certificate of completion, sticker and car decal to proudly proclaim their accomplishment. The first 500 participants to successfully complete 15 of the 20 approved activities will win an exclusive Coleman gear pack in addition to the aforementioned prizes.
For more information on the WildLifer Challenge, or to register a participant, visitwww.kansaswildlifer.com.
Anglers interested in becoming certified to teach fishing techniques in Kansas can still sign up for Aug. 10 class
A joint effort of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism and Fishings Future, the Kansas Angler Education Program will enlist qualified volunteer instructors to teach fishing techniques throughout the state. And with just a little more than two weeks left, the registration period will close soon.
Anglers interested in registering for the Aug. 10 class can sign up by visiting fishingsfuture.org and clicking upcoming events, then Kansas Angler Education Training Program. The first class will be held at theGreat PlainsNatureCenter, 6232 E.
29th Street North
in Wichita, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Although the class is not a requirement to teach, those in attendance will be given sample curriculums, valuable information regarding working with children, and how to prepare for a class or clinic. Other subjects covered in the four-hour class include current fishing rules and regulations, species identification, fishing ethics, equipment, knot-tying, casting, fish habitat, aquatic nuisance species, and conservation.
For more information, contact Fishings Future local coordinator Kevin Reich at[email protected], or by phone at (785) 577-6921.
The Kansas Chapter of the Wildlife Society (KCTWS) will be hosting a 40th year anniversary event on Friday August 23rd, 2013. The event will recognize all charter members and past presidents for their dedication and leadership in the Chapters 40 year history. Family members are welcome and encouraged to attend!! A guided tour of Konza Prairie Biological Station will be held on Saturday the 24th for those interested.
The Chapter will hold a brief business meeting followed by a raffle and auction to raise funds for the newly established Dr. Robert Robel scholarship. Charter members and past presidents will be recognized for their contributions to the Chapter. Elk burgers will be on the grill and all other food and soft drinks will be provided. If it rains indoor facilities will be available.
Directions: Tomahshinga is just south of Junction City, From Interstate 70, Exit at the Marysville/Herington exit, exit 295. Head south on highway 77 for approximately 2.8 miles. Turn left (east) on Lyon Creek Rd. Proceed about 1.5 miles. The camps drive will be on your right. From the South,Proceed to highway 77. Travel north on 77 until
Lyon Creek Rd.
(If you reach Interstate 70 you have gone too far.) Turn right (east) on Lyon Creek Rd. Travel approximately 1.5 miles. The camps drive will be on the right. Follow the road into the camp until you get to Gobber Pavilion located just past the swimming pool.
Join researchers for a guided tour of Konza Prairie and learn about the latest research on patch burning and other aspects of prairie management. A bus will leave Konza headquarters at 9:00 am for the tour and will return around noon. Lunch is on your own after the tour.
In order to plan for meals and the tour, please RSVP to Matt Smith: [email protected](785-658-2465 ext. 204) by August 16th.
For those needing lodging on the 23rd, a block of rooms has been reserved at the Hampton Inn (785-579-6950) in Junction City. http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/kansas/hampton-inn-junction-city-MHKJCHX/index.html Rooms will be held until August 14th at a rate of $85 per night. Hampton Inn is located off of exit 296, on I-70. From the roundabout exit onto
Washington Street
, travel one block to the hotel.
