Monthly Archives: January 2015

2014 KANSAS BIRDING BIG YEAR RESULTS COMPILED

Posted by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism on Jan. 29, 2015

Nick Varvel took the overall high score, recording 302 bird species in 2014

PRATT – The second annual Kansas Birding Big Year came to an end on December 31, 2014. Forty-eight participants signed up for the competition, which is designed to get more folks outdoors and enjoying watching and counting birds. Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) Secretary, Robin Jennison, was intrigued with hosting such a competition after seeing the popular movie “The Big Year,” depicting avid bird watchers trying to see as many species as they could in a single calendar year. It looked like a fun way to get more people involved in wildlife watching in our state.

The competition was divided into three age categories: youth (17 and under), adult (18-64), and senior (65+).

Results for the 2014 competition are as follows:

Adult:    1st – Nick Varvel, Olathe, 302 species

2nd – Jeff Calhoun, Dodge City, 291 species

3rd – Glenn Caspers, Topeka, 286 species

Youth:   1st – Sam Schermerhorn, Wamego, 209 species

2nd – Christian Becker, Marion, 202 species

3rd – Joshua Keating, Milford, 103 species

Senior:  1st – John Row, Manhattan, 214 species

2nd – Judith Collins, Salina, 210 species

3rd – Dan Larson, Berryton, 209 species

Prizes for the competition were donated from several organizations, including Bass Pro Shop of Olathe, Bushnell Optics of Overland Park, Coleman Company of Wichita and Acorn Naturalists of Tustin, Calif., a supplier of resources for the trail and classroom. The winners of each of the categories will also each receive matted and framed original pencil drawings of native Kansas bird species, drawn and donated by Dr. Robert Penner of Ellinwood. Dr. Penner is the land steward and avian projects coordinator for the Nature Conservancy at Cheyenne Bottoms.

“Anything over 300 species in Kansas is considered a benchmark for a very good year,” said Mike Rader, KDWPT wildlife education coordinator. “Nick’s total is really outstanding.”

Rader added there is still plenty of time to sign up for the 2015 competition. For more information, visit ksoutdoors.com and click “Services / Wildlife Diversity / 2015 Kansas Birding Big Year.”

PHEASANTS FOREVER, QUAIL FOREVER STATE CONVENTION MARCH 13-14, 2015

Jan. 29, 2015

Two-day event for those interested in enhancing wildlife habitat in Kansas

WICHITA – Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever will host thefifth annual State Convention March 13 and 14 at the Wichita Marriot, 9100 E Corporate Hills Dr. The two-day event will kick off with the “Partners in Conservation Reception” starting at 7:30 p.m., followed by the main event, Saturday, March 14. Convention activities will include discussions from conservation leaders and breakout sessions based on three key topics—habitat, education & outreach, and chapters.

Speakers include Howard Vincent, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever President and CEO; Theresa Vail, 2013 Miss Kansas, representative of Bass Pro Shops, and host of “Limitless” on the Outdoor Channel; and Richard McCabe, executive vice president of the Wildlife Management Institute, successful wildlife author, and son of Aldo Leopold’s first graduate student. Additionally, the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism will report on the status of pheasants and quail in the state.

Afternoon breakout sessions following the morning speakers include a cover crop roundtable with leading agency professionals and farmers, conducting wing-shooting clinics, how to be a successful chapter, and more.

“Through the Kansas State Convention, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever provide wildlife enthusiasts, conservationists, landowners, youth educators, and habitat gurus a chance to get together and share their knowledge and passion for the outdoors,” explained Marc Glades, South Region field manager for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. “Our chapter leaders, partners, staff, and guests are excited to be guiding this inspiring, information-filled, and interactive weekend that will refresh your wildlife conservation ethic.”

Register between Jan. 27 and Feb. 12 and earn a chance at a $250 Cabela’s gift card. Registration information can be found at http://www.kansaspfqf.org/2015-convention. Hotel rooms are available at a discounted rate of $99 by calling (316) 651-0333. Offer expires Feb. 27.

NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE HELPS FUND PHEASANT, GRASSLAND INITIATIVES

Photo from Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism

Photo from Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism

USDA launches new regional program, aiding KDWPT in two projects

PRATT ­– Out of more than 600 pre-proposals and 200 full proposals submitted, two Kansas initiatives have been awarded state-level grant funding as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The regional program, which focuses heavily on public-private partnerships, aims to provide private companies, local communities, and other non-government partners a way to invest in efforts relating to land, water, agriculture, construction, tourism, and outdoor recreation. Both the Kansas Pheasant Initiative and the Regional Grassland Bird and Grazing Land Enhancement Initiative, a multi-state effort that also includes Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska, will receive funding from RCPP.

PHEASANT INITIATIVE

The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism (KDWPT), alongside the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Pheasants Forever, Star Seed Inc., National Wild Turkey Federation, Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation, The Kansas Wildlife Federation, and Safari Club International, have developed a program geared at managing habitat for pheasants. This initiative uses a focus-area approach, providing cost-share and incentives for practices that create and maintain pheasant habitat. Because widespread, isolated efforts have proved less effective, the Pheasant Initiative will direct resources into focus areas to promote connectivity of projects and facilitate landscape-level population increases.

The initiative will use several traditional management practices to meet this goal, including the Conservation Reserve Program, but will also incorporate agricultural practices that have the potential to provide habitat.

“It seems that there is a widespread misconception that modern production agriculture and wildlife management are not compatible,” KDWPT small game specialist, Jeff Prendergast said.
“The funds from the RCPP program will give us the opportunity to promote modern production practices that are beneficial to wildlife, while being economically favorable to producers.”

The two focus areas include portions of Norton County and Mitchell/Osborne counties and both feature public wildlife areas. The RCPP funds will be utilized to implement cover crops and related practices to increase the availability of nesting and brood rearing cover while partners’ funds will be used to incentivize enrollment in other practices with the same goal.

REGIONAL GRASSLAND BIRD AND GRAZING LAND ENHANCEMENT INITIATIVE

The Regional Grassland Bird and Grazing Land Enhancement Initiative is a five-year project that will aid ranchers in enhancing and protecting the Flint Hills and Smoky Hill native prairies. Opportunities will be offered through key USDA conservation programs, including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). Eligible landowners will be able to utilize practices such as prescribed burning, brush management and prescribed grazing to meet their management objectives. Through ACEP, producers can enter into easements that protect the agricultural use and conservation values of their eligible land.

KDWPT partners involved in the project include the NRCS, The Nature Conservancy of Kansas, Ranchland Trust of Kansas, and the Kansas Grazing Lands Coalition. KDWPT’s primary role will be providing technical assistance to landowners interested in participating in the program.

“The goals of this project are to implement management strategies that promote biodiversity and enhance grassland ecosystem functions, as well as address smoke management issues,” said KDWPT Farm Bill coordinator, Matt Smith. “By focusing additional resources on our native grasslands, it creates a win-win situation for our wildlife and the land stewards who manage these critical landscapes.”

For more information on these Kansas RCPP projects, and others, visit www.ks.nrcs.usda.gov.

Kansas Senator Jerry Moran is attempting to remove protection for the Lesser Prairie Chicken!

federal government designates the lesser prairie-chicken as threatened

A male lesser prairie chicken is seen in Edwards County, Kansas, April 18, 2012. The federal government designates the lesser prairie-chicken as threatened, prompting praise from environmentalists and threats of defiance from lawmakers, land owners and businesses in the bird’s five-state habitat. (Michael Pearce/Wichita Eagle/MCT via Getty Images) | Wichita Eagle via Getty Images

It seems like every politician in Kansas is attempting to blame the lumbering Kansas economy on federal protections for the Lesser Prairie Chicken. Jerry Moran is attempting to attach language in the approval for the XL pipeline that would do just that. You can read the article in the Huffington Post at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/27/keystone-senate-prairie-chicken_n_6557182.html

Reminder: 2nd Sunflower Trails Webinar

The 2015 Sunflower Trails Request for Proposals is now open, with a deadline of March 11, 2015.

Kansas municipalities, schools and non-profit organizations are invited to submit proposals for the different Sunflower Trails funding initiatives, listed below. The foundation is funding these programs to support the concept of the “built environment” as a strategy to increase opportunities for physical activity and therefore reduce the prevalence of obesity and improve overall health.

Visit their website to learn more about the four types of programs for which you might seek funding:

RFP #15-102 – Community-Based New Trails or Trail Expansion.

RFP #15-103 – Community-Based Existing Trail Improvements.

RFP #15-104 – Community-Based Trail Connectors.

RFP #15-105 – School-Based New Trails.

Questions at any time should be directed to program officer Elizabeth Stewart at [email protected] or toll-free (866) 232-3020.

Red Harvester Ant

Red Harvester Ant Queen: Photo by Alex Wild Photography

Red Harvester Ant Queen: Photo by Alex Wild Photography

Red Harvester Ant Queen: Photo by Alex Wild Photography

Pogonomyrmex barbatus is a species of red harvester ant so named for its diet that consists of seeds collected from nearby plants. The ants leave the hulls of seeds outside their tunnels and grind the seeds into a gruel with their mandibles for storage in underground chambers. The ants benefit nutritionally from the fats and other nutrients that are part of the seed in an elaiosome. Since the rest of the seed is not eaten, it may survive and germinate. Therefore the plants benefit by having their seeds dispersed. Foraging ants rely on chemical signals that alert other outgoing ants to the location of a lucrative seed producing plant. Red harvester ant colonies are highly cooperative and organized with respect to roles. There are worker castes and reproductive castes plus the queen that may produce eggs for anywhere from a single year to decades.

Attend the 64th Annual Meeting of the Kansas Wildlife Federation in Hays, Kansas

AGENDA

Annual Kansas Wildlife Federation MeetingMeeting

6:30 pm           Registration

7:00 pm           2015 Legislation Presentation

Chris Tymeson, KDWPT

2015 Resolution Review

Saturday, February 21st

8:00 am                       Registration

9:00                 Opening of KWF Annual Meeting

Pledge

Presentation of Minutes of 2014 Annual Meeting

9:30                 Committee Reports

Treasurer

Issues and Action

Education

Membership

10:00               Affiliate Reports

10:15               Break

10:30               Resolution Adoption

11:00               NWF Report

11:15               Election of KWF Officers

12:00               Lunch  (included in cost of registration)

Northern Long-eared Bats in Kansas

– Dr. Elmer Finck, FHSU

1:30 pm           The Importance of Pollinators

Kansas Pollinators – Dr. Packauskas, FHSU

Monarch Butterflies and Roadside Mgmt. –

Orley “Chip” Taylor, Jr., KU

3:15 pm           Break

3:30 pm           The Importance of Pollinators (cont)

Managing for Pollinators – Zac Eddy, Pheasants Forever

4:30 pm           Adjourn

2014 Conservation Achievement Program Awards Banquet

5:30 pm           KWF Social Hour with Live and Silent Auctions

Dave Hendricks, Auctioneer

7:00 pm           KWF Annual CAP Banquet and Awards Program

Speaker – Scott Hoard, Courtland

“Once in a Lifetime”

Show birds some love on Valentine’s weekend: join the Great Backyard Bird Count

From The Outdoor Wire

Give Mother Nature a valentine this year and show how much you care about birds by counting them for the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). The 18th annual count is taking place February 13 through 16.

Common Redpoll by Helena Garcia, Quebec

Common Redpoll by Helena Garcia, Quebec

Anyone in the world can count birds at any location for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count and enter their sightings at www.BirdCount.org. The information gathered by tens of thousands of volunteers helps track changes in bird populations on a massive scale. The GBBC is a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society with partner Bird Studies Canada.

Bird watchers fell in love with the magnificent Snowy Owl during the last count when the birds were reported in unprecedented numbers across southeastern Canada, the Great Lakes states, the Northeast, and down the AtlanticCoast. Expect Snowy Owls to show up in higher numbers during this year’s GBBC, too.

Snowy Owl by Jane Ogilvie, VT

Snowy Owl by Jane Ogilvie, VT

“It’s called an ‘echo flight,'” explains Marshall Iliff, eBird Project Leader at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “After a huge irruption like we had last winter, the following year often yields higher-than-usual numbers as well. The abundance of lemmings that produced last year’s Snowy Owl irruption likely continued or emerged in new areas of eastern Canada, more owls may have stayed east after last year’s irruption, and some of last year’s birds that came south are returning.”

“This may also be a big year for finches,” notes Audubon Chief Scientist Gary Langham. “GBBC participants in North America should be on the lookout for larger numbers of Pine Siskins and redpolls. These birds also push farther south when pine cone seed crops fail in the far north of Canada.”

Bird watchers from 135 countries participated in the 2014 count, documenting nearly 4,300 species on more than 144,000 bird checklists–that’s about 43% of all the bird species in the world! In addition to the U.S. and Canada, India, Australia, and Mexico led the way with the greatest number of checklists submitted.

“We especially want to encourage people to share their love of birds and bird watching with someone new this year,” says Dick Cannings at Bird Studies Canada. “Take your sweetheart, a child, a neighbor, or a coworker with you while you count birds for the GBBC. Share your passion and you may fledge a brand new bird watcher!”

The Great Backyard Bird Count is a great way for people of all ages and backgrounds to connect with nature and show some love for the birds this Valentine’s Day. Participation is free and easy. To learn more about how to join the count, download instructions, a slide show, web buttons, and other materials, visit www.birdcount.org. While you’re there, get inspired by the winning photos from the 2014 GBBC photo contest.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is made possible in part by sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited.

Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s KansasState Convention Mar. 13-14 in Wichita

Two-day event for chapter volunteers, members, and those interested in enhancing wildlife habitat in KS.

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever in Kansas kick off the fifth annual State Convention on Friday, March 13 with the “Partners in Conservation Reception” starting at 7:30 p.m. The main event, the habitat-focused State Convention, is Saturday, March 14, featuring conservation leaders and breakout sessions based on three key topics-habitat, education & outreach, and chapters.

State Convention speakers include Howard Vincent, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s President & CEO; Theresa Vail, 2013 Miss Kansas, representative of Bass Pro Shops, and host of “Limitless” on the Outdoor Channel; and Richard McCabe, executive vice president of the Wildlife Management Institute, successful wildlife author, and son of Aldo Leopold’s first graduate student. Additionally, the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism will report on the status of pheasants and quail in the state. Afternoon breakout sessions follow the morning speakers, including a cover crop roundtable with leading agency professionals and farmers, a wing-shooting clinic, how to be a successful chapter, and more.

“Through the Kansas State Convention, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever provide wildlife enthusiasts, conservationists, landowners, youth educators, and habitat gurus a chance to get together and share their knowledge and passion for the outdoors,” explained Marc Glades, South Region field manager for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. “Our chapter leaders, partners, staff, and guests are excited to be guiding this inspiring, information-filled, and interactive weekend that will refresh your wildlife conservation ethic.”

2015 KansasState Convention

Dates: Friday, March 13, 2015 and Saturday, March 14, 2015

Times: Friday evening “Partners in Conservation Reception”: 7:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.; Saturday State Convention: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.; Saturday evening “Grand Banquet”: 5:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Location: Wichita Marriott, 9100 E Corporate Hills Drive, Wichita, KS67207 (location for all events)

Cost: Partners in Conservation Reception: $20 per person; State Convention: $25 per person; Grand Banquet: $30 per person

Highlights: Friday evening: Appetizers, games, and socializing; Saturday Convention: Guest speakers, lunch, and breakout sessions; Saturday evening: Dinner, chapter awards, raffles, games, and the LIVE auction

Contact: Chris Blackledge, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s regional representative in western Kansas, at (620) 767-2121 / email.

Register by Jan. 26 to earn three chances at a $250 Cabela’s gift card. Register between Jan. 27 and Feb. 12 to earn one chance at the gift card. To register, send a note and check (payable to Pheasants Forever) to Chris Blackledge at 503 Ravine Dr., Council Grove, KS66846, or register online at http://www.kansaspfqf.org/2015-convention. Hotel rooms are available at a discounted rate of $99 by calling (316) 651-0333. Offer expires Feb. 27.

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever in Kansas

There are 37 chapters of Pheasants Forever, nine chapters of Quail Forever, and 6,805 members of “The Habitat Organization” in Kansas. In total, chapters in Kansas have spent more than $5.1 million on habitat projects statewide. Specifically, chapters have completed 9,091 habitat projects, benefiting more than 262,641 acres of wildlife habitat.