Daily Archives: March 24, 2016

Unit No. 11 of Mined Land Wildlife Area to reopen to fishing April 9

The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) will reopen Unit No. 11 of the Mined Land Wildlife Area to fishing on Saturday, April 9 at 6 a.m. The unit has been closed to all access in recent months, and closed to fishing for several years, due to an on ongoing reclamation project that has recently been completed.

The $184, 233 reclamation project was funded through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment Surface Mine Section in an effort to create safer interior roadways, a new improved parking area, native grass plantings for wildlife, improved angler access and improved fish habitat.

For the past three years, KDWPT staff has heavily stocked the strip-mined lake with channel catfish and have implemented a fish feeding program. Other fish that have benefited from the closure include largemouth bass, spotted bass, black and white crappie, red-eared sunfish, bluegill, and green sunfish.  The creel limit on bass and channel catfish is five per day, and channel catfish have a 15-inch minimum length limit and largemouth bass 13 inches to 18 inches long must be released.

Unit No. 11 is located a one-quarter mile west of the NW Coalfield Road and 7 Hwy intersection. The entrance to the area is located on the south side of the road.

For more information, contact the Mined Land Wildlife Area main office at (620) 231-3173.

Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program grants available

The Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) is a part of the National Park Service’s Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which is administered in Kansas by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT). ORLP awards substantial one-to-one matching grants to help urbanized communities provide outdoor recreational opportunities for their residents.

The goal of ORLP is to support land acquisition and development projects in neighborhoods or communities that will create or reinvigorate parks and other outdoor recreation spaces in ways that encourage people, especially youth, to connect or re-connect with the outdoors. Priority will be given to projects located in communities that are economically disadvantaged and are underserved in terms of outdoor recreation resources. Put simply, the program strives to help create new opportunities for outdoor recreation where there are a lot of people, particularly children, with no place to play. Selected projects may receive acquisition and development grants of $250,000 to $750,000 each, and planning grants of up to $75,000.

To qualify, applicant communities must be named as one of the 497 urbanized areas delineated by the Census Bureau or be a jurisdiction that lies geographically within one of the urbanized areas. An urbanized area is defined as being densely settled with 50,000 or more people.

Applications are available at KDWPT’s website, www.ksoutdoors.com/KDWPT-info/Grants. For more information on requirements and the application process, call Kati Westerhaus, LWCF grant coordinator, at 620-672-5911. Deadline for submission is April 22.

Turkey Permit and Game Tag combos discounted through March 31

Now through the end of March, spring turkey hunters can save by buying their combination turkey permit/game tags before the start of the season. Discounts range from $2.50 to $20, depending on the combo purchased. Spring turkey permit/game tag combos are offered at the following rates through March 31:

Resident Youth Combo (2 birds): $12.50 – save $2.50

General Resident Combo (2 birds): $37.50 – save $7.50

Landowner/Tenant Combo (2 birds): $20.00 – save $12.50

Nonresident Youth Combo (2 birds): $22.50 – save $2.50

Nonresident Combo (2 birds): $87.50 – save $7.50

Nonresident Tenant Combo (2 birds): $45.00 – save $20.00

After March 31, hunters must purchase permits separately at the regular price. A turkey permit or game tag is valid for one bearded turkey

Any individual who has purchased a spring turkey permit is also eligible for one spring turkey game tag. Spring game tags are valid for Units 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6. Youth permits are valid statewide, including Unit 4.

Hunters who drew a Unit 4 (southwest Kansas) spring turkey permit earlier this year may also use their Unit 4 permit in adjacent Units 1, 2 and 5.

The 2016 Kansas spring turkey season will kick off with the youth and disabled season April 1- 12, followed by the archery season April 4-12, and regular firearm season April 13-May 31.

During the youth/disabled/archery season, hunters 16 and younger and hunters with disabilities may hunt with any legal equipment, including shotguns, bows and crossbows. Youth hunters must be supervised by an adult during the youth season.

For more information, consult the 2016 Kansas Spring Turkey Hunting Atlas, or visit www.ksoutdoors.com and click “Hunting,” then “Turkey.”