Daily Archives: June 30, 2016

Elk and Either-species deer permit applications due July 8

The application period for two of Kansas’ most coveted big game permits is open and will close at midnight on July 8, 2016. Kansas residents are eligible to apply online for the 10 Any-elk permits and 15 Antlerless-only Elk permits allocated for Units 2 and 3 (Unit 2 includes Ft. Riley). And resident hunters who want to hunt mule deer with a firearm can apply for limited Either-species Deer permits valid in the East and West Either-species zones. A hunter who does not wish to hunt this year may purchase a preference point that will count toward a firearm Either-species/Either-sex deer permit in a future drawing or a bonus point for limited elk permits. Unsuccessful applicants automatically receive preference or bonus points.

For more information on season dates and to make application, visit www.ksoutdoors.com and click on “Hunting,” then “Applications and Fees,” or call (620) 672-0728.

PERMIT FEES

Deer Firearm Either-species/Either-sex permit (white-tailed or mule deer buck, doe or fawn): General Resident – $52.50; Resident Landowner/Tenant – $32.50; Resident Youth (15 and younger): $22.50; Nonresident Tenant – $97.50 Preference Point – $11.50

Elk Firearm Either-sex: General Resident – $302.50; Landowner/Tenant – $152.50; Resident Youth (15 and younger) – $127.50; Nonresident Tenant – $152.50.

Elk (antlerless): General Resident – $152.50; Landowner/Tenant – $77.50; Resident Youth (15 and younger) – $52.50; Nonresident tenant – $77.50

The fee to apply for an elk permit or purchase a bonus point is $12.81.

Be safe on the water

Summer fun at Kansas state parks usually means being near, in or on the water. Twenty-three of our 26 state parks offer convenient access to lakes, reservoirs and rivers, providing a great way to enjoy the outdoors and beat the heat. However, fun on the water requires some common-sense safety precautions.

Remember that state park beaches do not have lifeguards. Parents should keep a close eye on youngsters and it’s a good idea to strap little ones into a properly-fitting life jacket. A toddler can disappear in an instant on a crowded beach. Older kids love to play on inflatable water toys but care must be exercised under windy conditions. A stiff Kansas wind blowing out from the beach can sweep floaters away from shore surprisingly fast.

Over the holiday weekend, reservoirs will be busy with pleasure boaters, skiers, personal watercraft, sail boats and anglers. Before boaters get to the ramp, they should be familiar with boating regulations and safety requirements, especially those concerning life jackets. Children age 12 and younger must wear a properly-fitting life jacket while on the boat, and there must be a serviceable life jacket readily accessible for everyone older than 12 onboard. The best safety precaution is to have everyone wear a life jacket while onboard. For more information on boating safety and regulations visit www.ksoutdoors.com.

While boating accidents aren’t common on Kansas waters, they do have a common theme: alcohol. Unfortunately, many boaters associate being on the water with drinking alcohol, and most boating accidents are alcohol related. Sun, waves and heat can exacerbate the effect of alcohol on judgment and coordination. Anyone planning on driving a boat should know that boating under the influence (BUI) is against the law. Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism boating officers can administer sobriety checks with breathalyzers. Anyone operating a boat with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or greater will receive a citation and lose boating privileges. To learn more about BUI enforcement, watch this video: http://ksoutdoors.com/Boating/Boating-Legally/Alcohol-and-Boating

Watching the weather forecast should also be part of preparing for a boating outing. Summer thunderstorms or high winds can make boating hazardous. Knowing the forecast and using a smartphone for weather updates while at the lake could prevent being caught in a sudden storm miles from a boat ramp.

Water recreation at Kansas state parks is safe and getting safer, but there is always some risk. However, if you make just a few precautions routine, you can ensure that your family has fun and stays safe.

Register for youth and disabled hunter deer hunt at Tuttle Creek

Youth and disabled hunters have until July 21 to apply for an assisted deer hunt at Tuttle Creek Lake. This event is limited to 25 hunters. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, Riley County Fish and Game Association and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Tuttle Creek Lake are partnering to conduct the 2016 Tuttle Creek Youth/Disabled Assisted Deer Hunt on Sept. 10-11. The hunt is free and open to resident youth ages 11-16 and anyone with a certified disability interested in hunting Kansas whitetails.

An experienced hunting guide will assist each participant, and hunters will be provided with accessible hunting blinds, transportation to prime field locations and hunter orange hats and vests. Area meat lockers will provide basic processing of harvested deer free of charge. Applicants will be notified following the July 21 deadline. All hunters must have a deer permit and those ages 16-74 must also have a Kansas hunting license.

Successful applicants are required to attend a firearm safety presentation and firearm sight-in at the Fancy Creek Shooting Range, Sunday, Aug. 21 at 4 p.m. Scholarship assistance for the purchase of licenses and permits is available, and rifles and ammunition are also available on request.

For more information, call Steve Prockish, Tuttle Creek Lake natural resource specialist at 785-539-8511, ext. 3167, or [email protected].

This event is made possible by Friends of Fancy Creek Range, Kansas City Chapter of Safari Club International, Kansas State Rifle Association and the Tuttle Creek Lake Association.

Conservation easements conserve Flint Hills vistas, wildlife

The Nature Conservancy of Kansas (TNC) has protected 3,285 acres of Flint Hills tallgrass native prairie with a conservation easement in Chase and Lyon counties. The landowners, Bill and Maggie Haw of Shawnee Mission, are firm believers in conservation easements, having previously donated to TNC easements on other land they own and manage in the Flint Hills. This recent easement brings their total land protection contribution to more than 17,000 acres, including 16 scenic miles of highway frontage along the Kansas Turnpike (I-35) and the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway (K-177).

Tallgrass prairie is the most altered major habitat type in North America in terms of acres lost. Yet, in Kansas, a significant swath of tallgrass prairie – the Flint Hills –remains intact. TNC views conservation easements as a golden opportunity to help landowners conserve this intact and fully functioning tallgrass prairie ecosystem.

A conservation easement is a legally recorded agreement between the granting landowner and a land trust. The agreement permanently restricts uses of the property that would damage its conservation values. Conservation easements do not interfere with traditional uses of the land, such as grazing and prescribed fire, but it may restrict incompatible activities, including many types of development. Public access is generally not required by a conservation easement, and, like all other easement provisions, it must be agreed to by the landowner. An eased property may be sold, transferred or inherited, and the easement conditions transfer to each subsequent landowner.

“By placing these acres under the protection of a conservation easement, the property’s ranching legacy, as well as its economic and ecological integrity, will endure,” said Brian Obermeyer, director of the TNC’s Flint Hills Initiative.

“Maggie and I are committed to the idea of preserving not only the pristine views but also the wonderful cattle culture of this area where generations of same-family cowboy caretakers have learned to operate the best yearling grazing operations in the world,” said Bill Haw. “It is the perfect convergence of an important food-producing activity that maintains the ecosystem, which developed with bison grazing over thousands of years. The Nature Conservancy is the perfect partner to recognize and enforce those two compatible goals for many generations to come.”

The recent Haw easement takes TNC over the 100,000-acres-preserved mark in Kansas.

For more information about The Nature Conservancy and conservation easements, contact Shelby Stacy at [email protected] or (785) 233-4400.