Educator's talents will help encourage youth outdoor involvement Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever (PF/QF) has announced that Devon Walter, of Lincoln, has been named the organization's new regional representative for western Kansas. Walter's primary duties with PF/QF will include starting and servicing chapters and members in the region to e ... Read More

Be safe in the woods; bring back a fantail, not an unhappy taleWhile Kansas has an excellent turkey hunting safety record, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) reminds hunters that this record should not be taken for granted. There are a few simple steps hunters can take to make the story of 2009 spring turkey hunting a safe and h ... Read More

Three reservoirs harvested this year; goal of 90 million eggs about half completeThe Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks' (KDWP) annual spring walleye egg harvest has been under way since March 19, and the agency's goal of 90 million walleye eggs for the state's hatcheries is about half way complete. Fisheries biologists are harvesting wall ... Read More

Springtime entices park visitors to enjoy the outdoors as snow meltsWhile the most severe blizzard to hit parts of Kansas in decades may have come the last week of March, warm weather will soon make this event a fleeting memory, enticing Kansans across the state to visit their favorite state parks. To enhance these visits, park staff conduct a ... Read More

Chapter will promote "bobwhite buffers" in northeast KansasMARYSVILLE -- Residents of Marshall County have formed Kansas' ninth Quail Forever (QF) chapter in an effort to protect and enhance bobwhite quail habitat. The Marshall County Chapter of QF also aims to involve local youth in outdoor activities."The Marshall County quail ... Read More

2009 deer, antelope, elk seasons top evening public hearing agendaOAKLEY -- The Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission invites all interested persons to attend a public meeting and hearing in the Logan County Courthouse, 710 W. 2nd in Oakley, on Thursday, April 16. The afternoon session will begin at 1:30 p.m.; the evening public hearing will be ... Read More

Public input combined with biologists' data provides more complete angling pictureWant to know where the fish are biting? The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) can help. One of the most popular and useful tools provided by KDWP is the weekly lake-by-lake fishing reports posted on the agency's website. While these reports complement ... Read More

More than 100 advocates from 30 states urge lawmakers to protect endangered speciesWASHINGTON, DC -- As part of the 8th Annual Teaming With Wildlife Fly-In Day, more than 100 conservation leaders from 30 states recently met with their lawmakers on Capitol Hill. The conservationists were there to discuss the importance of new and greater fundin ... Read More

Vandalism, violence cited as reasons for banLA CYGNE -- For the past 30 years, La Cygne Reservoir, a Kansas City Power and Light cooling lake, and the adjacent Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) wildlife area in Linn County have provided excellent hunting, fishing, and recreation opportunities. Recently, the power company and KDWP ... Read More

Norton Correctional Facility (NCF) will host an open house at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 15, to celebrate the completion of the first of four inmate-built cabins that will be available for rent at area state parks.The public is invited to a ribbon-cutting ceremony that will be followed by a luncheon and tours of the cabins currently located on th ... Read More

Coalition will create opportunities for youth to experience natureGovernor Kathleen Sebelius has issued an executive order designed to create opportunities for children to get outside and experience nature. The new group, provisionally called the Kansas Coalition for Children in Nature (KCCN), will work with state agencies and other organizatio ... Read More

Geocaching to be featured at park eventThis year’s OK Kids Day at Lovewell State Park on April 18 promises to be a fun and educational day where kids can participate in hands-on activities. The feature event will be an outdoor scavenger hunt using GPS technology, called “geocaching.” Crystal Fangmeier, University of Nebraska Extension Specialis ... Read More

Bi-annual event coincides with opening of new wetland center at Cheyenne BottomsThe 2009 Wings & Wetlands Weekend will be held on April 24-26 in Great Bend. The event will be based out of the Best Western Angus Inn Courtyard, behind the Perkins Restaurant on 10th Street. Approximately 200 participants have pre-registered for the weekend and ... Read More

Site at Cheyenne Bottoms offers closeup view of lively world of wetlandsThe Kansas Wetlands Education Center has something to show you. The eagerly-anticipated interpretive center at Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area will officially open for visitors during its grand opening at 3 p.m. Friday, April 24.The new facility’s opening culminates several ... Read More

Deer, antelope, elk seasons set at public hearing in OakleyThe Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission approved 2009 big game season regulations at a public hearing in Oakley April 16. Meeting at the Logan County Courthouse, the commission set seasons for deer, antelope and elk.Among season dates approved for deer hunting are the following:
yout ... Read More

Clay Center theater features work of local photographersOn May 2, the Community Chamber Orchestra of Clay County will feature a multimedia concert entitled “Agriculture and the Arts” at Clay Center's historic Rex Theater. Combining wildlife and rural landscape photographs with live music, the event will debut on Saturday, May 2, at 4:30 p.m. an ... Read More

Youth introduced to archery, firearm safety, trapper education, conservation programsThe YMCA of Topeka will host a Trailblazer Adventure Day on April 25 at Camp Hammond in Berryton. Trailblazer Adventure, a program of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation (USSAF), is designed to introduce families to outdoor activities and promote an outdoo ... Read More

Wingshooting the focus of eight-week courseKansas volunteer hunter education instructors will conduct an eight-week advanced course in wingshooting beginning Thursday, June 18, through August 6. The course will run from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Thursday evening for eight consecutive weeks at the Powder Creek Shooting Park, 8601 Monticello Road ... Read More

Improved turkey habitat can conflict with needs of quailKansas spring turkey season is in full swing, and many hunters are enjoying the abundance of this large game bird. Other hunters who enjoy turkey hunting but also like to quail hunt may be wondering why turkey populations have surged in recent years while quail populations have declined in ... Read More

Application period May 1-June 1; no mail-in applications acceptedThe Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) has announced that 2009 nonresident deer permit applications will be accepted beginning May 1, with one major change from previous years -- applications must be made online through the KDWP website. The application deadline is mid ... Read More

Turkey hunters urged to avoid area being improved for wildlife habitatTurkey hunters planning to visit the Hollister Wildlife Area, approximately 8 miles southwest of Ft. Scott, should plan to avoid the northwest corner of the wildlife area on May 2. During the morning and early afternoon on this date, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Park ... Read More

Gardner man breaks 27-year-old rainbow trout recordIt wasn't a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but the rainbow on the end of Ken Phelps' line was golden. The Gardner man was fishing with Power Bait in Shawnee Mission Park Lake on March 3 when he hooked a new state record rainbow trout.
After weighing, confirmation by regional fisheries b ... Read More

June 7 - 12 camp teaches youngsters nearly everything about the outdoors, from fishing, swimming, and star-gazing to canoeing, archery, and wingshootingThe Kansas Wildlife Federation (KWF) and the K-State Cooperative Extension Service are sponsoring the 21st Annual Outdoor Adventure Camp (OAC) June 7-12 at the Camp WaShunGa area of Rock Springs ... Read More