TOPEKA — On Aug. 2, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) reported the latest results from testing water samples for blue-green algae, and alerts for three lakes have been lifted while another has been downgraded from “Warning” to “Advisory.” Advisories/Warnings have been lifted at Milford Reservoir in Geary County, Lake Scott State Park in Scott County, and Marion Reservoir in Marion County. Chisholm Creek Park Lake North in Sedgwick County, which was previously under a Warning, has been downgraded to a Advisory status. When harmful algal blooms are present in recreational waters, KDHE, in cooperation with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) and other lake managers where appropriate, responds by informing the public of these conditions. This past week’s testing resulted in the warnings and advisories listed below. KDWPT reminds visitors that when a lake is under an Advisory or Warning, marinas, lakeside businesses, and park camping facilities remain open for business, although swim beaches will be closed. Park drinking water and showers are safe and not affected by the algae bloom. Also, it is safe to eat fish caught during a harmful blue-green algae outbreak, as long as consumers clean and rinse the fish with clean, potable water; consume only the fillet portion; and discard all other parts. People should also wash their hands with clean, potable water after handling fish taken from an affected lake. When an advisory has been lifted, health officials advise lake visitors to still exercise caution and look out for algae blooms in the water because conditions can change quickly, depending on the weather. Some algae blooms can look like foam or thick slurry. The blooms can be blue, bright green, brown or red, and they may look like paint floating on the water. Current Public Health Warnings A Public Health Warning indicates that water conditions are unsafe and direct water contact (wading, skiing and swimming) is prohibited. These Kansas public waters are currently under “Warning” status: Add Comment  Courtesy of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism PRATT — Many anglers in eastern Kansas look forward to March 15, when the Kansas paddlefish season opens, running through May 15 at specific locations. Once water temperatures near 60 degrees, paddlefish make the annual spawning run. Some snagging areas, such as the Neosho River in Chetopa, require a rise in the river level for paddlefish to be present, so significant rainfall is essential. Paddlefish may be taken inside Chetopa and Burlington city parks on the Neosho River, on the Neosho River at Iola downstream from the dam to the city limits, on the Marais des Cygnes River below Osawatomie Dam downstream to a posted boundary, and on the Marais des Cygnes River on the upstream boundary of Marais des Cygnes Wildlife Area downstream to the Kansas-Missouri border. Paddlefish may be snagged using pole and line with not more than two single or treble hooks. Barbless hooks must be used in Chetopa City Park. Catch and release is allowed in Burlington, Chetopa, and Iola except that once attached to a stringer, a fish becomes part of the daily creel limit. The daily creel limit for paddlefish is two, and the season limit is six. On the Missouri River (season: March 15-April 30), there is a 24-inch minimum length limit. There is a 34-inch minimum length limit on Marias des Cygnes River. A paddlefish permit — $12.50 for those 16 and older, $7.50 for youth 15 and younger — includes six carcass tags. Immediately upon attaching a fish to a stringer, the angler must sign a carcass tag; record the county, date, and time of harvest; and attach the carcass tag to the lower jaw of the paddlefish taken. Anglers must stop snagging once the daily creel limit of two paddlefish is reached. Paddlefish caught outside the paddlefish season or in non-snagging areas may be kept if they are hooked in the mouth only. Nonsport fish (carp, drum, grass carp, threadfin and gizzard shad, goldfish, gar, suckers including carpsucker and buffalo, goldeye, and bowfin) may also be snagged in waters posted open to snagging during the paddlefish season. There are no limits on nonsport fish. TOPEKA – Earlier this year, the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) asked the Kansas Legislature to consider eliminating the hunting and fishing license exemptions for persons 65 years of age and older. A bill to remove the exemptions was introduced into the Kansas Senate as SB 314, and was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, which held hearings on the bill on February 17 and March 1. At the March 1 hearing, Senator Allen Schmidt distributed a proposed balloon amendment giving senior residents two options. Under one option, seniors could purchase an annual half-price hunting, fishing or combination hunting/fishing license (excluding vendor and convenience fee) up to the age of 75, with no license required for 75 years of age and older. Under the current pricing structure, that would make annual hunting and fishing licenses $9.00 each, and an annual combination hunting/fishing license $18.00 (a $2.50 vendor and convenience fee would be added to the cost of each license). The other option would be for seniors to purchase a one-time, lifetime combination senior hunting/fishing pass for an amount not to exceed one-eighth of the fee for a regular lifetime combination hunting/fishing license. The cost for a senior pass would be set by the Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission through a change in regulation. According to KDWPT Secretary Robin Jennison, the cost for a lifetime combination senior hunting/fishing pass would likely be set at $40.00 not including the vendor and convenience fee. He noted that if a person purchases the lifetime senior pass, the department would receive federal matching funds for 18 years for each pass purchased, helping the agency achieve a more stable and consistent revenue stream. Senator Schmidt said of his amendment, “I believe this is an effective mechanism to address the concerns of our senior hunters and anglers and help KDWPT meet its needs for a broader funding base to support the fishing and wildlife programs that are so important to Kansas.” Secretary Jennison thanked Senator Schmidt for his efforts. “We really appreciate Senator Schmidt’s work in bringing this amendment forward,” he said. “It is both fair to our seniors and is a great way to help the agency continue offering the programs and services outdoor enthusiasts have come to expect.” License revenues and a federal match from the excise tax on hunting and fishing equipment fund the wildlife and fisheries programs. The demographics of hunters and anglers are changing due to baby boomer retirements and greater longevity. KDWPT currently loses an estimated $1.4 million on hunters and anglers between 65 and 74 years of age because of the exemption. The Committee on Natural Resources is expected to act on the bill in the coming week. 
After the recent Fishing Forecast results came in for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, several spots stood out as quality places to catch channel catfish in 2012 - some more than others. The highest density rating of channel catfish was in Garnett's Crystal Lake, followed by Bourbon State Fishing Lake and Nebo State Fishing Lake. The largest channel cats sampled were located in Bourbon (18.52 pounds), Osage State Fishing Lake (18.33 pounds), Lyon State Fishing Lake (16.53 pounds) Holton's Banner Creek (16.42 pounds), Madison City Lake (14.99 pounds) and Sedan's South City Lake. As for reservoirs, Kanapolis, Sebelius and Perry had the densest population of channel cat, and the largest fish sampled was 18.29 pounds in Sebelius, followed by 16.31 in Perry and 16.18 in Elder. The report lists 12 lakes as having an Excellent biologist's rating for their channel catfish stock: Crystal Lake, Bourbon State Fishing Lake, Pleasanton - West Lake, Pleasanton - East Lake, Critzer Lake, Wilson State Fishing Lake, Woodson State Fishing Lake, Yates Center City Lake, Sedgwick County - Lake Afton, McPherson State Fishing Lake, Harvest County Lake - East and Montgomery State Fishing Lake. There were also two reservoirs given Excellent ratings - LaCygne and Pomona. The Excellent rating is the biologist's opinion on the lake's stock of channel catfish. Click here to read the full Fishing Forecast for channel catfish in the state of Kansas.  Photo courtesy of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. PRATT — The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism’s (KDWPT) Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) program now offers a spring workshop to complement the traditional fall workshop that has been offered each year since 1993. This year’s spring workshop will be held May 18, 19, and 20 at Rock Springs 4-H Center, near Junction City, the same location as the fall workshop. During the three-day workshop, volunteer instructors teach participants a variety of skills, including fishing, wingshooting, camping, orienteering, rifle marksmanship, botany, dog handling, archery, and other outdoor recreation in a friendly, supportive environment. Twenty-eight concurrent sessions will be offered, from hunting and fishing skills to camping, outdoor cooking, bird watching, orienteering, and wilderness survival. Mini-sessions will cover such topics as “Kansas critters,” outdoor first aid, campfire songs, and star gazing.
The $250 workshop fee includes seven meals, two nights lodging, instruction, supplies, and use of equipment. Based on financial need, three $100 scholarships are available for first-time participants. Email kansasbow@sbcglobal.net for scholarship details.  Lake Perry has closed its beaches due to dangerous blue-green algae, which has contaminated the waters. Officials say to avoid direct contact with the water and to deep clean any fish caught from the lake. Photo by Josh Rouse. A warning for those trying to beat the heat by heading to the lake - officials have closed two swimming beaches at Perry Lake, 17 miles northeast of Topeka, Kan., in Jefferson County, because of concerns about harmful algae in the water. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism announced on Friday that they had closed the Perry Park Corps of Engineers Swim Beach and the Perry State Park Beach after testing indicated harmful algae bloom levels. The agencies said that high levels of toxic blue-green algae had been discovered at the Rock Creek Arm and the Old Town Public Use Area of the lake. Areas around the park will still be open, but the agencies say to avoid direct contact with the water as it can cause anything from skin and eye irritation and allergic reactions to severe illness and death in extreme cases of overexposure. Officials said the drinking water and showers are safe, however. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment also suggests deep cleaning any fish caught from the waters. Kansas public waters currently under warning: Perry Lake – Rock Creek Arm Perry Lake – Old Town Public Use Area Marion County Lake Memorial Park Lake, Great Bend, Barton County Meade State Lake, Meade County Kansas public waters currently under advisory: Big Hill Reservoir Perry Lake Marion Reservoir Old Herington City Lake Logan City Lake, Phillips County  Photo courtesy of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks PRATT — The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) has announced that leftover nonresident deer permits will be sold online and over-the-counter on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 12:01 a.m. June 15. After the initial nonresident deer permit drawing in May, KDWP had 4,395 permits left over in 11 deer management units for the 2011 season. These permits will go on sale for those nonresidents who were unsuccessful in the initial drawing or did not apply. With these permits, the hunter designates unit and equipment/season choice, as well as one adjacent unit, at time of purchase. They will be sold to any nonresident who does not already have a 2011 permit at license vendors, online at the KDWP website (www.kdwp.state.ks.us under “License/Permits”), or by phoning 620-672-5911 and asking for Licensing.
“Come learn how to safely paddle on the Kansas (Kaw) River, where access ramps are located and other related information concerning the Kaw” says Laura Calwell, Kansas Riverkeeper for Friends of the Kaw.
This class will be held on Saturday, June 18, from 1-3 p.m. at the Olathe Bass Pro Shop, 12051 Bass Pro Dr., Olathe, KS 66061 (913-254-5200). The class is sponsored by Friends of the Kaw and Johnson County K-State Research Extension as an activity of a Johnson County Stormwater Education grant. No reservations are necessary but for questions or more information visit http://www.kansasriver.org or contact the Kansas Riverkeeper at 913-963-3460 or riverkeeper@kansasriver.org. |  NewsCheck out news and press releases from around the state regarding the outdoors. ArchivesAugust 2012 CategoriesAll |
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