Released: September 13, 2002

Outdoor Events to Help Kansans Learn Skills, Strengthen Heritage

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Charlie Lee worries that Kansans are jeopardizing their outdoor heritage. At least three factors are involved, each of which affects the others.

That’s why concerned organizations are inviting Kansans to two outdoor events this fall, said Lee, who is a state wildlife expert with Kansas State University Research and Extension. The groups are providing an array of program choices they hope Kansans will find interesting and fun, as well as useful.

The first event is a Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) workshop Sept. 27-29. The second is for youth, ages 12 and older, who come with a parent or adult mentor to Hunting, Fishing and Fur Harvesting School Oct. 5-6. Both events are at the Rock Springs 4-H Center – a ranch, camp and conference facility near Junction City, Kan.

The organizers include the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, the Kansas Wildlife Federation, and Kansas State University.

"The problem we’re hoping to address is reduced participation in outdoor activities. The federal government taxes some outdoor-related items to support wildlife management and outdoor recreation programs. So, to try to counter the participation decline, we’re reaching out to new and non-traditional users," said Lee, who is the wildlife damage control specialist for K-State Research and Extension.

Kansans help fund the state’s outdoor management activities every time they buy a boat; boat motor; boat fuel; piece of fishing tackle; firearm; box of ammunition; or license to fish, trap or hunt.

The state’s participation drop seems to point to other factors: a change in people’s behavior – or perhaps knowledge. But "it’s certainly been no help for wildlife," Lee said.

Modern management aims to maintain healthy wildlife populations, despite urban sprawl and all it entails, he explained. One part of this is ensuring that wildlife game populations don’t expand to the point that starvation and disease become nature’s modes for bringing the numbers into check.

"That factor is why hunting and fishing limits can vary from year to year," the specialist said. "With any renewable resource, you have to keep the planting and harvesting in balance."

Activities that early Kansans needed to survive have become outdoor recreation, some of which – with luck – leads to "excellent table fare," Lee said.

"Families used to pass the basic skills and conservation practices along to their children. They participated in the activities together," he said. "We’re hoping to help people get some of those basics and be confident enough to become lifelong participants in the outdoors. If nothing else, this is part of our heritage that’s very enjoyable."

The BOW workshop offers a wide range of hands-on options, including orienteering, birdwatching, archery, camping with kids, fly tying, canoeing, backpacking, mountain biking, wild game cookery, outdoor photography, various types of hunting, various types of fishing, taxidermy, marksmanship and tracking. The cost depends on whether participants choose to lodge in a cabin ($180) or tent ($175). All meals and supplies/equipment are included. More information is available at 785-368-5449 (Jami Vonderschmidt).

The Hunting, Fishing and Fur Harvesting School will offer sessions on fishing, wingshooting (upland bird hunting), wild turkey hunting, rifle marksmanship, archery, wild game preparation and cooking, and fur harvesting. All participants will stay in cabins. The cost is $75 and registration information is available from every county’s K-State Research and Extension office or at 785-532-5734 (Charlie Lee).

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Kathleen Ward, Communications Specialist
kward@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News