By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The 2016 United Way of Ellis County campaign began August 27 with its first-ever Community Kick-off at Aubel-Bickle Park with the theme “Heroes for Change” to honor local hometown heroes.

The fundraising goal is $450,000. This year’s campaign chair is Mike Morley, Midwest Energy Manager of Corporate Communications.

Eagle Communications, a UWEC Pace-Setter company, kicked off its internal fundraising campaign with an employee lunch Thursday in the Eagle Media Center. Eagle employees Kara Denton, Financial Controller, Broadband division, and Todd Haskell, KKQY Radio Program Director, are UWEC Board Members.

Travis Kohlrus, Eagle Broadband Manager, is a longtime volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ellis County. “By giving to United Way, your money is going to diverse organizations dedicated to improving our community and making a difference in the lives of our friends and neighbors,” Kohlrus said.

“We hold the agencies accountable for the money they are given for various projects,” Denton told the Eagle employees.

Eagle Communications matches the donations made by its employees, doubling the funds raised for the United Way.

Eagle Communications also donates production of the campaign video shown each year to prospective donors.

There are 15 partner agencies with the United Way of Ellis County:

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ellis County
• Cancer Council of Ellis County
• CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates)
• American Red Cross (Western Kan. Chapter)
• Catholic Charities
• DSNWK (Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas)
• First Call For Help
• Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland Sunflower Region
• HACC (Hays Area Children’s Center)
• Kansas Legal Services
• Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services
• PACT (Parents And Teachers Together)
• Smoky Hill Foundation for Chemical Dependency and the Regional Prevention Center
• United Cerebral Palsy of Kansas
• WKACD (Western Kansas Association on Concerns of the Disabled)

To give to the United Way of Ellis County, mail donations or stop by the offices at 205 E. 7th Street, Suite 106, Hays.

Donations can also be processed through the “Donate” button at the United Way of Ellis County website www.liveunited.us.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

SYLVAN GROVE — The third highest inflows ever recorded at a river gage upstream of Wilson Lake raised the water level by almost seven feet, helping the lake replenish from the effects of a five-year drought.

Heavy rains from a Sept. 2 storm produced inflows at the Saline River north of Russell of nearly 23,000 cubic feet per second. This brought the lake to 1.28 feet above the normal water level, and 1 foot above the seasonal water level management plan target.

“With the conservation pool now one hundred percent full any additional inflows will occupy space in the flood control pool,” said Dan Hays, operations project manager for Wilson Lake. “The lake operation manual governs the release of water from the lake. Flood control space in all Corps lakes is used only to temporarily store flood waters, and then evacuate that water from storage as quickly as downstream conditions permit, such that flows and water levels downstream remain within limits that do not cause significant flood damages.”

Saline River inflows remain robust and may require the release of water from the lake. Consequently, conditions within the downstream Kansas River basin along with the conditions at other lakes, such as Waconda and Kanopolis, will be considered before determining the magnitude of any flood control release that might be scheduled from Wilson Lake in the days ahead.

Wilson Lake facilities are open to the public and are fully functional. Visitors and boaters are encouraged to maintain a look out for debris and practice water safety.

Above normal rainfall in the spring helped the lake recover from a multiyear drought. Wilson Lake fell below normal levels in May 2012 and experienced decreasing water levels as the drought persisted. The lake hit its lowest water level in 2015 when it dropped to 10.5 feet. The record low water levels resulted in unusable boat ramps, grounded docks, and decreased visitation.

FHSU University Relations and Marketing

GREAT BEND–The Kansas Wetlands Education Center will host “Cheyenne Bottoms Naturalists: Small Worlds” — a free, come and go, fun-filled morning — from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center.

From the busy world under the KWEC pollinator garden to the tiny interactions on the nature trail, enjoy refreshments while learning about the smallest residents of Cheyenne Bottoms.

The center, 592 NE K-156 Highway, is on the southeast side of the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area, northeast of Great Bend.

“Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about several of the small communities that they may not normally notice at the bottoms, from observing tiny bugs that live in our pond, to the pollinators in our garden,” said KWEC educator Jean Aycock.

“It’s a drop-in event, so families or individuals traveling or making a special trip can come and go at any time in the morning.”

Registration is not required.

For more information, contact KWEC at 1-877-243-9268.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, (R-Kan.) recently completed his third Kansas Listening Tour of all 105 counties. The tour began in Lenexa and ended in Sharon Springs last month.

(Video and photos courtesy Sen. Moran office)

Jane Humphrey Pearce of Wallace, a small town nine miles east of Sharon Springs in the far west county of Wallace, said Moran “saved the best for last.”

“We were pleased at the Rotary Club to host the senator and we had about 65 people that turned out and asked him questions about the national scene,” Humphrey Pearce said.

“Being someone who lives in far western Kansas, we are fully aware of how far away we are from centers of government, so it’s very impressive for him to have taken that effort…he’s a voice in Washington and he’s listening to us,” she added.

“Kansans, no matter where they live, ought to have the opportunity to be heard by those who serve them,” said Sen. Moran.

“Though much has changed since my first town hall,” Moran acknowledged, “my efforts in Washington, D.C. remain much the same today as they were when I was first elected–to make certain that we protect our Kansas way of life and create opportunities in all the communities we call home.”