A term often used around Christmas and Thanksgiving is “Seasonal Smells,” meaning scents like pumpkin pie, roasting turkey and the scent of pine; pleasant fragrances that we associate with that time of the year. We are entering a time of the year that also has a specific essence associated with it that is not quite so pleasant.

Anyone who has set foot outside lately and has a nose on their face has noticed the air of late smells slightly more “skunky” than usual. Also at this particular time of the year, dead skunks seem to litter the roadside. Welcome to skunk breeding season in Kansas! For our pungent friends the skunks, breeding season begins at the first sign of spring warm up, usually late February and early March, and I believe is a tad later this year because of a slightly later spring warm-up. Skunks are among the most den-dependent furbearers, meaning that more than many other furbearers, their lives rely on them having a permanent den from which to come and go daily.

Skunks do not hibernate, but become very inactive during the heart of winter, when a den becomes very important. Communal denning is common during this time, and a dominant male will often share a den with a dozen or more females during this time of inactivity. Their breeding season is fast and furious, but very short, so keeping oneself close to as many females as possible pays big dividends for male skunks when skunk love is in the air.

All right, so this is skunk breeding season, but I’ve always wondered why that means we have to smell them so much more than usual. After all, they certainly don’t spray their girlfriends do they? Maybe it’s some kind of ritual mating dance that ends each time with a poof into the air? The answer is simple, and as a trapper I should have figured it out. At this time of the year male skunks might roam as far as five miles in one night looking for eligible ladies, and since all male skunks are currently of the same mind, the chances are pretty good males will encounter each other on their quests. And then, just like a bunch of jocks fighting over the cheerleaders after the junior high dance, someone’s gonna’ get sprayed! Figure this happening several times a night for a few weeks with all the male skunks in Kansas and you have the answer.

With that solved, what about the reason for finding so many dead skunks along the road right now? I’m glad you asked, because I’ve found some interesting takes on that question too. First and the most obvious part of the answer is simply the fact that all male skunks in the kingdom are draggin’ main street right now lookin’ for girls, so the law of averages says that because of that, many will get flattened. There’s possibly more to the answer though, and that calls for a little skunk psychology lesson.

Skunks have few natural enemies and can turn even the biggest bully around on a dime with just the lift of their tail. This seems to create in them a certain cocky attitude that appears to be present even from birth. Skunks will not back down from anything; it’s as simple as that. Couple that with the fact that male skunks have a one-track-mind this time of year, and if they even notice a car coming at them, they possible see it as just another bully that will turn and run with the lift of their tail. That all equals a flat skunk! Another interesting suggestion says that skunks have black eyes that do not reflect light well like the eyes of most other animals, possibly making them hard to spot ahead of time.

By the way, if you, your dog or your car ever happen to get sprayed directly by a skunk, here is a recipe for a deodorizer that really works, and yes, I know this from experience, and that’s another story in itself: mix together 1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup baking soda and 1 teaspoon liquid dish soap (Dawn works well.) Mix this up just before use and don’t save any leftover. Bath yourself or the dog and scrub the car with this concoction.

Skunks are amazing critters that have amazingly soft, luxurious fur (once you get past the smell) and whose potent, pungent essence is invaluable to the fur-trapping industry as an additive to trapping lures. Trappers who extract the pure skunk “quill” from the animals can expect to get one to two ounces per skunk, and at about $20 an ounce that’s pretty good gas money. Skunk essence enhances and magnifies other fragrances and is actually used in very minute amounts in perfume. Some years back there were rumors that someone was developing an aerosol spray from skunk essence called “Skunk Power” that could be used by women against an attacker. I couldn’t verify its existence but what a good idea! Native Americans are said to have used skunk oil as a healing balm and liniment; I knew our Native American ancestors were tough, but that fact gives me a whole new respect for them.

So there you have it, a little Pepe Le Pew 101 so-to-speak. When I smell a feed yard here in Kansas I just think of it as the smell of money. Even though I know they’re yet another example of God’s marvelous and diverse Creation, it’s pretty hard to think that way when the spring air is ripe with the smell of skunk. Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected]

By KRISTEN FARRINGTON
Freedom Forum Institute

Religious freedom in today’s world is synonymous with controversy. Debates rage around the country on issues that touch our deepest beliefs: abortion, adoption, vaccinations, war memorials, equity and identity.

Families and communities are torn apart waiting for courts to sort out the fine and complicated lines between basic human rights and religious liberty. After waiting months if not years for court decisions, communities discover that legal rulings don’t have the power to heal fractured communities.

This part of our American story is as old and real as when the first settlers arrived on our shores, but the intensity today feels somehow different. Surely by 2019 we Americans have learned to live together despite our deepest differences!

The stark reality is that, no, we haven’t. According to several watchdog organizations and the FBI, religious intolerance and religion-based hate crimes are on the rise; bullying in schools continues to threaten the well-being of our children.

Religious leaders and educators share similar stories — we just aren’t equipped to deal with the controversy and division we are experiencing in our classrooms and communities. There is an urgency to do something, coupled with a sense of exhaustion that all we have been doing is simply not working.

Complex issues call for complex solutions. Civil dialogue is not the solution, but it needs to be an integral part.

Over the last 10 years, organizations have emerged to provide resources, training and opportunities for dialogue: Living Room Conversations, Difficult Dialogues National Resource Center, National Institute for Civil Discourse, Generation Global and the Religious Freedom Center are just a few committed to restoring civility and creating intentional spaces for difficult conversations while promoting pluralism and understanding across differences.

It is easy to dismiss the value of this work. Someone once described such efforts to me as fluffy. Make no mistake — there is nothing fluffy about dialogue or understanding our differences. Such work takes commitment, constant practice and the courage to stay engaged when things get heated.

Any person can engage in informal dialogue by learning the basic skills and finding opportunities to practice them at home, at work, with friends, neighbors and family. Formal dialogue is usually a series of dialogue sessions led by a trained teacher.

I’ve met a lot of people who don’t really understand the purpose of dialogue. At the most basic level, it means to seek understanding through words. The purpose of engagement is to learn as much as you can about each other — to share stories, beliefs and perspectives about an issue. It is a space where you can explore an issue from many different sides, so you come to understand the meaning and significance of that issue to each person in the discussion. Dialogue is a place for curiosity — a place where you can ask questions about and explore a perspective with which you completely disagree. It is a space where you can disagree and yet stay engaged.

Dialogue is not debate, deliberation, mediation, conflict resolution or problem solving. Its value often is overlooked in favor of rushing to solve a problem or dismissed because people don’t wish to engage with different beliefs, values or perspectives.

As a dialogue practitioner, I’ve had opportunity to train thousands of educators, religious and civic leaders. As the religious liberty debates rage around us, as we watch our schools, communities and places of worship become places of controversy and division, as we find ourselves caught in situations that challenge our deepest beliefs, I can attest that dialogue works. I’ve seen it transform classrooms and community groups.

I’ve seen educators, community and religious leaders become more confident in helping their students, congregations and communities navigate difficult issues. I’ve heard young people find their voices and become more confident talking about what is meaningful and significant in their lives. I’ve seen prejudice challenged, pain shared and unlikely friendships forged.

We should give it a try.

Kristen Farrington is executive director of the Religious Freedom Center of the Freedom Forum Institute.

By RON WILSON
Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development

“How big is your farm?” “It’s about 4-by-8.” “Oh, 4-by-8 acres? “No, 4-by-8 feet.” That imaginary conversation sounds like an unlikely discussion between Kansas farmers, but it illustrates how one young couple got their start in urban farming. They started raising microgreens on a 4-by-8 sheet of plywood. Now this innovative young couple is expanding their operation to provide local food while serving their community.

Adam and Maggie Pounds are the founders of Simple Abundance Farm in South Hutchinson, Kansas. Adam grew up at Hutchinson and went to Wichita State. Maggie went to high school at the nearby rural community of Buhler, population 1,289 people. Now, that’s rural. She went on to Bethel College.

Adam and Maggie met through friends and ultimately married. “We caught the travel bug,” Adam said. They worked a summer at Estes Park and then in Key West, Florida doing eco-tourism. Adam and Maggie are also talented musicians, playing guitar and multiple folk instruments. “Maggie sings like an angel,” Adam said.

The young couple traveled and played music. While visiting friends in the Pacific Northwest, they decided to focus on the principles which were important to them: Community, intentional living, healthy food, and an active lifestyle. They apprenticed at an organic farm in Washington state.

“As you’re traveling, you see life through a different lens,” Maggie said. Their passion for a healthy, local food system grew. They moved back to Kansas to put this into practice.

In winter 2014, they started growing microgreens in South Hutchinson. “Our whole farm consisted of a 4×8 sheet of plywood,” Adam said. Seeds were planted in compost on trays. Plants were harvested very young. “Microgreens are tender, nutty, and tasty,” Adam said. They now have a high tunnel for additional vegetable production.
They produce sunflowers, peas, radishes, arugula, spinach, salad greens, kale, and more. “We use natural and sustainable methods to produce high yields on a minimal amount of land while protecting the environment,” Adam said.

Back when they were still interns but wanting to start a farm of their own, Maggie and Adam were on a farm tour in the northwest. While in one grower’s home, they saw a cross-stitch design on the wall that said “Simply Abundant.” The term clicked for both of them. When they got back to Kansas, they named their place Simple Abundance Farm.

The “farm” is a specialty crop operation on less than an acre in the city of South Hutchinson. “We are urban, so we’re very convenient for our consumers,” Adam said. “The city has been really great to work with us.”

“They’ve been an amazing addition to our Reno County Farmers Market,” said Pam Paulsen, K-State Research and Extension – Reno County horticulture agent. “We are huge advocates of farmers markets,” Adam said. They have also opened what they call the Farm Stand, which is a self-service market for their farm crops and other local products year-round. “Our customers get a key code so they can pick up products at their convenience,” Adam said.

They are now building a commercial kitchen which will enable them to produce shelf-stable products such as sauerkraut and kimchi. They’re also joining the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s “From the Land of Kansas” program.

Meanwhile, they’re caring for their two-year old son Arlo. “We call him quality control, he’s out there in the dirt,” Adam said.

Maggie is president of the newly-formed Central Kansas Young Farmers Coalition. She also recently lobbied for the farm bill with the National Young Farmers Coalition in Washington, D.C.

“We need to support one another, whether a farmer or consumer, to forge a path for local food production,” Maggie said.

For more information, click HERE.

How big is your farm? This innovative young couple got a start on a 4-by-8 sheet of plywood. Now they are producing a wide variety of fresh and flavorful produce. We salute Maggie and Adam Pounds – and Arlo too – for making a difference with their approach to urban agriculture. Their farm ground may be small, but their vision is tremendous.

At the beginning of March the state of Nebraska was hit with severe weather, a bomb cyclone, extreme temperatures, and higher than usual amounts of precipitation all of which created a ”perfect storm” and caused widespread flooding.

During the middle of March we ran a donation drive to collect goods to be taken up to individuals in need up in Nebraska.

I began this donation drive on the morning of Monday, March 18th thinking I would get a van full of donations and make a quick trip to Nebraska to drop it off on that Friday, March 22nd. As the week went on we collected items and by Thursday afternoon it looked as if the large van I was borrowing would be full. Just a few hours later on Thursday evening I had tossed the idea of driving just one van but we were considering two vans. I went into work on Friday morning and instantly knew I was going to be needing a U-Haul.

As I drove around picking up donations in Hays on Friday, I was blown away by the community involvement and support shown to our neighbors to the north and even to us as we made the trip. The donation drop off in Nebraska was set up through a former FHSU Tiger and FHSU football standout, Connor Schedeed who is working with a local group helping to restore lives and homes to normalcy to Valley, Nebraska residents.

While we were driving around in Nebraska we saw that the flooding had been much worse than we had expected to see, neighborhoods completed destroyed, homes ruined, roads washed away, fields covered in sand and debris, and so much more. I know that the impact of the flooding will be for years on Nebraska but as fellow Midwesterners we will feel its impact as well.

Thank you to the Hays community, the Fort Hays State University campus community, local businesses, and those in the surrounding communities for your outpouring of donations, hundreds of you donated to the cause. We ended up taking around 7,000 pounds of donations up to Valley. Items donated included water, clothes, food, cleaning supplies, diapers, baby wipes, donations of money, gas money and much much more.

Once again thank you for your support for this donation drive, to Nebraskans, and to us as we made this journey! The amount of donations and support we received in just being willing to take donations up was unbelievable. Hays and the surrounding communities truly are giving people.

Drew Gannon
Fort Hays State University
Director of Tiger Wellness Center