KDWPT

PRATT – The 2018 Kansas Birding Big Year, hosted by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT), is underway and you’re invited to participate in the fun. Unlike other big year competitions that span the U.S. in a calendar year, participants in the 2018 Kansas Birding Big Year try to observe as many species of birds as they can within the borders of Kansas from Jan. 1 – Dec. 31.

Participants of all skill levels may compete in one of three age groups: youth (17 and under), adult (18-64), and senior (65 and up). The winners from each category will receive prizes to be awarded next January. See guidelines below.

Participation Guidelines

1. Participants must register via email with the event coordinator Mike Rader at KDWPT: [email protected] on or before April 1 to be part of the program for 2018.

2. Participants must read and abide by the set of rules governing the competition (available at ksoutdoors.com/Services/Wildlife-Diversity/2018-Kansas-Birding-Big-Year). These rules are adapted from the American Birding Association Recording Rules and Interpretations and include the Code of Birding Ethics. Breaking or disregard for these rules will disqualify the participant from the competition.

3. Participants are required to log their data into the online service, eBird, available on the Cornell University website, www.ebird.org. Each participant will need to create an individual profile, with sign-in and password to begin the submission of sightings.

4. Participants will need to submit a running total list of observed species quarterly to the coordinator of the program. This is to help track progress and provide quality control. The program coordinator and competition committee have final say on list totals. Dates for 2018 submission will be: June 30, September 30 and December 31.

5. Winners of the competition in each category will be determined by a committee selected by the program coordinator. Winners will be recognized and prizes will be awarded in mid-January of the following calendar year. Categories are defined as:

Youth – 16 and under

Adult – 17-64 (3 skill levels: Novice, Intermediate and Advanced)

Senior – 65 and up

6. Prizes will be awarded based on availability and appropriateness per division, as determined by program coordinator and competition committee.

For more information, visit ksoutdoors.com/Services/Wildlife-Diversity/2018-Kansas-Birding-Big-Year.

KDWPT

PRATT – The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism’s (KDWPT) Marc Murrell has been appointed to director of the Great Plains Nature Center (GPNC) in Wichita. The GPNC Steering Committee selected Murrell to take over after former director Jim Mason retired in December.

Murrell has served as the GPNC building manager since the facility opened in 1996. He has worked for KDWPT since 1989, when he served as a public information officer out of the southcentral regional office in Valley Center. Murrell, who is from Topeka, has a bachelor’s degree in fisheries from Kansas State University and worked as a biologist in North Carolina before moving back to Kansas.

The GPNC, located on the southeast corner of Chisholm Creek Park, 6232 E 29th St. N, is the successful result of a unique collaboration of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the City of Wichita’s Park and Recreation Department, and KDWPT. This one-of-a-kind facility provides free access to nature education and outdoor experiences in an urban setting. In addition to City, USFWS, and KDWPT staff on the nature center side, the facility also houses KDWPT’s Region 3 office, providing offices for Law Enforcement, Wildlife and Parks division administrative staff and public access to information and license sales.

Another unique aspect of the GPNC – and one reason it has been so successful – is its friends group. The Friends of GPNC is now a consignatory in the memorandum of agreement and administers the employment of three full-time naturalists. Friends group members also operate the gift shop and assist with reception and programs at the nature center, making the facility a truly collaborative effort.

Murrell is just the fourth director of the GPNC since it opened in 1996. City naturalist and renowned wildlife photographer Bob Gress was the first and served until retiring in 2012. The USFWS’s Lorrie Beck took over until she retired in 2015 and the City’s Mason manned the helm until this year.

“I know I have big shoes to fill and have nothing but admiration for what Jim, Lorrie and Bob accomplished here,” Murrell said. “My goals are to carry on this great tradition of providing quality nature education by working with our amazing partners and staff.”

Throughout his career, Murrell has been dedicated to passing on Kansas’ outdoor heritage to generations of young Kansans. This passion, along with his education, experience and love of the outdoors will serve him well as he carries on the nature education tradition of the GPNC.

TOPEKA – On Friday and Saturday, March 2-3, 2018, the Kansas Democratic Party will hold its annual Washington Days event, the largest gathering of Democrats in the state.

The convention, held at the Ramada Topeka Downtown Hotel and Convention Center, 420 SE 6th Ave., will include a Saturday evening keynote address by Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, former candidate for chair of the Democratic National Committee, and one of the Democratic party’s brightest young stars. This year’s event will also feature the first-ever Washington Days gubernatorial candidate forum, held over the Saturday luncheon, with all Democratic candidates participating.

“We’re really excited to have Mayor Pete Buttigieg at Washington Days this year,” Kansas Democratic Party Executive Director Ethan Corson said. “Mayor Pete has gained national recognition for his work in South Bend and his positive, optimistic vision for the Democratic Party. We’re looking forward to him sharing his message with our members.”

Additional events include a series of training sessions on Friday afternoon and early evening, caucus meetings on Saturday morning, and a meeting of the State Committee on Saturday afternoon. All events other than the luncheon and banquet are free to attend. More information can be found at kansasdems.org/washingtondays2018.

“Kansas Democrats are working to get our state back on track after the disastrous effects of the radical agenda pushed by Gov. Sam Brownback and ultra-conservatives in the Kansas Legislature,” said Corson. “Energizing Democrats and reaching out to unaffiliated voters and moderate Republicans across Kansas, the Kansas Democratic Party is building off of its success at the state legislative level in the 2016 elections and in the 2017 local elections. Our competitive primary contests and surge in voter engagement show that the blue wave building in elections across the country in 2017 is coming Kansas’ way.”

PETE BUTTIGIEG BIO:

Mayor Pete Buttigieg is the City of South Bend’s thirty-second mayor. He was sworn into office on January 1, 2012. In 2011, he was elected at age 29 with 74 percent of the vote to become the youngest mayor of a city with over 100,000 residents in the United States. He was re-elected in 2015 with 80 percent of the vote.

Under his leadership, South Bend has addressed its toughest challenges- seeing positive economic and population growth for the first time in decades and reimagining its role in the global economy with the development of key corridors.

In addition to his work as Mayor, Mayor Pete serves as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve. In 2014, he was actively deployed to Afghanistan for a seven-month tour of duty, returning in September. For his counterterrorism work, he earned the Joint Service Commendation Medal.

In 2017, he ran for Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair, earning national praise for his “rhetorical gift, thanks to his red-state upbringing” and ability to “[sell] Democratic policy through a less partisan lens.”

Before public service, Mayor Pete worked for McKinsey & Company, a top consulting firm, where he was responsible for advising senior business and government leaders on major decisions related to economic development, energy policy, strategic business initiatives, and logistics.

A Rhodes Scholar, Mayor Pete studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Oxford and holds a bachelor’s degree in History and Literature from Harvard. The son of educators, he was born in South Bend and grew up in the Northwest Side and North Shore Triangle. He graduated from St. Joseph High School in South Bend.

An active musician, Mayor Pete plays piano and guitar, and has performed with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra. He lives in the same South Bend neighborhood where he grew up and is restoring a once-vacant home there.

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