RUSSELL – The seven-member, non-partisan commission that serves as the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism’s regulatory body will meet Thursday, Nov. 15, in Russell to conduct a public meeting. The public is encouraged to attend the meeting, which will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the Dole-Specter Conference Center at Fossil Creek Hotel, 1430 S. Fossil in Russell. Time will be set aside for public comment on non-agenda items at the beginning of both the afternoon and evening sessions.
Attendees will first hear a report on the agency and state fiscal status, and an update on the upcoming 2019 legislature. General Discussion items will then be discussed, to include e-bicycles (pedal-assist electric bicycles), operational requirements for controlled shooting areas, public lands regulations, and squirrel regulations.
Topics that will be discussed during the Workshop Session include squirrel hunting regulations; antelope and elk hunting regulations; public land regulations; big game regulations, including deer; 2019-2020 turkey hunting regulations; Coast Guard navigation rules; the use of unmanned aerial vehicles; electronic licensing; fishing regulations; and backcountry access passes.
The Commission will recess by 5 p.m. and reconvene at 6:30 p.m. to hold a Public Hearing and vote on the following items:
-Camping utilities and fees
-Trail access passes
-The taking and/or use of baitfish or minnows
-The commercial sale of fish bait
-Rules and restrictions for importing and/or possessing select wildlife
If necessary, the Commission will reconvene at 9 a.m. at the same location, November 16, 2018, to complete any unfinished business. Should this occur, time will again be set aside for public comment on non-agenda items.
Information about the Commission, as well as the November 15, 2018 meeting agenda and briefing book, can be downloaded at ksoutdoors.com/KDWPT-Info/Commission/Upcoming-Commission-Meetings.
Live video and audio streaming of the meeting will be available at ksoutdoors.com, and live updates of the evening Public Hearing will be tweeted on KDWPT’s Twitter account (@KDWPT).
If notified in advance, the Department will have an interpreter available for the hearing impaired. To request an interpreter, call the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at 1-800-432-0698. Any individual with a disability may request other accommodations by contacting the KDWPT Commission secretary at (620) 672-5911.
The next KDWPT Commission meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 13, at the Great Plains Nature Center, 6232 E 29th St. N., in Wichita.
Michael L. Spicer, Jr., age 22, of Larned, KS, passed away on Sunday, November 4, 2018 at HaysMed. He was born on December 12, 1995 in Russell, KS.
