Contact:
Nadia Reimer, Chief of Public Affairs
(785) 338-3036
[email protected]
KDWP Commission to Host Last Public Meeting of 2021
PRATT – The Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission will hold its last public meeting of 2021 on November 18. While select Commissioners and Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) staff will gather in-person at the Buffalo Bill Cultural Center in Oakley, virtual participation is welcomed and encouraged.
For instructions on how to participate virtually, visit https://ksoutdoors.com/KDWPT-Info/Commission/Instructions-to-Participate-in-Virtual-Meeting. To watch live video/audio stream of the meeting, visit https://ksoutdoors.com/KDWPT-Info/Commission/Watch-Meetings-Here.
The public meeting will begin at 1 p.m. with an introduction of Commissioners and guests, a review of agenda items, approval of past minutes, and general public comment on items not listed on the agenda.
KDWP Secretary Brad Loveless will provide an agency and state fiscal status update, followed by Chris Tymeson, chief legal counsel for KDWP, who will share the agency’s plans for the 2022 legislative session.
Additional items to be discussed by Commissioners include:
General Discussion (items not being voted on)
KDWP’s conversion to a new license management system in 2022
Addition of a fully-online Kansas Hunter Education course
Great Kansas Fishing Derby
Study on the Economic Impact of Kansas State Parks
Workshop Session (items that may be voted on at a future date)
Season dates, bag limits and permit regulations for pronghorn, including a proposal for unlimited archery permits for both residents and nonresidents.
Elk season dates, bag limits, and permits; No changes are currently being proposed.
Big game regulations, including the tagging, transport, legal equipment, management units, application procedures, and permits; No changes are currently being proposed.
Public Hearing (items being voted on)
The 2022 spring and fall turkey seasons, including season dates, bag limits, legal equipment and taking methods, with the proposed season dates following the structure of past seasons. KDWP staff will propose raising the minimum age for participation in the spring youth season to 17 to maintain consistency with other youth seasons. Staff will also recommend allowing the use of a shot-shooting handgun with a minimum barrel length of 10 inches for legal equipment during spring and fall seasons.
Proposals to change select length and creel limits for 2022
An amendment to bait regulations that would add Asian carp, skipjack herring, emerald shiners and threadfin shad to the list of dead species that may be sold commercially for fishing bait.
And, updates to personal floatation device (PFD) regulations, including a proposal for new PFD type designations that are consistent with current U.S. Coast Guard designations.
To view the November 18, 2021 meeting agenda and briefing book, visit https://ksoutdoors.com/KDWP-Info/Commission/Meeting-Schedule/November-18-2021. An interpreter for the hearing impaired can be requested by calling 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 Commission secretary at (620) 672-5911.
The next KDWP Commission meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 13, 2022, at the Prophet Aquatic Research & Outreach Center at Emporia State University.
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