PRATT – The Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission will conduct a public meeting on March 28, 2019, at the Capitol Plaza Hotel, Emerald Rooms, in Topeka. The public is encouraged to attend the meeting, which will begin at 1:30 p.m. Time will be set aside for public comment on non-agenda items at the beginning of both the afternoon and evening sessions.
The first items for discussion in the afternoon include a report on agency fiscal status, a 2019 legislative session update, and tourism update. The General Discussion session will start with the redrawing for one Commissioner Big Game Permit, followed by discussions on: fees, threatened and endangered species regulations, an update on upland birds, and backcountry access passes.
Workshop Session items – items that will be voted on at a future Commission meeting – include U.S. Coast Guard navigation rules, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), e-licensing, e-bicycle use on trails and in parks, public land regulations, furbearer regulations, webless migratory bird regulations, waterfowl regulations, deer season on Fort Riley, and antelope season.
The Commission will recess by 5 p.m. and reconvene at 6:30 p.m. to conduct a Public Hearing and vote on the following items:
- Removing fees for duplicate licenses
- Squirrel hunting regulations; use of calls
- Public lands regulations; use of portable blinds
- Hunting, fishing, furharvesting license and state park permits; removing requirement for trail pass
- Elk; open season, bag limit and permits
- Big game regulations; legal equipment and taking methods
- Big game permit applications; adjusting resident permit application periods
- Deer season; open season, bag limit and permits
The Commission will also hear deer permit allocations for Secretary’s Orders.
If necessary, the Commission will reconvene at 9 a.m. at the same location, March 29, 2019, 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 March 28, 2019 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 Public Hearing will be tweeted on the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism’s (KDWPT) 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, April 25, 2019 at the Colby Community Building, 285 E. 5th St., in Colby.
