RUSSELL — The seven-member, non-partisan commission that serves as the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism’s (KDWPT) 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 Russell’s Dole-Specter Conference Center at Fossil Creek Hotel, 1430 S. Fossil. 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, Nov. 16, 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 Nov. 15, 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.
