By RYAN McCARTHY
KU Statehouse Wire Service
TOPEKA — Each fall, Kansas is an ideal place for hunting, whether its pheasant or big game.
The problem is there is not enough public land in Kansas to accommodate out-of-state hunters.
During the past few months, the Kansas Department of Parks, Wildlife and Tourism have identified two different areas that could be converted to public hunting lands and help boost the $600 million hunting and fishing industry in the state.
The State Finance Council and the Ways and Means committees have worked to approve both plots of land at Cherokee and Pottawatomie counties.
“Only about 3 percent of Kansas land is in public ownership and we only own about less than 1 percent of that for public access (hunting),” said Ron Kaufman a Department of Parks and Wildlife and Tourism spokesman. “Hunting is all about opportunity and places to go and accessibility where you can hunt. For hunting purposes it’s important to have places set aside.”
The members of the Kansas Senate have considered and passed the two bills, Senate Bill 366 and 370. They were referred to the House Appropriations Committee on March 21.
According to Kaufman, both plots of land are next to existing public lands and should be solid investments.
Kaufman said the Cherokee Country property of 398 acres should be purchased at or about $433,500. He also said the land had been used in the private sector for other reasons in the past.
“There had been some agricultural activity on the property and so when we talk about restoration we’re really not talking about the soil, we’re just putting it to other uses,” he said.
During his testimony to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means in February, Secretary of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Robin Jennison said there are benefits to the public outside hunting season.
“The proposed acquisition would be open to the public for a variety of uses including, hunting, wildlife viewing and hiking,” he said.
The other section of land in Pottawatomie County is on the east side of Tuttle Creek reservoir near Manhattan.
This plot of land for hunting was set at 484 acres on the east side of Tuttle Creek Reservoir, adjacent to the Tuttle Creek Wildlife Area.
The purchase of the lands is expected to increase state revenues. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism reported that in 2011 hunting and fishing generated more than $610 million in the state.
The land would be purchased with a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant that is funded through Pheasants Forever and the National Wild Turkey Federation.
In November, Steven Riley, the Regional Director of Pheasants Forever based out of Waverly, Neb., testified in support of the purchase.
“We look forward to partnering with State of Kansas and KDWPT to improve our public land habitat and increase access for all Kansans,” Riley said in a written statement.
Jennison said Pheasants Forever secured a purchase option on the property for $768,000.
Another key factor for the Pottawatomie Country area is preserving parts of the original area.
Jennison said that there were several reasons why the land was important, including preserving the Flint Hills region of Kansas and the tall-grass prairie. He said public ownership would provide protection and conservation to the area.
After these projects are completed, the KDWPT will not be pursuing any new areas in the near future.
However, if the right opportunity comes along they won’t be afraid to try and open up more public land.
“It’s more an opportunistic thing than targeting an area,” Kaufman said. “We’d like to have some more opportunities in the eastern end of the state.”
Ryan McCarthy is a University of Kansas senior from Lenexa majoring in journalism.