LOVEWELL STATE PARK SPRING NEWSLETTER

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1 LOVEWELL STATE PARK SPRING NEWSLETTER Thank you for using the online link to the Lovewell State Park Park Permit Fee Changes for 2017!! Spring Newsletter! We hope you enjoy it and will provide us feedback on the format and content. There have been a few changes to park permit fees for 2017, with regard to camping fees. All annual vehicle permits are still $25.00 ($13.75 for Kansas Seniors or Disabled) regardless of the time of year they are purchased. There are changes in the Annual Camp and 14-Day Camp permit format. These permits are no longer a sticker or punchcard displayed in the camper, but rather a discount option in your customer record in our campsite management system. This has created some changes in camping policies for Lovewell State Park and how these permits are used. See the article below! You still have the option to purchase the Annual Camp permit before April 1 and save $50.00! The 14-Day Camp permit is now $ year-round. STATE PARK FEES FOR 2017 Annual Vehicle $25.00 Kansas SR/Disabled Annual $13.75 Daily Vehicle $ 5.00 Kansas SR/Disabled Daily $ 3.25 Annual Camp $ ($ after March 31) 14 Day Camp $ Daily Camp $ Prime Site $ 2.00 Electricity $ 9.00 Elect/Water $11.00 Elect/Water/Sewer $12.00 Seasonal Campsite Elect $ Seasonal Campsite Elect/Water $ Seasonal Campsite Elect/Water/Sewer $ * Transaction Fee of $3.00 will be added to each campsite transaction TOTAL. OFFICE HOURS THRU APRIL ARE 8AM TO 4:30PM MONDAY FRIDAY. Inside this issue: Special Events for New Archery Targets at Practice Range 2 Lovewell Marina Set to Open April 3 2 New Permit Available for Unconventional Vehicles 3 Lovewell s New Playground, A Touching Memorial 3 Regulation Reminders 4 Additional Campsites Designated as Prime Sites Fishing Forecast 5 New Inlet Canal Fishing Regs & Refuge Use Changes 6 Construction Season Extended at JTWN and Talmo 6 isportsman Check-In Completes 2nd Season 7 Stop The Spread of Aquatic Nuisances! 7 Advice from a Lake: Be Clear Make Positive Ripples Look Beneath the Surface Stay Calm Shore Up Friendships Take Time to Reflect Be Full of Life! March 2017 Annual Camp and 14-Day Camp Format and Procedure Changes The format of the Annual Camp and 14-Day Camp permits have changed. These permits provide a $10/night discount on all camping stays. A format change now allows these permits to be tracked in our campground management system to provide better information about their use and to prevent their misuse. These permits are now sold not as a sticker or a punchcard, but rather a discount available in your customer record. The 14 days will now be tracked and no longer available for use when the days run out. The change in format doesn t change much for our campers who mostly camp in our utility campgrounds, but will be significantly different for our Annual and 14-Day purchasers who camp in our primitive camping areas. Primitive campers will need to check in at the office when they bring their camper into a primitive camping area, tell us how many nights they plan to stay and we will check them into an area or campsite. This process will result in a $3 transaction fee due at the time of checkin. Additional nights, up to 14 consecutive, can be added with no additional fees. The advantage for the customer is that once checked in to our system, the camper will be exempt from the 24 hour visitation regulation. Primitive camping is still first-come, first serve. The benefit for our state parks is that we will now have better data about our primitive camping customers, usage and occupancy for reporting and funding justifications. In addition, as a matter of fairness, our utility campers have always paid this fee for their Reserve Your Camping Cabin or Utility Campsite Today! kshuntfishcamp.com or call Lovewell State Park!

2 Special Events at Lovewell for 2017 Don t miss this year s line-up of Lovewell State Park special events! This season begins with the Free Fishing Weekend, June 3 and 4. A fishing license is not required to fish any public waters in the State of Kansas on these two days. The Kids Fishing Clinic will be held the following weekend, on June 11. Registration will be limited to 50 kids, age Participants will learn fish identification, rules and regulations, receive fishing technique instruction, and learn how to clean a fish! Next up is a Float Your Boat Contest on June 18. Grab the whole family and design and build your cardboard boat (specifications will be available in early June)! Bring it to the Southwinds Beach for the contest to see whose boat can float through the designated course without sinking! The boat s captain must be aboard to finish. Your boat could also win a prize for the best decorated vessel! As has been the case for many years, to comply with Bureau of Reclamation regulations, there are no individual July 4th holiday fireworks allowed in Lovewell State Park or Lovewell Wildlife Area. Last year, thanks to a Lovewell Lake Association fundrais- ing campaign and special permission from the BOR, there was a fabulous July 4th fireworks display that was very well received by park patrons! It had been many years since we were able to do such a display, and hundreds of positive comments were passed on to us. The Lake Association is again fundraising for a similar show for 2017, and we couldn t be more excited for another great Independence Holiday at Lovewell State Park! It is TENTATIVELY set for July 1, but as we learned last year, Mother Nature could have another plan! The Lake Association is raising the money for the purchase of the fireworks display, and would appreciate any donations. Anyone interested should request contact information for Lovewell Lake Association from Lovewell Marina. Lovewell Fun Day on August 5 will feature the Sand Castle/ Sculpture Contest, usually held in June, as the kick-off event. Of course, we will still have our popular Co-Ed Mud Volleyball tournament, Kids Sand Treasure Hunt, and Rock/Paper/ Scissors Tournament to round out the day. Campground Christmas will be held August 19, with lots of campsite decorations and holiday fun. The final events of the season will be held Sept 10, with the 3D Archery Tournament, and our Free Park Entrance Day. MARK YOUR CALENDARS!! Free Fishing Weekend June 3/4 Kids Fishing Clinic June 11 Float Your Boat Contest June 18 Fireworks Display ** July 1 Sand Castle Contest August 5 Lovewell Fun Day August 5 Campground Christmas August 19 3D Archery Shoot September 10 Free Park Entrance September 10 ** TENTATIVE Hundreds of Boats Dot The Lake for Fireworks Viewing! Lovewell State Park is a popular destination for family reunions, alumni reunions, weddings and company picnics. Reserving a shelter is very economical, at only $34.00 for the day. Contact us to schedule your own special event today! NEW ARCHERY TARGETS AT PRACTICE RANGE! Thanks to funding from Hunter Education, Lovewell State Park has made updates to its archery range! Elevated bag-style targets in wood frames have replaced the deteriorating round bales in the practice area, and yardage markers have been added. If additional funding becomes available, these framed bag targets will be added to the 14 station walk-through portion of the range, as well. 3D targets are available for special events. REMINDER: Field points only, and No Crossbows! Lovewell Marina will open for the Lovewell Marina Set To Open April 3! season Monday, April 3. Our first date for live music will be with Sons of the Republic on Saturday, May 13. Make plans to join us on the deck! We are also tentatively planning a co-ed sand volleyball league starting in July. Check our Facebook page {Lovewell Marina & Grill} for details on this and for other offerings throughout the summer. Our hours will be similar to the past, serving three meals a day. We look forward to seeing you and having an outstanding lake season! Page 2

3 New Permit Available for Unconventional Vehicles A new permit is available, valid only within Kansas State Parks for unconventional vehicles, and can only be purchased at Kansas State Park offices. Vehicles that qualify for the unconventional vehicle permit are work site utility vehicles including UTVs, and low-speed vehicles such as golf carts. ATVs DO NOT qualify and cannot receive one of these permits. Permit fee is $ All operators must possess a valid driver s license. Unconventional vehicles can only be operated on state park roadways with a 30 mph or less speed limit, but are allowed to cross state park roadways with a higher speed limit. No off-road use is allowed. Properly permitted unconventional vehicles are allowed to operate on state park roadways from sunrise to sunset only. All traffic and alcohol statutes are applicable to unconventional vehicles. All occupants of an unconventional vehicle must be seated in a manufacturers equipped seat. Permits are valid for the calendar year in which they are purchased, and must be easily visible attached to the front driver s side of the vehicle for which the permit was purchased. Properly registered, tagged and equipped mopeds qualify for purchase of a regular motor vehicle permit not the unconventional vehicle permit. It is the responsibility of the vehicle owner to provide adequate insurance for use of that vehicle in this manner. Misuse of the unconventional vehicle permit in any manner may result in the permit being revoked with no refund to the permit holder. ************************************************************************************************************************ Kansas Residents! Don t forget about the Kansas State Park Passport! Available at the time of your vehicle license registration, only $15.50 per vehicle! LOVEWELL S NEW PLAYGROUND A TOUCHING MEMORIAL By Sandra Foote, Superior Express MaryJane and Dave Collette made plans to retire together and camp as much as possible at Lovewell State Park. Dave grew up in Aurora KS, and MaryJane grew up in Concordia. They met at Notre Dame Catholic High School in Concordia when MaryJane was a freshman and Dave was a junior. They married on August 4, For more than 40 years, they camped regularly at Lovewell State Park s Walleye Point Campsite No. 4. Brother-in-law Dennis Kearn and his wife often camped with them at Campsite No. 5. After Dave s retirement from the dairy business after 21 years, and his over-the-road trucking business, he worked helping farmers in Iowa. He liked to farm, it was in his blood. Even though Dave was a hard worker and a farmer at heart, he and MaryJane planned to spend May through August at Lovewell. Family and friends of the late Dave Collette gathered to install a new playground in his memory. MaryJane retired in December and this was to be their first summer together without having to run back to Omaha for work. On March 21, there was an accident on the farm. Dave and the farmer he worked for were unloading hay bales when one got loose and rolled onto him. He was rushed 40 miles to the nearest hospital, which was in Council Bluffs, then life-flighted to University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. He had a torn aorta. The medical team said it was a miracle he was still alive. Surgery was performed to correct the tear, but soon afterward Dave suffered a stroke. He died on April 2 at the age of 64. During this traumatic time, family members talked about the funeral service and memorial, and decided they wanted to give back to the community that meant so much to them. Their community of choice was Lovewell State Park, where they spent summers for the 43 years of their married life. While making funeral arrangements, the family asked that no flowers or arrangements be purchased for the funeral. Flowers die and plants will too said MaryJane. We want to do something that gives back to our community for a long time to come. Instead, the family asked that donations be made to purchase playground equipment for Lovewell State Park as a memorial for Dave. More than $15,000 was donated for the cause. Only one plant was purchased for the funeral, and it was placed at the sign-in table. The family was overwhelmed by the generosity of the many people who contributed. All the proceeds have gone towards purchasing playground equipment and the small remaining amount needed for the playground was paid for with insurance money. Dave was the third of 12 children in a loving family where everyone worked and played together. They were handy with repairs and little was thrown away. Installation of the playground equipment was Saturday and Sunday, October 22 and 23, 2016, by family members and friends. A factory-trained representative was on hand to guide the assembly process. Marina owners Jana and Aaron Coil provided breakfast, and lunch and supper were served in one of the group shelters for all of the volunteers. T-shirts were available and worn on the day of construction. Proceeds from the t- shirt sales are going toward a park bench to be placed near the playground in memory of Dave. Although Mary Jane said she is repeatedly being thanked for the gift, she has made it clear there were many individual donations ranging from $5 to $100 and even $500. Every donation was appreciated by the family. This would not have been possible without Dave s many generous friends and family members, MaryJane said. The new playground is located in the Pioneer Day Use Area. Page 3

4 REGULATION REMINDERS Our state park regulations are not new, but do warrant a reminder to all of our visitors as we begin looking forward to the new park season. VEHICLE AND CAMPING PERMIT EXPIRATION TIMES All daily vehicle, camping and utility permits expire at 2 pm following the last day purchased. If your vehicle is still in the state park or your camping unit is still in a primitive or utility campsite after 2 pm, another day permit MUST be purchased. 14-DAY STAY LIMIT A camping unit is limited to 14 consecutive days in a campsite, utility and primitive, with the exception of longterm campsites. Following the 14th day of your stay, you must move your camping unit to another campground, or remove it from the state park area, for at least five days. GREY WATER DUMPING all waste water from camping units (GREY and BLACK tanks) must be disposed of at dump stations only. SPEED LIMIT there is a 25 mph speed limit throughout the entire park. Speed should be reduced even further when entering and driving the individual campground roads. Please watch for pedestrians! PETS are allowed at Lovewell State Park, however must be kept on a 10 foot or shorter leash or chain at all times. Pets are not allowed inside any of the facilities, unless for assistance purposes. This includes all shower and restroom facilities, swimming beach, park office, group shelters, and state park camping cabins. Cabin renters must keep pets outside on a chain/leash, or in a kennel. However, Pioneer, Pine Ridge, Frontier and Sunrise Camping Cabins have been designated as pet friendly, with payment of the Pet Friendly Fee of $50 per stay. WATER USAGE Although it is not a statute regulation, we also want to remind our constituents that due to significant increases in our fees paid for water usage, Lovewell State Park does not allow extra water use for things like waterslides, wading or swimming pools, etc. Please use only the water that is necessary to operate your camper, keep your water hose connections in good operating condition, and notify us as soon as possible of any leaks discovered at your water hookup, or the appearance of an underground water leak near your campsite. With everyone abiding by state park regulations, we can continue to provide a safe and family-oriented park and enjoyable visits for all!! Thank you! Over the past several years there have been Additional Campsites Designated as Prime upgrades of several campsites (and whole campgrounds in some cases) at Lovewell State Park to 50-amp service. With the increasing ampages of newer and more sophisticated campers, the electricity that these campers pull to operate has increased as well. It has been determined that all 50 amp campsites at Lovewell State Park will be designated as Prime Sites from April 1 through September 30. The prime site designation adds a $2 per night charge to the nightly fees for these sites. At the time of upgrade to 50-amp service, all campsites in the Cottonwood and Cedar Point Utility Campgrounds were designated as Prime Sites, with the additional $2 per night fee. Since its construction, sites 1 thru 8 in the South Willow Utility Campground have been designated as Prime Sites. The change this year will affect all other 50 amp utility campsites in the park. Specific sites that will change this year are: South Willow Utility Campsites No. 9 thru No.15, and Walleye Point Utility Campsites No.1&2 and No.10 thru 12. Like Us On Facebook!! Kansas Wildlife, Parks & Tourism Lovewell State Park Like us, and you will find the latest information on upcoming events, past events, information on facilities and lake status, great park photos, anything you want to know! With lake level and water quality issues that have occurred in the past, we know that it can be frustrating when you have made plans to visit Lovewell and hear rumors, that the LAKE IS CLOSED! Now you have the inside track on the most up to date information, no need to worry about unsubstantiated rumors! Status updates can also be found at ksoutdoors.com (click on State Parks, then Lovewell, and Park News); or simply call our office during business hours. We will be happy to give you the most accurate, up-to-date information to help with your planning! Page 4

5 LOVEWELL RESERVOIR - is at conservation pool, as of February FISHING FORECAST!! By Scott Waters, Fisheries Biologist General Information: Be on the lookout for blue catfish which have been stocked since 2010 and remember that there is a 35 inch length limit on blue catfish at Lovewell. The fish barrier will be in operation again this year. Please stay away from the barrier and DO NOT FISH INSIDE THE BUOYS! CATFISH - Good. The catfish population will be very good again in 2017 with all sizes of channel cats and flatheads available to anglers. The fall 2016 channel catfish catch rate was up 114% for all sizes from the previous year and the number of fish over 24 inches was up 200% while the number of larger fish was down slightly. Forty-one percent of the fish were between 15 and 19 inches, 31% were 7-14 inches, 22% were between 20 and 24 inches, and 6% were inches. Flathead catfish were not sampled this year, but fish between 10 and 45 inches are typically collected with the biggest fish around 50 pounds. Channels and flatheads will be vulnerable in all arms of the reservoir, including Montana, Windmill, and Prairie Dog Creek, as well as up White Rock Creek near the Highway 14 bridge. During peak irrigation releases, catfish can be readily caught close to the inlet and outlet structures, and are susceptible along the dam and other rocky areas during the spawn. We collected and tagged nearly 150 blue catfish in 2016 using electrofishing and fall gill nets. There are now over 450 tagged blue cats in the reservoir as we continue to study their movements and growth rates. Fish collected this year ranged from 9-34 inches and weighed up to 18 pounds. Natural reproduction of blue catfish was documented for the first time in Lovewell Reservoir as this species is developing a self-sustaining population. There is still a 35 inch minimum length limit on blue catfish at Lovewell. All blue catfish less than 35 inches must be released! CRAPPIE - Fair. The fall 2016 crappie catch was improved over the 2015 sample, but the size structure will be smaller in 2017 due to large 2015 and 2016 year classes. Overall catch rate improved 60%, but catch rate of fish 8 inches and larger decreased from 9.6 per net to only 4.4 in Fifty-four percent of white crappie were between 3 and 5 inches, 45% were 6 to 9 inches, and only 1% were between 10 and 12 inches. Higher water levels in 2015 and 2016 allowed for excellent crappie production and these two year classes should produce good to excellent fishing in the next few years. Approximately 300 black crappie were also collected with most of these fish between 3 and 7 inches. Biggest white crappie weighed 1.5 pounds and biggest black crappie weighed 0.7 pounds. These fish all appear to be very healthy with excellent body condition measured. Several brush piles are maintained to help concentrate fish for anglers, and decent success can be found fishing around the flooded vegetation in Montana Creek and other coves during late April and May when the fish are spawning. We will likely add several hundred more trees to the existing brush piles this year. WALLEYE - Fair. Lovewell Reservoir will rank #3 for both preferred (>20 ) and lunker (>25 ) walleye in the 2017 Kansas Fishing Forecast thanks to improved catches of big walleye. Walleye numbers in the fall 2016 sample were much better than the 2015 sample with an average of 1.7 fish per net compared with only 0.5 in This catch rate is similar to the 2013 and 2014 catch rates, but still much less than the 5.1 walleye per net catch of Recruitment has been lacking each year since 2009 except for 2011, thus the adult numbers are still well below the management objective. Fry and fingerling stockings were conducted in 2016 and young fish were produced, but they are much smaller than normal due to a poor shad hatch, and only averaged 6-8 inches in the fall. Forty-eight percent of the catch was over 18 inches with some very nice fish sampled in the gill nets and trap nets. Combined, 26% of the catch consisted of age-0 fish (6-10 inches), 26% were age-1 fish between 14 and 16 inches, 12% were between 17 and 19 inches, 29% were inches, and 10% were inches. Fish condition was excellent and is improved from the previous year. Fishing continues to be best from late April through mid-june with anglers drifting jig/nightcrawler combos having the best success, especially along 2-mile road. Anglers are encouraged to carefully measure any questionable fish and handle sublegal fish with care. 18 inch minimum length limit in effect. Walleye fry and fingerlings will be stocked again in 2017 in hopes of producing a strong year class. WHITE BASS Fair. White bass density rating improved for the second consecutive year due to another nice year class of young as this species continues to recover from two fish kills. The density rating was lowest in 2014 at 2.1, improved slightly to 2.5 in 2015, and nearly doubled to 4.6 this past fall. Anglers should notice improved white bass fishing in 2017 as a result. The preferred rating also improved moderately from 0.7 to 1.1, but is still well below the 5.9 peak collected in fall The lunker rating remained at 0 as no fish greater than 15 inches were collected. The biggest fish sampled weighed 1.4 pounds and the fish were again in excellent body condition. Overall, 44% of the sample was between 5 and 9 inches, 47% were inches, and 9% were inches. As in the past, the best time to fish for Lovewell whites will be in the summer, during peak irrigation releases. The inlet and outlet areas historically produce the vast majority of whites harvested while summer topwater activity can also be productive. Night fishing using floating lights was fair in 2016, and drifting or slabbing over submerged roadbeds and humps throughout the year is also an effective method for hooking into a nice stringer of whites. WIPERS - Fair. Total number of wipers collected in fall netting was down approximately 29%, but the density rating remained unchanged. In addition, the preferred rating doubled from 0.2 to 0.4 fish per net. Wipers were stocked again in 2016 with one young fish/net collected, but average size was smaller than normal (6 inches) due to the poor shad production in The 2014 stocked wipers have grown well and range from 16 to 19 inches. The 2013 wipers are between 20 and 22 inches while no bigger fish were collected. Fish condition was fair to good for the 2014 fish and was excellent for the 2013 fish. Fish between 5 and 6 inches accounted for 42% of the catch, 16 to 19 inch fish represented 39%, and inch fish accounted for 19%. Anglers will have limited success this year targeting large wipers, but good numbers of 2-3 pound fish should be available. Approximately 30,000 fingerling wipers will be stocked in 2017 to help control the large shad numbers in the reservoir due to the addition of the fish barrier. Similar to white bass, decent numbers of wipers can be caught during the irrigation season as the fish migrate to the inlet and outlet areas. Other anglers report good success for bigger wipers trolling crankbaits and deep-diving rapalas along the north shore and the dam. Be sure to identify your catch carefully as those young wipers look very similar to white bass. The daily creel limit on wipers is 2 fish! GET THE LATEST WEEKLY FISHING REPORTS FOR ALL AREA RESERVOIRS AT Page 5

6 New Inlet Canal Fishing Regulations & Lovewell Refuge Use Changes By Rob Unruh, Public Lands Manager The inlet will be closed to fishing from September 15 - April 15 each year. These changes were made to reflect the annual management of water being brought into the reservoir each spring during the walleye spawning season. Since the mid 1980s the inlet canal has been closed to fishing until mid-april by a Secretary s Order anytime water was being diverted into the reservoir. Walleye are drawn to the moving water and become vulnerable to overharvest. The closure protected this important walleye spawning area and resulted in larger numbers of young of the year walleye being produced and ultimately bolstering the population. The area immediately downstream from the mouth of the inlet where it opens into the reservoir will be open and the closed area will be clearly marked with signs and buoys. The gates to the inlet will be open from April 16 to September 14 but walking into this area from September 15 to April 15 will not be allowed. Some changes have been made to the Lovewell Wildlife Area Refuge. The area northeast of the Lovewell Office including the Inlet Canal and extending south to the Bureau of Reclamation headquarters will be closed to hunting yearround, and closed to all activities September 1 - March 31. The land area previously closed to hunting will now be open to an expanded Special Hunt program targeting advanced hunter education, recruitment and retention of youth, the disabled, first time adult hunters and those who have been away from hunting for over three years. The refuge area at Lovewell is small and the number of hunts offered will reflect this. In addition to the waterfowl and deer hunts now offered, turkey and dove hunts will be offered in the future. Applications for Special Hunts is online and can be found by following the link. Maps of the new regulations for the area will be posted on the Lovewell Wildlife Area website : Construction Season Extended at Jamestown and Talmo Wildlife Areas With seven construction projects scheduled to start in 2016 at Jamestown and two at Talmo, two were completed and another started. A new equipment storage building was constructed by Saathoff Construction this last fall at Jamestown headquarters. The building will store all the tractors, trucks, planters, sprayers and pumps under a roof. A 50-acre wetland at Talmo called the Warren Tract was designed by Ducks Unlimited and created by Waite Excavating using a Wetlands Reserve Program NRCS project. The county road was used as the dam. This cooperative effort with the Republic County Road Department also improved the county road and will soon be upgraded to all-weather service. The other project at Talmo is across the road just east of the Warren Tract. Started in November, the Borchardt-Trost project as well as the other Talmo project are part of Wetland Reserve Program contracts administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service and part of a NAWCA Grant. Three wetlands are being constructed using parts of the existing dikes but excavating two depressions to make up the bulk of the new lower and wider dikes. Four wetlands with approximately 245 surface acres will be impounded on these tracts. These areas, filled by runoff will be ready for the 2017 hunting season. The Jamestown projects are part of two North American Wetland Conservation Act (NAWCA) grants and a Pittman- Robertson (P-R) Grant funded by the excise taxes on energy production, excise taxes on hunting equipment and hunting license sales. The two biggest projects, raising Gamekeeper Dam 18 inches and sub-dividing Gamekeeper Marsh, similar to what was completed in Gun Club Marsh could take more than one construction season. Environmental permits are being submitted and bids will be advertised in late spring. Another water control structure will be added to the east end of the Marsh Creek Dam and three small wetland areas will be enhanced in the upper ends of Marsh Creek Marsh. These projects have the environmental permits completed. Construction could begin in early May. We will be posting updates to our website as work progresses. Be sure to check out the link as we continue to improve the area for wildlife and hunters. Jamestown. New this year will be the option of registering to receive a quarterly newsletter with updates about Jamestown! View the newsletters at OR sign up to receive newsletters by each quarter at By Rob Unruh, Public Lands Manager Visit the Jamestown and Lovewell Wildlife Area News Pages Visit OR throughout the spring and summer for updates on area management progress, upcoming events, waterfowl migrations and special projects. Remember to sign up for special youth/novice hunts at Jamestown and Lovewell Wildlife areas by visiting the KDWPT special hunt page: Page 6

7 isportsman Electronic Hunter Check-In System Completes Second Season Rob Unruh, Public Lands Manager After our first season, over 90% of Jamestown hunters and 80% of Lovewell hunters used isportsman. This trend continued for 2016 as both resident and nonresident hunters used the system similarly. Most hunters found that after the initial registration process for isportsman, the check-in and check-out process was simple and fast if you had a smartphone or if you had cell phone service or access to a computer to check in the night before your hunt. The department cannot do much about cell phone service as an agency but if hunters individually contact their service provider and identify areas with lack of service, we hope that eventually those areas will be covered. A FREE, wi-fi hot spot was created at the Lovewell Office in the State Park. Service is available in the parking lot by the information center just west or in front of the office. So who is using isportsman and what kind of information do wildlife area mangers collect from hunters? Jamestown and Lovewell hunters are opposites when it comes to resident and nonresident hunters. Jamestown hunters are 80% residents and 20% nonresidents. Lovewell hunters are the exact opposites with 80% nonresidents and 20% residents. Jamestown hunters hunt waterfowl and Lovewell hunters hunt deer. Waterfowl hunters make up over two-thirds of the Jamestown hunt days and deer hunters account for over half of the Lovewell hunts. Even with the unseasonably warm fall the 1300 Jamestown waterfowl hunters harvested 2.3 ducks per hunter. The 500 Lovewell deer hunter days resulted in 30 deer being harvested. Considering only about 2,000 acres are available to hunt at Lovewell, this is about 1 deer harvested per 66 acres. Information like this guides management actions. Our department has a motto you cannot manage what you don t measure and we are utilizing today s technology to save time for our hunters and employees, while collecting valuable information by using the electronic hunter survey system called isportsman. Daily hunt cards are still available at the Lovewell and Jamestown office locations. Haven t registered yet? Follow this link Stop The Spread of Aquatic Nuisances!! With a growing list of confirmed presence of zebra mussels and other aquatic nuisance species at Kansas waters each year, it becomes even more imperative that all boaters follow the established aquatic nuisance species prevention regulations and guidelines set forth by Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks & Tourism. Zebra mussels are just one of the nonnative aquatic species that threaten our waters and native wildlife. After using any body of water, ALL boaters and anglers must remember to follow regulations and precautions that will prevent their spread. Clean, drain and dry boats and equipment between uses and between reservoirs Use wild-caught bait only in the lake or pool where it was caught Do not move live fish from waters infested with zebra mussels, or other aquatic nuisance species Drain livewells and bilges and remove drain plugs from all vessels prior to transport from any Kansas water on a public highway. It is illegal to release live baitfish into any water. Baitfish should be disposed of on land or at a designated disposal site. There is no known method to rid a lake of zebra mussels. Prevention is the key! Visit ProtectKSWaters.org for more info! Contact Information: Kansas Dept of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism Lovewell State Park and Wildlife Area Road Webber, KS Phone: KDWPT.lovewellsp@ks.gov Lovewell Staff: Thane Loring Park Manager Jared Mocaby Park Ranger Dennis Swanson Maintenance Supervisor Lisa Boyles Administrative Specialist Rob Unruh Public Lands Manager Matt Farmer Public Lands Assitant Manager Todd Robinson Game Warden Lucas Kramer Wildlife Biologist Scott Waters Fisheries Biologist Page 7