By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Dry conditions have done obvious harm to farmland across Kansas. The drought has also allowed Cheyenne Bottoms staff to continue progress on a long-awaited project. Wildlife Area Manager Jason Wagner recently spoke in a video about the history of a 100-acre section of land once used as goose pens. His goal is to turn that section of land into an area for youth duck hunting.
"This is something, when I first showed up as manager at the property, I've been excited about the whole time. This is the one project I wanted to see done. We are suffering through a horrible drought right now, but it allows us to do these types of projects, and this is something we've really wanted to do for seven years now."
When the 100-acre section of land was purchased in the 1950s, the west side of Pool 5 was developed to create a refuge for Canada geese. Fences were placed around the section and wheat fields were planted across the road to give the geese a safe place to nest and eat. By the 1960s and 70s, the project was abandoned as Canada geese populations took off in Kansas and around the nation.
Then the land was geared toward the least tern. Sand was hauled in from the Arkansas River to create a nesting area for the endangered birds. "That one was a big failure," Wagner said. "It never took off at all. To my knowledge, there never was a least tern that even attempted to nest out here, so that was abandoned."
Over time, the facilities, including outlet and inlet infrastructures, have deteriorated. Wagner plans to level off all the former islands in the section, fill in low spots, and replace old infrastructure with new. In the middle of the section will be a peninsula with a duck blind to be used for a special hunting program through the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
"This will be a special area with limited access, limited hunting pressure that should hopefully provide really good hunting opportunities for kids in the future," said Wagner. "Plus, it will increase our wetland acres and increase our ability to manage the property."
The cost of the project is virtually zero for the Bottoms. Energy company Evergy brought out bulldozers to move dirt and help create the peninsula. Ducks Unlimited has donated money with matching funds through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant, and Wagner has also lined up private donors.
Most of the rough dirt work on the development is complete. New inlet and outlet structures are being purchased and can be installed once warm and dry weather returns. Wagner hopes to finish up the remainder of dirt work by the end of the summer.
CLICK HERE to view the video in full.