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State wildlife official proposes walk‑in hunting access for county’s old dump site; commissioners approve one‑year participation
Summary
Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks offered a walk‑in hunting lease for 24 county‑owned acres at the old landfill, paying roughly $10 per acre, covering liability, and offering weed‑control cost shares; the commission approved enrolling the parcel and asked staff to coordinate with the city and neighbors.
Justin Harvey of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks presented the department’s walk‑in hunting access (WHA) program and proposed enrolling a 24‑acre county parcel (the old landfill) in the program. Harvey said the program opens leased properties to public hunting (walk‑in only), provides signage and patrols, and includes liability coverage under state recreational‑use law; KDWP offered a one‑year contract at roughly $10 per acre and said long‑term contracts (with upfront payments) could be arranged if the county opts in.
Commissioners asked about allowed weapon types (KDWP proposed archery and shotgun only for this site), neighboring parcels, and weed control. Harvey said KDWP could cost‑share to spray Johnson grass for a year or two to improve habitat. One commissioner said the parcel might be better returned to the tax roll but agreed to hear neighbors before a final long‑term decision. The board voted to adopt the WHA enrollment for the county parcel, with the understanding that saleability or future disposition of the land is not precluded by the WHA agreement.
