Feb. 21-23 event focuses on role of trees in Kansas
WICHITA -- Six professional societies that promote the wise use and management of Kansas’ natural resources are sponsoring the first Kansas Natural Resources Conference (KNRC) at the Airport Hilton in Wichita on Feb. 21-23. The theme of the event is “Where Do Trees Belong in Kansas? The Role of Trees in Kansas Landscape.”

“There’s still time to register,” says Dan Meyerhoff, steering committee chairperson. “Registration information is available online at www.k-state.edu/fisheries/KNRC/RegistrationKNRC.pdf. Those interested in the conference theme should find that the conference speakers, concurrent sessions, and tradeshow useful and informative.
“The plenary session speakers will address the conference theme, with Dr. Elliott West speaking on the historical extent and composition of riparian forests, particularly in central and western Kansas,” Meyerhoff adds.
West is a Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Arkansas. Other plenary session speakers are Dr. Jim Sherow, professor of environmental history at Kansas State University, and Larry Rutter, retired from the Kansas State Historical Society. Other speaker biographies may be found on the Kansas Natural Resources Conference website, www.k-state.edu/fisheries/KNRC.

“There will be more than 50 papers presented during the concurrent sessions throughout the conference,” says Meyerhoff. “We are excited about the number of papers and posters to be presented at this conference, and the wide range of topics should appeal to a broad spectrum of people interested in environmental and natural resources topics.”
Presentations are divided among 11 subjects, according to Craig Paukert of the Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Kansas State University, who is handling presentation scheduling. A few titles include the following:
• Cedar Tree Removal and Its Effect on Hydrology and Sensitive Fish and Wildlife Species;
• Landscaping Agriculture with Conservation Buffers for Multipurpose Benefits;
• The Kansas Forest Stewardship Program Spatial Analysis Project: Methods and Outcomes;
• Management of Canada Thistle and Musk Thistle with Milestone® (Aminopyralid) Herbicide; and
• Tree Invasion of Our Prairies: A Product of Our Affinities, Fears, and Ignorance.

A conference brochure, registration form, concurrent session topics, tradeshow exhibiting information, committee chairs, and hotel information are also available on the KNRC website or by phoning Meyerhoff at 785-625-2588 or emailing him at dan.meyerhoff@ks.usda.gov.
Sponsors of the conference are the Kansas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams, the Great Plains Society of American Foresters, the Kansas Chapter of the Wildlife Society, the Kansas Section of the Society of Range Management, and Kansas Chapter Soil and Water Conservation Society.

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