PRATT – The Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission will hold its last public meeting of the year, December 13, 2018, at the Great Plains Nature Center, 6232 E 29th St. N., in Wichita. The public is encouraged to attend the meeting, which will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the Coleman Auditorium. Time will be set aside for public comment on non-agenda items at the beginning of both the afternoon and evening sessions.

Attendees will first hear a report on the agency and state fiscal status, and an update on the upcoming 2019 legislature. A General Discussion item on furbearer regulations will then be discussed, followed by the Workshop Session – a discussion of items that will be voted on at future meetings.

Dec. 13, 2018 Workshop Session items include electric bicycles/e-bicycles; operational requirements for controlled shooting areas; public land regulations; squirrel hunting regulations; antelope and elk hunting regulations; big game regulations, including deer; Coast Guard navigation rules; unmanned aerial vehicles (drones); and electronic licensing.

The Commission will recess by 5 p.m. and reconvene at 6:30 p.m. to hold a Public Hearing and vote on the following items:

-Backcountry access passes (Little Jerusalem State Park)

-Select fishing regulations, including cast and dip net mesh size, trout stocking locations, transferring/gifting sportfish to another, and creel and length limits

-Hunting regulations for the 2019 fall and 2020 spring turkey seasons

Dates for 2019 Free Park Entrance and Free Fishing Days will also be set by Secretary’s Orders during the Public Hearing portion of the meeting.

If necessary, the Commission will reconvene at 9 a.m. at the same location, December 14, 2018, to complete any unfinished business. Should this occur, time will again be set aside for public comment on non-agenda items.

Information about the Commission, as well as the December 13, 2018 meeting agenda and briefing book, can be downloaded at ksoutdoors.com/KDWPT-Info/Commission/Upcoming-Commission-Meetings.

Live video and audio streaming of the meeting will be available at ksoutdoors.com, and live updates of the Public Hearing will be tweeted on the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism's (KDWPT) Twitter account (@KDWPT).

If notified in advance, the Department will have an interpreter available for the hearing impaired. To request an interpreter, call the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at 1-800-432-0698. Any individual with a disability may request other accommodations by contacting the KDWPT Commission secretary at (620) 672-5911.

The next KDWPT Commission meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 17, 2019 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, Flory Meeting Hall West, 2120B Harper St, in Lawrence.

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