News Releases

Sen. Moran Announces Eleventh Annual Conservation Tour

Will focus on quality of Kansas water

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) has announced the tour stops for his 11th Annual Partners in Conservation Tour, which will take place on Thursday, September 29 and Friday, September 30, 2011. This year’s conservation tour will focus on water conservation and will feature stops in Sedgwick, Butler, Harvey and Greenwood Counties. Specific tour stops are listed below.

“Conserving our natural resources is critical to preserving Kansas for the next generation,” Sen. Moran said. “Water conservation and natural resource management is particularly important to our economy and quality of life. Water is the lifeblood of our municipalities, the foundation for statewide recreation, and will direct the future of manufacturing and production agriculture. The conservation tour gives me the opportunity to learn how farmers and businesses, conservation groups and government programs are partnering together to ensure a successful future for Kansas, while maintaining and improving the environment."

This year’s tour attendees will be able to see and hear firsthand about a variety of conservation practices important to water quality and quantity throughout Kansas. Agricultural producers plan and implement conservation practices through programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP), and the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program. The tour will highlight some of these conservation practices including subsurface drip irrigation, riparian forests, livestock alternative water supplies, salt scar restoration and stream bank restorations.

Additionally, the City of Wichita will host tour participants at the Aquifer Recovery and Storage site and the Wichita Water Center. The City of El Dorado will also present information about its Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the Army Corps of Engineers will talk about El Dorado Lake. Site visits will feature presentations by landowners, Natural Resources Conservation Service district conservationists, groundwater management district representatives, municipality representatives and others.

Since coming to Congress, Sen. Moran has held regular tours across Kansas to observe conservation practices at work, and he is continuing this tradition as a United States Senator. The tour is open to members of the press and anyone else interested in attending. Questions about Sen. Moran’s participation may be directed to Lindsey Trent at Lindsey_Trent@moran.senate.gov.

The 11th Annual Partners in Conservation Tour schedule is as follows. If you are planning to attend, please contact the Wichita Office of Senator Moran at (316) 631-1410 to allow for an accurate meal count by September 23, 2011.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

9:00 – 9:15 a.m.   Opening Remarks and Introductions
Senator Jerry Moran
Eric B. Banks, State Conservationist, NRCS
Location: EQUUS Beds Groundwater Management District, 313 Spruce St., Halstead, KS

9:15 – 10:15    EQUUS Beds Groundwater Management District
Harvey County Tour stop
Tim Boese, Manager, EQUUS Beds Groundwater Management District No. 2 
Location: 313 Spruce St., Halstead, KS

11:00 – 12:30 p.m.   Aquifer Storage and Recovery Site
Sedgwick County Tour stop
Deb Ary, Superintendent of Production and Pumping, City of Wichita
Location: 117th Street N and 119th Street W, Wichita, KS

**Location is 2 miles east of 151st Street W at 117th Street N.

12:30 – 1:30 p.m.   Lunch
Syl’s Restaurant
Location: 205 West Wichita Ave., Colwich, KS  
Meal will include buffet and choice of drink for $6.00.

2:00 – 3:30 p.m.    Wichita Water Center
Sedgwick County Tour stop
Libby Albers, Environmental Specialist, Water Center, City of Wichita
Location: 101 East Pawnee St., Wichita, KS

**Located at cross streets of Pawnee and Broadway.

4:00 – 5:30 p.m.    Jackman Forest and Local Watershed Programs
Butler County Stop
Dennis Carlson, District Forester, South Central District, Kansas Forest Service
Herb Graves, Executive Director, Kansas Association of Kansas Watersheds 

(Directions from Leon: Travel north through Leon and turn east on High Street. Follow High Street east to SE Cole Creek and turn north. Travel north on SE Cole Creek Road to Walco Road [SE 80] and follow black top east until you reach SE Munson Hill Road. Turn south on SE Munson Hill Road and travel about half a mile to the property gate.


Friday, September 30, 2011

8:00 – 8:15 a.m.   Meeting Point
Location: Fall River Post Office, 412 Merchants Ave, Fall River, KS

**Caravan to the first site will depart from the Post Office at 8:15 a.m.

8:30 – 9:00 a.m.   Livestock Alternative Watering Supply
Greenwood County Stop
Diamond R Ranch

**Caravan to Diamond R Ranch will leave Fall River Post Office at 8:15 a.m.

9:15 – 9:45 a.m.   Salt Scar
Greenwood County Stop
Norman and Diane Grundy, Landowners

**There will be a sign located one mile south of Climax on Highway 99, turn west and follow the markers.

10:00 – 10:30 a.m.   Stream Bank Restoration
Greenwood County Stop
Teichgraeber Ranch

**This is a difficult location to find. Please join the tour at either 8:00 a.m. or 9:15 a.m. if you would like to take part in the Stream Bank Restoration stop. 

11:00 – 12:00 p.m.   El Dorado Waste Water Treatment Facility
Butler County Stop
Kurt Bookout, Director of Public Utilities, City of El Dorado
Location: 105 W Wetlands Dr., El Dorado, KS

12:00 – 1:00 p.m.   Lunch
Butler County Conservation District
Location: El Dorado Waste Water Treatment Facility, 105 W Wetlands Dr., El Dorado, KS
Meal will be catered by Butler County Conservation District and will cost $8.00 per person.

1:30 – 3:30    El Dorado State Lake and Cole Creek
Butler County Stop
Rick Sellers, Manager El Dorado Lake, Army Corps of Engineers
Sandy Kootz, Water Quality Coordinator, Butler County Conservation District
Location: 2710 NE Shady Creek Access Rd., El Dorado, KS