Walk with Wildlife 2023
June 1st, 2024 at the Great Plains Nature Center
The annual Walk With Wildlife will take place in Great Plains Nature Center & Chisholm Creek Park on Saturday, June 1st 2024 from 10:00 AM till 2:00 PM. A Kids Fishing Clinic, sponsored by Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and Flatland Fly Fishers will be offered for kids 12 and under at the Island Pond.
Admission is $2.00 per person at the gate. When you show up to volunteer just tell them you are there to help with the fishing clinic, there is not a charge for volunteers. Kids fishing clinic registration will take place at the Walk with Wildlife. We need volunteers to help KDWPT to run the Kids Fishing Clinic. Most of kids are between six to twelve years old and never have caught a fish. Need some people to show up early, say 9 to 9:30 to help setup and might be there a little past 2 pm to clean up. Each fishing session will have up to 50 kids and last 30 minutes. Please bring pliers, clippers, Flatland Fly Fishers hat, sunglasses, water and a towel to clean your hands and the kids is good. Lunch is provided to all the volunteers.
Volunteers’ responsibilities include:
- Baiting hooks and releasing fish
- Having fun with kids and helping to catch their first fish
- Helping parents get a picture of their kid with the fish
- Helping with registration table
What is Walk with Wildlife?
The Walk With Wildlife is sponsored by the Great Plains Nature Center. Visitors to the Chisholm Creek Park nature trails have a unique opportunity to view a large selection of live, native Kansas wildlife at stations along a 1 mile section of nature trail. Experts are on hand at each station answering questions and visiting with the families, school groups, and scouts that flock to the event.
The animals are provided through a variety of sources; The Kansas Wildlife Exhibit supplies the event with most of the birds and mammals which have included hawks, owls, eagles, ducks, quail, magpie, vulture, bobcat, beaver, badger, porcupine, armadillo, mink, opossum, raccoon, flying squirrel, red fox, woodchuck, coyote, white-tailed deer and more. Local members of the Kansas Herpetological Society provide an assortment of reptiles and amphibians and members of the Ark Valley Butterfly Club outfit the insect stations.
Volunteers for the Walk With Wildlife come from a variety of organizations and agencies including the Great Plains Nature Center, Kansas Dept. of Wildlife and Parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wichita Audubon Society, Kansas Herpetological Society, Kansas Ornithological Society, Ark Valley Butterfly Club, Sedgwick County Zoo, Kansas Wildlife Federation, Optimists, school teachers, students, businessmen, hobbyists and wildlife enthusiasts.
The Walk With Wildlife has grown considerably since the initial efforts in 1984 when 400 people enjoyed the efforts of 27 volunteers. In the last several years, the event has attracted nearly 3,000 visitors and utilizes more than 140 volunteers. Since we initiated the Walk With Wildlife concept several other communities have begun similar events.
Although the magnitude of this event has grown over the years, the purpose has remained constant. The Walk With Wildlife provides visitors of all ages a fun, educational exposure to wildlife. Kansas is home to a unique, abundant and diverse wildlife resource; Visitors leave with an appreciation for these animals, a better understanding of how they live in the wild and an understanding of the importance of wildlife habitat and the need to protect it.
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