FLINT HILLS MTIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Hartford, Kansas
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FLINT HILLS MTIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Hartford, Kansas ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Year 1977 NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM Pish and Wildlife Service U.S. DEPARTMENT OP THE INTERIOR yr^mr ETLI^ fatioml I Bartfocpd, Ktosaa AHSDJIL HAHRimrg hspght CaOondar Tear 1977 mmOML WIWUM BBPUQ3 STE™ Flah and Wildlife Servloe 0,3, 0^ THB UfffiHIOK Bsraciunol 1. Harold B. Sbdpbard Tractor Operator WG-06-433 (Career Ssasoml) 2. 7, Amdt Clerk Typist GS-03-02 (CC-PPT) 3* Carltoil IU Freoburg Asst. Bsfugs mmm* GS-09-01 (P?T) U. Hon £• Thum l&lntsnaras Worker WG~07-01 {CC-OT?) - Hot Pictured - Iltohael J. Long Mfvim Manager (^-11-02(m) Joseph L. PXusisr Bio, Iteoh. 03-05-03 (TT) Bsslgnsd 10/27/77 Joseph J. Conrad Traotor Operator WG-0&-03 (FT} Betired 10/18/77 Berioi# and As/fif} £u.i' Kotfo $J? 7// y Bats FLINT HILLS Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE was established under the authority of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act on a part of the area acquired by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the John Redmond Dam and Reservoir. This flood control project is administered by the District Engineer, Tulsa, Oklahoma. PUBLIC ROADS SPECIAL RECREATION AREAS - NO HUNTING STRAWN HUNTING AREA FISHING ACCESS POINTS (1) DESIGNATED FIREARM TRAVEL ROUTE (During waterfowl hunting season. TABLES OF CCMSSTS I* GgKBaAL 3&ge A. Introduotlon 1 B. dim tic and Habitat Ccaiditiona 1 C. Land Acquisition. 2 B. System Status • 2 n* ocmmxiTim MD mnmmim A. Conatruotion k B. Maintenance 6 C. Wildfire . 7 in. habitat wmsmwrn! A. Croplands •••••••.••••••« 7 3« Grasslands 9 C. Wetlands . 10 B. Forestlands . , 10 S. Other Habitat 10 P. Wilderness and Special Areas 10 G. Saseraenta for Waterfowl Management 10 IV. WIIBLIFS A. Endangered and Threatened Species 10 B. Migratory Birds 11 C. Mamaals and Non-Migratory Birds and Others • ll; V. INTSRPRgTATION AND HBSHEATION A. Information and Interpretation 15 B. Beoreation. •••••••• ••••..« 16 C. Snforoeaient 18 VI. OTHSH ITHMS A. Field Investigations. 19 B« Cooperative Programs. 19 C. Items of Interest •«•••.••••••• 20 B. Safety. 20 S. Five.Year History of Personnel. 21 P. Attachment - Envelope 1. Introduotion • * • Flint Hills national Wildlife Befuge, looated in the Central Flyway in south oentral Kansas, is an overlay project on the Corps of Engineers, John Bedmond Ham and Beaervoir, a flood control projeot. The refuge is looated about UO miles east of the Flint Hills of Kansas, 60 miles south of Topeka, the capital city, and approximately 100 miles southeast of the Kansas City Metropolitan area. A nuclear plant is presently being built 6 miles from the refuge reservoir area* Water will be obtained from the reservoir to beIp in creating and maintaining cooling for the remoter* Approximately 5,000 surface acres will be required by the nuclear reactor. The plant is scheduled for oompletion in 1931* The predictiona are for increased waterfowl numbers moving from the plant site to refuge, for inoreaaed usage of refuge lands due to inoreased populations of people, and for inoreased tourism from nuclear plant visitors. Climatic and Habitat Conditions Weather and reservoir data which affects the refuge are obtained from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at John Redmond Reservoir weather station* The Neoaho-Cottonwood River drainage is the main water supply for the refuge at John Redmond Reservoir Project. Flint Hills liational Wildlife Refuge is the most flood prone refuge in legion 6* Normal conservation pool is 1036 WL (Mean Sea Level). Normal' operational levels range between 1036 and 1039 M3L. At 10U2 MSL, 25$ of the refuge is under water, at IO67, 90£a is flooded. The highest level recorded during 1977 was 1055 in June. The lowest level, 1033-3l» ooourred during a draw-down for dam rip-rap repairs in August. Excessive rains in June caused vet field conditions for the wheat harvest. large amounts of rain also fell in August and September again curtailing normal farming operations on refuge land. 2. TABLE I - father Conditions and Haaarvoir Fluotuatlons for John Bedraond Beservoir, CY-1977- H0TO INCHSS N0HMAL TEMPSRATDHS LAKE LBm P8SCIP. HtSCIP. MAX. ICCN. mx. IOT. Jan. .70 1.24 50 -11 1036.29 1036.12 Feb. .58 1.33 72 2 1036.50 1036.29 Mar. 1.27 2.25 80 15 1036.96 1036.38 April 2.37 3.38 84 32 1045.99 1036.57 my 6.11 4.91 86 41 1055.00 1039.49 June 7.40 4.68 95 51 1052.22 1033.91 July 2.80 3.48 104 55 1035.20 1033.31 Aug. 7.28 2.96 97 5o 1035.07 1033.73 Sept. 8.87 4.13 90 5o 1036.46 1033.92 Dot* 2.15 2.71 84 32 1035.05 1033.89 Nov. 3.11 1.64 72 11 1042.56 1034.78 Dec. .19 1.51 63 5 1037.72 1036.72 C. Land Aoquiaition 1. gee Title : All lands are undar fee title to the U.S. Asmy Corps of ESngineers. 2. Eaaeiaants No wetland-waterfowl eaaeiaents are present or planned. 3. Other Nothing to report. B. System Status 1. Objeotivea The waterfowl objeotiee at this station is for 19,390,000 uoe-days of geese with a expected peak census of 55*400 geese and 13»770,000 use-days for ducks with an expected peak of 200,000 ducks. These objectives are well on the road to being made or will be exceeded shortly before or after the nuclear reservoir is oompleted. It is predicted that the nuclear reservoir will oreate a 'hot water bath effect', holding greater numbers of waterfowl for longer periods of time in this agricultural area. Interpretation and reoreation is considered the most likely area which will become out of phase due to inoreased local population and easy highway access from larger metropolitan areas. The largest amount of output benefits will be generated in this area. A change in documentation in this axes baa not been attempted during this past year. Because of YCC euraaer activit ies in creating and interpreting a nature trail which is now open, small but positive steps axe being taken. Operationally this refuge has been close to BFIO level. Positive steps have been aooomplished in this budget year both in dollars available and the addition of two permanent full-time staff members. The Assistant Bsfugs Manager position was filled August 1* 1977> and a full-time Maintenanoe Man position was added September 27, 1977. Both the financial and personnel picture are a result of the Bioenteimial Land Heritage Program (BLHP). Punding This refuge has a unique but unstable funding source. Because of oontraotual agreements with the Corps of Engineers, receipts from surplus crops axe sold and revert back to this station. These funds were acquired for the first time during th» "Trans ition Quarter of 1976", and are •no year monies1. Before being expended they must be administratively appropriated back to this station. Those funds are processed through the 'Bill for Collection' procedure and eventually put in Sub-Activity #3210, Prooeeds from Bales. When available these monies will be for expansion, not operational use. Funds collected by fiscal year to date ares Transition Quarter 1976 (July-Oct. 1976) 150,390.01 W-X977 135.^0.^ TOTAL 885,950.1*2 Whether or not this situation continues is up for grabs• Mr. Bon Wilkes, an auditor for the Bepartaaent of the Interior, visited this station in April, 1977» and audited the farming program of this and other stations in the Befuge System. This oolleotion item did cause interest and probably will be treated in his final report to the Bepertaent of the Interior. The following chart indicates the last five-year history of funding from normal funding sources (excludes #3210 monies)! TABLE II - Flint Hills WR Budget for past five years. yy TOTAL TOTAL SAURY % OF PONDS AVAILABLE TOR BODGET SATAHY TOTAL BUDGET SOPPLTES & SERVICES 73 $80,000 $51,923 65 $28,077 Tk 56,500 33,11*9 59 23,351 75 56,700 36,166 61* 20,531* 76 58,200 37,952 s 20,21*3 77 67,800 1*5,887 67 21,913 II. COI^STKUCTION AHS A, Conatruotion The present refuge office is located In the basement of the Poet Offloe in Burlington, Kansas. In January, 1917 9 a bid for a new office building and shop ($2 ft. by ?M ft.) was accepted and signed. The building was completed in the fall of 1977J however, the building was not accepted until Beoember 1, 1977• The offioe was not operational as of this date because of liquidated damages of $90 per day and problems associated with constructIon. A court fight might result. Also obligated in September, 1977» was £9,222.60 for a portion of the sewage system. This also is not completed. The intent here was to involve a staged sewage construction consisting of a 2,500 gallon holding tank and lift station. The lift station is then connected via a 1,000 foot line to the sewage system of Hartford. The 1,000 feet of sewer line is not included in the £9,222.60 obligation for the holding tank and lift station* The initial quoted amounts were beyond our budget and oame at the end of the fiaoal year. The plan of operating the offioe-shop with sewage to the holding tank being pumped out ami neceaaary for August, September as needed, followed by the connection to the Hartford City system did not materialise. The end result is that the offioe part of the building is not being used as of this date, and the holding tank and lift station are not installed.