Kansas lawmakers work toward wildlife and parks commission change

TOPEKA — The Legislature has revived an attempt to overhaul the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission following a long-raging debate over Kansas deer hunting and conservation. 

Sen. Virgil Peck, a Havana Republican, said he and several other legislators believed some form of legislative oversight was needed over the commission, which is tasked with conserving Kansas wildlife.

“To provide a better thought process of making certain we have a good solid commission of persons who understand the hunt, fish and trap industry,” Peck said Tuesday.   

House Bill 2530 would dissolve the current commission, members of which are chosen by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, and create a new seven-person commission selected by the governor, Senate president, House speaker and attorney general. The new commission would include four of Kelly’s picks and one pick per Republican politician. Senators passed out the bill 21-18, and lawmakers in the House approved the bill  78-45 Tuesday, advancing the bill to the governor’s desk. 

The bill comes after the commission floated restricting bait feeding on private land. Bait feeding, currently banned on public land, is the practice of attracting deer to food sources on private land for hunting purposes, a tactic used in commercial hunting tours and a lucrative industry. 

Opponents voiced concerns that the practice gave hunters an unethical advantage, but hunting and fishing enthusiasts said the ban could unfairly restrict hunters and hurt the state’s commercial industry. The discussion led to a concerted Statehouse effort to put more business-focused members on the commission. 

Brad Loveless, the current state Department of Wildlife and Parks secretary, spoke against the proposed change in January testimony. He emphasized that the commission is geared toward gathering public input on proposed regulations and does not have administrative oversight of the department. 

Loveless also pointed out that the current process allows for the quick filling of vacancies, a process that could take longer if the change is implemented. 

“Under the existing gubernatorial appointment process, a vacancy can be speedily filled,” Loveless said. 

Sen. Mary Ware, a Wichita Democrat, questioned the motives behind the legislation. 

“It seems to me that things were working pretty well, that Wildlife and Parks and their commission were working together to maintain healthy populations of our wildlife so that our hunting and fishing industries could be healthy, so that Kansans could get the recreational enjoyment plus the food,” Ware said. 

She warned against the potential negative impacts of the change. 

“We have a reputation here for having a healthy deer population,” Ware said. “The bucks that have the big racks that are so prized, it takes a careful balance to keep that going. And so, I guess I’m wondering what’s behind the whole concept of this because it seems to me that this would open it up to folks who don’t necessarily have that as their primary focus.”