Kansas Wildlife Federation

🐝 Help Kansas Bumble Bees and have fun doing it!

Did you know Kansas is home to native bumble bees that need our help? The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, in partnership with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, is looking for community volunteers to join the Great Plains Bumble Bee Atlas this summer.

This is a free, beginner-friendly opportunity for adults and kids alike to get outside, learn about pollinators, and contribute real data that researchers and policymakers use to protect these important species. No experience necessary and training is provided!

📅 2026 Kansas Training Webinar
Saturday, May 2nd | 9–11 AM CT | Online via Zoom

Register today: bumblebeeatlas.org/pages/events
Learn more: www.bumblebeeatlas.org

Whether you're a lifelong nature lover or just curious about the world buzzing around your backyard, this is a great way to make a difference right here in Kansas. See the flyer below for details! 🌻

Come see us this Saturday at the Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, Kansas! We will have a table out by the prairie dogs.

Celebrate conservation with Sunset Zoo!

Join us on April 18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for an all-ages event featuring animal enrichment throughout the Zoo, hands-on interactive booths, and engaging educational opportunities.

Bring your curiosity and spend the day discovering all the ways you can help make the world safer for wildlife here in Manhattan and beyond.

Learn more about at https://www.sunsetzoo.com/3661/Party-for-the-Planet

Party for the Planet presented by Kansas Gas Service

To bee or not to bee? Come ask Nikki! 🐝

Kansas Honey Producers Association is hosting its next open apiary session at the Zoo on April 18th at 2:00 pm. This FREE event gives the opportunity for bee enthusiasts of all ages to suit up and learn the ins and outs of hive life.

Register at [email protected], then buzz on by for a sweet experience!

Come join the party at the Sunset Zoo!

Celebrate conservation with Sunset Zoo!

Join us on April 18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for an all-ages event featuring animal enrichment throughout the Zoo, hands-on interactive booths, and engaging educational opportunities.

Bring your curiosity and spend the day discovering all the ways you can help make the world safer for wildlife here in Manhattan and beyond.

Learn more about at https://www.sunsetzoo.com/3661/Party-for-the-Planet

Party for the Planet presented by Kansas Gas Service

Monarchs need milkweed — and milkweed needs us. 🌱🦋

We’re inviting community members to join Milkweed for Monarchs, a hands-on research project studying how native milkweed grows and supports monarchs.

✔️ Seeds provided
✔️ Simple instructions
✔️ Real conservation impact

🔗 Sign up here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1z09hpE3UMi4teSacoplzWHlV3x829xvCeYCqDrhv6ZY/edit

🔗 Learn more here:
https://kansaswildlifefederation.org/programs/kansas_for_milkweed/

Reno County - K-State Extension is getting ready to hold their Central Kansas Master Naturalist training, starting on Feb. 17. Classes will be held on Tuesday afternoons through April 21. The Kansas Master Naturalist Program aims to develop knowledgeable and dedicated citizens who are active in promoting awareness, understanding, and stewardship of the natural heritage of Kansas.
The application deadline is February 10! Learn more at http://www.reno.ksu.edu/

⏰ FINAL DAY to Protect Clean Water

Clean water protections exist because people demanded them, and they only endure when the public speaks up.

The EPA is accepting final comments TODAY on a rule that could permanently weaken safeguards for streams and wetlands across the country.

💧 Whether you care about drinking water, wildlife, flooding, recreation, or future generations, your comment matters.

👉 Submit before midnight tonight:
https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EPA-HQ-OW-2025-0322-0001

Let’s show that clean water is non-negotiable.

Regulations.gov

Weakening clean water protections doesn’t eliminate costs, it shifts them onto communities.

When wetlands are destroyed and streams polluted:
● Flooding becomes more severe
● Drinking water treatment costs rise
● Public access to clean, safe waters declines

Local governments and families are left to pay the price, while polluters benefit from fewer safeguards.

💬 Public comments are one of the strongest tools we have to stop this rule.
👉 Tell the EPA to withdraw the Polluted Water Rule:
https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EPA-HQ-OW-2025-0322-0001

Clean water is the foundation of healthy ecosystems.

Streams and wetlands support hundreds of species, including migratory birds, fish, amphibians, mammals, reptiles, and countless invertebrates. Many of these species depend on seasonal and intermittent waters that this new rule would leave unprotected.

Removing safeguards doesn’t just harm wildlife- it threatens fishing, hunting, paddling, and outdoor traditions that rely on clean, connected waters.

🦆🎣 Our waters, and the life they support, need our voices now.

👉 Submit a public comment by Jan 5:
https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EPA-HQ-OW-2025-0322-0001

As we begin a new year, it’s worth remembering how rare and precious clean freshwater truly is.

🌍 Less than 1% of Earth’s water is accessible freshwater, yet it supplies all of humanity’s drinking water and provides habitat for nearly a third of all animal species, including half of all fish.

The EPA’s proposed Polluted Water Rule threatens to weaken protections for the very waters that sustain life, recreation, and communities nationwide.

📘 Learn what’s at stake and why this rule matters:
🔗Learn more here: https://kansaswildlifefederation.org/issues-advocacy/

Then take action before January 5 to help protect our shared future.

👉 Submit a public comment by Jan 5:
https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EPA-HQ-OW-2025-0322-0001