Tag: Kansas

Mountain lion sighting reported in southwest Kansas

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Mountain lion crossing a forest trail through pine trees

A mountain lion has been spotted again in southwest Kansas, marking the latest of several sightings across the state. The Haskell County Sheriff’s Office said the animal was seen Monday morning on the east side of Satanta, crossing U.S. Highway 56 and heading south. Satanta is about 30 miles north of Liberal. New evidence offers an answer Deputies notified Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks game wardens, who are monitoring for more reports. The sighting follows similar reports in August near Liberal and just outside Inman. Wildlife officials say mountain lion sightings have increased in recent years as the animals occasionally pass through Kansas.

Once common in the state, mountain lions were pushed out by settlers and hunting. KDWP investigates every report and notes that one transient animal moving across large distances can be the source of multiple sightings. While a few cases have involved repeated sightings in the same general area, officials say there’s no evidence of a resident or breeding population in Kansas. They also report no confirmed attacks on livestock. Wildlife experts emphasize that mountain lions are elusive and avoid people, making encounters extremely rare. To help you distinguish a mountain lion from other animals, KDWP offers these identification tips: Size: Mountain lions can reach up to 8 feet from nose to tail and stand about 30 inches at the shoulder. Bobcats are much smaller — around 3 feet long and 24 inches tall.

Color: Adults are typically one color, ranging from yellowish to tan, with black markings on the muzzle and tail tip. Only kittens have spots. Tail: Mountain lions have long, slender tails; bobcats have short, stubby ones. Facial features: Mountain lions lack the facial tufts and white ear markings seen on bobcats. Tracks: Mountain lion tracks usually do not show claw marks, unlike dogs or coyotes. KDWP encourages anyone who believes they’ve seen a mountain lion to report it, especially if photos or video are available. Sightings can be submitted through the department’s online reporting system.

Source: Mountain lion sighting reported in southwest Kansas

But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.
2 Thessalonians 3:3

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Kansas will see an increase in monarch butterflies this fall

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Millions of monarch butterflies will travel through the state as they make their journey toward central Mexico. The butterflies are headed to warmer weather as the days get longer, temperatures change and winter approaches. They usually arrive in Mexico at the beginning of November, a natural event that coincides with the country’s Day of the Dead celebrations. Kansas plays a vital role in helping the butterflies on their journey, as states like Oklahoma and Texas experience nectar droughts.

“When we start getting these really extensive areas of drought it’s when it’s much more challenging for the migration,” said Kristen Baum, director of Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas. “Nectar is very important this time of year.” The species will stop to rest and fuel up on nectar before continuing their trip south. People may begin to spot more activity and sometimes monarch roosts — a group of them resting in trees or flower fields in the evening.

Sightings can be submitted to the Journey North project, which helps track the migration and other seasonal changes across North America. Other local organizations like the Great Plains Nature Center and Botanica are also helping researchers track the butterflies by hosting tagging events. “We’re getting lots of good information about where monarchs are in space and time, which will help us kind of think about what on-the-ground conservation looks like, and where does that need to be,” Baum said.

Tagging requires catching a butterfly, applying a hole-punch size sticker on their wing, and releasing them. Each sticker has a unique tracking number that will identify the butterfly throughout its life and will never be used again. Baum says an old tag was recently recovered from leaf-litter that included a dead butterfly dating back to 1997. The tag originated from Wamego High School. The Project Monarch Collaboration has taken the process one step further. The collaboration created radio tags for the butterflies, allowing people to see where they are in real time through an app.

Baum says tagging isn’t the only way to support the species. People can place nectar plants outside their homes during this season or plant milkweed for the spring when they make their way back north. “Monarchs are good ambassadors for pollinators, insects in general and other wildlife,” Baum said. “Good monarch habitat is also good habitat for lots of … other wildlife as well.” Botanica will host its inaugural Monarch Festival on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Great Plains Nature Center will also host a tagging event September 28th at 6:30 p.m.

Source: Kansas will see an increase in monarch butterflies this fall | Trusted News Source for Wichita & Kansas | kake.com

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Philippians 4:8

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Flooding could impact more than 88 million as severe storms threaten multiple states

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car navigating flooded street after heavy rain

Flooding could impact more than 88 million people across the middle of the country this week, forecasts show, as severe weather threatens multiple U.S. states in the Midwest and northern Plains.  About two dozen flash floods have been reported Monday across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, according to CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan. Flood watches remained in effect until Tuesday morning for large swaths of the Midwest, including much of Missouri and Illinois, with some extending farther south through Tennessee and into northern Alabama and Georgia.

The watches, which are issued when weather conditions mean flooding is possible but not necessarily guaranteed, affect about 20 million people. The severe weather threat to major cities in Kansas, like Topeka and Salina, is expected to last through Thursday, according to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center. Nikki Nolan/CBS News Storms across the central Plains could also potentially produce “very large hail, severe wind gusts, and a few tornadoes,” while heavy rain posed risks of flash flooding across sections of the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio Valleys, the National Weather Service said. Forecasters have predicted rainfall of up to 8 inches in some areas. Forecasters also warned that excessive rain over parts of Tennessee and Alabama would continue to carry the potential for “considerable and life-threatening flooding” through Monday evening, after as much as 9 inches of rain drenched the region on Sunday.

Rushing water triggered a flash flood emergency near Huntsville, Alabama, where video footage captured vehicles partially submerged on a street. The flooding left some drivers stranded. This week’s storms come on the heels of others that already brought heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the country over the weekend, leading to at least one death in New York City. Nikki Nolan/CBS News Parts of the South were affected, too. In Texas’ Milam County, about an hour outside of Austin, torrential downpours caused vehicles to slide off of local roads on Saturday and prompted multiple water rescues.

In Slidell, Louisiana, up to 6 inches of rain fell in less than 12 hours, which also caused flash flooding. As the weekend storms pounded northeastern states like Pennsylvania and New York, Pittsburgh resident Tim Broadwater told “CBS Mornings” that ferocious wind gusts shook his home so violently that it was knocked off of the cement blocks that previously held it upright.  “I was scared to death,” Broadwater said. “I thought I was going to end up in the creek.” In New York City, officials said an 85-year-old man was struck and killed by a falling tree in Queens. In Brooklyn, where wind gusts reached 64 mph, video showed furniture tumbling across the deck of a rooftop pool. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department said the storms downed more than 250 trees across the city.

Source: Flooding could impact more than 88 million as severe storms threaten multiple states – CBS News

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105

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