The Kansas Pet Animal Advisory Board held preliminary discussions on regulating pet boarding facilities to keep animals staying at them safer.

“We have seen an increase in licensees and we’ve seen an increase in complaints in that category,” said Heather Lansdowne, director of communications for the Kansas Department of Agriculture. “It involves a lot of nonrelated dogs comingling together and can be potentially problematic.”

Most stays at dog boarding facilities go off without a hitch, but there have been injuries and deaths of dogs reported in Kansas facilities. Last year, an Olathe family lost both of their dogs while boarding them at a facility called Lucky Paws.

“Dogs in general are inherently dangerous because they have teeth and claws, so in any boarding or kennel-type situation the staff is at risk of being bitten,” said Julie Castaneda, a member of the Kansas Pet Animal Advisory Board who runs a boarding facility.

The discussions centered around the more expansive laws governing other states’ dog day cares, namely Iowa and Colorado. Iowa mandates certain sizes for communal play areas, temperament screenings before admitting a dog into group activities, obtaining medical history and a limit of 30 dogs to a single playgroup.

Kansas has less stringent requirements for its dog boarding facilities, and its regulations are more tied to safe facilities rather than the specific practices of facilities. The biggest safety concerns, though, are often in how staff manage dogs in their care.

“The biggest issue is that a lot of people don’t know enough about dogs to be caring for them,” Castaneda said.

It’s early in the process, but at the board meeting, panelists mostly wanted to stay away from such stricter regulations as staff-to-animal ratios and square footage of facilities.

“If you’re a well-run day care, there’s just so much that you’re managing and you’re very aware of body language and behavior and how much that plays a part, which is why I said from the beginning that education, training and managing staff are what keep dogs safe,” Castaneda said.

There are hard rules that will be considered, like requiring supervision during off-leash play.

The number and nature of pet boarding facilities has dramatically changed over the past 30 years, and modern kennels can include luxuries like one-on-one play time, grooming, special dog treats and supervised group play. The old school kennels are more spartan and may just include a place for the dog to stay.

The rise of more amenity rich doggy day cares coincides with more being spent on dogs in general. In 2020 Americans spent almost $100 billion on pet-related goods and services. And the American Pet Products Association estimates that number could reach $275 billion by 2030.

“We as a society have evolved in terms of making our animals our family, and people want to provide for them as a family member and take into account their social needs and their emotional needs and their physical needs,” Castaneda said.

The Pet Advisory Board’s discussion is just the first step in potentially regulating dog boarding facilities, and it is expecting to speak about it again at its next meeting before creating a more concrete list of policy recommendations. From that point, the board will solicit feedback before making final recommendations.

As reported in the Topeka Capital Journal

VA announced last week that all Veterans who were exposed to toxins and other hazards while serving in the military – at home or abroad – are now eligible to enroll directly in VA health care. This means that all Veterans who served in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Global War on Terror, or any other combat zone after 9/11 are eligible to enroll in VA health care without first applying for VA benefits. Additionally, Veterans who never deployed but were exposed to toxins or hazards while training or on active duty in the United States are eligible to enroll.

“We started with the PACT Act last year,” Herndon said. “It modified existing law and made three new categories of Veterans eligible for VA health care. That was supposed to be phased in, those three new categories, through 2034. President Biden, last year, Veteran’s Day said, I’d like to see us get rid of that. Secretary McDonough and his staff have been working hard to develop some new rules. Effective March 5, every one of those three categories of Veterans is eligible for health care, right now.”

Any Veteran who participated in a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) at home or abroad is eligible for VA health care.

“We’re using the term TERA,” Herndon said. “If you come in and sit down and talk with us, it’s a little easier to say that. Toxic exposure risk activity is a bit of a tongue twister. Occupational hazards include jobs where you had to work with asbestos, industrial solvents, lead, paints that include the chemical agent resistant coating, which those of us in the military know as CARC paint, and then firefighting foams. Those are just a few examples. There’s a lot of other examples. It’s a very long list of toxic exposure risks that service members may have been subjected to, especially if it’s something that is tracked through a tracking record system.”

VA will use all available information to determine if Veterans participated in a TERA, including military records and service connection.

You can come into the Hutchinson VA Clinic at 1625 East 30th to get your questions answered during their business hours weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Nitrate levels have continued to be above allowable limits in Rural Water District 101, which serves the Yoder area. The last nitrate level test was collected on March 4, 2024. The level tested at 12.5 mg/L, which exceeds the Kansas and Federal (EPA) maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 mg/L for public water supply systems. Nitrate levels in water resources have increased in many areas due to applications of inorganic fertilizer and animal manure in agriculture areas.

Below is information about the initial test result and public notice from August 12, 2020. Since that date, Reno County has tested quarterly, and each test result has been above the Federal (EPA) maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 mg/L for public water supply systems.

On August 12, 2020, Reno County received a precautionary public notice for acute nitrate violation from KDHE. A warning was then sent to Yoder residents to limit water usage, especially for infants under 6 months. Subsequent notices were sent notifying residents that bottled water will be provided, upon request, to any household with members at increased risk from the nitrates, such as infants, nursing mothers, pregnant women, and other at-risk customers as identified by a health care provider.

Reno County Public Works is currently in discussions with the City of Hutchinson regarding the purchase of water for Yoder.

HAVEN, Kan. — With the help of State Representative Joe Seiwert, a house bill (HB 2481) that passed that side earlier in the session has a hearing Wednesday in the Senate Transportation Committee.

This bill would designate K-96 between the east and west city limits of Haven as the PFC Henry Lee Fisher Memorial Highway.

Assuming the bill finishes going through the process, a fundraiser to raise money for the signs on K-96 will be held Thursday, May 9 at Baker Ballroom from 6 to 9 p.m. There will be a live performer, catered dinner, and a silent auction.

KDOT does all of the work and maintenance but the family must pay for the signs.

If you want to give toward the signs, call or text Jake Feil for more information at (620) 314-9570.

Below is the testimony of Jake Feil, Fisher’s nephew, as prepared for hearings in Topeka.

Henry Lee Fisher was born on May 31, 1947 in Haven, Kansas to Kermit and Chlodine Fisher. He was the second oldest of four children.

The Fisher Family were lifelong Haven residents and all four kids graduated from Haven High School with Henry graduating in 1965.

Kermit Fisher, Henry’s father, proudly served in the Army during WWII so both of his boys chose to follow in his footsteps and serve their country. Upon graduating high school, Henry enlisted along with two high school buddies.

Henry was rejected the first time due to a hernia that was found during his physical.

Perhaps he could have walked away right then but he chose to return to Haven, have the hernia repaired, and went back and enlisted.

Henry joined the Army and became part of the 16th Infantry- 1st Infantry Division and was eventually sent to the frontlines of Vietnam.

Sadly, he would never return home as PFC Henry Lee Fisher was killed in action in Vietnam on June 18, 1967. He was just 20 years old.

Like many of his ancestors before him, Henry Lee Fisher chose to serve his country and to defend the freedoms that we all enjoy to this day. It was a calling for him to serve his country. He gave the ultimate sacrifice doing just that.

To my knowledge there have been only (2) Haven residents that were killed in action while serving in our military, but just one of those lived his entire life there and that is my uncle, Henry Lee Fisher.

I never got the chance to meet my uncle Henry. I grew up on stories of him told to me by my grandma and my mother. I’ve been proud of him since the day I heard the very first story.

Henry had a chance to avoid Vietnam but he felt so strongly about serving that he went back after his hernia surgery. That to me shows just what kind of man he was.

Being a lifelong resident of Haven, it is only fair that we memorialize his great sacrifice. I am here today to ask the committee to designate the portion of 96 highway from the eastern city limits of Haven to the western city limits of Haven the PFC Henry Lee Fisher Memorial Highway and have a suitable sign erected at or near both the eastern city limits and western city limits of Haven.

“Go to the source.”

That’s good advice in lots of situations. Today we’ll learn about a water project that represents an innovative rural-urban connection that is helping improve the environment by working from the source.

Howard Miller is outreach coordinator for the Cheney Lake Watershed in south central Kansas. He grew up on a dairy farm in this region before joining the watershed staff.

The Cheney Lake Watershed covers 633,000 acres within five counties that include the north fork of the Ninnescah River. The Ninnescah flows southeast into Cheney Lake, which supplies more than 60% of the drinking water for the 350,000-plus residents of Wichita. More than 99% of the watershed is used for agricultural purposes.

In 1993, farmers on the Reno County Conservation District board were observing two problems at Cheney Lake. One was that the lake was having increased blue-green algae blooms in the water. This was not a health hazard, but it did cause taste and odor problems.

The second problem was siltation into the lake. As soil eroded into the lake, its capacity was reduced and water levels fell. Boat owners and fishermen complained that their boat docks were left high and dry, and they had to walk to the water.

These Reno County farmers wanted to do something to remedy the situation, but they weren’t finding allies.

“No one would listen to us,” said Marion Krehbiel, one of those farmers.

At a conservation district meeting, the Reno County folks spoke to one of the farmers on the Sedgwick County conservation district board. They asked, “Would you talk to the City of Wichita water department about this?” He did so and a dialogue ensued.

These farmers talked to Wichita city staff about practices the farmers could implement upstream in the watershed that would benefit water quality and quantity in Cheney Lake. Eventually they agreed to work together.

“In 1994, our project was formed in partnership with the City of Wichita and the Environmental Protection Agency,” Miller said. “The City of Wichita has been a constant and great partner to work with since the city pays farmers for practices they implement on their farms that improve the quality of the water in Cheney Lake.”

The idea was simple: Go to the source. Rather than spending money to build a bigger water treatment plant in Wichita, for example, they could figure out ways to improve the environment at the water source and invest funds there.

Meanwhile, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment began implementing a similar program called WRAPS – Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies. “We still have EPA dollars to help pay farmers through the Kansas WRAPS program administered by KDHE,” Miller said.

Around the same time, K-State Research and Extension developed a statewide team of watershed specialists providing education and technical assistance for conserving water resources elsewhere in the state.

Cheney Lake Watershed, Inc. has a Citizens Management Committee of local producers who set goals to reduce nutrients and sediment that reach the lake from agricultural sources. Sig Collins is committee chair. Those producers come from rural communities in the region with populations such as Pretty Prairie, 660; Arlington, 435; Castleton, 227; Sylvia, 215; Partridge, 209; and Plevna, population 85 people. Now, that’s rural.

“The City of Wichita provides funding to help farmers reach our watershed goals,” Miller said.

These goals include educational efforts and funding in the most vulnerable acres of the watershed, encouraging practices that will have the greatest reduction in sediment and nutrient runoff. These include such practices as reduced tillage, cover crops, grass plantings, relocation of livestock feeding areas, and a strong emphasis on soil health in both cropland and rangeland.

For more information, see www.cheneylakewatershed.org.

Go to the source. That idea has worked well for the City of Wichita and the farmers with whom they are partnering upstream.

We commend Howard Miller, Sig Collins, and all those involved with Cheney Lake Watershed, Inc. for making a difference by implementing soil and water conservation strategies to benefit the lake and urban water consumers. We can go to this source for best practices.

• by Ron Wilson