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Nebraska plan to divert water could put destructive carp in Kansas lakes
Back in the 1970s, in an attempt to control algal blooms in wastewater treatment plants and aquafarming ponds, managers imported four species of Asian carp. Unfortunately — as with many well-intentioned plans that tamper with ecosystems — the carp were inadvertently released or escaped through flood events, and quickly spread to wreak havoc in nearby […]
A refuge for wildlife in Kansas is no place for a large-scale solar project
Earlier this summer, I took a road trip up to Baraboo, Wisconsin, where the owner of my bed and breakfast mentioned that wild whooping cranes had nested a couple fields up. They sent me off with directions, and a few minutes later I sat watching a pair of tall, white, red-masked birds elegantly stride across […]
How do Kansans experience their state’s wildlife? This state agency decided to find out.
My earliest forays into nature were made in my father’s wake, as he hunted the timber and fields of my grandparents’ farm. Clambering along behind my dad was my favorite way to spend a Saturday, until the day he took aim at two doves — hitting the first and missing the second. Knowing these birds […]
As birds migrate across Kansas skies, we have the tools to keep them safe
It mystifies me that while I sleep, millions of birds are passing silently overhead on a migration flight that can — for some of them — amount to tens of thousands of miles. I’m fascinated by the instinct that drives them and the adaptation processes that prepare their seemingly fragile bodies to survive their arduous […]
Proposed grasslands act would protect Kansas’ precious prairies
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Shawna Bethell is a freelance essayist/journalist covering the people and places of Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri. Amid the chaos of 2020, I reached a point when […]
Despite addictive news of gloom and doom, hope flourishes around us
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Shawna Bethell is a freelance essayist/journalist covering the people and places of Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri. I talked to a friend of mine recently. She has […]
Nebraska’s proposed river basin transfer could reshape Kansas resources
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Shawna Bethell is a freelance essayist/journalist covering the people and places of Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri. I’m not a fish person. They aren’t even on my […]
Work to repurpose wind turbine blades spotlights Kansas as green economy leader
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Shawna Bethell is a freelance essayist/journalist covering the people and places of Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri. I remember the first time I saw a wind turbine. […]
Designation of lesser prairie chicken must consider landowner needs
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Shawna Bethell is a freelance essayist/journalist covering the people and places of Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri. I never thought much about the lesser prairie chicken, or […]
Kansas heritage sites can help save rural communities
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Shawna Bethell is a freelance essayist/journalist covering the people and places of Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri. On a recent trip to Nebraska I decided to find […]