It is almost summer and school will soon be out, and that means summer recreation. Kansas has many fine lakes and reservoirs, so it is no surprise that boating is a common Kansas pastime. Just like automobiles, operating a boat is regulated by the state of Kansas, primarily in the interests of safety, environmental stewardship, and taxation.

Boating regulations fall under the jurisdiction of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism. An excellent place to start informing oneself about boating in Kansas is the KDWPT's Boating page, containing numerous articles and links.

While no one under the age of 12 is allowed to operate a powerboat without direct supervision, Kansans between the ages of 12 and 20 can take a KDWPT course and receive a certificate allowing them to do so. If one is 21 or older, or any age operating a non-motorized boat, a certificate is not required.

By law, motorboats and sailboats in Kansas are required to be registered and are taxed annually as personal property.

Kansas statutes and administrative regulations governing boat operation in Kansas can be found here.

Although frequently overlooked, an important aspect of responsible boating involves following established practices to avoid the introduction or spread of aquatic nuisance species. Aquatic nuisance species are organisms foreign to Kansas waters that can devastate the native ecosystem because they are over-competitive against native species. In addition to permanently altering the recreational environment, invasive species have been estimated to cost the US economy up to $137 billion each year.

Here's something to challenge U.S. history buffs... A 1934 booklet published by the Kansas Department of Education for sixth graders (11/12 year olds).. "The Story of Our Republic: Sixth-grade History."

You can find this gem on the virtual shelves of the State Library of Kansas' KGI Online Library.

The Story of Our Republic

This is one of many older curriculum guides in the Kansas Government Information (KGI) Online Library spanning the 1870's to the 1940's. More material can be found here:

Kansas Curriculum Guides in KGI Online Library

The guides, published for local public schools by the state education agency, give a great look at the development of curricula from the late 19th century into the mid 20th century.  Some years consisted of booklets on individual areas of study such as music and art, home economics, science, mathematics, social studies and history, English, etc.

From time to time, we like to draw attention to our growing list of archived webinar recordings. Maybe you missed one you had your heart set on joining, thought "I'll just catch the recording later!" - and then it got away from you.

This time, we're looking at an overview of our offerings from Gale Cengage Learning, presented by trainer Emily Mageski on January 12.