Questions

What safety concerns exist for this contest?

Driving. The biggest hazard during this contest is driving. Please practice safe and defensive driving. Also be aware of farm machinery. The end of September is peak wheat planting season, so be on the lookout for slow moving machinery on the highways. Great Bend is also on major trucking routes, so please be vigilant of semi traffic.

Driving on Sand. We will try to restrict vehicle traffic to avoid sandy areas. It is easy to get stuck in sand. Colby keeps a set of Go Treads Traction Aids in his field vehicle for doing field work in this area.

Hunting. The areas used for practice and contest pits are used for hunting and normally open to the public through the Kansas Walk In Hunting Access (WIHA) program. These areas will be closed to WIHA on days that students are present. However, each team is encouraged to have at least some team members wear blaze orange and to be on the lookout for hunters that might not realize the areas are closed. The more popular active hunting seasons will be dove, teal, and deer (muzzle loader and archery)

Soil pits. Many of the pits will be sandy. A rule for this contest is no one is allowed to walk within five feet of the edge of the pit on the side with the control section. These will be taped off for all practice and contest pits. All pits will be no deeper than 5 feet and will be shallower for sandy, wet pits as needed.

Tripping. As with any fieldwork, please watch your step and avoid tripping hazards. Most of the sites will be on uneven terrain on rangeland.

Snakes. There are venomous snakes in the area, but none have been spotted at the practice and contest sites. Be careful not to disturb potential snake habitat (i.e. don't go lifting up rocks and logs where snakes could be hiding). If you come across any snake, please leave it be.

Tarantulas. Texas brown tarantulas will be in mating season during the contest. Male tarantulas will be on the move looking for females. They will not bit unless provoked. If you see a tarantula, please leave it be.

Ticks. Kansas has both deer ticks and lone star ticks that are known to spread diseases. Please use bug spray and/or treat your clothing with permethrin.

What version of the Field Indicators of Hydric Soils of the United States will be used?

Colby has ordered enough hard copies of v8.2 for everyone to have during the contest. Version 9.0 will be published around the time of the contest but won't yet be available as hard copies in time for the contest. We will primarily use v8.2, but can differ to v9.0 as needed. The user notes of v9.0 are more extensive and answer common questions.

Will a hydric soil field indicator cheat sheet be available?

Yes, Colby is working on that right now. It will include an abbreviated list of all hydric soil indicators that apply in LRR H where the contest will be held. It should be posted to the Materials page by Sept. 6.