Fifth Annual Fish Wizards Tour

June 1 and June 2, 2024

SOLD OUT –
Thank you for your support!

Reservations

$50 + tax and fee

See the Movie here

(2023 Fish Wizards Tour)

The 2024 Fish Wizards T-shirt!

illustrated by Joe Tomelleri
Fish from a Wabaunsee County creek

Order your shirts when you purchase your tickets |You may pick up your shirt when you arrive for your tour

Please note: there will not be extra shirts for sale on event days

Come along for a fun-filled trip to see and learn more about the beautiful and amazing fish species in the streams of beautiful Wabaunsee County, Kansas! More than 20 species of fish are found in the crystal clear waters of these Flint Hills streams.

The Fish Wizards Tour will be led by renowned fisheries scientists, joined this year by special guest Ray Troll, an artist and Guggenheim Fellow, who is well known to biologists and paleontologists because of his quirky t-shirts and his artwork that is surrealistic yet biologically accurate. Participants are in for an unforgettable experience.

Attendees will learn sampling techniques, fish identification, and life history information of many native fish species.

Our tour leaders are quite an accomplished crew! 

Dr. Bill Stark is a professor at Fort Hays State University and specializes in fisheries and aquatic environment studies. His research includes numerous studies on Kansas’ native fish and aquatic invertebrates.

Joe Tomelleri is the world’s leading freshwater fish illustrator and has more than 1,100 illustrations. His work has been featured in more than 1,000 publications, including Trout and Salmon of North America, Outdoor Life, Eddie Bauer, and of course Kansas Fishes. His illustrations are scientifically accurate and document the species in their native colors. Joe’s prints will be available for sale at the Volland Gallery.

Mike Kaminski is a fisheries biologist and and Instructor of Biology at Clarkson College in Omaha, Nebraska. He has collected fishes from throughout the U.S. and now enjoys sharing knowledge with students and people of all ages.

Dr. Brian Bohnsack will assist with the tours and provide insights on the principles of fish and wildlife management based on his long career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, and Wichita State University.

Special Guest Ray Troll
From Ray’s website: “In his studio on a hill above Tongass Narrows in rainy Ketchikan, Alaska, Ray Troll creates fishy images that swim into museums, books and magazines, and onto t-shirts worn around the world. He draws his inspiration from extensive field work and the latest scientific discoveries, bringing a street-smart sensibility to the worlds of ichthyology and paleontology.” Ray also believes that everybody should be in a band. If you are musically inclined, feel free to bring your instrument of choice and harmonize along with Ray! He will bring his guitar creekside.

Please arrive at The Volland Store by 9:30am to check in, pick up your tee shirt (if you ordered one), browse the amazing fish prints of Joe Tomelleri, and load up for a prompt departure to the creek!

At 10am we will caravan to a crystal clear creek, a selected sampling site on a tributary of Mill Creek in Wabaunsee County. The tour will last about four hours.

Attendees should wear comfortable walking or hiking shoes and will need to be able to walk down stream banks. Volunteers can wade in and help with the sampling efforts if desired. If you wish to wade in the creek, you are encouraged to bring waders or hip boots, though they are not required. Remember that rocks can be slippery! You may get wet during the trip, so dress accordingly.

Please bring sunscreen, bug repellent, a lawn chair, and if the weather is hot, bring an umbrellafor shade from the sun.  We know your dog loves the water and the outdoors, but please leave him/her at home, in consideration of the fishes. Thank you for understanding.

The fun begins when we arrive at the creek! The Fish Wizards will locate and seine for fish, then bring them up for the participants to see “up close and personal.” After wading and watching and learning, a boxed lunch will be provided around noon, and you are invited to visit and linger in the shade, departing at your leisure. Ray Troll will be there to provide some tunes, and he might do a bit of drawing too –

And….  On your way home from the creek, don’t miss the opportunity to stop by the Wabaunsee County Historical Museum in Alma to see their new display of Native American artifacts and tools. The museum’s extensive collection has been catalogued by retired archaeologist Bob Blasing, who worked for two years to identify, date, and provide details about the more than 2000 tools, some dating back 10,000 years. This extraordinary collection will be a significant resource for scholars, historians, anthropologists, artists, students of various disciplines, and anyone with an interest in Native American culture. It is an important addition to the community near and far, and the Museum is to be congratulated for recognizing the importance of cataloging the collection. It is a gift to all who experience it. Enjoy!

The Fish Wizards Tour is open for everyone!  Kids through senior citizens will enjoy learning about amazing and beautiful fish species of Kansas.