Ever wonder what Kansas looked like before modern development, fences and highways came along? Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, located outside of Canton, KS, offers guided tours and educational experiences to learn about the wildlife, land, and prairie heritage of Kansas.
In 1951, Maxwell became home to a small herd of American bison and elk. The Refuge is now in its 75th year of conservation and preservation.
The many volunteers that help protect and preserve the wildlife are called the Friends of Maxwell. Not only are they celebrating a big milestone this year, the Friends of Maxwell also received an Attraction Development Grant from Kansas Tourism in early March in the amount of $16,414.
According to Refuge Director Trisha Smith, the grant will be used to remodel the concessions area known as “The Cook Shack” and add an education center onto the visitor’s center.
The new concessions building, which will be called, “The Prairie Porch” will be about 14 ft x 24 ft on a concrete slab. A storage loft will be added on top to store outdoor activity supplies for future educational activities.
“We’re really excited about that because we want to get the kids engaged in more outdoor activities that can be done out on the prairie,” Smith said.
Smith added that they hope to use concessions for more events in the future and that they will only do, at maximum, four events for the year. A couple of events are expected to be added this year to celebrate the 75th.
The education center project is expected to take 2-5 years.
“We have lots of future plans for the area to build our education program out here,” Smith said. “It will be so much fun.”
There are about 25 active volunteers at Maxwell, and although they are currently sitting pretty well, Smith said they are always taking applications.
There are many volunteer positions available, including: narrators, tram drivers, feed truck drivers, helping with annual events, helping at the visitor’s center, with specific events, identification purposes, and as new trails come out, there will be more opportunities as well.
Anyone interested in volunteering is welcome to submit their application or inquiry online at maxwellwildliferefuge.com.
Book a Tram Tour to get an up-close view at the buffalo herd, and depending on the season, you may get to see the Rocky Mountain Elk, coyotes, white tailed deer, along with many birds, grasses, and wildflowers.
Public Tram Tours are every Tuesday and Saturday. The First tour is from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The Second tour (if the first tour fills) is 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. You can also book a private tour and get to ride in a state truck, have a tour guide, and travel to places the trams cannot go.
If you would like to donate to the Friends of Maxwell, you can do so by donating in person at the visitor’s center or online at www.maxwellwildliferefuge.com page on the website for people to make donations as well as become a sponsor. There are different memberships and sponsorships available as well.
