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Page 2 of 2 <br />Hayden said the agency could be reimbursed for up to 75 percent of the purchase of public hunting <br />land through the federal government's excise tax on firearms and ammunition. <br />The state also is working on a formal partnership with Big Bend Groundwater Management District <br />No. 5 to aid in purchasing the ranch. Stover said GMD 5 board members have discussed contributing <br />a quarter- to half - million dollars - an amount not yet finalized by the district's board. <br />Most authority members spoke favorably about the purchase. Edwards County residents, however, <br />still are concerned about the economic burden their community could see if land is transitioned from <br />irrigation to dryland prairie. <br />With gross sales from the ranch totaling around $2.3 million and the economic impact of the ranch <br />about $356,000 for the county, local residents are concerned about the economic impact, as well as <br />why others out west along the river aren't helping with the load. <br />" Kinsley and Edwards County is being asked to bear a large burden," said Kinsley Mayor Michael <br />Herman, who added that, "this is something you guys really need to think about before making a <br />decision." <br />Both the Upper and the Lower Arkansas River Basin Advisory Committees also recommended the <br />purchase this summer. <br />If approved by the full authority, "It will give a green light to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and <br />Parks to follow up and negotiate a purchase of the Circle K Ranch with the cities of Hays and <br />Russell," Stover said. <br />If negotiations were successful, funding would need to be included in the 2006 Kansas Water Plan, <br />which is scrutinized by the authority and approved by the Kansas Legislature. <br />"The bottom line is we need to find a way to conserve water in the state," said Graham County <br />irrigator and Water Authority member Don Paxson. "We need to find a pay to get the state back on <br />track." <br />< return to original page <br />Copyright 2003 The Hutchinson News <br />http://www.dailynews.net/hutchinson/cgi-bin/printerpage.pl <br />8/26/2004 <br />