5 Jul 2023

Training for Success and Safety

The U.S. Army is known for the rigorous basic combat training its military members go through, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also has training for its civilian men and women in uniform, park rangers. This weeklong training, Visitor Assistance Training, commonly known as VA Training, is conducted in Huntsville, Alabama for all permanent rangers to receive indefinite citation authority. Each district also provides VA Training to seasonal rangers, ranger trainees and permanent rangers who were unable to attend the training in Huntsville as the classes fill up quickly. These permanent rangers then receive temporary citation authority until they can attend the training in Huntsville. This June, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District held its VA Training at Smithville Lake, in Smithville, Missouri. USACE employees from the Kansas City District, Tulsa District and Omaha District attended the training.

22 Nov 2021

Smithville Lake continues successful tradition for mobility impaired hunters

Before daylight broke Saturday morning, nearly 100 outdoor enthusiasts mingled over a hot breakfast served in an open barn by local volunteers, while discussing their hopes for the weekend. For most, it’s the weekend of a lifetime, one they anxiously look forward to every year. That morning 49 hunters, each armed with a volunteer, were able to escape everything but nature at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Smithville Lake for the world’s largest known managed deer hunt for mobility impaired individuals. Throughout this two-day event, they are provided with 65 different locations, each set up with a hunting blind, camouflaged from the wildlife and allowing protection from the elements.

26 Nov 2019

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Smithville Lake celebrates 30th managed deer hunt

Nearly 150 people filled a maintenance facility with excitement at Smithville Lake around 4 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. They were all there for one reason, to get out into the wild and seek a big buck this weekend. For the 30th year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Smithville Lake hosted what’s known as the world’s largest managed deer hunt for mobility-impaired hunters. During this two-day event, 60 hunting blinds are set up across 3,800 acres of prime ground, not available for public hunting. Along with a volunteer, these hunters seek out the best spot near daybreak and wait out their target.

13 Oct 2016

Smithville Lake aims to boost dwindling butterfly and bee population

Pollinators such as butterflies and bees have been on the decline in recent years, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Kansas City District is actively working to increase their numbers. Monarch butterfly populations have decreased by 90 percent due to loss of habitat and nectar sources. Milkweed, the sole food source for monarch butterfly larvae, has diminished drastically in the United States due to mowing and herbicide use, especially along roadways and agricultural land.