Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, Kansas
Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, Kansas
© Michael Forsberg
Nearly 11,000 acres of rolling prairie will be protected for wildlife habitat and public recreation, thanks to an agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the Kansas Park Trust and the National Park Service. At a ceremony last week in Kansas, the Conservancy and the Kansas Park Trust announced that they will acquire the 10,894-acre Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and raise the remaining $2.7 million needed to permanently protect the grassland.
The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve provides critical wildlife habitat and public recreational opportunities to experience the rich history of the tallgrass prairie that once covered much of the central portion of North America.
The preserve was established in 1994 through a unique arrangement in which the National Park Trust, a private nonprofit organization, purchased nearly 11,000 acres around a 32-acre park owned by the National Park Service.
However, the National Park Trust has struggled to raise funds since it acquired the preserve and was facing the prospect of foreclosure on a historical ranch on the property and the sale of all, or part of it, on the open market. That's why The Nature Conservancy and the Kansas Park Trust made the move to acquire the property.
“With less than four percent of the original tallgrass prairie remaining, this was an opportunity we simply couldn’t pass up,” said Alan Pollom, state director of The Nature Conservancy in Kansas.
“With less than four percent of the original tallgrass prairie remaining, this was an opportunity we simply couldn’t pass up.”
Alan Pollom
Director, The Nature Conservancy in Kansas
The Nature Conservancy will take title to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve for up to five years, enabling the Kansas Park Trust and the conservation organization to raise the remaining $2.7 million to complete the acquisition and permanently protect the ranch.
“This new partnership can lead to increased appreciation of the Flint Hills and stimulate a greater concern for their preservation,” said Kansas Chapter board chairman Kenneth Baum.
Today, less than four percent of North America’s original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains — two-thirds of it is in Kansas. Tallgrass prairie, which includes big bluestem, little bluestem, Indiangrass and switchgrass, can grow as high as ten feet and sends roots as deep as twelve feet. It provides exceptional habitat for a wide variety of species including greater prairie chickens, Henslow’s sparrow, upland sandpipers and American golden plovers.
For more information:
- Where We Work: The Nature Conservancy in Kansas
Working with partners, The Nature Conservancy has preserved more than 43,725 acres in Kansas, including tallgrass prairies, wetlands, mixed-grass and shortgrass prairies.
- Places We Protect: Flint Hills Tallgrass Prairie Preserve
This tallgrass prairie is set among low rolling hills of limestone strata that cover layers of sandstone, flint and chert. The headwaters of the South Fork of the Cottonwood River run through the property.
- Online Field Guide: Flint Hills, Kansas
The same forces that shaped the North American tallgrass prairie for millennia — fire and grazing — are the key to its survival.
- Our Partner: National Park Trust
Founded in 1983, National Park Trust is the only land conservancy dedicated to preserving our national system of parks, wildlife and historic monuments.
- Our Partner: National Park Service
The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.
- Archive of our Saves of the Week and Success Stories
Read more about The Nature Conservancy's work to save the last great places on Earth.
