Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve | |
---|---|
Location | Chase County, Kansas |
Nearest city | Strong City, Kansas |
Coordinates | 38°25′58″N 96°33′32″W / 38.43278°N 96.55889°W |
Area | 10,882 acres (44.04 km2) |
Established | November 12, 1996 |
Visitors | 29,009 (in 2020)[1] |
Governing body | National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy |
Website | Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve |
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is a
Description
The NPS and The Nature Conservancy work toward preservation of the tallgrass prairie, while sharing the story of ranching legacy, American Indian history, and the diverse tallgrass prairie ecosystem in the heart of the scenic Flint Hills of Kansas.[4]
There are over 40 miles (64 km) of maintained hiking trails in the preserve allowing visitors access to the tallgrass prairie. During the summer, narrated bus tours of the prairie are offered.
On January 29, 2008, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve was named as one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas by the Kansas Sampler Foundation.[5][6][7]
-
Entrance (2014)
-
Limestone barn (2012)
-
Main house of Spring Hill Ranch (2012)
-
Tallgrass prairie
-
Stormy sky Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
Ranch history
Development of Spring Hill Ranch began in 1878, with land purchases in the Flint Hills by Stephen F. Jones, a cattle rancher originally from
The Lantry family kept the ranch until 1904, primarily raising thoroughbred cattle. Spring Hill, the core of their holdings, was eventually divided up into smaller parcels. It was reassembled in a series of purchases executed in 1935 by George Davis, a grain dealer from Kansas City. Following Davis's death in 1955, the property was eventually put into a trust, and operated as the Z-Bar Ranch.[8]
Historic interest in the property began in the 1960s, when local groups organized the restoration of the Lower Fox Creek School. The ranch complex was listed on the
The 10,882-acre (4,404 ha) Spring Hill/Z-Bar Ranch was purchased by the National Park Trust in 1994.[9] Legislation introduced in 1991 called for the creation of the Preserve, but local interests objected to the condition that the National Park Service would own it all. U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum convened a group of stakeholders to seek agreement on the formula for a tallgrass prairie park. The group began work in January 1992, and a different model for a national park emerged; it would be a public/private partnership, managed by the National Park Service, but the land privately owned.
Preserve history
In 1994, Senators Kassebaum and Bob Dole introduced Senate bill S. 2412 in Congress, which would allow the Federal government to create a national preserve under the public/private partnership ownership arrangement. The bill.
On September 20, 2002, National Park Trust donated approximately 32 acres (13 ha) to the National Park Service; it included the 1881 historic ranch house, limestone barn and outbuildings, and one-room schoolhouse. National Park Trust worked with the National Park Service to plan and develop the park from 1996 to 2005.[4]
Though National Park Trust was named in the legislation, the law allowed for successor non-profits to own the land and continue the unique public/private ownership and management relationship. So, in 2005, National Park Trust sold the approximate 10,862 acres (4,396 ha) to The Nature Conservancy. Additionally Texas billionaire Ed Bass, owns grazing rights to nearly 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) until 2035 and whose cattle dot much of the hills and valleys of the preserve.[11]
Management
The National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy established a bison herd with 13 animals in 2009 from Wind Cave National Park. The population of 90 bison not only represent a vital component for the tallgrass prairie ecosystem, but also help preserve the genetic integrity in the conservation of American bison.[12][13] Typically a third of the prairie grasslands is burned each year.[14]
See also
References
This article incorporates public domain material from Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, KS. Federal government of the United States. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
- ^ "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
- New York Times. Retrieved April 15, 2008.
Almost a century and a half later, an unusual three-way accord involving the Federal Government, a private nonprofit organization and big-time cattlemen allowed me to experience the same scene amid the nearly 11,000 acres (45 km2) of rolling hills that form the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, one of the few large tracts of virgin prairie left in the United States. While the traveler of long ago saw bison in the distance, today's tourists share the prairie with thousands of head of cattle shipped into Kansas every spring to fatten on the nutritious bluestem grasses.
- ^ Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve | Bison Update (PDF) (Report). US National Park Service. January 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 27, 2013.
- ^ a b "Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Quick Facts" (PDF).
- ^ "The '8 wonders of Kansas'". Chicago Tribune. June 25, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
- ^ Rothschild, Scott (January 30, 2008). "8 Wonders of Kansas reveealed". Lawrence-Journal World. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
- ^ "Two Nature Conservancy Preserves Named Wonders of Kansas" (Press release). The Nature Conservancy. January 29, 2008. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009.
- ^ a b c "NHL nomination for Spring Hill Ranch". National Park Service. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
- ^ "Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Legislative History, 1920-1996". www.nps.gov. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
- ^ S. 2412
- ^ Woodward, By Richard B. (June 10, 2005). "A Sliver of Prairie Still Untamed". The New York Times.
- ^ This article incorporates public domain material from Bison Bellows: Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. U.S. National Park Service. May 19, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ Alison Rogers (February–March 2010). "Bringing Bison Back to the Prairie". Mother Earth News. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ^ Carpenter, Tim (April 18, 2017). "Burning Questions: Tradition, economics cloud debate on prairie burning". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
External links
- Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve – National Park Service
- Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve – The Nature Conservancy
- Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve – National Park Trust