KANSAS LEADS IN CONSERVATION EFFORTS
It is always a pleasure to hear about good efforts in the creation care movement. Highlighted here are two organizations that are leaders in conservation efforts right here in Kansas. The first is The Land Institute which is located just outside Salina, Kansas. It has worked since the 1970’s on perfecting perennial wheat and other grains, while developing a “Natural Systems” agriculture that values regenerative soil practices, crop diversity and rotation. The Land Institute works with many different universities in the US and in many parts of the world. Especially promising is their work with perennial rice. Every year they hold a weekend festival in late September to inform the public of their progress, learn from well-known speakers and experience music and food together. Please, look on their website for registration information in early August. The Prairie Festival this year is September 23-25th. If you can’t attend the festival, look at the website and listen to recordings of past speakers. Truly, The Land Institute is a conservation champion.
The Nature conservancy is the other highlighted organization that is working both in Kansas and in other regions. One of their projects is the conservation of the prairie grassland in an ecosystem known as the Southern High Plains. This grassland area covers the intersection of five states-Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. This area of 71 million miles, has a diversity of wildlife, watersheds, rivers, streams and diverse grasses. TNC, along with ecologists, farmers, ranchers and others are working through The Southern High Plains Initiative with state officials to conserve this vast prairie system. Besides this effort, TNC increased protection and places at Cheyenne Bottoms Preserve, helped secure 5000 acres with conservation easements in the Flint Hills and recently has been working on developing a research and demonstration farm in Dickinson County Kansas. It will cover 1008 acres and will eventually demonstrate best practices using information about soil health, water conservation, erosion mitigation and more. The farm will be managed by a team of scientists, TNC workers, ranchers and farmers and others. The farm will only be able to be viewed during demonstration scheduled field trips. This is another champion in our state working to preserve and protect our natural resources in sustainable ways.
Earth Steward Action: Consider donations to either of those worthy organizations. Plan to attend the prairie fest at The Land Institute.
Sources: Https://nature.org/kansas , https://www.nature.org/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/documents/kansas-fall-2021-newsletter.pdf and https://landinstitute.org