$1 Million Gift from Fred C. & Mary R. Koch Foundation Boosts
The Nature Conservancy’s Kansas Prairie Legacy Campaign
The Koch Foundation grant is one of the largest conservation awards in Kansas history.
Topeka, Kansas - The Fred C. & Mary R. Koch Foundation today presented a $1 million grant to The Nature Conservancy in Kansas to help with its acquisition of the nearly 11,000-acre Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Chase County.
The Koch Foundation grant is one of the largest private donations for conservation in Kansas history, and the signature donation in The Nature Conservancy’s $11 million fund-raising effort to preserve important ecosystems in Kansas. The flagship project in the Kansas Prairie Legacy Campaign is for the acquisition and enhancement of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. The tallgrass prairie, which historically spanned the eastern third of the Great Plains, is one of the most altered major ecosystems in North America. Less than 4 percent of the historic total remains, most found in the Flint Hills of Kansas.
“The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve will showcase the beauty of the Flint Hills, ensuring the continuing heritage of the Kansas tallgrass prairie for future generations to discover and enjoy,” said Liz Koch, president of the Fred C. and Mary R. Koch Foundation. “We’re proud to support The Nature Conservancy’s work on this important project to protect and enhance this environmental treasure.”
“We’re so very fortunate Kansans will see the benefits of this generous gift from the Koch Foundation for generations to come,” said Governor Kathleen Sebelius.
Alan Pollom, state director of the Conservancy’s Kansas Chapter, said “We are honored to use the Foundation’s generous gift to help permanently protect one of the best examples of unfragmented tallgrass prairies found in the Flint Hills region. The generosity of the Fred C. and Mary R. Koch Foundation is an important commitment to environmental stewardship and conservation in Kansas.”
The Koch Foundation gift will be used to advance the mission of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and to give the Conservancy an opportunity to enhance the quality of life in Kansas. The Conservancy expects to ensure the economic viability of the site that will attract visitors from the around the world, promote private property rights and independent management, and demonstrate a commitment to environmental stewardship.
The Kansas Prairie Legacy Campaign is the largest private campaign for conservation in state history. Additional exemplary lead gifts to the campaign include the Capitol Federal Foundation (Topeka), the Lattner Family Foundation (Florida), AT&T (Topeka), Westar Energy, Inc. (Topeka), W.S. and E. C. Jones Testamentary Trust (Emporia), K. T. Wiedemann Foundation (Wichita), Great Plains Energy, Inc. (Kansas City), and current and former Trustees of The Nature Conservancy’s Kansas Chapter.
“I am happy to announce that the Kansas Prairie Legacy Campaign has raised more than $6.7 million -- all private contributions -- toward the campaign’s $11 million goal;” said Pollom. “The campaign also includes initiatives throughout the state including the shortgrass prairie at Smoky Valley Ranch in western Kansas, Cheyenne Bottoms wetlands near Great Bend, and the Flint Hills Initiative, a community-based program working with ranchers and landowners.“
Please click here for information and photos of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
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