Spotlight on Grassland Conservation
The Nature Conservancy’s work is featured in The Kansas Reflector.
This four-part Kansas Reflector series, written by Erin Socha and featuring insights from The Nature Conservancy and its partners, explores how innovative practices, such as prescribed fire, regenerative grazing and collaborative models, are helping to sustain grasslands for future generations.
Woody encroachment threatens Kansas’ grasslands, but cattle ranchers are fighting back. Invasive eastern red cedar is overtaking Kansas grasslands, transforming open prairie into forests and diminishing essential ecosystem functions. However, changes in land management hold one of the keys to slowing or reversing woody encroachment.
Flint Hills rancher works to restore biodiversity of imperiled Kansas tallgrass prairie ecosystems. Flint Hills rancher Bill Sproul takes his role as an environmental steward seriously. He considers it his legacy. In fact, his regenerative grazing methods earned him the inaugural Sand County Foundation’s Kansas Leopold Conservation Award. .
Red Hills rancher sets Kansas prairie ablaze to save it. Bill Barby of the Red Hills turned to prescribed fire—after training with a regional burn association—to restore prairie ecosystems and manage the encroachment of cedars. Now he leads a nine-ranch cooperative, teaching neighbors how controlled burns support grassland health.
Smoky Valley Ranch provides exportable conservation model for Kansas cattle ranchers. Smoky Valley Ranch, owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy, spans nearly 20,000 acres in western Kansas. Using regenerative grazing and prescribed fire, the ranch maintains prairie health while sharing its strategies through grazing plans and training programs that other ranchers can adopt statewide.
Make a Difference in Kansas
The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. For more than 30 years, we’ve worked in Kansas to do just that. We've permanently protected 161,000 acres across the state, including six preserves that are open to the public.
Explore More
At the Intersection of Art and Conservation
The Nature Conservancy in Kansas partners with The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Linda Hall Library to explore the powerful connections between art, science and conservation.
Summer Seed Collection at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Helps Endangered Butterfly
Learn about The Nature Conservancy's work to protect the Regal fritillary through native seed collection and prairie restoration.
Q&A with Tony Capizzo: Flint Hills Initiative Director
The Flint Hills of Oklahoma and Kansas nurture some of the greatest biological diversity in the world. TNC’s Tony Capizzo is leading the charge to protect and preserve this incredible ecoregion.