Prairie wanderings: Tallgrass prairie opens new trails
By PAUL G. JANTZEN
Contributing writer
We arrived about 9 a.m. and walked up the hill to learn of recent additional activities available to visitors at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve two miles north of Strong City. A National Park Service ranger stationed in the large three-story limestone barn described the three new trails opening this month at the preserve. Ranging from four to six miles in length, the new trails open more of the preserve's nearly 11,000 acres to visitors. They also issue permits for backcountry hiking trails.
Once the hunting grounds of the Kansa and Osage Indians, the preserve is home to more than 450 species of plants, 150 kinds of birds, 39 types of reptiles and amphibians, and 31 species of mammals.
Much of the preserve, until recently, was under lease to a Texas cattleman. Now, however, much is owned by The Nature Conservancy, a private nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving natural communities around the world. The Kansas Park Trust is attempting to raise funds to buy back the lease so further development can proceed. Through a unique arrangement, the preserve is a public/private partnership, owned by The Nature Conservancy but operated by the National Park Service which, by statute, never will own more than 180 acres including the ranch headquarters and visitor center which is yet to be developed.
To avoid the summer heat, Elaine and I took a short hike through a walnut-red cedar grove to an open prairie overlook. Among the trees are dozens of Monarch butterflies in flight, apparently migrating to their winter home in Mexico. At the edge of the grove a thicket of bright red autumn smooth sumacs greets us. The red, fuzzy fruits of sumac form clusters which will provide winter food for wildlife when more desirable food is scarce.
Among the tallgrasses (Indian grass, switchgrass, and big bluestem) are occasional dayflowers, aromatic asters, heathasters, snow-on-the-mountain, Maximilian sunflowers, and downy goldenrods.
Where the trail emerges from the walnut grove, it leads to a prairie overlook where we relaxed and took in the openness of the tallgrass prairie that once covered 400,000 square miles of North America's mid-section. The rolling hills under a huge blue sky are indeed impressive.
The striking view, however, is somewhat spoiled by the dense horizontal band of yellow broomweed that attempts to take over the scenery in heavily grazed pastures. Cattle generally do not eat broomweed so it grows unhindered by the competing range plants which are devoured by cattle. When the current grazing lease expires the competing plants will have a chance to reclaim their place on the preserve. As the ranger pointed out, bison eat broomweed and would help restore the normal prairie condition.
When fully developed, the preserve will provide personal experiences of the tallgrass prairie through direct contact and unobstructed views of the prairie. This will likely include on-site interpretive programs focusing on the natural history of the tallgrass prairie, the Flint Hills ranching legacy, and American Indian history and culture; separate grazing areas for cattle and bison; limited cross-country hiking and horseback riding; and limited overnight camping.
Whatever the focus of attention, the rolling hills of the prairie will provide a background feeling of the vastness and openness of the 400,000 square miles of tallgrass prairie that once covered the central portion of the North American continent — all right here in Chase County.
