MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT “I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” – John Muir
To Know the Name and Nature of the Diversity of Life is an Inspiring Beginning The mission of Audubon of Kansas includes promoting the enjoyment and understanding of our natural ecosystems. Let us stop for a minute and consider how that enjoyment works. To enjoy something gives us pleasure that can be described as sensual, subjective, holistic, or perhaps even simplistic. I have observed that to name a bird or flower gives me an almost Adamic sense of possession or empowerment when I can put a label on a new find. It is the subjective pleasure of a child learning to speak when he or she sees the family pet and can say “dog.” For the child the naming is totally subjective; he cannot name the breed or the fine points of its anatomy, but he knows what a dog is and it is the beginning of understanding. The sensation was the same when I first walked across a native prairie in the spring and became aware of the color and variety of the flowers, almost none of which I could name. But as I learned the names of more and more flowers and a little bit about them, the subjective pleasure of this new knowledge deepened both my understanding and the sheer enjoyment of now possessing their names. I believe it is this subjective sensual pleasure that motivates the birder to be able to identify a dozen different native sparrows or warblers, count the number of hawks perched on the highway telephone poles, or the naturalist gaze out on the sublime beauty of a tallgrass prairie in late fall.
Brilliant Prairie Blazingstar, Liatris pycnostachya, Rattlesnake Master, Eryngium yuccifolium, and many other perennial wildflowers highlight three native prairie meadows on property owned by Bob McElroy south of Topeka. AOK advocates protection of pristine prairie remnants as a priority for the Grassland Reserve Program.
It follows that when we enjoy a species, we want to know and understand the facts of its life and how it exists. What are the factors that make the existence of a bird, a flower, a collection of flowers, or whole biome possible? This study of natural ecosystems soon leads to the understanding that there are many factors that can cause an ecosystem to flourish or wither, whether in the particular or as a whole. To intervene in an ecosystem, to promote its flourishing, is to become an advocate for change – especially if we are changing patterns of neglect and destruction to patterns of stewardship and protection. Advocacy is what AOK is about. We have chosen to be directly involved in those wildlife issues where we can make a difference. We believe we have made a difference in promoting the reintroduction of the Black-footed Ferret to western Kansas, encouraging the KDOT to limit mowing on its 10,000 miles of vegetative rights-of-way, and other issues discussed in this newsletter. The ultimate goal of our advocacy is to make it possible for nature in all its beauty, diversity, and wildness to be enjoyed.
Robert McElroy, MD Chairman of the Board of Trustees
CONTENTS President’s Message ........................................IFC Conservation and Camaraderie are Complementary Companions ....................2 Board of Trustees ..............................................4 Jayhawk Audubon Society: 40 Years of Conservation and Education ........................5 Greater Prairie-chickens Have Become an Indelible, Irreplaceable Part of our Ranch ..........8 Autumn Resurgence in Amber Grasses................12 Conservation of Prairie Dogs and Black-footed Ferrets ..............................14 Flint Hills of Kansas ..........................................20 Tallgrass Heartland ..........................................22
The mission of Audubon of Kansas includes promoting the enjoyment, understanding, protection, and restoration of natural ecosystems. We seek to establish a culture of conservation and an environmental ethic.
Prairie Wings is a publication of Audubon of Kansas, Inc. Additional newsletters and AOK E-News are published periodically. Visit our websites at www.audubonofkansas.org, www.niobrarasanctuary.org or find us on facebook. Please consider becoming a member, giving a gift membership, and/or contributing to the vital work of Audubon of Kansas. AOK is an independent grassroots organization that is not administered or funded by the National Audubon Society. All funding is dedicated to our work in the central Great Plains and Prairie states.
AOK Legal Briefs ............................................23 The Hutton Niobrara Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary – A Sanctuary for Wildlife & People! ....................................24 Visiting the Niobrara Sanctuary: Two Inviting Guesthouses and an Unforgettable Prairie Landscape ....................31 AOK Awards ..................................................34 The Prairie is a Battleground..............................36 Soaring Mt. Mitchell: Where Raptors & Gliders Share the Skies ..............................39 AOK Philanthropy ..........................................IBC
Send comments or materials for consideration to any of the following:
Ron Klataske, Executive Director Audubon of Kansas 210 Southwind Place Manhattan, KS 66503 e-mail: AOK@audubonofkansas.org Phone: 785-537-4385
William R. Browning, Editor-in-Chief Chairman of the Editorial Committee Box 127, 205 West Main Madison, KS 66860 Other Editorial Committee Members include: Joyce Wolf, Robert T. McElroy, Dick Seaton See a complete list of AOK Trustees on page 4. Proofreading Consultant: Jessica Lada Browning Printed by:
1531 Yuma Street, Manhattan, KS 66502 785.539.7558 www.agpress.com
Front Cover Photograph: “Defending the Turf” – The spectacular photo of two male Greater Prairie-chickens fighting was made on the Browning Ranch in the spring of 2008. The image was captured at “first light,” which gives it the early morning glow. It was one of the award winning photographs in the Outdoor Writers Association of America’s 2009 photographic contest. Back Cover Photograph: Greater Prairie-chicken hen shows us what nesting cover she prefers. Photos by Glenn Chambers ©
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Conservation and
Camaraderie Are Article by William R. Browning, MD
ncluded in this issue is a complete list of the AOK Board of Trustees. The full board meets three times yearly and that might seem to some an onerous task, especially considering that meetings might be held anywhere from Lawrence to Oakley in Kansas to northern Nebraska. But there are at least two mitigating conditions.
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The camaraderie, singleness of purpose, and the sense of community that comes with each member to each meeting means that all come with a sense of pleasant anticipation and leave with a feeling of shared accomplishment. AOK gets things done. Icing on the cake can frequently be an associated field trip, often an experience that is rarely available to the general public. Here are a few of the most memorable. It is not widely known that AOK via our Executive Director has played a role in the acquisition of the Tallgrass Prairie preserve in Oklahoma and even the Konza Prairie in the early 1970s by The Nature Conservancy or that we were involved early on with the Prairie National Preserve at Strong City and in fact held the “right of first refusal” on that property (the Z-Bar Ranch) as we leveraged it into the Preserve in its current form. Audubon was the catalyst in Ted Turner’s acquisition of the sister Z-Bar Ranch in the Red
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Hills southwest of Medicine Lodge. It was that event that led to one of our most exclusive field trips – a tour of that 42,000-acre ranch. It had been in Turner’s hands only a short time when we were there and our guide, Keith Yearout, gave us a ground floor introduction to the future plans for Bison and other aspects of management. Perhaps the most unique features were at the southern end of the ranch where it spills over into Oklahoma. There we saw country rugged enough to make horseback travel an uncertainty, briefly explored a bat cave. I glimpsed two probable Roadrunners – if only fellow board members Patty Marlett and Carol Cumberland had been standing next to me for confirmation.
Former AOK Trustee Dudley Alexander of Platte City, Missouri, and William R. “Bill” Browning riding in the bed of a pickup. As head of the Trust Department for Boatmen’s National Bank of Kansas City, Dudley made acquisition of the Z-Bar Ranch possible for creation of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.
Another example of special access was a trip to a Logan County ranch operated by a fine western Kansas family. They welcomed our large group into their home for a meal that was preceded by a ranch tour. Their ranch included some unusually rugged “bad lands” and was adjacent to “Lone Butte,” a striking formation in a vast nearly level expanse. Aside from viewing two fine Mule Deer bucks bounding through rugged country, exploring the ruins of an ancient stone home and searching for the native Swift Foxes, the focus of our tour was the ranch’s thousands
of acres of prairie dogs. This is perhaps the largest remaining prairie dog colony in our state. Since that visit the dog town has been the focus of four Black-footed Ferret releases – and now several dozen wild-born ferrets live on this private land complex. A few board members have availed themselves of the opportunity to participate in annual ferret survey operations. Imagine spotlighting all night for this very secretive and rarest of all North American mammals. The most fascinating and haunting of our trips was to the University of Kansas Natural History Museum and its Department of Ornithology. Two hours flew by as we sat huddled around the department’s Collection Manager, Mark Robbins, and learned about the museum’s history and mission. We were enthralled by countless trays of bird pelts or skins. Birds of our own continent, birds of the rain forest, and trays of tiny hummingbirds were displayed up close. Finally (and I had secretly wondered about this when I learned that we would have this opportunity) all of the lost birds of our continent were brought out – and not just one but multiple specimens of each of these lost creatures. The Carolina Parakeets were so much larger
then I had imagined, the Ivory-billed Woodpeckers so beautiful, the Dusky Seaside Sparrows, and the Passenger Pigeons, so sad. Birds of legend. And on a lighter note, let’s go to Nebraska. For reasons explained elsewhere, AOK owns and operates a 5,000-acre ranch on the Niobrara River in the Sand Hills of northern Nebraska. It is a grassy plateau, dissected by deep valleys with clear springfed streams draining past wet meadows to the ranch’s border with the sandy Niobrara – a river that has its beginnings in the high plains of Wyoming hundreds of miles to the west. As AOK management of the ranch evolves the opportunities for wildlife are enhancing by the season. A light hand on the grazing pressure, removal of invasive species (notably cedar), and reintroduction of prairie fire to this ecosystem have all been processes that multiple field trips have allowed visitors to observe. The evolution of the land toward a pristine ideal once envisioned is now very close to attainment and we have participated in its culmination. So when you look at the list of Trustees, think of service, but also think of opportunity and adventure.
Trustees enjoy a picnic at the Niobrara Sanctuary.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the – Margaret Mead, American Cultural Anthropologist. only thing that ever has.”
AOK Needs a Few Good Women and Men As an organization that relies on volunteer leadership, Audubon of Kansas needs Trustees and others in leadership capacities who are willing to contribute a combination of the qualities needed within a board as a whole, and within our program partnerships. Charles H. Callison, former Executive Vice President of the National Audubon Society, once outlined the needs as the three “w’s”: “wisdom” in the form of expertise and experience, “work” in the form of skills and a willingness to be involved, and “wealth” including a willingness to provide outreach to help build membership and financial support to sustain effectiveness. Please let us know if you want to be involved or supportive in any capacity.
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Board of Trustees Robert T. McElroy, MD, Chairman, Topeka Dick Seaton, Vice Chair, Manhattan Patty Marlett, General Vice Chair, Wichita Joyce Wolf, Secretary, Lawrence William R. Browning, MD, Past-chairman, Madison Carol Cumberland, Exec. Committee, Wichita Don Heikes, Exec. Committee, Lenora Harold W. Anderson, Omaha, NE Barbara Atkinson, Gardner Phillip L. Baker, MD, Topeka Bernita Berntsen, MD, Berryton Mike Bily, Joliet, IL Evelyn Davis, Wakarusa Kristine B. Davis, Hutchinson Joyce Davis, Dodge City Matt Gearheart, Shawnee David Gnirk, Herrick, SD Irwin “Hoogy” Hoogheem, Ogden/ Manhattan Hon. James C. Johnson, Abilene Cathy Lucas, Liberal Jan Meyers, Overland Park Mary Powell, Topeka Randy Rathbun, Wichita A. Scott Ritchie, Wichita Robert J. Robel, Manhattan Wesley Sandall, Bassett, NE John Schukman, Leavenworth Marjorie E. Streckfus, Salina Richard G. Tucker, Parsons Elsie Vail, Altamont Donald Wissman, Manhattan
Harold “Andy” W. Andersen (left) with Wild Turkey hunting companion Nick O'Hare in a field near Manhattan, Kansas.
Jan Meyers, former Kansas congresswoman, pictured with native pastureland she owns in north-central Kansas, just south of her childhood home town of Superior, Nebraska.
Wesley “Wes” Sandall observing a hawk nest on his ranch near Bassett, Nebraska.
Carol Cumberland on a field trip stop at the Sandall Ranch.
Rick Tucker, identifying plants on a foggy morning in a native prairie remnant near his country residence south of Parsons.
Honorary Trustees Larry and Bette Haverfield, Winona Karl and Carmen Jungbluth, Boone, IA Kelley Hurst, Lawrence Lisa Stickler, Overland Park Kay McFarland, Topeka Paul Willis, Topeka Glenn Chambers, Columbia, MO Charles Wright, Lincoln, NE
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Dick Seaton and Joyce Davis at the Niobrara River overlook on the Fred Thomas Wildlife Management Area.
The Honorable James “Jim” C. Johnson (right) with fellow Abilene native, the late Bill Howard, a National Wildlife Federation leader on a pheasant hunt hosted by Ron Klataske.
Jayhawk Audubon Society: 40 Years of Conservation and Education
Rex Powell teaching a group of students from Wakarusa Valley Elementary School during the Wetlands Learners Program in October 2010 at the Baker Wetlands.
Jayhawks share common traits According to a Lawrence sports commentator, the Jayhawk basketball team is successful not just because they are talented, but because “they like each other and they play well together.” In thinking about doing this article about the Jayhawk Audubon Society (JAS), it occurred to me that our members reflect similar traits. JAS has been very successful in attracting wonderfully talented people of all ages and from all walks of life – novices and experts, students and teachers, adventurers, volunteers and activists – who work well together, share a passion for and curiosity about the natural world, and enjoy each other’s company as they go about volunteering to do the work of an Audubon chapter in Kansas.
Bowersock Mills and Power Company; American Eagle Outfitters Foundation; the City of Lawrence Waste Reduction and Recycling Division; and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Indoor educational activities of Eagles Day provide kids the chance to see Lawrence Prairie Park Nature Center’s eagles and other critters up close, as well as other birds from Operation WildLife. Kids also get to dissect owl pellets, assemble bird feeders, craft eagle headbands, touch skins and skulls of prairie animals, inspect preserved specimens of insects and spiders, take part in AOK’s bird-oriented scavenger hunt, and in general have fun while learning about Kansas’ wildlife.
Kaw Valley Eagles Day: A Gift to the Lawrence Community Jayhawk Audubon, founded by Ron Klataske in 1970, is fortunate to have some charter members not only still active, but in the case of Cynthia Shaw, and her husband Ed, as the mainstays of the Kaw Valley Eagles Day. From its beginning in 1997, JAS members have worked closely with other co-sponsors: the Chickadee Check-off program of KDWP; Westar Energy’s Green Team; ICL Performance Products, Inc.;
Margaret Wolf dissecting an owl pellet at Eagles Day.
Altogether there were nineteen exhibits in 2011 set up by JAS, cosponsors, and other non-profits including: Audubon of Kansas; Bees 4 Us; Bowersock Mills and Power Company; Camp Wood YMCA; City of Lawrence Recycling; Friends of Hidden Valley; Friends of the Kaw; Grassland Heritage Foundation; ICL Performance Products, Inc.; Kansas Biological Survey; Kansas Wildlife Federation; Operation WildLife; Prairie Park Nature Center; Save the Wakarusa Wetlands; Topeka Zoo Education Division; US Army Corps of Engineers; US Coast Guard Auxiliary; and Westar Energy’s Green Team. Perhaps the most exciting feature of this year’s Eagles Day for JAS was the
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debut of the new video about the chapter, produced by professional videographer and board member, Elizabeth Stevens. It beautifully illustrates the varied activities the chapter undertakes to fulfill its mission of promoting greater understanding, enjoyment, appreciation and protection of our natural world.
Providing Services for Members
JAS is most fortunate to have Susan Iversen as its newsletter editor. She manages to include a monthly “kids’ page” that is related to the public meeting’s program topic. During its 40 year history, JAS Eagles Day is a massive undertaking has presented over 400 programs on for a chapter the size of Jayhawk Audubon. topics ranging from birds, other We are very fortunate to continue to have wildlife and plants to geology, the overwhelming support of so many paleontology, avian evolution, dedicated members, partners and friends to prairie ecology, marine biology, back bring such a day of environmental packing, bee keeping, archaeology, education and productive fun to the the Prairie Dog Wars of western community. Kansas, bird banding, green building, Kansas River morphology, and nuclear and wind energy. These Raising Funds for Education and programs have also provided Conservation Efforts wonderful travelogues from Other efforts that rely on our volunteers Antarctica to the high Arctic and are the three bird-seed sales throughout the from South America to Australia. In fall and winter months. Linda Lips has addition to the myriad public been the overall coordinator of these programs and field trips that JAS has Marty Birrell, Director of Lawrence's Prairie events for several years, ably assisted by provided for its members and the Park Nature Center showing a Barred Owl Dana Adkins Heljeson (who received to visitors at Eagles Day. general public, there have been special recognition for more than two workshops on bird feeding and decades of volunteering). The bird seed, classes in bird identification and along with a selection of natural history books/field guides and ornithology. Of course many of JAS’s programs have been on feeder sales, have become a significant source of funding for environmental topics like pesticides, wildlife conservation, chapter educational and conservation activities. The other major alternative energy, sustainable agriculture, air pollution, and source of funds has been the annual Birdathon, which was local environmental activism. headed for many years by Margaret Wedge and her son, Phil. Richard Bean has been in charge for several years and probably has single handedly raised more funds for the chapter than anyone else. Recently JAS has been fortunate to be awarded several grants to help fund its education and conservation programs and projects: Kaw Valley Eagles Day in January; kids’ scholarships to the Museum of Natural History summer camps; the Wetlands Learners Project; brochure printing for the Baker Wetlands; Earth Day activities; the joint JAS/Monarch Watch public butterfly tagging event in September; paying registration fees for the Lawrence Christmas Bird Count participants; monthly newsletters, programs, and field trips; and support for Audubon of Kansas’ efforts to protect and preserve birds, other wildlife and their habitat.
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Linda Lips, Cynthia Shaw and Ron Wolf at the JAS Eagles Day exhibit.
JAS’s Service to the Community: Baker Wetlands Field Days Morphs to Wetlands Learners From 1992 until 2002, each spring JAS participated in an annual educational Wetlands Field Days with Baker University. After these educational open houses were discontinued, and budget cuts eliminated field trips for Lawrence students, the JAS board voted to initiate a program that would enable kids to continue to experience the wetlands first hand. In the fall of 2005, Rex Powell and teachers Sandy Sanders and Anna Busby gathered a group of educators, biologists, and other scientists to form the core group of volunteer facilitators willing to share their knowledge with students from local elementary schools in what has become the Wetlands Learners Program. Literally hundreds of students from dozens of classes have had the opportunity to visit and learn what the wetlands are all about and which critters call the wetlands home. This program continues today and has been expanded to include trips organized by the Lied Center.
Providing a Voice for the Environment JAS weighed in on issues such as protection of wildlife habitat at Lawrence’s Riverfront Park; closure of the pedestrian walk at the Lawrence Riverfront Mall to protect Bald Eagles’ roosting area at the Kansas River; attempts to preserve the Elkins Prairie; establishing some pesticide-free parks in Lawrence, and establishment of household hazardous waste facilities. Our members have been active in the Douglas County ECO2 initiative and Open Space Plan, as well as voicing our concerns about preserving prime farmland for local food production. Our interests go beyond our own backyard. We spoke out about the Kansas
Department of Transportation’s Adopt-a-Highway program, constructing an Education Center at Cheyenne Bottoms, protecting Whooping Cranes and Sandhill Cranes, opposing the legalization of falconry, and creating the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Recently some of our members met with Douglas County supervisors to encourage their adoption of management practices for county roadside rights-of-way similar to those of KDOT. Jayhawk Audubon believes that by making its programs and field trips free and open to the general public, it provides them the opportunity for greater understanding and appreciation of our natural world. We feel that, in turn, leads to greater participation in activities that promote protection and preservation of birds, other wildlife and their habitat. JAS is indebted to all the many volunteers who stepped forward to assist the chapter in countless ways. Without the ongoing leadership of current president, Chuck Herman, previous presidents, all board members and the assistance of all our other volunteers, we would not have been able to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the founding of the chapter in April 2010. In closing, I also would like to express my gratitude for editorial assistance to my husband, Ron, to Susan Iversen our newsletter editor, and Liz Stevens for sharing the text of the new video. – Joyce Wolf Lawrence Joyce Wolf and her husband, Ron, have been part of the Audubon family since 1974. She formerly served as Audubon’s legislative liaison, and also represented the West Central Region on the Nation Audubon board from 1994 to 2000. Joyce currently is program chair for Jayhawk Audubon Society and recording secretary for AOK.
GIVE A FRIEND A GIFT MEMBERSHIP, OR JOIN AOK TO SUPPORT CONSERVATION AND NATURE APPRECIATION Audubon of Kansas is proud of its logo, picturing a Greater Prairie-chicken in full display at sunrise in a prairie setting. It helps to project that AOK members and leaders take pride in prairie landscapes, wildlife, other resources – and everyone who plays a role in stewardship of the land. Audubon of Kansas does not normally sell merchandise, but we have great ball caps and make them available at cost, or at no additional costs with $20 gift memberships or greater donations. A cap can be mailed if requested. Wild ducks have different colored beaks! So it is only natural that AOK caps come with a choice of bill colors: green, black or khaki! A logo featuring a Sharp-tailed Grouse is planned for the Niobrara Sanctuary.
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Greater Prairie-chickens have Become an Indelible, Irreplaceable Part of Our Ranch The sight and sound of a male Greater Prairie-chicken in full display mode at sunrise on a spring morning is an incredible event and an incredible experience.
Article by William R. Browning, MD Photos: © Glenn D. Chambers
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y introduction to the Greater Prairie-chicken was in the 1950s and 60s, when one would occasionally fly up under my horse causing sudden repositioning of the startled animal, sometimes nearly unseating me. Those years were a heyday for chickens. Hunters still remember those years and the old Kansas Forestry, Fish and Game Department records of harvest numbers bears this out. Once my horse walked into a flock crouching in the grass and stepped on one. I captured the broken-winged bird, took it home and put it in the chicken house with the domestics. In the morning it was dead. Confinement did not agree with it.
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When we moved back to the ranch in 1976, still spring mornings would throb with the call of the Prairie-chickens, so many voices that they came from no particular direction. But over the decades the voices have gradually dimmed. Now there are no voices to the east. I can pick out the calls from the Pixlee Ranch lek a mile north of our house, where there were only four voices last year. Southwest a mile, is the “home pasture lek.” It has only ten birds now, down from a steady 18 thirty years ago. And on very still mornings I hear the “school house lek” more than two miles west. It is the lek where Glenn Chambers takes his beautiful photographs.
Hiking in the pasture with a friend one evening in the early ’70s, I heard a recurring sound that I could not identify. Together we knelt down and crawled toward the noise. After a hundred yards we seemed to be no closer, so we stood and walked crouched over another hundred yards and finally walked upright several minutes longer before a lek finally flushed ahead of us. Eureka moment!
The Greater Prairie-chicken has been in sharp decline for decades in one of its former strongholds: south of the Kansas Turnpike in the Flint Hills (where we live) and east into Missouri. The state of Missouri has pretty much lost this iconic bird. That state’s native population numbers less than 100 individuals; whereas historically they had tens of thousands. Only recent restocking with
birds trapped in the Salina area give Missouri some hope for a continuing presence. The first two tiers of eastern Kansas counties are now generally acknowledged to be without a selfsustaining flock. In fact there are perhaps only a few pockets of Greater Prairie-chickens south of the Turnpike where hunting would not be a reckless adventure in local extinction. Those few thriving local populations owe their existence to ranchers who consistently maintain nesting habitat that is not intensively grazed and not annually burned. Recent population studies in the southern Flint Hills and on a range near Manhattan have consistently shown bird populations incapable of sustaining themselves. This has been primarily attributed to poor nesting
success, brood survival and in some cases excessive hen mortality. The reasons for decline are theoretical: loss of habitat, including nesting cover that is inadequate to provide concealment, and woody (tree) invasion of the prairie. In Missouri the prairie remnants have been so constricted by excessive tree and “brush� encroachment and by conversion to fescue and other coolseason grasses, that the critical mass (acreage) for Prairie-chicken success may not be attainable. But this remains to be seen. Intensive efforts by a coalition of conservation partners currently underway in western Missouri may still be fruitful. If the theoretical causes for Prairie-chicken demise: poor nesting habitat due to annual burning; prairie fragmentation into landscapes that
When a hen approaches a lek, courtship activity of the males present accelerates as a reflection of their excitement. Females often observe the displays before approaching the dancing males.
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Eighteen-Bird Lek Without the presence of fire and periodic burning in the landscape, Tallgrass Prairie would not exist as we know it. In today’s environment, however Prairie-chickens cannot sustain themselves in areas where “whole landscapes” are burned annually – leaving little or no cover for secure nesting.
Patch burning: not for sissies. Photo by Sam Berner.
are too abbreviated for an animal that evolved on millions of acres of uninterrupted prairie; and woody invasion that discourages nesting and provides an unacceptable density of raptor perches and an incursion of additional mammalian nest predators are correct, then a study on a prairie that is not afflicted with these limitations should demonstrate the presence of vibrant flocks. This study is in the works. Through a Pittman-Robertson grant (funded by taxes on sporting goods) this study began this year and will run for four seasons. The funds are channeled through the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, and Kansas State University. Three sites were deemed suitable for the intensive research: a ranch in northwest Greenwood County, a ranch in southern Chase County, and the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve northwest of Strong City.
It’s war out there: we named this bird “Toughie.” Glenn reported that from his small piece of real estate on the edge of the lek, he would run to any battle, which he generally lost. On my last visit to the lek that spring of 2008, one bird – probably Toughie – unable to fly, ran from the lek, surely soon fated to be an easy meal for an avian or mammalian predator.
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All three of the ranches selected are in landscape-scale prairies, free of significant upland woody invasion and are patch burned. Patch burning involves burning a different third of a grazing unit each year, a management practice designed to allow for unburned nesting cover. On these sites hens will be trapped and radio collared and then monitored daily via antenna tracking devices from a sufficient distance to avoid nest disturbance. Documentation of egg numbers, egg weights, age, hatching dates and nestling viability will all be accomplished using the hens’ collars and at least one visit to the nest. Then hatchlings of a suitable age will be spotlighted at night and netted for attachment of their own collars.
When some areas are burned and others nearby are left unburned in a mosaic pattern, as with the patch burn practice employed for study currently underway on our ranch, Prairie-chicken courtship and nesting can continue without missing a beat. Many of the cocks are facing into a sharp southeast wind.
It may appear to be “scorched earth” but males continue to squabble over their territorial claims on the booming grounds. A day after the controlled burn, the relatively light colored birds stand out in contrast like Snowy Owls – occasional visitors to Kansas.
Although a burned patch may serve as a foraging area and become suitable within a couple months as brood habitat if it isn’t grazed intensively, it does not provide nesting habitat for Prairie-chickens. Hens do not initially nest in grass the year of the burn. A stand of residual cover from previous years’ growth with a height of from one to two feet and with sufficient density is best.
Leks are Booming Grounds A “lek” is the term used for a site used by male Prairie-chickens for courtship displays. Leks are also referred to as “booming grounds.” Males perform to attract females, fight other males for dominance and the best sites within the communal display area, and dominant males on a lek are most often selected by hens. The booming ground is the social center of Prairie-chicken ecology.
All of this will contribute to an understanding of nesting success, chick survival, hen survival and dispersal to distant sites. Cock assessments can generally be ascertained without radio collars due to their presumed loyalty to the leks where they can be readily flushed and counted in the spring and fall. Results of the study will gradually be made available over a four-seasons period. Audubon of Kansas will be watching closely and ongoing data reported in future issues of PRAIRIE WINGS and on the website. A real tragedy would be the discovery that the flocks on these sites are also in decline and that there is an “as-yet-not-recognized circumstance” that is a limiting factor for viability. We hope not. William “Bill” R. Browning, MD and his wife Jennifer live on a ranch in the Flint Hills between Madison and Matfield Green. Bill is a wildlife enthusiast, prairie conservationist, and a ranch manager. He has been actively involved in Audubon for nearly thirty-five years and was the first chairman of the Board of Trustees for Audubon of Kansas. He also served as a member of the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission. FALL / WINTER 2011
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AUTUMN RESURGENCE IN AMBER GRASSES
This is an adult male, and “going way out on a limb,” I referred to him as "Charlie." I photographed him for the past two years, during the spring, at about the same place on the lek. I can identify him by his "face mask".
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hat prairie-chickens gather on ancestral leks in the fall of the year is well known. Yet few persons engage in the enjoyment or study of the fall ritual as compared to those who observe or study the spring courtship activities.
Article & photos: © Glenn D. Chambers
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Conservation Commission records from 1943, there were an estimated 50 birds per section in that area.
Having grown up with Prairiechickens, I have always had an interest in the behavior of the birds on fall leks. When I was a budding wildlife photographer I was privileged to have My birthplace was in the heart of known and sat in the photography blind Missouri's Prairie-chicken range, the with the renowned Prairie-chicken small town of Passaic in Bates County, biologist, Charles W. which borders Schwartz. We made Kansas to the movies and shot still northeast of the ...few persons pictures of the spring present-day Marais booming activities. engage in the des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge. enjoyment or study of Charlie and I visited often about the Our farm was the fall ritual... behavior of the birds situated in an area of on fall leks and high Prairie-chicken wondered why few population densities. others seemed interested. The spring That was back in 1936, the year I was courtship ritual was what it was all about born, and today there are no Prairiewith most folks. chickens in Bates County. According to
In his classic book, “The Prairie Chicken in Missouri,” Charlie recorded a visual account of the birds on fall leks. Inspired by the black and white photographs in his book, I decided to fulfill a life-long dream and shoot color digital images of Prairie-chickens on fall leks. Since 2008, I have photographed the birds during the spring on the Browning Ranch in the Flint Hills. I inquired of Bill about the possibilities of photographing the fall activities. With his permission, I began the project in October and November of 2009, and completed it in September 2010. My goal was to secure pictures of booming males with very short pinnae and "bob-tails" as they displayed in the beautiful fall prairie grass. The fall assemblage of cocks on the lek is gradual. Adult males that have nearly completed the annual feather molt, and young-of-the-year begin gathering on the lek in late August and early September. Like the spring courtship ritual, the males begin to arrive on the lek about one-half hour before sunrise. There are some vocalizations early on, but no dancing. Air sacs are visible and often inflated but the eye comb is not noticeably prominent. The early fall plumage is remarkably different from that of the birds in the spring. By early September, the progression of the molt is well underway. The pinnae are short and poorly developed and still sheathed in the blood quills. The tail feathers are short and give the birds a “bob-tailed” appearance. The sexes closely resemble each other. Feather growth is rapid and by late September most of the males have completed their molt. The males are splendent in their newly acquired
Feather growth is rapid and by late September most of the males have completed their molt. The males are splendent in their newly acquired plumage, and booming and dancing become more vigorous. plumage, and booming and dancing become more vigorous. During the fall assemblage, territories are gradually established. Males that were the first to molt are the first to engage in fighting. By mid-November nearly all the males have established their territories. Vocalizations and fighting among the males parallel those of the spring. The first frosty mornings of November stimulate the males to engage in serious territorial disputes and booming. The fall lek is primarily maledominated. Females occasionally appear alone or in small groups. The females spend their time just hanging out, sitting quietly or preening the new incoming feathers. Females wander among the displaying males, but there are no attempts at mating.
fall insects and weed seeds, or waste grain in harvested fields. Mid-day activities consist largely of loafing on sunny slopes. In late afternoon, some of the males may re-convene on the lek. Afternoon activity on the lek is not as intense as that of the morning. Inclement weather in November and December brings the fall gatherings to a halt. An occasional "die-hard" male may return to the lek to stake his claim during a short period of milder weather. Depending on the severity of the winter, males commonly begin the spring ritual in mid-to-late February, and may continue until midJune. For the serious Prairiechicken enthusiast, a visit to the fall lek – to view from a concealed blind – is a memorable experience.
As the morning wanes on the lek, displaying subsides and all the birds usually depart simultaneously. They fly to a secluded area where they feed on
Glenn D. Chambers of Columbia, Missouri is a renowned wildlife photographer. With fifty years behind a succession of cameras, Glenn is an accomplished wildlife film-maker and still photographer. His wildlife photography library contains more than 300,000 images from all parts of North America, and his wildlife films have garnered four Television Emmy Awards. His photography has featured a range of wildlife from underwater views of River Otters to Polar Bears on ice flows, and has been widely published. Glenn is passionate about prairies and the Greater Prairie-chicken is his all-time favorite subject. He has spent thousands of hours in photo blinds capturing images of the life history of these birds and five of the six other grassland grouse species. FALL / WINTER 2011
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CONSERVATION of Prairie Dogs and Reintroduction of Black-footed Ferrets
REQUIRES COURAGE A Dedicated Attorney along with Old and New Friends are also Helpful
Larry & Bette Haverfield and Gordon & Martha Barnhardt. Notice the recently released Black-footed Ferret peaking out of the burrow! – Photo courtesy of USFWS
Article and Photos by Ron Klataske
t was a wildlife drama that few people have ever seen, in “the wild” and at night. Bette Haverfield was driving slowly up the lane toward their ranch house in December. It is a halfmile long driveway that routinely offers wildlife viewing opportunities – during the day – comparable to the country’s best wildlife sanctuaries and refuges. To her amazement, a prairie dog shot out of a burrow and raced across the road in her headlights. Prairie dogs normally stay safe underground at night. More astonishing, a Black-footed Ferret (BFF), apparently in pursuit, popped its head up out of the same burrow and looked around as if to say, “Where did it go?”
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Although not well maintained, that driveway is sometimes like entering an otherwise lost world, a place in the shortgrass prairie where the wildlife heritage of the central Great Plains is still on display. When Larry and Bette
returned from a two-day vacation this September, a Golden Eagle was perched on a fence post near their mailbox, and a young buck Pronghorn with three does were comfortable on that flat between the mailbox and house. Visiting the 10,000-acre complex of rangeland owned by Larry and Bette Haverfield, Gordon and Martha Barnhardt and Maxine Blank is very much like visiting some of the most wildlife-friendly refuges and wildlife sanctuaries in the country. One of the rewards of the BFF reintroduction has been establishment of hundreds of new friends – from Massachusetts to California – who have come to know and admire these ranch families. The other reward is the knowledge that they are doing something incredibly important to advance the concept of private-land conservation and appreciation of our wildlife heritage.
On my first visit in September 2005, I was immediately struck by the existence of scattered prairie-dog colonies, a small herd of Pronghorns alternately watching and racing as Larry drove through the pastures, with a Coyote watching them nearby. We also saw Burrowing Owls, Black-tailed Jackrabbits, and Ferruginous Hawks. I had been invited because these landowners were threatened with a mandate from the county to either poison the prairie dogs on their property, or the County Commissioners would send noxious-weed-department staff or contract exterminators onto their land – with or without their permission – to do the poisoning. The bill would be for a much more expensive operation and would be attached to their property taxes. A month earlier Larry Haverfield attended a meeting called by the Logan County Commission designed to hear
“It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong” – Voltaire 14
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complaints about prairie dogs. At that time there were several ranchers who maintained colonies on their land. However, the crowd in attendance was anti-prairie dog by design and consensus. Larry Haverfield was the only person who spoke up to suggest that prairie dogs are part of our natural wildlife heritage and they provide beneficial attributes in the shortgrass prairie ecosystem.
unique opportunity and expressed an interest in adding the Smoky Valley Ranch to the request of the ranchers. A detailed survey of prairie-dog colonies on the three-ranch complex and the preserve was conducted by the USFWS during July 2006. The Haverfield Ranch complex
Having served a couple decades earlier on the Black-footed Ferret Recovery Team, and more recently on the broad-based committee of 27 that Black-footed Ferret developed the Kansas Black-tailed Prairie Dog Conservation It was a wondrous event. We and Management finally found out the day of the release, Plan published in and hurriedly made it to the ranch just 2002, I realized this as the sun was setting and the release property’s potential was about to begin. Fourteen ferrets to advance wildlife were released on the Haverfield Ranch priorities, at both the complex. state and national A total of 74 ferrets have been level. A key released on five occasions from 2007 conservation strategy to 2010 on the Haverfield/Barnhart/ of the Kansas plan Blank complex. Although the density called for the state to of prairie dogs is currently low, due in maintain at least one part to the recent drought, they are prairie-dog complex scattered over more than 6,000 acres of 5,000 acres or within the 10,000-acre ranch complex. larger. This was it, Black-tailed Prairie Dog The Kansas reintroduction lands perhaps the only constitute one of just 19 recovery sites possibility. And – attempted to date in the U.S., Canada and this was by far the best candidate for an ranked highest with prairie dogs present Mexico. experimental reintroduction of Blackon 6,400 acres, the Bertrand Ranch footed Ferrets in the state and central second and the Smoky Valley Ranch With searchlights mounted on Great Plains. preserve third. An environmental vehicles, the Service sponsors periodic assessment for the potential release on ferret surveys over the course of several Larry and Gordon, and cattle rancher four sites in Logan County was prepared. nights at each of the two Kansas sites in Gene Bertrand, another wildlife The County Commission went ballistic March and September. In 2010 a total of enthusiast with property fifteen miles and the document was blocked in “D.C.” 58 different ferrets were observed, with away, were immediately receptive to the from publication in the Federal Register 45 captured to evaluate their health and prospect of hosting a ferret for a year by a member of the Kansas determine reproductive and survival reintroduction. Years earlier, both Congressional delegation, a tactic for information. Additional surveys were Gordon and Gene had independently holding up the project. The “invisible” conducted in August of 2011 to locate contacted wildlife biologists to express political obstacle was finally withdrawn family litters. Six families with young-ofinterest in hosting BFFs on their lands in in November 2007 and a little over a the-year were seen at the Haverfield Colorado and Kansas. In two months, on month later the Service was able to Ranch, and two families were found at November 18, 2005 a joint letter from release the first captive-raised ferrets the Smoky Valley Ranch. owners of 26,000 acres of land was given within the boundary of the state. to the US Fish and Wildlife Service More than a century ago, in 1901, the (USFWS or Service), asking the agency to consider three blocks of private ranchland with significant populations of prairie dogs as Black-footed Ferret reintroduction sites. Later, The Nature Conservancy realized that this was a
WESTERN KANSAS – December 18, 2007, a week before Christmas, twenty-four Black-footed Ferrets were released in prairie-dog colonies, 50 years since the last verified occurrence of the species in Kansas. – AOK release.
Kansas Legislature passed a series of statutes that allowed local government (township boards, now largely administered by county commissioners) to enter property to eradicate prairie dogs against the will of the landowners. It was
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A group of participants walk back after releasing ferrets on property owned by Maxine Blank. Lone Butte is visible in the background.
a time when many other “more desirable” species were already extinct or being exterminated from the state. That list included Bison, Elk, Pronghorns, Whitetailed Deer, Mule Deer, Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, Gray Wolves, Mountain Lions, Wild Turkeys, Ruffed Grouse, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Passenger Pigeons, Carolina Parakeets, as well as CentralFlyway migrants including Whooping Cranes and Eskimo Curlews. During the past decade, Audubon of Kansas has had several bills introduced in the Kansas Legislature to repeal these eradication statutes. However, with the exception of a gallant effort by Representative Dan Johnson of Hays, the legislature has failed for lack of additional leadership and support to repeal the antiquated statutes, as the Nebraska Unicameral did in 1994 and other states have done. Audubon of Kansas is encouraging concerned people to ask the special “Office of the Repealer” to push for repeal of the 1901 prairie dog eradication statutes (K.S.A. 80-1201 thru 80-1208). Everyone can do that by going on to the website < http://repealer.ks.gov/ > and posting a recommendation that the statutes be repealed. Governor Brownback established the office to investigate laws and regulations that are “unreasonable, unduly burdensome, duplicitous, or contradictory.” These statutes are certainly unreasonable and unduly burdensome on landowners and contradictory to conservation of imperiled species.
These antiquated statutes can be read on line at: http://kansasstatutes.lesterama. org/Chapter_80/Article_12/ Tragically, more than 100 years after enactment of eradication statutes, “extinctionists” are still in positions of power. The Logan County Commissioners adamantly oppose any intelligent dialog and deny the opportunity of others in their community to learn more or be able to consider various viewpoints. That was demonstrated anew during planning for a BFF celebration, when a handful of antiprairie-dog activists blocked educational forums planned for Oakley. OAKLEY – There's apparently no room at the inn…for a celebration heralding the 30th anniversary of the rediscovery of the still-imperiled blackfooted ferret. – Hays Daily News The Fish and Wildlife Service and other partners had scheduled an open house event for September 29 at the 4-H Building in Oakley. There were to be
presentations by volunteers from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo coming from Colorado Springs with a live Black-footed Ferret and other animals. Educational activities were also planned for local schools. The occasion was the 30th Anniversary of the rediscovery of Blackfooted Ferrets near Meeteetse, Wyoming on September 26, 1981. Prior to a ranch dog’s return with a dead ferret at that time, there was no evidence that the species still existed on earth. They were thought to have become extinct in the 1970s. Discovery of that Big Horn Basin “colony” of Black-footed Ferrets, and eventual removal of the last 17 survivors in the wild (threatened by a local outbreak of canine distemper), led to a successful captive -breeding program that became the source for all ferrets now known to exist. A “ferret festival” was held at the Badlands National Park in South Dakota on the weekend of September 24-26 to celebrate strides made toward recover this endangered species – but nothing of this
“…short-sighted men who in their greed and selfishness will, if permitted, rob our country of half its charm by their reckless extermination of all useful and beautiful wild things... Our duty to the whole, including the unborn generations, bids us restrain an unprincipled present-day minority from wasting the heritage of these unborn generations.” – Theodore Roosevelt ‘Bird Reserves at the Mouth of the Mississippi’. (1920)
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nature was going to be permitted in Logan County Kansas. County Commissioners withdrew permission for use of the 4-H building, citing a petition from six or eight people, and when the educational event was moved to a meeting room at the nearby truck stop the “aginers” reportedly threatened the owner with a boycott, so he withdrew permission. We have seen similar boycott tactics pulled from the tool box of “outside agitators” several times, most Wildlife associates of prairie dog colonies viciously against local business include Swift Foxes, Furrenginous Hawks, owners in Cottonwood Falls who Burrowing Owls and Black-footed Ferrets. supported establishment of the proposed Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. The preserve was opposed by the Kansas Farm Bureau and others aligned with them, and the consultant hired to oppose the preserve in 1989 was Charles Cushman of the National Inholders Association. He was also hired to oppose designation of the Niobrara River in Nebraska as a national scenic river in the same era. Hostility there was focused on river-valley ranch landowners and canoeoutfitting families who supported The Kansas Farm Bureau, along with designation as an alternative to the Logan County Commission, has condemnation of 30,000 acres for the big maintained a multi-year campaign to dam and diversion canal. demonize landowners who want to However, that is not the end of the conserve and manage prairie dogs on story on any of these issues. A their land. The anti-prairie-dog forces are progressive farm couple in Logan determined that the prairie dogs should County, Tim and Rebekah Peterson, who be poisoned, and the ferrets should go. believe in the merit of education and Forget any PR rhetoric they espouse enlightened exchange of ideas, contacted about protecting property rights. Contract me immediately after the cancellation exterminators have been hired by the was reported in the news. We planned an commission to go on the land without the event to be hosted at their family farm knowledge of the landowners. The first later on November 5 when Nicole Mantz, assault started at 6 p.m. on the Friday Education Curator of the Cheyenne evening of the Labor Day weekend in Mountain Zoo, could reschedule another 2007 when a poisoner trespassed and trip. The Petersons want to facilitate spent the weekend dropping Phostoxin more community harmony and project a gas tablets in burrows, then blocking much more open-minded, respectful them with plastic sandbags to prevent any image on the part of residents in that part animals from escaping. Phostoxin kills all of western Kansas. The afternoon (1 p.m. life within the burrows. to 7 p.m.) of November 5 is planned to be simply for fun and camaraderie, games, display of several educational animals, with food and refreshments, tours to the BFF reintroduction site and possibly live music. The Peterson farm is 15 miles west of Oakley on Highway 40 and 1/2 mile south.
Attorney Randall K. Rathbun was able to halt that operation in Shawnee District Court the following week, but Logan County has been appealing limitations on their poisoning prowess ever since. A trial was held on November 20, 2007, Larry Haverfield’s 70th
Birthday. He discovered when he and Bette returned to the ranch that an exterminator hired by the County Commission had treated an extensive acreage with Rozol while they were gone. Following the first trial, the Honorable Charles E. Andrews entered a restraining order limiting the extermination activities by Logan County on the ranch complex. An uncontroverted fact was that extermination of all prairie dogs would result in the death of the Black-footed Ferrets. Following additional litigation activity, Senior Judge Jack L. Lively determined that the injunction shall become permanent, and the defendant’s (Logan County Commission) request to exterminate prairie dogs on the complex pursuant to Kansas Statutes 80-121 et seq., was denied. That is now being appealed. The Court of Appeals of the State of Kansas is expected to have a hearing and consider a decision during the next few months. The Kansas Farm Bureau filed an Amicus brief in August advocating that state prairie-dog eradication statutes have been on the books for more than 100 years and Logan County should not be prevented from poisoning the FALL / WINTER 2011
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properties, irrespective of the presence of Black-footed Ferrets, other resource values or interests of the landowners. Much of the brief is devoted to attacking the Fish and Wildlife Service and the agency’s administration of the Endangered Species Act. Audubon of Kansas has stood with these landowners on every occasion and in every forum, and we applaud the professionalism of the USFWS.
The “prairie dog fence” consists of poultry netting, rebar fence posts placed at ten-foot intervals, and an electric fence to discourage prairie dogs from climbing – and to encourage them to stay back.
Left: A view of Florida steers grazing on the Haverfield Ranch.
Opponents have also employed a now-common anti-conservation tactic during the past couple of years. It involves hiring an out-of-state agitator to stir up mistrust of the US Fish and Wildlife Service and others involved in the conservation project. They make outrageous claims that the Kansas-based entities wouldn’t want to be directly accountable for, even though the distinction between the activities of the “hired agitator” and the other entities is blurred. However, the state’s Open Records Act made it possible to follow the money trail paid by the county. In western Kansas, the primary “consultant” for these opponents has been Fred Kelly Grant of Idaho. He has provided what appears to be legal advice – even though some of it appears absurd – to the county and has written letters, for the signature of Logan County Commissioners, attacking the integrity of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The county is billed at an hourly rate of $150. He promotes his legal expertise and experience and has tried to get other western Kansas county commissions on board to exterminate prairie dogs and rally against the USFWS – and help pay for his services. But he is not registered to practice law in
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the state of Kansas – a potential violation of law – or in Idaho. Copies of correspondence between the Logan County Commission and the US Fish and Wildlife Service are posted on the AOK website. The Fish and Wildlife Service has bent over backwards to address every reasonable concern raised by landowners with property near the reintroduction sites. As a special consideration, the Service in partnership with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, TNC and APHIS-WS have collectively invested nearly a hundred thousand dollars annually controlling prairie dogs for free within three miles of the reintroduction sites – even though many of the prairie dogs were present before the project started. Audubon of Kansas, working in partnership with USFWS cost-share funding, has also built ten miles of specially designed fence along the border of the Haverfield complex to discourage dispersal of prairie dogs into surrounding pastures. This is combined with twenty-two miles of vegetative barrier established by Larry Haverfield. An electric fence was built all along the perimeter of the property to exclude grazing from a 90-foot wide barrier. The resulting taller vegetation in
these barriers has been demonstrated to discourage prairie-dog colony expansion and dispersal. Although the prairie-dog colonies associated with the reintroduction sites are magnets for wildlife, much of the Logan County (and Wallace County) landscape is becoming more barren of that life. The Logan County noxiousweed department, which poisons prairie dogs much of the year, purchased 46 tons of Rozol in 2008. Rozol-poisoned prairie dogs take up to three weeks to die, and as they become prey or are scavenged by predators, the predators (Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, Ferruginous Hawks, Swift Foxes and Badgers) are in turn poisoned and often killed. The cause of death cannot usually be determined, but the remains of 17 hawks and two Golden Eagles were found on the Haverfield Ranch in one season. Golden Eagles have also been shot in the immediate vicinity in recent years, a reflection of a disdain for wildlife by some. Nothing in nature is static, and new challenges to this reintroduction site and others have arisen. But in the past couple of years the western Kansas BFF reintroduction has been described as the most promising reintroduction in the nation.
A Family Makes Prairie Wings possible. This edition of Prairie Wings magazine is made possible through a contribution from Bill and Jennifer Browning. Because of Bill’s consistent advocacy for publishing a full-fledged AOK magazine at Board of Trustee meetings during the past couple of years, Prairie Wings will now become a regular publication of Audubon of Kansas. Bill also stepped to the plate with quill in hand. His articles on Greater Prairie-chickens, Board activities and Sericea lespedeza illustrate his dedication to wildlife and prairie This photo is a glimpse of the Browning family, Jennifer, Bill and their conservation. He has been actively son Will as caught on camera in the late 1970s. Daughter Elizabeth joined later. Will left the ranch to become an accomplished Opera singer. involved in Audubon since May 1978. Conservation is a family affair for the Brownings, including parents, children and sisters. Many of us think of “Audubon” as an extension of family, friendships and community. We share values relating to the natural world and other people throughout the world.
Please Consider Making Future Editions of Prairie Wings Possible. We hope you and others will consider underwriting future editions of PRAIRIE WINGS. If interested, we invite you to contact Ron Klataske, Bill Browning or any of the other Trustees. The business plan is to publish and mail two editions annually, a Spring/Summer edition in early April and fall/winter editions in early October. For this prototype edition, 5,000 copies are being printed and distributed. This plan, of course, is dependent on availability of sufficient resources, and the number of memberships and/or subscriptions received. We will continue to have compelling articles and photography focusing on wildlife, nature appreciation, conservation and enjoyment of prairies, wetlands, woodlands, rivers and much more in the central Great Plains and prairie states. With this prototype as a standard, we anticipate submissions from additional authors, photographers and artists. Although PRAIRIE WINGS does not currently have advertisements, we may consider this possibility to help finance the magazine in the future.
Please share this edition of PRAIRIE WINGS with others. You can help promote appreciation and proper stewardship of our natural world by giving the magazine to others who may be interested. REUSE is a pillar of environmental living. Many libaries have magazine-sharing sections where folks can leave or pick up magazines. Likewise, the reception areas in medical offices, hospitals and other business establishments are excellent places to leave fine magazines of this nature. There are very few publications – and not many grassroots organizations – devoted to wildlife and prairie conservation advocacy in this part of the country. Thus, any assistance with educational outreach and membership recruitment will be greatly appreciated.
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It is almost impossible to adequately capture the majesty of North America’s remaining intact Tallgrass Prairie landscapes. They only exist in the Flint Hills of Kansas and to a lesser extent in the Osage Hills of Oklahoma. So many prairie places have been permanently marred by man, sparing few. My most breathtaking opportunity to portray that majesty on ilm occurred on a late June afternoon three decades ago while lying for this view in the southern Flint Hills. The photograph has helped to inspire appreciation for this special signature landscape. I never tire of looking at these timeless hills. However, as implied elsewhere, when commerce and nature collide, nature usually loses. Massive industrial windpower developments are promoted as “green” but built foremost for dazzling tax subsidizes measured in tens of millions. We lack adequate economic measures for ecological bene its with countless expressions of life and venues of natural beauty. How do we say goodbye to the last prairies, especially if they are destroyed in our lifetime – for greed, as were Bison before for their tongues or hides – and collectively we failed to do enough to preserve them? – Ron Klataske
Before (above) and after photos near Beaumont, Kansas.
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For Designation of America’s
Tallgrass Heartland Governor Sam Brownback Deserves Our Appreciation In May 2011 Governor Sam Brownback made a bold move that, we trust, will have lasting benefit for saving Tallgrass Prairie landscapes – and associated natural and cultural resources – in the Flint Hills and Chautauqua Hill Country of Kansas. Audubon of Kansas encourages everyone who shares our commitment to protection of these areas to thank the governor for designation of the “Tallgrass Heartland” as an area that should be off limits for additional, massive, industrial windpower-development projects. In addition to designating the “Tallgrass Heartland,” the governor’s administration is promoting an increase in ecotourism in the Flint Hills and preservation of tallgrass prairie. Brownback said the extreme rarity of this last large-scale vestige of the tallgrass prairie located in the Flint Hills calls for extraordinary care and attention. Audubon of Kansas, and an increasing number of other organizations and residents, expressed alarm in 2002 when it became apparent that a tsunami of windpower projects was headed for the Flint Hills. A score of proposals, each involving
thousands of acres, extended 150 miles from near Manhattan to the south. In 2004, a report prepared by the Wind and Prairie Task Force, established by the State Energy Resources Coordination Council under Governor Kathleen Sebelius, highlighted areas of tallgrass prairie most appropriate for preservation. That led to designation of the “Heart of the Flint Hills” as an area where there would be a moratorium on commercial-windpower development. It was a major step forward. Unfortunately, the southern Flint Hills were not protected. The Elk River Wind Energy Project proceeded on 8,000 acres south of Beaumont, and another 14,000 acres are currently being sliced and diced for the Caney River Wind Energy Project. The “Tallgrass Heartland” designation encompasses the southern Flint Hills and essentially doubles the total area of prairie landscapes “to be free from additional commercial wind farm development.” The plan received broad-based support from Flint Hills ranchers, conservationists, power companies (including Westar) and governmental officials. The most vocal and organized opposition was expressed by the Kansas Farm Bureau. Statements included with the governor’s news release included the following:
A. Scott Ritchie, Tallgrass Ranchers: “We enthusiastically applaud Governor Brownback’s commitment to expand protection of the Tallgrass Heartland. His farsighted initiative will pay dividends for generations to come. Saving the tallgrass prairie from industrial development is the right thing to do and is a legacy we hope to leave to Kansans and to all Americans. We thank the governor for his strong leadership to achieve this grand result.” Ron Klataske, Executive Director, Audubon of Kansas: “The governor’s designation of an expanded area of Flint Hills and tallgrass-prairie landscape is a wonderful development. It recognizes the area for its natural ecological character and ranching culture, and reflects the interests of most residents within the Flint Hills region and folks statewide, who support the importance of working together to build appreciation for this unique signature Kansas landscape.”
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Larry Patton, President of Protect the Flint Hills: “Protect the Flint Hills supports Governor Brownback’s plan to expand the area designated as the Tallgrass Heartland. The Governor’s proposal shows that he appreciates the significance of the Kansas Flint Hills region and that his administration is committed to preserving the last of the tallgrass-prairie ecosystem for future generations.” FALL / WINTER 2011
Zimmerman vs. Wabaunsee County In June 2004 the Wabaunsee County Commissioners adopted regulations which prohibit industrial-scale-wind-towers. They intended to preserve the rural quality of the county and protect property values, quality of life, and opportunities for naturebased tourism, as well as the environment. A few landowners who had leases with windpower developers filed an appeal to the district court. After one false start in the district court, the Judge eventually ruled in favor of the county and upheld the regulations. The case then went to the Kansas Supreme Court. Audubon of Kansas filed a friend-of-the-court brief. In October 2009 the court decided part of the questions favorably to AOK and scheduled certain other questions for additional argument. At that time Audubon of Kansas filed a second friend-of-the-court brief. The Kansas League of Municipalities and the Kansas Association of Counties have also supported AOK’s position. To date, the Court has not issued its opinion on the remaining questions. One result of this is that windpower developers have been blocked from proceeding with any projects in Wabaunsee County. The case involves some novel questions never before decided in Kansas or elsewhere, and is being watched carefully across the country. A Bald Eagle statute in front of the Riley County Courthouse in honor of All American Veterans.
– Dick Seaton, Attorney at Law AOK Vice Chairman for Legal Affairs
Photo by Ron Klataske.
Defenders and AOK vs. EPA on Rozol Prairie Dog Bait Rozol Prairie Dog Bait is a poison that should never have been approved by EPA for use in the landscape because that agency elected to disregard federal law established for the protection of endangered species and migratory birds. Tragically, the poison got its start with manufacturer-financed-field “studies” on its effectiveness for killing prairie dogs in Kansas and was sponsored for approval within Kansas and promoted next to Nebraska by a KSU wildlife extension specialist. The distributor LIPHATECH of Milwaukee, Wisconsin then published and widely distributed sales literature throughout the Great Plains citing the Kansas “endorsement.” The threat of secondary poisoning to predators and scavengers that feed on dead or dying prairie dogs was never thoroughly studied or determined prior to EPA approval. It became apparent that Rozol was a dire threat to raptors and mammals that fed on poisoned prairie dogs, including Black-footed Ferrets. Early documentation of secondary poisoning included a Bald Eagle killed in Nebraska. Audubon of Kansas was one of the first conservation entities to sound the alarm and it was first done with a 71-page document filed with EPA in 2007. Much of the most disconcerting field documentation came from the work of field biologists in other states. Concerns were expressed by state agencies, the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in letters to EPA in opposition to approval of Rozol Prairie Dog Bait. With Jason Rylander, Senior Staff Attorney with Defenders of Wildlife (DOW), providing the legal expertise, DOW and AOK sued the EPA for approving the use of Rozol and ignoring federal safeguards under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. In a recent decision, a district court in the District of Columbia sided with Defenders and AOK, ruling that EPA had indeed violated the ESA by approving Rozol without first consulting with the US Fish and Wildlife Service over the potential impacts of Rozol on threatened and endangered species. Further, when EPA registered Rozol for use on prairie dogs in 2009, they elected to do so without notifying the public or providing the public an opportunity to make comments. The final order in the case temporarily bars use of Rozol in four states, and EPA has agreed to complete consultation with USFWS over Rozol use in ten states to reduce the prospect of death to listed species. However, the consultation will be largely limited to consideration of threatened and endangered species – leaving the widespread threat of secondary Rozol poisoning exposure to Ferruginous Hawks, Golden Eagles, Swift Foxes, Badgers and many other forms of prairie life. Rozol contains the blood thinner chlorophacinone which causes death by internal hemorrhaging. When used on prairie doges it often takes weeks to finally kill the animals. It is during the extended dying phase as well as after death that the poisoned prairie dogs can be readily consumed by other animals which in turn become exposed to the poison.
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The Hutton Niobrara Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary – A Sanctuary for Wildlife & People!
An aerial view of the northern part of the Niobrara Sanctuary including a portion of the spectacularly scenic river, bottomland forests and wet meadows, woodlands extending up the hillsides, Rock Creek canyon, and upland prairies to the south.
Creation of a Wildlife Sanctuary: 1980 to 2011 Article and Photos by Ron Klataske
I
t was a surprising development!
I would never have wagered a bet that in 2002 the Audubon of Kansas Board of Trustees would accept stewardship responsibility for nearly 5,000 acres to create a wildlife sanctuary in northern Nebraska. When one reflects on the AOK mission and the conservation initiatives under the overarching banner of “Taking Pride in Prairies,” however it is in alignment with the stars in this conservation universe. It is a spectacular property. The upland prairies are part of the Nebraska Sandhills, streams in two deep canyons bring a constant flow of clear spring water, and the northern Sharp-tailed Grouse edge of the property includes several miles of the Niobrara River – a nationally designated Beginning in the spring of 1980, I had the honor of working scenic river. Trustees immediately took pride closely with landowners along a 76-mile stretch of Niobrara to in stewardship of what soon became the Hutton Niobrara advance a proposal to win Congressional designation of the Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary. It is now a prominent part of AOK’s Niobrara River as a national scenic river. As West-Central Great Plains Conservation Partnership Program – a partnership Regional Vice President of the National Audubon Society, I extending beyond state boundaries, dedicated to collaboration, developed the plan to seek national scenic river designation for and leadership designed to advance conservation of grassland this most spectacular stretch of the Niobrara as an alternative to a birds, other wildlife and native prairie landscapes.
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of the 10,894-acre Z-Bar Ranch to become the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, was a leading advocate for board acceptance of the Hutton property. Within a month, Bob McElroy trailered two Tennessee Walkers to the property and we rode and photographed the prairies, river breaks and wet meadows – where numerous Bobolinks rose to declare their nesting territories. As a reflection of Bob’s keen interest in the sanctuary, Strider, his beautiful black gelding, has been back on the sanctuary every year since 2002!
Bob McElroy riding in the wet meadow.
US Bureau of Reclamation proposal to dam and divert the river. The massive $205-million O’Neill Reclamation Project/Norden Dam would have taken 30,000 acres of private land, inundated 19 miles and ruined the river downstream with drastically reduced flows. I first visited Harold Hutton one evening in October 1980. My good friend from Kansas, Bill Browning, was with me on that trip. We brought two of my horses and rode the remarkable bluffs bordering the river valley – with the most memorable experiences riding in view of herds of Bison in the Fort Niobrara Refuge wilderness area, and through Ponderosa Pine breaks with rancher Franklin Eglehoff. We camped on his land next to the river and were up before sunrise to travel fifty miles downstream to join Tony Arrowsmith first and then meet with other landowners. The Arrowsmith family owns land directly across the river from the Hutton property and have kept that remarkably scenic vista pristine and intact. From that first meeting, Harold worked with me, and later others in pursuit of an entity that would accept the responsibility of managing this property in perpetuity. Over a period of two decades Harold detailed his vision for the land; his preference was for it to become an “Audubon sanctuary;” and, he expressed his management philosophies on many occasions. Several organizations, and two entities of Nebraska state government, were considered. Most importantly, Harold did not want any of the land to be sold in the future, and most organizations and agencies will not accept land with strings attached. Following Harold’s death, Lucille requested that Audubon of Kansas consider the responsibility of accepting title and stewardship responsibility, subject to life-estate privileges for Lucille. AOK’s Board of Trustees including members from Nebraska, as well as Kansas and Missouri, accepted. Dudley Alexander, the former trust officer for Boatman’s National Bank of Kansas City, who made possible the purchase
Long-billed Curlews
Fulfillment of our obligations has been a labor of love for the land and for Harold’s vision. However, it hasn’t been easy at times. AOK had to take our cause to a district court trial in 2008 to establish our authority to terminate heavy grazing and establish new grazing leases and stocking rates designed to improve rangeland conditions and provide near-optimal nesting and brood habitat for prairie grouse and other grassland birds. Prior to our initiative to make changes, the vegetation was clipped so short in all grazed grassland units that it was difficult to hide a golf ball the following spring at the beginning of the nesting season. With the leadership of Charles Wright, a distinguished Nebraska attorney who served as a Trustee and that of Dick Seaton, also an attorney, the litigation was favorably resolved. As part of our planning, Dr. Robert J. Robel, nationally recognized as an authority on grassland grouse, prepared a comprehensive report on habitat and management “Needs to Enhance Prairie Grouse Populations…” and it is one of our guiding lights for management. A comprehensive vegetative survey, with management recommendations, was also prepared by Dr. James Stubbendieck, Professor of Grassland Ecology at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Our stewardship plan is to incorporate biodiversity as a measure of rangeland health. Grasslands throughout the world serve as both rangeland for livestock and as reservoirs of biodiversity. Greater plant diversity has been shown to positively impact total above-ground productivity and the stability of production in grasslands. Despite its importance, biodiversity is not included in many standard systems for assessing rangeland health. As prescribed, all of the “pastures” were rested in 2009 and a dramatic response occurred by the summer of 2010. One of the rewards was an opportunity to see broods of Sharptailed Grouse along the roads. Although a vast exaggeration, an operator of a spray rig treating a field in preparation for planting of a wildlife food plot said he must have flushed “two thousand grouse!” FALL / WINTER 2011
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Sufficient height and density of vegetation is critical for nesting prairie grouse. Brood habitat must also provide chicks an invertebrate food source and concealment from predators, plus loafing areas and be generally open enough to permit travel. The best brood habitats are heterogeneous grasslands consisting of grasses and forbs with vegetation height from 8 to 20 inches. Forbs consisting of 25 to 60 percent of the canopy cover provide a significant share of the invertebrate food sources needed, along with seeds, fruits and greens at other times of the year. A few low-profile shrubs help to provide shade and year-round protection from the elements. On a landscape scale, sustainable prairie grouse populations require expansive areas of relatively treeless prairie with little human disturbance. Neighbors have commented that they are seeing more birds now. To our delight it seems at times that Western Meadowlarks are everywhere, as they should be in these prairies. They are joined by an abundance of Grasshopper Sparrows, Lark Sparrows and Upland Sandpipers during the nesting season. The traffic stopper along the unimproved road within the sanctuary, however, has been the annual presence of a breeding pair of Long-billed Curlews. Three adults watched over two fluffy young along that road during a very special field trip in June 2010. Bobolinks nest in the wet meadows along the river. Although the meadows are utilized for hay harvesting, we do not allow any mowing prior to the middle of July. Bobolinks arrive in mid May and need a couple months to nest and raise young to fledging. Tragically for this species, many hay fields all across the Midwest are cut in June while the young are still in the nests; territorial males can be seen singing on perches within fields as noisy swathers cut and windrow the vegetation. In the summer of 2009 we left a portion of the wet meadow unmowed as part of a plant study conducted by UNL graduate students Barbara Kagima and Jonathan Soper. One of their discoveries was an abundance of Nodding Lady’s Tresses Orchid (Spiranthes cernua), a late-summer orchid. These meadows have a rich diversity of native plants, but controlling smooth brome and other non-native invasive grasses is a challenge. We are working to eliminate bromegrass within the sanctuary. Deciduous woodlands include stands of stately Cottonwoods along the river, and mixed forests including Bur Oak, Basswood and Ironwood extend along the north-facing slopes and into the
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canyons of Rock Creek and Willow Creek. These habitats host nesting Ovenbirds, American Redstarts, Black and White Warblers and attract many other neotropical migrants. Wild Turkeys, originally of the Merriman race with Eastern birds downstream, strut and display in the wet meadows all along the edge of the woodlands. Wetlands provide another dimension to the bottomlands near the river, where Canada Geese and Yellowthroats add their voices to the chorus of Leopard Frogs. John Schukman of Leavenworth Kansas coordinates the Breeding Bird Surveys. He added a Virginia Rail to Western the list last June, in the wetland just Meadowlark east of the homestead house where Harold Hutton lived as a child. Bald Eagles are present in every month and are most often seen along the river’s edge. Whooping Cranes and Sandhill Cranes sometimes make migratory stops here, especially in October, where they roost and loaf on sandbars in shallow reaches of the braided Niobrara, similar to the Platte River. The US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed designation of this stretch of river as Critical Habitat for Whooping Cranes in the 1970s, but that official recognition was withdrawn because of the political conflict caused by the proposed Norden Dam. To our shared delight, John Sanford, a volunteer working at the sanctuary, watched three River Otters playing in a backwater along the river’s edge. Beavers are doing well, building new lodges and any dams will provide improved conditions for Topminnows and Wood Ducks. Hopefully the Beavers will contribute to control the trees encroaching within the river and on the upper reaches of Willow Creek – where we want to restore the “open canopy” character of the prairie stream. Porcupines have often been observed browsing on clover in the meadows as if they were Woodchucks, or clinging high up to the trunks of trees like sloths. White-tailed Jackrabbits occur in the upland prairies, and Ord’s Kangaroo Rats are common in the sandy terrain and can be seen darting across the grassed-over road during nighttime drives. Bobcats and Badgers along with more abundant Coyotes are the principle mammalian predators, but on the night of May 8, 2010 Lana Micheel’s trail camera captured a remarkable photograph of a Mountain Lion on her land just a half mile from the sanctuary. Lana grew up on a family farm nearby and is the sanctuary’s part time On-site Coordinator. The following
Bush Morning-glory
November, with two guests from Alabama I viewed a clear set of tracks crossing a sand draw. The presence of this magnificent native cat is welcome, on the sanctuary at least, as a part of the region’s wildlife heritage. The area has an abundance of wild prey, and we haven’t heard of any livestock losses. A network of trail cameras on the sanctuary indicated a dramatic reduction in the Raccoon population coinciding with the cat’s presence. From the standpoint of ground nesting birds, that could be a highly desirable development – potentially a benefit of a Mountain Lion’s presence for even six months. Raccoons are notorious nest predators. An abundance of White-tailed Deer and a few Mule Deer occur on the sanctuary. Recently Elk have occupied the hills just north of the river and the bugling of bull Elk could be heard across the valley in the evening last October. With most Great Plains landscapes converted to intensive agricultural development, this place is increasingly blessed with the presence of wildlife reminiscent of the last enclaves of wilderness abundance highlighted by artist/naturalist writer Ernest Thompson Seton. A man who experienced nature in the late 19th Century, Seton was also a naturalist who was ahead of his time, particularly in regard to his views about predators and conservation. “Of all the beasts that roam America’s woods, the Cougar is the…hunter without peer,” he wrote. “Built with the maximum power, speed and endurance that can be jammed into his 150 pounds of lithe and splendid beasthood, his daily routine is a march of stirring athletic events that not another creature –
Lana Micheel installing wildlife escape ladders.
in America, at least – can hope to equal.” He was deeply concerned for the future of the North American prairie, and was an advocate for parks for endangered animals Our management is designed to restore and preserve, to the extent feasible, the natural character and “wilderness values” of this modest piece of land, while also including a compatible – even complementary – level of livestock grazing, along with nature-based and rural-life experiential visitation. Great Plains grasslands evolved with the ecological influence of grazing, and modest grazing often has positive effects on species richness and diversity. Most importantly because we want wildlife management to be incorporated with the most positive attributes of traditional ranching, we do not currently plan to shift to Bison. Grazing fees help us pay the property taxes, a $28,000 contribution we elected to maintain but could have avoided. Everyone depends on local and state governmental services. With considerable Audubon investment and as part of the USDA Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), a pipeline watering system and fifteen livestock tanks were installed throughout the sanctuary in 2011. The livestock watering system, combined with installation of some new sections of fence to limit livestock access, is designed to keep cattle out of the two major spring-fed streams – thereby improving water quality, aquatic and riparian habitat. In 2008 fisheries biologist Larry Pape and range ecologist Dr. Pat Reece conducted a thorough survey of the fish species present and discovered a resource worthy of special management strategies. Major portions of the Willow Creek canyon, including the steep sandy walls will seldom be subject to grazing. The new fences are “wildlife friendly,” with the bottom of three strands of wire barbless and elevated 16 inches off the ground. Grazing distribution within grassland units will be more easily managed. Soon after the livestock tanks were installed, I anticipated that they would become death traps, and we discovered that an excessive number of birds and other small animals had perished. Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Soil Conservationist LaCaylla Ritter found designs for wildlife escape ladders. They are used in Montana to benefit Greater Sage Grouse, and also in western Nebraska by the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory. Lana Micheel had ladders made at a cost of less than $20 each by a local handyman, and she installed them. FALL / WINTER 2011
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Whisenhunt, of North Platte, developed the burn plan. Safety considerations were highest priority. It included clearing a 200-foot-wide fireguards through dense stands of 20-foot-high cedars on steep slopes and down through the deep Rock Creek canyon, and mowing of several miles of fire lines in the more open country.
A fire management Dream Team in Bassett.
A flock of Mountain Bluebirds foraged among the shrubs in the blackened landscape the morning after the fire. Then, a carpet of vibrant green covered these hills by June. The benefits became apparent. It was the first controlled burn of this size in the county, but hopefully not the last.
It is conceivable that tens of thousands of birds are drowned in tanks in the Great Plains each year. With that experience in mind, I took this concern to the U.S.D.A. State Technical Committee meeting in Kansas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and NRCS adopted the practice of requiring wildlife escape ramps in tanks that are cost-shared with EQIP funding. The most demanding management challenge has been control of invasive cedar trees on grasslands, hillsides and within the deciduous woodlands. With an absence of fire, Red Cedars began taking over parts of this landscape forty years ago and the rate has accelerated. With cost-share assistance from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, cedars have been cleared from 2,500 acres of grassland. And, in March of 2011 a controlled burn was used to send countless small cedars to a fiery death and reinvigorate the upland prairies and wet meadows on 2,000 acres of the sanctuary. In a landscape where prescribed burning is not yet a common management practice, this burn was made possible by the involvement of the Fire Learning Network, a fire management and training certification program supported by federal agencies and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Jeremy D. Bailey brought together thirty-five participants and all the needed equipment. Thirteen fire ecology students from the University of Idaho drove seventeen hours each way to participate in this and other planned fires during their spring break. Audubon of Kansas sponsored their lodging at the Bassett Lodge and we coordinated with other community leaders to have the entire crew stay in town to provide added economic benefits to the city. Everything worked out beautifully, but drier surface and warmer weather conditions would have resulted in torching thousands more larger cedars. Preparation for the prescribed burn was demanding and required significant investment. Nebraskaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) prescribed-burn specialist Doug
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Our next major stewardship joint venture, involving the expertise of the Nebraska Forest Service and NRCS, is restoration of native deciduous forests by thinning and removal of cedars. Many of the cedars will be used for posts and other products, thereby reducing our costs. Red cedar posts work reasonably well in the Sandhills where they do not rot rapidly in the ground as in heavy moist soils. One of our neighbors, Ward Harlan has made hundreds of cedar posts from selective removal of cedars within just three or four acres on the sanctuary. We have reserved some of the larger poles for construction of a horse corral. Understory cedar thickets that are nearly impermeable now will become open woodlands â&#x20AC;&#x201C; where antlered Elk can run, if they cross the river and utilize this welcoming mosaic of woodlands and meadows. Concurrently, we are creating several miles of trails for visitors through the same intriguing terrain and to places overlooking the Niobrara River valley. The first trail will be named in honor of Wesley Sandall, a Bassett rancher and conservationist who was instrumental in leading the 1975-1985 statewide coalition of rural and urban residents who successfully opposed construction of the dam and diversion project that would have destroyed the Niobrara River as they knew and loved it.
Additional sections of trails will enter canyons and cross expanses of prairie – while avoiding by time or space critical nesting habitat used by prairie grouse and other sensitive species. Volunteers are needed to help with establishment, improvement and maintenance of the trails. The trails will be available on various occasions for hiking and horseback riding – and on an ongoing basis for guests staying at the Hutton guesthouse and Lazy Easy Ranch guesthouse.
It is hoped that donations and lodging revenue from guests will substantially help to provide funding for sanctuary stewardship and management enhancements. During USDA’s 39th Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) enrollment in 2010, we enrolled 43 acres of previous cultivated cropland in CRP. All of it was planted into a mixture of native grasses and forbs, but 17 of the acres were planted to a diverse array of wildflowers for the specific purpose of it serving as “Pollinator Habitat.” Native bees, butterflies and other pollinators will be the beneficiaries of this demonstration project. The need for pollinator habitat was identified and incorporated in the 2008 Farm Bill. The native grasses and forbs will provide year-round habitat for a variety of birds and other wildlife, and they are made even more attractive by several wild plum thickets in the fencerows surrounding the field. Four Bobwhite Quail, two pairs still together in early May, maintained their fidelity to the field as every inch was covered by the no-till drill. This 52-acre complex has been designated as the Charles Wright Wildlife Habitat Area in honor of Charlie’s work on behalf of the sanctuary, and his earlier years of leadership on the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. One hundred and fifty acres of similar habitat were planted in 2006 within the 212-acre unit designated as the Harold “Andy” W. Andersen Wildlife Habitat Area. The wildflowers, legumes
and native grasses have been spectacular. This habitat has become the epicenter for Dickcissels during the nesting season, and it has been one of the areas used most consistently by Mule Deer. With a journalism career that started with a paper route, Andy became publisher of the Omaha World Herald. He also served as chairman of the Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation and has been a statewide leader in many capacities – most notably in our view as a conservationist. The Andersen unit also includes a 20-acre wildlife food plot planted to perennial legumes, two blocks of trees reminiscent of early settlements, a windmill with water tanks which we keep filled, and a 20-acre site planned for reestablishment of a Blacktailed Prairie Dog colony. As in so many places, prairie dogs have been extirpated from Rock County in recent decades and some of the wildlife species associated with and/or dependent on the habitat or prey base they provide have disappeared as residents as well. The Black-tailed Prairie Dog is a keystone species. Studies have demonstrated that a prairie-dog colony can double plant species richness and diversity in mixed grass prairie. The presence of prairie dogs and the habitat alterations (burrows and “grazing lawns”) they create attract and benefit an array of other wildlife species. The planned colony will add to the biodiversity of the sanctuary. Our plan is to transfer 100 prairie dogs from the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge east of Valentine. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has been a conservation partner in this proposal, and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has provided a “Scientific and Educational Permit” which will allow Audubon to establish the new colony. From the beginning we planned to build a “prairie-dog fence” similar to the one we constructed in western Kansas. It discourages dispersal from the site used for the experimental reintroduction of Black-footed Ferrets, and the fence is an appropriate condition of the permit. Two years ago we established a vegetative buffer consisting of tall grasses and forbs, including Maximilian Sunflower, and it
Moving cattle on the sanctuary.
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will frame the fence to further discourage dispersal. Our objective is to completely confine the prairie dogs to this field for management, monitoring and observation. It will also provide an opportunity to study and further determine the effectiveness of these two measures for use by others in other locations. Our proposal to re-establish a prairie-dog colony on the property, even in the middle of 5,000 acres largely surrounded by a wide river and deep wooded canyons, drew the ire of a number of individuals who want to exterminate them in the adjacent county north of the river and keep them extinct in the Rock County landscape. Tragically, as tens of thousands of acres of native rangeland in the area are converted to cultivation in response to the high price of corn, boosted by ethenol production, the abundance of many more prairie species is being dramatically diminished in this general area. The loss of ranchlands and conversion of the culture of ranching to “corporate-scale” cultivation demanding high energy and water inputs and subsidies are a sad reflection of national policies.
Wildlife conservationists in Nebraska are enthusiastic that we are providing leadership for a besieged species important for conservation of other imperiled wildlife. The project is another good test of commitment! Audubon of Kansas is willing to maintain a steadfast commitment to our mission in the central Great Plains and prairies, and to our stewardship responsibilities for any land we accept as part of AOK’s sanctuary system. If successful, the colony will likely be used by Burrowing Owls for nesting within a year or two. And, if the prairie dogs begin to multiply they will seasonally attract Ferruginous Hawks and Golden Eagles – two raptors that often specialize on these once-abundant and widespread sources of prey. Ornate Box Turtles and a variety of amphibians and reptiles routinely use prairie-dog burrows for shelter and hibernation sites. In addition to restoring a small piece of this element of the prairie ecosystem, an observation blind is being built to provide opportunities for wildlife viewing and photography at the colony. The colony can also be viewed in a historic framework! Lewis and Clark described their first “prairie-dog-town” experience fifty miles northeast of this site in September 1804. There on a high knob, west of the Missouri River and north of the Niobrara River, they captured their first prairie dog. A live prairie dog was among the specimens sent to President Thomas Jefferson from Fort Mandan in 1805. We cannot hope to maintain all of the landscapes and wildlife splendor experienced by earlier explorers, the Native Americans before or even the first settlers to the interior of the continent. But we can pattern our actions after the advice of Aldo Leopold. Leopold wrote that “A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.”
Sharing the Sanctuary
www.niobrarasantuary.org
The Niobrara Sanctuary is as much for people as it is for wildlife. It is a place where we hope to promote the enjoyment, and understanding of restored and protected natural ecosystems. In addition to nearly complete remodeling and upgrading of the Hutton House to improve energy efficiency and make the residential structure more accommodating for guests, we have redesigned a large section semi-separate from the house to serve as an “Interpretive and Education Gallery.” Examples of Lucille Hutton’s paintings and other extraordinary artistic creations will be displayed, along with arrowheads, early settlement artifacts and fossils collected by Harold. Range ecologist Dr. Pat Reece found a stone axe on the slopes of Willow Creek canyon and saved it for the planned displays – displays that will, in part, give recognition to the legacy of Native Americans in the Plains. The axe was likely used by Paleo Indians, the first Americans, to cut trees and break large mammal bones. It is only natural that we will strive to feature a range of natural history and cultural subjects reflective of life in this area. Harold was well known as a historian, having written several books on local individuals and about incidents during the frontier era, such as “Doc Middleton, Life and Legends of the Notorious Plains Outlaw,” and “Vigilante Days: Frontier Justice Along the Niobrara.” His last book, “The River That Runs,” features the Niobrara River Valley. Harold was generous with planned gifts to conservation organizations and local community entities that provide health care and other services. While working with Harold in the 1980s he granted a substantial stock investment to the National Audubon Society. After the property was gifted to Audubon of Kansas, Lucille designated that it must be used to benefit the sanctuary. In the spirit of that directive, the National Audubon Society is financially partnering with Audubon of Kansas to make the structural and furnishing improvements to the Hutton Guesthouse and visitor center, and build wildlife viewing blinds.
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Visiting the Niobrara Sanctuary: Two Inviting Guesthouses and an Unforgettable Prairie Landscape Article by Ryan Klataske uring the Fourth of July holiday, my wife Rachel and I had the opportunity to introduce four of our friends to the Niobrara Sanctuary. We spent most of our afternoons lounging in the shallow, warm water of the Niobrara River, which runs along a three-mile stretch of the Sanctuary’s northern edge. This nationally designated scenic river, one of the treasures of the Great Plains, is enjoyed by tens of thousands of visitors annually. However, from our spot along the quiet “lower” stretch that borders the Sanctuary, we felt as if we had this inspiring landscape all to ourselves. The only sign of the everyday world around us was an old windmill across the river and a row of hay bales in the distance. Our only other company on the river were the Cliff Swallows that swooped across the sandbanks and the Green Heron resting nearby. Small schools of minnows nipped at our feet, offering the feeling of a “high-end spa treatment,” as our friend, Andy Norman, later wrote.
D
On one of our most memorable evenings, we loaded our musical instruments – two guitars, a washtub bass and a musical saw – into the bed of the red, four-wheel drive pickup that is available for Sanctuary guests. We drove to a bluff overlooking the river valley, circled our instruments, and sang oldtime songs as the sun set. A small group of deer passed by on the next hillside, stopping briefly to investigate.
As the sky darkened, nighthawks zipped overhead as if to offer their soprano sounds to our jam session. The evening of “prairieoke,” as we termed it, became the idea for a group event sponsored by the non-profit organization, HEAR Nebraska, which later brought together a group of music enthusiasts for a weekend of camaraderie and song in this natural setting. We hope that all guests who visit the Niobrara Sanctuary leave with special memories such as these. Like Andy and his wife Angie, we hope that this landscape and the unique experiences it offers inspires them to bring back their friends and family, or plan their own retreat for music, nature photography, biking, birding, astronomy or other interests. Nature-based tourism such as this can play an important role in the future of the Great Plains and be a vital tool in support of prairie conservation. For the Niobrara Sanctuary, visitors help to support the range of conservation efforts on the property, including restoration of native plant communities, reintroduction of wildlife, and protection of important habitats. Nature-based visitation promises to help support sustainable range management practices on the Sanctuary, and hopefully, highlights the opportunity for other landowners to integrate wildlife enjoyment and conservation into the FALL / WINTER 2011
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“We had two fine days on the ranch, which is quite beautiful, rooms very comfortable. We loved the bird books – as an aside, I wrote a long travel guide to the Bahamas for Rough Guides during my "old" career as a travel writer, and I found a book on the shelves by James Bond, Birds of the Bahamas, which I used during research. Quite an unusual volume. “I wanted to also say that your on-site manager, Lana, could not have been nicer nor more professional. She took two hours to drive us through the sanctuary, down along the river, and into places we never could have gone. She was terrific.” – Gaylord Dodd “This land is a place where wandering deer and turkeys are commonplace, and you might even get to see a black mink rush across the road, like we did.” – Andrew Norman
“working landscapes” of the Sandhills. In order to make it possible for guests to experience the prairie, with exclusive access to explore the canyons and meadows of the property, the Sanctuary offers two different self-catering guesthouses – both perfect for families, couples, and small groups. The Sanctuary’s Hutton House is situated beneath tall Cottonwoods and surrounded by grassland. This home of former ranch owners, Harold and Lucille Hutton, is now fully renovated and beautifully refurbished with modern amenities. During our stay in July, much of our time was also spent in front of the large living-room bay-window. We sank into the leather sofas and watched turkeys pass by in the afternoons, and fireflies scramble in the dark at night. With the windows open and the breeze blowing through the four bedrooms, no one had trouble sleeping. We woke up to the melodious song of Western Meadowlarks and astonishing sunrises. In the mornings, we enjoyed coffee around the kitchen table, overlooking a small grove of trees and a nearby meadow, often the crossing point for White-tailed Deer mothers with young fawns. The Hutton House provides sophisticated accommodations, with all new beds and high quality bedding, all
new appliances, wireless internet, three bathrooms with new fixtures, and a spacious living and dining area decorated with art and photography. A cozy, sunken fireplace room connects to an office, a two-car garage, and opens up to a shady back patio where we rolled out the grill! Just down the road, nestled in a shady grove of trees, is the Lazy Easy Ranch House. Guests are sure to find that the comfort and charm of this guesthouse comes from its simplicity, casual atmosphere, and quiet setting. Supporters have donated much of the eclectic furnishings, helping to make this house both “greener” and more affordable, and at the same time, creating a place to relax and put your feet up after a long hike or a day on the river – possibly on a float trip east of Valentine. This house features four fully furnished bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, and a large living and dining room. One can take in the traditional ranchstead outbuildings from the front porch swing, along with the sight and sound of an array of “woodland edge” birds in summer. During the winter, after hiking and reading the messages of animal tracks in fresh snow along the miles of trails, one can enjoy the warmth and coziness of the living room, settle in with a good book, or take on the challenge of a jigsaw puzzle.
ﱾﱽﱼﱻ Consider planning an extended weekend retreat, family gathering, holiday or vacation stay in one of the two Niobrara Sanctuary guesthouses. Visit www.niobrarasantuary.org
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An evening of music on the Niobrara Sanctuary. From left to right: Angie Norman with musical saw, Rachel Klataske singing, Ryan Klataske on wash tub bass, and Andrew Norman and Nick Molen playing guitar. – Photo by Shannon Molen
On winter mornings during the 1980s, Harold Hutton fed corn to a flock of Sharp-tailed Grouse that would visit the meadow in front of the Hutton House. We hope to re-establish that tradition for the enjoyment of guests – as well as a way to offer a modest supplement to the birds’ foraging needs. During the summer months, theses same meadows fill with native wildflowers and butterflies. From the doorstep, guests can set out to explore the 5,000-acre Sanctuary on foot or horseback, or follow the network of country lanes by bicycle or automobile. In a landscape without traffic congestion or city lights, it seems nearly mandatory to walk outside on clear nights, as we did, to admire the unforgettable night sky and vastness of the Milky Way. We hope you will also come stand under the stars, explore the prairie, and experience this special place for yourself!
Ryan Klataske and his wife Rachel both grew up in Manhattan, Kansas, but currently live in Michigan. Since early childhood, Ryan has frequently visited the Niobrara River Valley getting to know local landowners and other individuals who cherish this natural resource. He often stayed on the ranch of Franklin and Lillie Egelholf, who became close family friends. Ryan is currently working on a Ph.D in Anthropology at Michigan State University, and is conducting research on private land conservation, wildlife management and land use in Namibia, located in southern Africa. His research focuses on private land conservancies – partnerships among landowners who cooperatively manage wildlife as a complement to livestock grazing and a source of ecotourism on semi-arid rangelands. Ryan recently developed the website for the Niobrara Sanctuary, www.niobrarasanctuary.org, which includes information about visitation and reservations for the guesthouses.
First page photos information (counter-clockwise): guests enjoying the pleasant pastoral setting of the Lazy Easy Guesthouse from the front porch; a view of the front porch of the Hutton House in March; the Andy Andersen Bedroom and Library Suite; the Hutton House living room; and the Lazy Easy living room. This page (top to bottom): Riding in the Sanctuary’s pickup; photography of flowers and butterflies; a leisurely walk on a Sanctuary lane; birdwatching from a Sanctuary pasture road; an Upland Sandpiper; and a view of the Hutton House. – Photos by Ryan and Ron Klataske FALL / WINTER 2011
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“Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” – Voltaire (French Philosopher and Writer. 1694-1778)
Conservation Heroes, AOK Awards and Other Recognitions Periodically, possibly to become annually, Audubon of Kansas presents a series of conservation-related awards to recognize the good work and leadership – often leadership by example of uniquely dedicated people throughout the state and region. These and so many other people deserve our thanks. Nominations can be submitted at any time. The most recent awards presented are outlined below. The Haverfields, Barnhardts, and Maxine Blank own the 10,000-acre ranch complex in western Kansas which serves as the primary reintroduction site for Blackfooted Ferrets. They are conservation heroes who have persevered in their dedication, under fire and at considerable financial expense involving litigation. Dr. Robel has devoted most of his professional career at KSU conducting research on Greater and Lesser Prairiechickens and is one of the world’s authorities on grouse of grasslands. His professional expertise and endless work established the science-based standard for prairie grouse conservation in many areas. Dr. Robel served as science advisor on the Kansas Wind & Prairie Task Force and was appointed in 2007 to the Wind Turbine Guidelines Federal Advisory Committee (FAC) by Dirk Kempthorne, Bob McElroy (left) presents Lifetime then the Secretary of the Interior, and reConservation Award to Dr. Robert J. appointed to that Committee in 2009 by Robel (right) for his research and Ken Salazar, the current Secretary of the conservation work with Greater and Interior. The FAC's mission was to Lesser Prairie-chickens. develop siting guidelines to avoid or minimize adverse impacts on wildlife and their habitats. It is anticipated that the guidelines will become effective on December 31, 2011. Dick Seaton has provided a decade of leadership to AOK and currently serves as Vice-president of Policy & Legal Affairs. Along with A. Scott Ritchie, who also serves on the board, Dick served on Governor Kathleen Sebelius’s Wind & Prairie Task Force which advanced the understanding that our remaining Tallgrass Prairie landscapes are worthy of protection from industrial scale windpower and other development. Hoogy Hoogheem has been a wonderful and inspiring leader in the Northern Flint Hills Audubon Society since he and Carol retired to Kansas from Massachusetts in 1995. Deb Miller served as Secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation under Governor Kathleen Sebelius and was selected to continue in that role by Governor Brownback. She was receptive to reduced mowing and spraying practices that allow native grasses and wildflowers to flourish within many of the 150,000 acres of vegetated rights-of-way along 10,000 miles of state highways – enhancements advocated by AOK for decades. She established an Aesthetics Task Force in 2008 and welcomed representatives from AOK, Kansas Wildlife Federation, Kansas Native Plant Society, and others to help develop a new ecologically and economic (tax savings) approach.
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Irwin “Hoogy” Hoogheem (right) is recognized by Audubon of Kansas with the 2010 Chapter Leadership & Nature Appreciation EarthKeeper Award
Thank You Gordon & Martha Barnhardt Prairie Wildlife Conservation & Private Land Stewardship Award
Larry & Bette Haverfield Prairie Wildlife Conservation & Private Land Stewardship Award
Maxine Blank Prairie Wildlife Conservation & Private Land Stewardship Award
Robert J. Robel Greater & Lesser Prairie-chicken Lifetime Conservation Award
Dick Seaton Excellence in Conservation Leadership Award Irwin “Hoogy” Hoogheem Chapter Leadership & Nature Appreciation EarthKeeper Award
Deb Miller Public Land Stewardship & Roadside Beautification Award
Anonymous donor gives $1 million to establish the Barbara F. Atkinson Professorship at KU Medical Center An anonymous donor has given $1 million to support a professorship at Kansas University Medical Center in honor of KUMC’s executive vice chancellor and dean of its School of Medicine. The gift will establish the Barbara F. Atkinson Professorship in pathology and laboratory medicine. The professorship will be in the field of cytopathology, a branch of pathology that studies and diagnoses disease at the cellular level. – Lawrence Journal World, August 29. Barbara Atkinson
Barbara is an AOK trustee. Audubon of Kansas is honored to have so many extraordinarily accomplished people on its Board of Trustees. We all congratulate Barbara Atkinson for this wonderful recognition.
Recognition for Audubon TEAMWORK and PARTNERSHIPS with Others Audubon of Kansas Executive Director, Ron Klataske, was recently selected to receive the Nebraska Wildlife Federation’s 2011 Conservation Professional Award. He was selected for decades of work to conserve Nebraska rivers (the Platte and Niobrara), and stewardship efforts at the Hutton Niobrara Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary. Last year during the annual Rivers and Wildlife Conference in Kearney, Nebraska, Audubon chapter leader Grant Newbold presented Ron Klataske with a set of metal dancing crane sculptures commissioned by local Audubon chapters in Nebraska. They were presented in appreciation for efforts earlier in his
Grant Newbold is pictured with framed calligraphy prepared by Art Pierce as part of the presentation. Marge Kennedy views the crane sculptures. Marge and husband Bruce have been active members of Audubon since the early 1970s. Photos by Patty Forsburg.
career devoted to forming local Audubon chapters in the state. Ron’s plan is to have them placed outside the entrance to the visitor’s gallery at the Niobrara Sanctuary. Earlier, but not previously reported here, Klataske was honored with the John K. Strickler Award presented by the Kansas Association of Conservation and Environmental Education. The award “recognizes the lifetime achievements of an individual in the field of Environmental Education.” While serving as West-Central Regional Vice President of the National Audubon Society, he developed the proposal that led to the establishment of the 10,000-acre Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Chase County. One of the preserve’s landmarks, an old school house, symbolizes his desire to educate everyone about this unique ecosystem.
Ron Klataske, Executive Director AOK
Mike Hudson, who served as our Director of Development since 2009, recently returned to graduate school at Kansas State University. He is pursuing a M.S. in Horticulture with an emphasis on Park Management & Conservation. In collaboration with his graduate advisor, Ted Cable, Mike’s research involves the economic impact of the Cimarron National Grasslands in extreme southwestern Kansas. FALL / WINTER 2011
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Article by William R. Browning, MD
In September 2008 my local newspaper “The Madison News,” a wonderful weekly that truly binds our community together, printed this basic article that I had submitted. Nothing about this situation has changed since, except for the worse.
I White Flags (or pink flags) are not carried to signify surrender. Roger O’Neill and Kaeyla Keating joined in the difficult search for all of the invaders, and flags were used to mark their positions for an assault with the herbicide Escort. A few Sericea lespedeza seeds were apparently included in the native grass and/or forb seeds purchased for planting fields enrolled in CRP on the Klataske family farm in Washington County, and land in Pottawatomie County. Sericea flowers in late summer/early fall. Photos by Ron Klataske.
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s it the most beautiful year across the Flint Hills that most of us will experience in our lifetimes? After some of the most abundant and timely rains and clement temperatures in memory, the prairie may climax this week with a profusion of gold, yellow, blue and purple wildflowers to greet the peaking monarch butterfly migration. All this amidst the tallest ever tall grasses, in places, so much so that the old timers claim that one could tie the grass stems in a knot across the saddle horn has come true. Amidst all this beauty and largess, the prairie is sick, choking to death. The sickness, as is the case in many other natural systems, is an exotic – in this instance a plant called Sericea lespedeza. The prairie is a battleground, it has been said, between hundreds of plant species, all warring for a niche, all struggling against adversaries they became familiar with during tens of thousands of years.
Oh, there have been a few other hapless white-man introductions and the prairie has opened up, taken them in stride, begrudgingly allowed them a small role, but Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) is plowing furrows through the forbs and grasses against which the prairie is apparently defenseless. It was reputedly introduced and promoted by USDA in many venues across the southern U.S. as a substitute for alfalfa on poor soils – and extension publications were even distributed to espouse its virtues. Obviously it will grow almost anywhere and the Missouri Department of Highways used it extensively to vegetate roadsides. The seed was sold by vendors advertising in Quail Unlimited magazine, and reportedly more than forty years ago even wildlife biologists with the old Kansas Forestry, Fish and Game Commission promoted sericea. It was fancied to be ideal upland
Bison image adapted from a photo by Yunner under a CC-BY-SA licence.
game bird food. Although this did not turn out to be the case, it was none-the-less distributed to many optimistic landowners and sportsmen duped into believing that scattering the seed was a beneficial act.
alleged wisdom of planting sericea. But we have it nonetheless. It’s been recommended to use a GPS device to locate and next year relocate sericea patches when widely scattered on large acreages. I began to do this last growing season and had nearly 100 “hits.” This year I am approaching 200. I can extrapolate this out to more than 200,000 patches ten years from now and 3,000,000 by the time I am 80, at which time I suspect I will be reduced to keeping it out of the yard.
And of course in our culture, commerce will always trump nature.
Today in many pastures is the evidence of which farmers and ranchers were most convincingly deceived. In these locations the plant has achieved monoculture status. But it is not limited to these sites. Its seeds travel, in the cleft of a steer’s hoof or a cow’s ruman, in a bird’s craw, or in the gut of a coyote that ate the mouse that ate the seeds. The seeds are also carried down the watershed with the rains. At some expense, but I suspect without much optimism, Kansas has held seminars for farmers and ranchers desperate to rid themselves of the invader. At these meetings, instructions are disseminated about which chemical to apply at which season, and how strongly to mix it. But in truth these efforts are no more effective than cutting out a cancer that has already spread to bone, liver and brain, or trying to block a cold front with bed sheets. Sericea’s true power is in the seed. This year a single healthy plant may drop a thousand of them. Some of these may germinate next spring and some in 20 or 30 springs.
Part of the success of sericea can be attributed to its poor palatability to cattle. Its high tannin content tastes bad to them. Goats will eat it more readily, but an acquaintance who followed that path now says his sericea has out bred his hundreds of goats. In parts of the Southeast US, sericea has been planted in pure stands in old fields, a successor to cotton I guess. Where there is nothing else, cattle will eat it and survive rather than starve. And therein lies the rub. Although sericea threatens to destroy the whole plant complex of the prairie, the formerly dominant feature of Central North America, and now reduced pretty much to the Flint Hills, it has value elsewhere. And of course in our culture, commerce will always trump nature.
Finding and killing that first plant is obviously key, but many Flint Hills ranches encompass thousands of acres. Some ranchers will have enthusiasm for only desultory efforts to control the plant. Other ranches are held by absentee owners who have no awareness of the plant, whose major connection to the land could be a check in the mail each fall representing the grazing lease net for the year. Others may simply be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the requisite effort.
Because of that we cannot go to sericea’s homeland, find out what keeps it from being the only thing growing there and import what controls it. To do so would threaten the profits of those doing business elsewhere with this exotic. We did intentionally import an insect that provides some control of musk thistle, another Eurasian invader of the prairie, a plant whose leaves have needles so sharp one can’t ride a horse through a patch. But no one was making money on thistles, so that was okay.
On our northwest Greenwood County ranch of several thousand acres, the other owners have given me explicit or tacit approval to control the invasion. The relative scarcity of the plant on our place is testimony to the resistance of my forebears to the
At one of the “how to kill sericea with chemical spray” meetings, I asked exactly where it was native, but the K-State expert did not reply to the question. I guess that would have been dangerous knowledge. In this modern world where everything eventually seems to get everywhere, the sericea bug will likely finally arrive – but too late to save the prairie. In the meantime I will continue to spot spray from my 4-wheeler, hoping in my lifetime not to have to resort, as so many in the county have, to spraying whole pastures with airplanes, an effort that can pretty much wipe out all the hundreds of plants that are not grass – meaning the wildflowers. Besides, not all seeds will be killed and the residual will eventually germinate so that these owners have the same situation within three years of the spraying. If my sad description of the situation sounds too grim to believe, I would invite others to contradict it. Perhaps those who promoted it in the federal and state agriculture, extension and wildlife agencies would like to come forward to refute this likely scenario for our tallgrass prairie in the next very few decades. They cannot.
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Back to the present AOK, in response to this grim threat, has endorsed a resolution urging the government to begin immediate studies that could lead to control of this exotic invader. The proclamation will be sent to our state’s governor, legislators, our state Secretary of Agriculture, the US Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior, and to various deans of Ag studies at Kansas State University. Further, we will be enlisting other stakeholders to support us in this request for assistance. These entities would include the Kansas Livestock Association, Kansas Farm Bureau, Tallgrass Legacy Alliance, and Kansas Wildlife Federation.
Whereas Kansas is a prairie state and continues to have vast expanses of native tallgrass, midgrass and shortgrass prairies; And whereas a large portion of agricultural revenue in our state is derived from prairie grasses; And whereas, Sericea lespedeza is a listed species on Kansas’s Noxious Weed List; And whereas, promotion and establishment of this plant was facilitated and conducted by state and federal agencies in the past; And whereas, it is increasingly obvious that the prairie is defenseless against Sericea lespedeza and may soon be largely replaced by a Sericia monoculture; And whereas, this will result in the destruction of the native prairie, a source of pride for Kansas, and will greatly reduce rancher income from cattle gains; And whereas, the conversion of prairie to Sericea monoculture will be greatly detrimental to all native wildlife; And whereas, currently tens of thousands of gallons of herbicide are being spread annually onto the Arkansas and Missouri River watersheds in a futile effort to stem the invasion of Sericea; And whereas, hundreds of agriculture workers are suffering heavy exposure to herbicides in that same effort; Now, therefore, be it resolved that Audubon of Kansas actively supports and advocates that the officials of the State of Kansas petition the United States Department of Agriculture, the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service and the Agriculture Research Service to conduct investigations leading to new strategies for control of Sericea lespedeza and in particular to the research of biological controls.
Note that this previously overlooked pod of sericea – probably starting with a single seed--has expanded into a dense thicket crowding out native grasses and forbs. A few goldenrod plants are shown on the edge of the expanded sericea thicket, along with a few sumac plants that may survive.
For a further discussion of the origin and control attempts in neighboring Oklahoma, please see: http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Rendition7591/PSS-2874web+color.pdf
A Compelling Audubon of Kansas Question & Viewpoint It is widely documented and recognized that invasive species displace native species, disrupt ecosystems, and affect citizens’ livelihoods and quality of life throughout the world. Invasive species such as Sericea lespedeza cost landowners and managers thousands of dollars and the public millions of dollars in damages and control expenditures. Why shouldn’t governmental agencies, other entities and even individuals responsible for introducing and promoting these non-native plants (and other destructive exotics) be somehow held accountable for damages caused and control costs? It they had been, maybe Americans wouldn’t be burdened with the ecological and financial costs created by the introduction and promotion of Johnson grass, old world bluestems (the next major threat to native grasslands), various honeysuckles, and the destructive and dangerous Asian carp now in major river systems.
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Don Regier with glider on Mt. Mitchell.
S
outh of Wamego across the flat floodplain of the Indian grass and Big Bluestem covers the hillside Kaw River and short glacial moraine abruptly and in late fall it is decorated with the bright yellow rise a series of bluffs that tower two to three of Maximilian Sunflower and tall Goldenrod. hundred feet above the plain and continue then south Monarch butterflies are swarming the Goldenrod and as part of the Flint Hills. Closest to the highway and occasional Goldfinches are flitting among the seed one of the tallest is an imposing bluff called Mt. heads of the sunflowers. The sun is warm and with a Mitchell, named after William Mitchell who was a mild wind from the north there is abundant lift for leader of the Beecher Bible and Rifle Colony and the half dozen Red-tailed Hawks patrolling the ridge. Captain of its militia. They took part in some of the It was soaring hawks that earlier caught my eye and pre-Civil War action known as “Bleeding Kansas.” made me wonder if I could join them for a ride on On top of the mount is a the wind above the ridge. limestone monument honoring I belong to a group that Mitchell and the Colony. The enjoys radio-control flying land originally owned by the with small airplanes. Several Mitchell family was given to of us are glider enthusiasts the Kansas Historical Society. who launch our gliders on With legislative approval, title warm afternoons in search of to the land was passed to lift. My description of Audubon of Kansas, Inc. AOK Mt. Mitchell and its slope manages this spectacular soaring possibilities prairie remnant in partnership provoked several of them to with the “Mt. Mitchell Prairie give it a try. The parking lot Guards,” a group dedicated to is at the base of the mount keeping local history alive. on its southern slope. It took The mount has a world-class us some minutes to unload view of the Kaw Valley the gliders, assemble them extending from Manhattan to and begin the long trudge up the west and east to the Jeffrey the trail to the summit. On Energy Center. Several bends the lee side of the hill there of the river are clearly seen was virtually no breeze, but with the city of Wamego in the once on the summit the center of this vista. A lush wind was about ten miles Mt. Mitchell Heritage Prairie offers many tallgrass native pasture of opportunities for fun and education. per hour.
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A simple toss into the wind and my motorless plane began a steep upward climb of two or three hundred feet where it joined two other gliders enjoying the ample lift supplied by the gentle north breeze over the bluff. There were thermals farther out arising off the dark cultivated fields on the floodplain below. When wind encounters a steep face, as on the bluff, it rises like a wave for many feet above the bluff or obstruction and this lift is what is used both by hawks and gliders and is called slope soaring. Under the right conditions, usually in high winds on a steep mountain slope and a rigid airframe, doing what is called dynamic soaring, speeds in excess of four hundred miles an hour have been clocked. But today we are interested in only the simple pleasure of keeping our gliders aloft as long as we want, drifting back and fore across the face of the north-facing slope with an occasional steep swift dive to eye level only to begin the climb back to altitude. A large Red-tailed Hawk seems to take offense and aggressively approaches one of the gliders only to swiftly bank away after deciding the
plane was neither a threat nor edible. I make the mistake of letting my plane get too far down wind, loosing too much altitude in trying to get back into the lift it crashes into a plum bush on the back side of the hill. The glider is retrieved after a brief search, it is undamaged and soon flying again, the only injury is to my pride. Watching the gliders surfing on the wind so effortlessly is almost hypnotic and it is difficult to the bring them back to earth after a glorious afternoon. We hike back down the hill aware of the beauty of the site and its potential for soaring flight; we will not be long in returning. Robert McElroy, MD Topeka
Audubon of Kansas is in the final phrase of purchasing a 15.5-acre addition to the Mt. Mitchell Heritage Prairie. Contributions of $1,500 acquire an acre.
We strive to leave no child indoors. Children love the wonders of nature, and they are the greatest wonders of nature.
A field trip featuring prairie grasses and wildflowers at Mt. Mitchell Heritage Prairie.
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“No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.” – Calvin Coolidge
Your Support: is vital to AOK’s effectiveness Your annual membership and other gifts to Audubon of Kansas are vital to our ongoing conservation, education, sanctuary stewardship, and advocacy work. AOK cannot function without the support of members and annual contributions. We thank you for your continuing dedication and generosity. Donating online allows monthly giving. We use Verisign SSL security to ensure our donors a safe and secure transaction. Other ways to contribute include memorials/ tributes, and gift memberships. Please consider making a contribution at this time.
Legacy Gifts:
Planned Giving Options
By establishing a planned gift to Audubon of Kansas, you can also ensure that AOK continues to be equally effective in the future. We have outlined several ways to establish a planned gift below: Create a Charitable Gift Annuity. By establishing a charitable gift annuity with Audubon of Kansas, you will continue to receive fixed payments for the rest of your life and have a charitable deduction. Charitable gift annuities offer payment rates that are more attractive than many other investments, with the rate amount determined by your age. In addition, you have the satisfaction of knowing that the remainder of your gift will benefit Audubon of Kansas conservation and education initiatives well into the future.
Make a Gift of Stock or Bonds. Appreciated stock or bonds held for more than one year is most advantageous. Your gift will provide a financial contribution to Audubon of Kansas, and you will avoid capital gains taxes. Include a Bequest in Your Will or Trust (specific property, cash donation, or a share of the residual estate). You can make a gift for the future of Audubon of Kansas programs in a way that does not affect your options during your lifetime. You may change your mind on beneficiaries at any time if these assets are needed for other purposes. Such a bequest may, however, provide an eventual estate tax deduction. Persons wishing to make a bequest to Audubon of Kansas, Inc. may tailor it to their individual interests or use wording similar to the following: I bequeath ___% of my residuary estate (or $_____) to Audubon of Kansas, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(C)3 conservation organization incorporated in the State of Kansas with its address at P.O. Box 256, Manhattan Kansas, 66505.
Make a Gift of Land, or other Real Property. Gifts of real estate or other property are excellent ways to establish a major donation. Gifts of land that can be sold with the proceeds to be used to support general or other specific programs (in this case Audubon of Kansas programs), are often referred to as “Trade Lands.” Some parcels may be protected with conservation easements prior to sale. Proceeds can be designated for specific conservation, education or even stewardship of an established AOK sanctuary. Other donated property could include items like paintings, sculpture, books, etc. that could be used or sold to support similar purposes. Gifts of Land to be Maintained as a Wildlife Sanctuary (such as the Hutton Niobrara Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary) generally require establishment of an adequate endowment to fund future operations, pay annual property taxes and ongoing stewardship of the property. Gifts of land for this purpose must be consistent with the Audubon of Kansas mission, and require Board of Trustees approval. Thus, lands destined to become a protected sanctuary or preserve are best achieved with advanced planning and notification of AOK.
Cars for Conservation! Although AOK has not promoted this avenue of philanthropy, vehicles and similar property can be donated and then sold to generate funds for AOK operations. In addition, AOK is interested in receiving an energy-efficient vehicle to retain for business travel. We are also looking to obtain a tractor with 3-pt. hitch, and rotary mower for use at the Niobrara Sanctuary. Audubon of Kansas, Inc. is administered by a Board of Trustees with interests in conservation and education in Kansas, Nebraska and generally the central Great Plains and prairie states. AOK is an independent, grassroots organization that is not administered or funded by the National Audubon Society. All funds received are devoted to conservation advocacy, nature appreciation initiatives, education and stewardship (including management of wildlife sanctuaries) in this region.
Please contact any of our Trustees or AOK Executive Director, Ron Klataske at 785-537-4385 or AOK@AudubonofKansas.org for additional information.
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