I made my first ever visit to The Nature Conservancy’s Smoky Valley Ranch in western Kansas this week.  It won’t be my last.  Situated along the boundary between mixed-grass and shortgrass prairie, the Smoky Valley Ranch contains 16,800 acres of grassland – including a wide variety of prairie types – along with bison, lesser prairie chickens, prairie dogs, and even black-footed ferrets.  It’s quite a place…

Exposed rock above an oxbow. The Nature Conservancy’s Smoky Valley Ranch – western Kansas.

I was at the ranch as part of a small group invited to help the Conservancy’s Kansas staff think about their conservation strategies at the ranch, including fire and grazing management, restoration work, neighbor relations, and their research and monitoring approach.  The peer review team included Conservancy staff from Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, as well as several local landowners and partners from the local area.

Matt Bain (left) of the Conservancy, discusses grazing strategies with other biologists and neighbors.

The thoughtful work being done by the staff at the ranch was really impressive.  They have been reconsidering their objectives and making some significant adjustments to their management approach.  Our job was to give them some feedback on the changes they’re already making and help them think about some additional possibilities.  It was two days of thought-provoking and stimulating conversation – mostly while standing in the middle of impressive grassland scenery.

A very colorful grasshopper.  (Pictured Grasshopper – Dactylotum bicolor)

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Sandsage prairie – one of several different prairie types found at the Smoky Valley Ranch.

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A giant ant hill, made by harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex sp.)

I need to learn more about shortgrass prairie and the drier end of mixed-grass prairie.  Plant and animal communities respond very differently to management and restoration treatments with less annual rainfall and under more frequent/longer droughts.  However, I don’t feel like I have a good grasp of those differences.  Looks like I’ll have to start making some trips to western Kansas….

Oh darn.

Prickly pear cactus.