The tallgrass prairies of the American midwest are one of America's classic landscapes -- big skies and panoramas of never ending seas of wave-like grass. Tallgrass prairies are also one of America's endangered ecosystems. Before being plowed under for agriculture, tallgrass prairie once covered more than 140 million acres of the United States. Less than four percent of tallgrass prairie remains, most of it in the Flint Hills region of Kansas.

One of the places in the Flint Hills...
more »

The tallgrass prairies of the American midwest are one of America's classic landscapes -- big skies and panoramas of never ending seas of wave-like grass. Tallgrass prairies are also one of America's endangered ecosystems. Before being plowed under for agriculture, tallgrass prairie once covered more than 140 million acres of the United States. Less than four percent of tallgrass prairie remains, most of it in the Flint Hills region of Kansas.

One of the places in the Flint Hills where the prairie is being protected is at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve -- an innovative public/private partnership with the National Park Service (primary land manager) and The Nature Conservancy (primary land owner). The preserve's mission is to protect the natural and cultural history of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem -- one of the most complicated and diverse ecosystems in the world.

The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is located near the Kansas towns of Strong City, Cottonwood Falls, Council Grove, and Emporia and is located on the Flint Hills Scenic Byway - Kansas State Highway 177.

More than 500 species of plants, nearly 150 species of birds, 39 species of reptiles and amphibians and 31 species of mammals, including bison, make their home in the preserve.

Each spring, selected areas of the prairie preserve and other Flint Hills prairie lands are intentional burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers to prepare the land for cattle grazing. This prescribed burning helps maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. One ranch, the Flying W Ranch, near Clements, has turned these controlled burns into an agritourism event where ranch guests can participate.

The Flint Hills area has a rich history captured through attractions such as the Lower Fox Creek Schoolhouse, the Chase County Courthouse, the Spring Hill Farm and Stock Ranch (also known as the Z-Bar Ranch), and the Clements Stone Arch Bridge. In addition, the Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan, Kansas, and a new visitor center at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve help visitors understand the importance of this unique ecosystem.
« less