Conservation Easement Increases Amount of Protected Land in the Flint Hills
10-06-2008The Kansas Chapter of The Nature Conservancy recently closed on a nearly 2,000-acre conservation easement in Chase County, Kansas located in the Flint Hills. The Conservancy acquired the easement from the C.E. and Lonah Birch and the Robert and Linda Mooney families, both of Shawnee, Kansas. Funding was provided in part by the Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) through the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP). The NRCS is a federal agency that works to conserve and sustain natural resources.
“This easement has special status as it borders almost three miles of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Securing this easement adds a buffer of protection for the park,” said Brian Obermeyer, the Kansas Chapter’s Flint Hills Initiative Director.
Easements are one of the best tools for ensuring lasting preservation. A conservation easement is a voluntary contract between a landowner and a land trust, such as The Nature Conservancy, to preserve land in perpetuity from incompatible development. Because the land remains in private ownership, with the remainder of the rights intact, a property protected by a conservation easement continues to provide jobs, property taxes, and other economic benefits to the area. A conservation easement remains in force regardless of future changes in ownership.
Many landowners find this method the most practical way to safeguard the prairie from incompatible development. The Conservancy now oversees a total of 22,357 acres of conservation easements in the Kansas Flint Hills.
Birch Family
The Birch and Mooney families closing on their conservation easement which protects nearly 2,000 acres in the Flint Hills.
The land has been in the Birch Family for a hundred years. C.E. Birch and Linda Mooney are siblings. While the Birches retain the majority of the land, the Mooneys share a half interest on a smaller portion. However, this easement was a family affair from beginning to end.
“My family has a history with this land that dates back over 100 years. My grandfather and my great-uncle were both ranchers in the Flint Hills. I can remember working the land with my grandfather. We had many exciting experiences including riding fences and looking for cattle. We even had a cattle drive through Strong City in the 1950s,” remembers C.E. Birch. The property was also originally a part of the ranch that would become the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.
The connection the Birches have to the land was one of the main reasons they sought to protect it. Of all the land-based habitats in the world, grasslands are the most imperiled. Less than five percent is protected. Urban development, invasive species, and incompatible development continually threaten grassland habitat.
“This conservation easement will help us preserve our ranch and help us keep the land in our family. We believe in the principles that led us to the easement, and we appreciate the support the Conservancy offers us when ensuring long-term preservation,” said C.E. Birch. “Our family’s history is steeped in this land. Even today, we have relatives who live and work there.”
Photo: The Birch and Mooney families closing on their conservation easement which protects nearly 2,000 acres in the Flint Hills.