Kansas

Surprising is the best work I can find for Kansas. Flat and laden with agricultural fields was the expectation. Instead I found a state rich with wildlife and diversity and significant conservation efforts. My first night was at the Smokey Valley Ranch Conservancy. The storm I missed in the Rockies, caught up with me there. The wind shook my van, the thunder deafened my ears, the lightning was like a strobe light, and the rain was torrential. The Smokey Valley Ranch has been showing that a partnership with cattle ranching can go hand-in-hand with conservation. The prairie was alive with birdsong after the rain. White tailed deer sprang about. There were three surprises. The first, a small group of cattle followed me for about a mile they came close, trotted away, and then came back again and again. The second, chalk bluffs were all around. In another time these were coral mountains in a massive sea. The third, a small glen by some cottonwood trees was a location documented by a company led by Colonel Custer. Although much of what Custer stood for was grotesque, I couldn’t help but imagine this area in a different time. There were no cars, fences, no city noises, not even other people, just the wind through prairie grass and imagination.

Nighthawks swooping to and fro (Smokey Valley Ranch)

A burrowing owl checked me out as I cruised down the long dirt roads (Smokey Valley Ranch)

Although I didn’t find Smallville or superman, I found a surprising number of Wildlife Refuges. Kansas lay in the path of the central flyway, but I only had time to visit Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira. These were well laid out and full of some surprising wildlife. One of the most productive areas for wildlife was the Baker University Wetlands. The space is actively managed to restore previous farmland into habitats that preexisted the agricultural revolution. While taking pictures of pond sliders steeped in pond much, two minks playing chase ran out of the bushes and right over my feet.

Pond Slider – Baker University Wetlands

These minks ran right at me and over my feet. – Baker University Wetlands

A surprising bird observation to me was the endangered snowy plover nesting in the middle of the USA — far from the ocean beaches. (IUCN Red List) (Quivira National Wildlife Refuge)

northern bobwhite (IUCN Red List) (Quivira National Wildlife Refuge)

Ornate box turtle (IUCN Red List) (Quivira National Wildlife Refuge)

In the early morning racoons roam the roadways in the refuges.  This youngster had flashes of red and light brown.

Yes there were endless fields of corn and wheat. In the words of my most quotable cousin: “When I rode through there, I realized there should be words representing something more massive and large than a sh*t-ton, like a corn-ton or wheat-ton for example.”

Dickcissel – Cheyenne Bottoms.  Although plentiful, Partners in Flight  estimated a 14% decline since 1970.