Show Navigation
Cart Lightbox Client Area
1 of 1

No to tallgrass prairie preserve sign 1

Add to Cart Add to Lightbox Download

This 1997 photograph of a sign just outside Cottonwood Falls on Kansas Highway 177 is an example of the controversy that surrounded the formation of the nearby Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, formerly the Z-Bar Ranch.

Initially, the Flint Hills communities surrounding the proposed park were supportive, but then opposition developed. According to National Park Service document "Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Legislative History, 1920-1996" most local business owners were supportive but many ranchers had overall concerns about federal involvement and federal land ownership with some ranchers specifically concerned about land being lost by eminent domain. The park proposal became a divisive and heated issue between the two community groups.

In the end, an unique compromise was reached with a public/private partnership between the National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy. Today, the 10,894-acre Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is the only unit of the National Park Service dedicated to the preservation of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem.

According to a National Park Service study, 13,548 non-local visitors in 2013 fueled $849,400 in spending at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and in communities near the park.

Filename
No to tallgrass prairie preserve sign 1.jpg
Copyright
© John L. Dengler
Image Size
8256x5556 / 25.9MB
https://www.photoshelter.com/support/license
https://archive.denglerimages.com/p/licensing
Contained in galleries
Flint Hills prairie - Kansas
This 1997 photograph of a sign just outside Cottonwood Falls on Kansas Highway 177 is an example of the controversy that surrounded the formation of the nearby Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, formerly the Z-Bar Ranch. <br /> <br /> Initially, the Flint Hills communities surrounding the proposed park were supportive, but then opposition developed. According to National Park Service document "Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Legislative History, 1920-1996" most local business owners were supportive but many ranchers had overall concerns about federal involvement and federal land ownership with some ranchers specifically concerned about land being lost by eminent domain. The park proposal became a divisive and heated issue between the two community groups.<br /> <br /> In the end, an unique compromise was reached with a public/private partnership between the National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy. Today, the 10,894-acre Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is the only unit of the National Park Service dedicated to the preservation of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem.<br /> <br /> According to a National Park Service study, 13,548 non-local visitors in 2013 fueled $849,400 in spending at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and in communities near the park.