Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program Signing in Kansas

The Kansas Land Trust is the first land protection organization in the state to purchase a conservation easement using funding from the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP). Using funds from this federal program, we have permanently preserved a 205-acre Flint Hills property in Riley County.

A signing ceremony will take place in Manhattan on December 16, at 10:00 a.m. at the Riley County Courthouse Plaza East, 115 North 4th Street, 1st floor Commissioners Chambers.

The Kansas Land Trust (KLT), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the landowners, Charles Griffin and Denise Wyrick, will describe the tallgrass prairie being protected and the combination of public and private funding that has made this historic easement purchase possible.

After the signing of the easement, there will be remarks from invited guests that include representatives from the Governor’s office, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Congressional representatives, and others.

While other states have drawn on these federal funds to purchase conservation easements on farms and ranches for several years, this is the first time for Kansas. Members and friends of the Kansas Land Trust donated the 25 percent matching funds and the landowners donated 25 percent of the easement value which was needed in order to gain the final 50 percent from the FRPP funds the program administered by the NRCS. The landowners also contributed stewardship funds to the KLT that fund the land trust's administrative work, annual monitoring costs, and permanent enforcement of the easement.

The FRPP is a great opportunity to utilize federal dollars to protect important Kansas lands and compensate willing landowners for valuable development rights. Under this voluntary program, landowners retain their rights to use the property for agriculture.

On this occasion, KLT and NRCS want to recognize the landowners, Charles Griffin and Denise Wyrick, for their generosity and foresight in permanently protecting and preserving 205 acres of undisturbed Flint Hills tallgrass prairie. It is located approximately 10 miles north of Manhattan and just west of Tuttle Creek Lake.

The prairie includes grass-covered highlands with a creek and riparian woodlands in the lowland. Charles Griffin and Denise Wyrick have lived on the property for about 15 years. The land was grazed by cattle continuously as far back as anyone in the area remembers, conceivably since the 1800s.

The rapid suburbanization in the region led the landowners to consider preservation of the land. While they have had a strong sense of respect and appreciation for the land itself, a deepening understanding of the uniqueness of Kansas’ tallgrass prairie led to an even stronger sense of this land as a “sacred trust” for which they carry responsibility. Charles and Denise believe the real value of their land is in its present form.

They see the conservation easement as leaving a legacy for future generations.

Article provided by RoxAnne Miller, Kansas Land Trust

For more information about FRPP, contact your local USDA Service Center and visit with NRCS or conservation district staff.