Dengler Images

  • Portfolio
    • Portfolio Book
    • Sample Images
  • Archive
  • Blog
  • Store
    • Licensing
    • Prints
    • Note cards
    • Books
  • About
    • Bio
    • Services
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Instagram
    • Copyright
    • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

A look back: Rocky start to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in the Flint Hills

July 7, 2012 by John L. Dengler

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.  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 press release, 22,047 visitors in 2010 fueled $1,048,000 in spending at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and in communities near the park. “Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is clean, green fuel for the engine that drives our local economy,” said Park superintendent Wendy Lauritzen. (John L. Dengler)

The upcoming official opening of the new visitor center at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve reminds me of the first time I visited the preserve. I still recall back to 1997 driving to a new national park in the Kansas Flint Hills called the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, wondering what the heck it was and what I would find there. As I approached the nearby sleepy town of Cottonwood Falls I was greeted by this sign voicing opposition to the formation of the preserve. I didn’t have a clue what the controversy was about when I first saw it. A new national park seemed like a good idea to me. While I didn’t know it at the time, less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of that remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.

Photo Gallery

Images from the tallgrass prairie

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.

A lot has changed since 1997 when I photographed that sign. Now Flint Hills ranchers work with The Nature Conservancy to implement pro-conservation policies like patch burning to protect prairie chickens and other native species. Ranchers have developed agritourism opportunities for tourists to visit their ranches. Local restaurants, lodging and retail establishments have obviously benefited with the increased numbers of tourists.

According to a National Park Service press release, 22,047 visitors in 2010 fueled $1,048,000 in spending at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and in communities near the park. “Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is clean, green fuel for the engine that drives our local economy,” said Park superintendent Wendy Lauritzen.

For me, driving past that sign was the start of a life long fascination and love for the tallgrass prairie and the Flint Hills. It was also a new start for the communities near the park.


ABOVE: 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. 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.

To license image, click image. To see our collection of fine art prints, click here.

« Flint Hills Discovery Center – a great place to learn about the tallgrass prairie
Mosquitoes – The unofficial state bird of Alaska »

Search this blog

Follow Me

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Vimeo

Recent Dispatches

  • Recent landslide-triggered tsunami brings back memories
  • Nature’s Window: Snowy, quiet day in Haines
  • Channeling Bradford Washburn
  • Haines Winterfest equals winter fun
  • Prairie chicken photos published by North American Grouse Partnership
  • Springtime at Devil’s Den
  • Sharp-tailed grouse video published by Audubon Magazine
  • Black and White – only because I felt like it

Blog Category Topics

  • Books
  • Environment
  • Fauna
  • Featured
  • Fine art prints
  • Flora
  • Gear
  • iPhone Field Reports
  • Landscapes
  • Latest Dispatches
  • Note cards
  • Passions
  • Personal
  • Photojournalism
  • Recreation
  • Research
  • Sports
  • Tearsheets
  • Techniques
  • Travel
  • Videos
  • Wildlife

New archive images

Gallery of new outdoor photos added to photo archive

Contact

Phone:
+1.417.849.5642
Email:
[email protected]

Copyright Information

All photographs and text within DenglerImages.com are copyright John L. Dengler and/or the stated publication and are presented for web browser viewing only. Nothing contained within this site may be reproduced, downloaded, stored, copied, manipulated, altered, or used in any form without prior written permission from John L. Dengler and/or the stated publication. Do not "pin" images on pinning sites (Pinterest, Tumblr, etc.). Using any image as the base for another illustration or graphic content, including photography, is a violation of copyright and intellectual property laws. Violation of copyright will be actively prosecuted.

Newsletter signup

Sign up for our free email newsletter to keep updated on recent work, new products, or coupon specials. Simply enter your details, and confirm your address with the confirmation email that we send. It's easy and safe. We never share our newsletter list.

CLICK HERE to sign-up to receive newsletter and new blog post alerts.

Dengler Images, LLC specializes in stock image licensing of photos of wildlife, nature, landscape,
outdoor sports and recreation, travel, and our environment.

© 2008-2025 John L. Dengler, Dengler Images, LLC - All rights reserved.