It was clear from the very beginning that resource management at the preserve would be challenging. The National Park Service can own only up to 180 acres of the 10,894-acre preserve, located in the Flint Hills of Kansas. The current owner is the National Park Trust. Ninety-eight percent of the land base will remain in private ownership, making partnerships and consensus-building essential to effective management. Currently, a 35-year grazing lease is in effect, which is managed by early, intensive double-stocking of cattle and the burning of every leased acre each spring. The area also has a 30-well active gas lease in operation. In addition, the preserve lacks site-specific baseline data on natural resources before 1996.
In order to generate a successful management plan, the team had to clearly understand and adhere to the legislation that established the preserve. This legislation emphasizes several key features, such as the development of a general management plan within four years, maintenance and enhancement of the tallgrass prairie, specific interpretive themes, establishment of a 13-member advisory committee, a ceiling of 180 acres for NPS landownership, and the need for a cooperative agreement between the property owner and the National Park Service.
To get buy-in by all interested parties, the planning team had to build a broad consensus through public involvement. Public input was gathered through a series of newsletters, open house meetings, an Internet site, and the participation of individuals and organizations representing various interests in the planning process.
To develop the nuts-and-bolts resource management aspects of the plan, the team had to develop and use good science that was useful to management and could stand up to public scrutiny. The team collected some baseline data, but because of the short time frame given to develop the general management plan and the limited funds, data also had to be extrapolated from scientific databases that feature information from other studies in tallgrass prairie ecosystems. Answers to many of the basic science questions were provided by panels of subject matter experts charged with the task of addressing needs for the general management plan. Technical experts from other federal and state agencies provided additional information.
As a result of these efforts, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve has a draft preferred alternative that, after consultation and public review and comment, will ensure that natural resources always come first. The opportunity to start from scratch has yielded a unique plan that can serve as a model for other natural resource parks.
Photo Credit: Geologic Resources Division
john_neal@nps.gov
Superintendent, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Ohio
george_oviatt@nps.gov
Chief, Division of Resource Management; Buffalo National River, Arkansas
YOSEMITE
PLANS CONSOLIDATED
In December, Interior Secretary Babbitt called for pulling together the Yosemite Valley Implementation Plan, Yosemite Valley Housing Plan, Yosemite Valley Lodge Development Concept Plan, and Lower Yosemite Falls project into one comprehensive plan with an environmental impact statement. Slated for 2000, this plan will build on the park General Management Plan in shaping the future of Yosemite Valley by restoring natural and cultural resources, balancing use and preservation, and reducing traffic congestion and overcrowding.
Back to Chapter 2: NPS Science
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