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To preserve Kansas' ranching heritage and
open spaces for future generations
through the conservation of working
landscapes.
The Conception and
Birth of the Ranchland
Trust of Kansas:
Most
observers don’t think of Kansas as a state with threatened open spaces and vanishing farm and ranch lands.
There are several indications, however, that considerable agricultural
land has been lost to development and this trend is likely to continue.
In
Kansas, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) reports land
users of Kansas
converted approximately 230,000 acres of rural land to urban development
and transportation corridors between 1982 and 1997. One
illustration of this trend is the changes occurring in
Butler
County, near the greater Wichita,
Kansas
area. This region is well-known for its large Flint Hills ranches and
expansive intact native tall-grass prairie pastures.
In
1997, Butler
County
was considered the fastest-growing urban area in Kansas. NRCS has documented, from 1982 to 1997, a 47% increase in urban areas
for Butler
County.
In
addition, considerable agricultural land and native grass pastures have
been converted to residential and/or commercial development along the
100-mile Kansas River-Interstate 70 corridor between
Manhattan,
Kansas
and Kansas City. More specifically, considerable land in
Shawnee,
Jackson, Jefferson, Douglas, Leavenworth, Johnson, and Miami
counties has been converted from farms and ranches to suburban
"bedroom" communities.
As Kansas Livestock
Association (KLA) leaders visited
with ranchers and landowners in at least five western states, they learned
that several beef cattle organizations had formed their own land trusts to
be of service to landowners choosing to preserve their land with voluntary
conservation easements. Ranchers, especially in the western states, are
using conservation easements to conserve the working landscapes and to
gain a financial benefit for making a permanent pledge to not convert
their land to residential or commercial development.
On
October 1, 2003
, a group of KLA members met in Manhattan, Kansas, to create an organization called the Kansas
Livestock Association Ranchland Trust.
The organization's name changed to the Ranchland Trust of Kansas (RTK)
in 2008.
RTK's
vision:
The creation of RTK was built on the
following beliefs by the charter members of RTK’s Board of Directors:
-
Kansas
farm and ranchland, in many areas of the state, will come under
additional pressure for conversion of open space to residential and
commercial development.
- Cattle
ranching will continue to be regarded in high esteem as a part of the
state’s rich heritage and an environmental-friendly activity.
- The
public will become increasingly aware and supportive of public and
private efforts to recognize, celebrate and preserve working farm and
ranch lands that provide open spaces and a special quality of life for
all.
- Private
landowners will seek voluntary land conservation tools and land trusts
that can provide the means of preserving farm and ranch family
legacies.
- Agricultural
producers and landowners, the conservation community, governmental
officials and members of the public will hold the organization in high
regard and provide a sustainable source of funding and people
resources for RTK.
RTK's
Actions:
Since the formation of RTK in 2003,
the organization has reached several important milestones and
accomplishments. The organization has:
- Received
approval by the Internal Revenue Service to acquire, own, hold,
protect and defend conservation easements.
- Received
and executed a capacity-building grant from the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation.
- Developed
a model RTK conservation easement.
- Organized
and/or participated in at least 12 informational sessions, involving
over 1,000 attendees, to discuss the basics of conservation easements
and private agricultural land trusts.
- Spearheaded
Kansas
legislative actions to secure state funding for conservation
easements.
- Participated
in the formation of the Partnership of Rangeland Trusts (PORT).
- Developed
a 2006-2008 strategic plan.
- Signed
an agreement with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to
administer over 60 Grassland Reserve Program easements and agreements
in 2007.
- Established
a stewardship endowment fund, with seed money, to be used strictly for
monitoring and enforcing perpetual conservation easements.
- Completed
a conservation easement agreement on 650 acres of Butler County ranch
land.
What’s
Next for RTK:
The RTK Board of Directors currently
is negotiating with several landowners who intend to donate conservation
easements on their property by the end of 2008. In the meantime, RTK is
attempting to build its capacity to a level to finance a full-time staff
and meet the future needs of
Kansas
agricultural landowners who want to preserve their legacy through the
conservation of working lands.
We need your help.
To accomplish this worthy goal, the staff of the RTK needs your help.
We must spread the word about this valuable tool for preserving our
ranching heritage and open spaces. In addition, the purchase of
conservation easements is a time-consuming and expensive process.
Please consider making a donation so that together, we can ensure that
future generations experience the Kansas so many of us take for granted.
Click here to make a tax deductible donation
(please contact your tax advisor for information concerning tax
implications) or to have a RTK representative contact you.
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