U.S. Fish & Wildlife Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area Initiative
Where
Alma Community Center
When
November 30, 2009
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Flint Hills Legacy
Conservation Area Initiative
The US Fish & Wildlife Service proposes to purchase up to 1 million acres of voluntary conservation easements within an area of about 1.9 million acres of intact native Tallgrass Prairie in the Kansas Flint Hills.
This area* includes parts of 14 Kansas counties: Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cowley, Geary, Greenwood, Elk, Lyon, Marion**, Marshall, Morris, Pottawatomie, Riley and Wabaunsee.
Attached is a pdf fact sheet about the proposed US Fish & Wildlife Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area Initiative. It's important to understand that implementation of the voluntary easement program depends on input received from three public meetings as well as input from an Environmental Assessment. The Initiative must also be approved by the Secretary of the Interior.
The stated purpose of the proposed Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area Initiative is to help maintain the integrity of Tallgrass Prairie wildlife habitat in the Flint Hills. The fact sheet goes on to say that Tallgrass Prairie is rapidly being lost to residential and commercial development, and that such development fragments important wildlife habitat. In addition to conserving wildlife habitat, U.S. Fish & Wildlife recognizes the importance of protecting and fostering traditional cultural values and ranching economies.
Some U.S. Fish & Wildlife conservation easements currently allow commercial windpower development, so it's important to attend these public meetings to stress the need to prohibit industrial scale windpower and other incompatible forms of development. There may be an effort by developers and others to allow wind energy projects, so it's important to tell the USFWS that Flint Hills conservation easements should prohibit commercial wind energy projects.
The US Fish & Wildlife Service will hold three public meetings to solicit comments on the proposed creation of the Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area Initiative.
Public meetings are scheduled for November 30, December 1 & 2.
The US Fish & Wildlife Service will answer questions and receive COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC about their proposed Flint Hills Legacy Conservancy Area Initiative at the following meetings:
ALMA: Monday, November 30 5:30 to 9:00 pm Alma Community Center 244 E 11th St
WICHITA: Tuesday, December 1 5:30 to 9:00 pm Great Plains Nature Center 6236 E 29th St N
COTTONWOOD FALLS: Wednesday, December 2 5:30 to 9:00 pm Cottonwood Falls Community Building 220 Broadway
The Fish & Wildlife Service will consider all public comments in the development of an environmental assessment (EA) for establishing the Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area Initiative.
- You may speak at one or more of these meetings.
- You may write directly to the USFWS contacts listed on the attached fact sheet.
- You may encourage congressional support of this project, especially Senator Brownback who sits on the Interior Appropriations Committee.
This project is a high priority for Region VI of the USFWS, which includes Kansas.
* The actual Conservation Area is broader than the area depicted on the map in the press release.
**The press release omits Marion County, parts of which are actually included.
PLEASE CONSIDER ATTENDING AT LEAST ONE OF THESE MEETINGS. THIS U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE PROPOSAL HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRESERVE THE INTEGRITY OF 1,000,000 ACRES OF FLINT HILLS TALLGRASS PRAIRIE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
PLEASE CONSIDER WRITING OR EMAILING THE USFWS (see attachment for address). ENCOURAGE THEM TO IMPLEMENT THE FLINT HILLS LEGACY CONSERVATION AREA INITIATIVE.
The US Fish & Wildlife Service proposes to purchase up to 1 million acres of voluntary conservation easements within an area of about 1.9 million acres of intact native Tallgrass Prairie in the Kansas Flint Hills.
This area* includes parts of 14 Kansas counties: Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cowley, Geary, Greenwood, Elk, Lyon, Marion**, Marshall, Morris, Pottawatomie, Riley and Wabaunsee.
Attached is a pdf fact sheet about the proposed US Fish & Wildlife Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area Initiative. It's important to understand that implementation of the voluntary easement program depends on input received from three public meetings as well as input from an Environmental Assessment. The Initiative must also be approved by the Secretary of the Interior.
The stated purpose of the proposed Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area Initiative is to help maintain the integrity of Tallgrass Prairie wildlife habitat in the Flint Hills. The fact sheet goes on to say that Tallgrass Prairie is rapidly being lost to residential and commercial development, and that such development fragments important wildlife habitat. In addition to conserving wildlife habitat, U.S. Fish & Wildlife recognizes the importance of protecting and fostering traditional cultural values and ranching economies.
Some U.S. Fish & Wildlife conservation easements currently allow commercial windpower development, so it's important to attend these public meetings to stress the need to prohibit industrial scale windpower and other incompatible forms of development. There may be an effort by developers and others to allow wind energy projects, so it's important to tell the USFWS that Flint Hills conservation easements should prohibit commercial wind energy projects.
The US Fish & Wildlife Service will hold three public meetings to solicit comments on the proposed creation of the Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area Initiative.
Public meetings are scheduled for November 30, December 1 & 2.
The US Fish & Wildlife Service will answer questions and receive COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC about their proposed Flint Hills Legacy Conservancy Area Initiative at the following meetings:
ALMA: Monday, November 30 5:30 to 9:00 pm Alma Community Center 244 E 11th St
WICHITA: Tuesday, December 1 5:30 to 9:00 pm Great Plains Nature Center 6236 E 29th St N
COTTONWOOD FALLS: Wednesday, December 2 5:30 to 9:00 pm Cottonwood Falls Community Building 220 Broadway
The Fish & Wildlife Service will consider all public comments in the development of an environmental assessment (EA) for establishing the Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area Initiative.
- You may speak at one or more of these meetings.
- You may write directly to the USFWS contacts listed on the attached fact sheet.
- You may encourage congressional support of this project, especially Senator Brownback who sits on the Interior Appropriations Committee.
This project is a high priority for Region VI of the USFWS, which includes Kansas.
* The actual Conservation Area is broader than the area depicted on the map in the press release.
**The press release omits Marion County, parts of which are actually included.
PLEASE CONSIDER ATTENDING AT LEAST ONE OF THESE MEETINGS. THIS U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE PROPOSAL HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRESERVE THE INTEGRITY OF 1,000,000 ACRES OF FLINT HILLS TALLGRASS PRAIRIE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
PLEASE CONSIDER WRITING OR EMAILING THE USFWS (see attachment for address). ENCOURAGE THEM TO IMPLEMENT THE FLINT HILLS LEGACY CONSERVATION AREA INITIATIVE.
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