Conservation: Service

Nature conservation is an enjoyable past time for us. We enrolled our 80 acres into a Conservation Restoration Program for 15 years for ten-forb grasses to restore natural prairie grassland areas in Kansas. The prior owners had it in a similar program for 13 years for Upland Game Birds.

The property had only a few wild turkeys when we moved in. The abundance of fur-bearing predators had wiped out the wild turkey population and killed fawns, so I took the Kansas fur trapping course and obtained my furbearers license.

The coyotes were so thick they would come in to attack the deer decoy during hunting season. I obtained this one on a deer hunt—part of conservation is balance. I worked diligently to get the numbers of predators back into natural balance. Soon we had a turkey flock, deer numbers went up, and we started to see the return of pheasants, quail, toads, and bullfrogs.

Taking care of prairie grass isn't easy. The land has to be burned every few years to release nitrogen back into the soil. The fire also helps germinate some wild grass seeds that will stay dormant for up to 15 years.

Ronnie and I used our water wagon to safely back burn the edges of all 80 acres to burn all of the pasture off in one afternoon. This was the view from the front porch when we came back for lunch.

Occasionally, we would have to wait until sunset to burn when the winds died down. Burning after dark isn't recommended. Yes, you can see the fire and quickly put out embers, but fire-fighters can't see the lay of the land to travel safely, putting them and their equipment at risk in the event of an emergency.

After burning the grass off, wild prairie grass and forbs needed planting. We added several hundred pounds of clover to help correct the nitrogen to better the soil. The grasses and clover are natural deer attractants.

We rented a small seed drill to apply the seed.

The bounce of the tractor limited my time in the seat. After a few hours, I was too sore to walk the next day.

Ronnie took over and finished up late one evening.

It was exhausting work. Ronnie came in covered in soot that would get kicked up by the tractor tires.

Taking care of the land kept us in venison. This is the view from the deer tower. It was an average night to see 8 to 10 deer. The deer blind was located only 100 yards from the house.

Conservation: Portfolio

Our Conservation of Natural Habitat for Wildlife

Noxious Weeds

I am firmly against using chemicals on pasture but in some cases, it must be done to keep noxious weeds from taking over and choking out native grass.

To keep the amount of chemical down I hand sprayed weeds instead of blanketing the CRP with spray. The prairie grass is as tall as our 3/4 ton Chevy.

Conservation: Video

Our Conservation of Natural Habitat for Wildlife

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Noxious Weeds