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Across the Fence by Bill Rinehart New Interpretive Center |
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Humans, Their Activities, and Osage CountyMost of the state of Oklahoma, including Osage County, where the Tallgrass Prairie is found, became part of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. In 1872, Congress passed a statute confirming the boundaries of the Osage Reservation in Indian Territory which later became the area now known as Osage County. It had been part of the Cherokee Outlet since 1838, but in 1883 the Cherokees conveyed this property to the Osages. In 1906, allotments gave each Osage on the tribal roll title to about one square mile, and in 1907, Osage County became the largest of 77 counties that made up the new state of Oklahoma. During the "Oil Boom" of the 1920's, the Osage nation became the richest native people per capita in the United States. The land they had bought from the Cherokees as their reservation held one of the richest oil and gas fields ever discovered in the United States. The first wells were drilled in the county in 1896. Obtaining an oil or gas lease in Osage County during the "boom" period of 1916-1928 made the fortunes of many Oklahoma oilmen. The preserve itself has more than 100 active wells, although about 300 wells have been drilled within preserve boundaries in the past century. In the 1870's, ranchers began grazing cattle in Osage County. The rocky, rolling grasslands discouraged farmers and their plows, but provided abundant food and plentiful water for ranchers. Osage County became home to several large ranching operations, including the Chapman-Barnard Ranch. James A. Chapman and Horace G. Barnard began purchasing land here in 1915. About 1920, the Preserve's headquarters building became the heart of a ranch that at times included 100,000 leased or owned acres. As many as 40 cowboys worked on the ranch during shipping and receiving seasons during the 1940's, while the county-fattened cattle helped to feed the War efforts. In 1989, The Nature Conservancy bought the 29,000-acre Barnard Ranch to serve as the cornerstone of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve.
The Flint Hills RegionIronically, the very conditions that promoted the development of the Tallgrass Prairie, good soil and adequate moisture, have also led to its rarity. The once-abundant Tallgrass Prairie disappeared with the advent of the steel plow and resulting agricultural development. Only scattered remnants remain. The Flint Hills of Kansas and Oklahoma and the tallgrass prairie ecosystem that they shelter have escaped plowing and cultivation. This regional landform is characterized by gently sloping, prairie-dominated hills of limestone, sandstone, and shale. The shallow rock outcrops found among the rich, deep soil have allowed the region to remain intact and to support tall grasses as well as other diversity of life. In fact, the region is dominated by the largest intact remnant of North American tallgrass prairie. The Nature Conservancy's Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is located in the southern end of the Flint Hills and represents the largest protected tract of tallgrass prairie on the continent. Climate is another major influence on this region. The rain shadow created by the Rocky Mountains causes low annual precipitation amounts that promote the presence of grass and cause an absence of trees in the Great Plains region. Annual rainfall increases from west to east, causing a shift of grass species from short grasses in the western plains ‚ to mixed grass in the central plains ‚ and then to tallgrass ecosystems in the Flint Hills and eastern plains. Four distinct seasons influence survival in prairie environment. Very hot and dry conditions in the summer shift to cool winters with bitter, cutting winds. Natural selection has molded prairie plants to favorably respond to fire, grazing, and drought. Frequent droughts are a part of the regular cycle in these grassland environments and the native plants and animals have adapted to them.
Forces That Shape the PrairieThe climate of the central United States is unpredictable. Sometimes hot-dry cycles prevail, while other years there is ample rain. Prairie grasses and plants are prepared for either cycle, with roots that may grow ten feet into the prairie earth. However, two other forces work in combination with climate to maintain grassland: fire and grazing by herbivores (grass-eaters). In North America, bison were the primary native herbivore that shaped the prairie. The continent's largest land mammal, an adult male bison can weigh nearly one ton (2,000) pounds. In spite of their size, bison are agile. They can jump six feet either vertically or horizontally, and can run at a sustained speed of 35 miles per hour. At birth, young bison weigh about fifty pounds. Adult bison consume between 30 and 50 pounds of grass daily. The bison's constant movement helps prevent an area from becoming over-grazed. Their strong preference for grasses over forbs (other non-woody plants) ensures a kaleidoscope of color on native prairie, with a riot of colorful wildflower blooms peaking during late spring. Fire occurs naturally in all grassland ecosystems. It is nature's way of "cleaning house". The removal of dead plant material allows sunlight to reach the bare soil covering the roots of the plants, encouraging fresh, green growth. Fire discourages the growth of invading woody plants, including small trees, thus preventing woodlands from taking over. The bison prefer this fresh, green growth. They vigorously graze these patches the first growing season after a burn. When new growth is available, they ignore sections of the prairie full of dead plant material. These overgrown regions are then more susceptible to fire in the future. This cycle creates the prairie mosaic, a patchwork quilt of recently burned and non-burned grassland that encourages the great variety of plant and animal life found here. Numerous research projects here at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve continue the quest for knowledge about the unique, nearly extinct, tallgrass prairie ecosystem. As researchers delve into detailed questions concerning the complex relationships of grasses, deep roots, rich soil, fire, bison, and the many other prairie inhabitants, important information will become available to assist humans in their quest to improve the quality of life on earth.
The Tallgrass Prairie PreserveOriginally spanning portions of 14 states and covering over 142 million acres, the tallgrass prairie was one of North America's major ecosystems. It was a complex landscape, harboring a rich diversity of plants and animals, which was shaped by the natural forces of climate, fire, and grazing. Today, less than 10% of the original tallgrass prairie remains. Most of it has been converted to farmland and is now known as "America's breadbasket". Large, unbroken tracts of tallgrass prairie exist now only in the Flint Hills of Oklahoma and Kansas. As a functioning ecosystem, the tallgrass prairie is extinct. The Conservancy's goal is to recreate a functioning tallgrass prairie ecosystem using fire and bison. Fire has been reintroduced to the landscape by using carefully controlled, or "prescribed", burns. Burns are conducted at different times of the year to mimic the original seasonality of presettlement fires. Native plants and animals of the tallgrass prairie have adapted to the influence of fire, and are dependent upon it to maintain the ecosystem. Fire removes dead vegetation, controls encroaching woody vegetation and increases the vigor and flowering of many plant species. Epilog: At the south entrance to the preserve stands a monument on which a plaque contains the following words: "You stand at the south edge of the largest unplowed, protected tract which remains of the 142 million acres of tallgrass prairie grassland that once stretched from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Today, less than ten percent still exists, found mostly in the Flint and Osage Hill regions of Kansas and Oklahoma. In an increasingly crowded and noisy world, what you see is an oasis of space and silence. Here you can experience the same beautiful vistas that greeted the earliest human hunters and gatherers many thousands of years ago. This area is indeed a national treasure. Please treat it with respect." |