On April 1st I experienced a once-in-a-lifetime coincidence at the local horticulture club meeting. Several weeks before the 1st, I made plans to attend the horticulture club meeting upon recommendation from a Bison Range board member, Doug Floto. Then I got a call at work from the president of the club, Mike Ramsey, who was looking for someone from the Division of Water Resources to do a presentation about the non-native shrub/tree called salt cedar/tamarisk. I agreed to do the presentation because in grad school at North Dakota State University I helped give educational seminars about salt cedar identification and control.
Fast forward to April 1st. I went to the Finney County Extension office for the hort club meeting, and as I pulled in the parking lot there was another car pulling in and I noticed the driver looking really hard at something. I assumed the person was new to the club like me and was just looking to see if he was in the right place. So I went inside the building and found the meeting room and headed out to my car to get the laptop and projector for my presentation. I opened the door and standing there was a guy I knew from grad school in Fargo, ND. In fact, he worked on part of my grad school research project. We had no idea each other was in Garden City. What a shock! It took me a couple seconds to recover and shout "Ankush! What are you doing here?", which is probably what he was wondering about me!
Turns out that Ankush has been in Garden City for only a month working at the KSU extension research station as an entomologist (insect biology). He came to the hort club meeting because he heard the topic was salt cedar control by insects, but I bet he never imagined I would be the one giving the presentation! I laughed at his email the next day which said "April has never fooled me better". I found out that his wife (from New York City) and 10-month old daughter will be arriving in Garden City in 2 weeks. I hope to make them feel as welcome as my co-workers did for me about 17 months ago!
If running into Ankush wasn't weird enough... later that same week I got a visit from another grad school friend. Lesley from Cavalier, ND (see January post about Manhattan), was in southwest Kansas with her boyfriend Mike and we spent a day going to the zoo and bowling before they headed to Dodge City and then Ashland for a bull sale, which is why they were in the area. I had to laugh because the temperature here was a cool 50 degrees but they were loving it because in northeastern North Dakota there is still snow on the ground!
Monday, April 7, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
First Bison Tour of the Season...
At last! On Monday March 10th I gave my first bison tour of the season to an after school program group of 16 students. I was also training 2 of the 7 new guides who have signed up to help out with tours this summer. I feel all the effort that went into guide recruiting at the recent coffee hour on February 23rd and subsequent training on March 8th was well worth it!
I predict that I will do around 30 tours for the Bison Range in 2008. I also look forward to going on my own wildflower tours of the range this spring and summer. There are several species of wildflowers that I hope to photograph, including the sensitive cat's claw and the pink barrel cactus. I have decided that a plant collection is too cumbersome and photos will retain all those vibrant colors of the wildflowers, and are much easier to turn into a PowerPoint presentation! I just found out yesterday that there are 37 recorded species of grass on the Sandsage Bison Range. Talk about a hotspot of plant diversity!
I predict that I will do around 30 tours for the Bison Range in 2008. I also look forward to going on my own wildflower tours of the range this spring and summer. There are several species of wildflowers that I hope to photograph, including the sensitive cat's claw and the pink barrel cactus. I have decided that a plant collection is too cumbersome and photos will retain all those vibrant colors of the wildflowers, and are much easier to turn into a PowerPoint presentation! I just found out yesterday that there are 37 recorded species of grass on the Sandsage Bison Range. Talk about a hotspot of plant diversity!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Report from recent annual meetings...
I attended a couple meetings that are worthy of mention. First was the Friends of the Zoo annual supper meeting on January 31st. I enjoyed hearing about the successful zoo programs for which I volunteered, and the staggering amount of money the zoo raised with the support of our generous community. The highlight of the evening was the speaker Joe Collins, a herpetologist from Lawrence, KS who showered us with his vast knowledge of reptiles and amphibians. I was impressed that Joe and his colleagues recently discovered the first new frog species in the U.S. in over 20 years in the Mississippi/Louisiana area. I was equally impressed that Joe is still alive considering he's been bitten countless times by several species of poisonous snakes over his many years in the business. There were a few flutters in the audience when Joe opened his briefcase and pulled out a bag with something moving inside it. Yes, the guest of honor was a non-venomous 8-ft black western rat snake. The species is common to eastern Kansas. I thought it was cool.
Then I attended the annual meeting of the Friends of Sandsage Bison Range on February 9th. I was voted in as a new board member and the highlight of the evening was a presentation about the old west cowboy Buffalo Jones and his many adventures. Buffalo Jones was an important part of saving the buffalo/bison from near extinction from over-hunting. We were treated to restored footage of Buffalo Jones trip to Africa in 1909 where he famously roped animals like white rhino, zebra, and giraffe, just to show the world that you don't have to kill an animal to enjoy it up close. I enjoyed learning the local history and was fascinated by the stories of the man called "The Last of the Plainsmen" by the famous writer Zane Grey.
Then I attended the annual meeting of the Friends of Sandsage Bison Range on February 9th. I was voted in as a new board member and the highlight of the evening was a presentation about the old west cowboy Buffalo Jones and his many adventures. Buffalo Jones was an important part of saving the buffalo/bison from near extinction from over-hunting. We were treated to restored footage of Buffalo Jones trip to Africa in 1909 where he famously roped animals like white rhino, zebra, and giraffe, just to show the world that you don't have to kill an animal to enjoy it up close. I enjoyed learning the local history and was fascinated by the stories of the man called "The Last of the Plainsmen" by the famous writer Zane Grey.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Weekend trip to Manhattan
One of my new-year goals is to get out and see more of Kansas. So, this past weekend I drove 5 hours to Manhattan to meet up with my grad school officemate and good friend, Lesley. She came to Kansas all the way from Cavalier, North Dakota, which is located in extreme northeast North Dakota, about 15 minutes from the Canada border and 15 minutes from Minnesota. Lesley and I spent about 2 years in the same 10 ft x 10 ft office with 3 other grad students at North Dakota State University in Fargo and she now is an extension agent in Cavalier. We had a great time catching up while exploring Manhattan and the surrounding area.
This was my first trip to Manhattan and I was looking forward to driving by the Konza prairie, located south of Manhattan. There wasn't much to see in January besides dead grass, so I look forward to stopping again when the wildflowers are in full bloom. I loved the landscape though. Lesley commented on how the hills look red from the grass, and I guessed that it was probably little bluestem. The Garden City area is flat land so its nice to see hills and trees, other than salt cedar, once in awhile.
We hiked around the beautiful Sunset Zoo. Our favorite exhibit was probably the flamingos, although the mating snow leopards were a close second! The zoo is set on a hillside facing west and the landscaping was pretty cool. I think I bonded with the 53-yr-old chimpanzee because she was upset when we left. I kind of teared up when I noticed how gnarled and arthritic-looking her hands and feet were. It sucks getting old no matter what species you are.
Next we stopped by the Riley County Museum and the historical Goodnow house which was built in the 1860s. We got a tour of the whole house from a volunteer and it was cool walking through the rooms that were furnished with original furniture and personal belongings. I'm glad we've advanced beyond chamber pots! I would also take my queen-sized mattress over a rope-bed any day. The funniest thing was that one of the museum volunteers has a sister that lives in Denton, NE, which is about 15 miles from my hometown of Crete. *Cue Disney music* It's a small world...
Then on Sunday we went on a driving tour. We checked out the K-State University campus and marveled at the building architecture and pondered the nightmare that must be finding a parking space in the same zip code. Then we drove across the Tuttle Creek Reservoir dam and ended up circling around the entire reservoir as we were cruising the highways. We were both amazed at the extent of tree damage caused by a recent ice storm. It almost looked like a tornado went through the whole county.
Overall it was a great weekend getaway and I was glad to have someone else to bum around with while exploring Manhattan history, culture, and nature.
This was my first trip to Manhattan and I was looking forward to driving by the Konza prairie, located south of Manhattan. There wasn't much to see in January besides dead grass, so I look forward to stopping again when the wildflowers are in full bloom. I loved the landscape though. Lesley commented on how the hills look red from the grass, and I guessed that it was probably little bluestem. The Garden City area is flat land so its nice to see hills and trees, other than salt cedar, once in awhile.
We hiked around the beautiful Sunset Zoo. Our favorite exhibit was probably the flamingos, although the mating snow leopards were a close second! The zoo is set on a hillside facing west and the landscaping was pretty cool. I think I bonded with the 53-yr-old chimpanzee because she was upset when we left. I kind of teared up when I noticed how gnarled and arthritic-looking her hands and feet were. It sucks getting old no matter what species you are.
Next we stopped by the Riley County Museum and the historical Goodnow house which was built in the 1860s. We got a tour of the whole house from a volunteer and it was cool walking through the rooms that were furnished with original furniture and personal belongings. I'm glad we've advanced beyond chamber pots! I would also take my queen-sized mattress over a rope-bed any day. The funniest thing was that one of the museum volunteers has a sister that lives in Denton, NE, which is about 15 miles from my hometown of Crete. *Cue Disney music* It's a small world...
Then on Sunday we went on a driving tour. We checked out the K-State University campus and marveled at the building architecture and pondered the nightmare that must be finding a parking space in the same zip code. Then we drove across the Tuttle Creek Reservoir dam and ended up circling around the entire reservoir as we were cruising the highways. We were both amazed at the extent of tree damage caused by a recent ice storm. It almost looked like a tornado went through the whole county.
Overall it was a great weekend getaway and I was glad to have someone else to bum around with while exploring Manhattan history, culture, and nature.
Friday, January 11, 2008
About the Sandsage Bison Range...
The Sandsage Bison Range and Wildlife Area is nestled directly south of Garden City. The 3,670 acre area is located west of the (old) Business Hwy 83 just east of the Sunflower Electric Plant. The Bison Range is home of the oldest publicly owned bison herd in Kansas. The FOSBR provide guided tours of the range and bison herd. Check it out on the web (http://www.fosbr.com/).
Brief History: The Bison Range was established in 1916 and the bison were first introduced on the range in October 1924 when one bull and two cows arrived from a refuge in Oklahoma.
Sandsage Prairie description: The Bison Range is one of the few tracts of native sandsage prairie that has not been converted to irrigated cropland. You'll find grasses such as sand bluestem, sand lovegrass, big bluestem, buffalo grass, blue grama, paspalum, and prairie sandreed. You'll find forbs such as sand sagebrush, buffalo gourd, bush morning glory, sand snowball verbena, spiderwort, Devil's claw, and Indian blanket flower. Some of the critters you could see include lesser prairie chicken, kangaroo rat, scaled quail, black-tailed jack rabbit, mule deer, western hognose snake, and ornate box turtle.
Point of Interest: Did you know there was a (planted) national forest in southwest Kansas? Well, for a short time anyway. Prior to becoming the Bison Range in 1916, the land was part of the federally owned and operated Kansas National Forest. By 1915 more than 800,000 seedlings had been planted, but only a few surviving trees remain to this day. As you can guess the project was a failure and the land was turned over to the State of Kansas and so the Bison Range was born.
Brief History: The Bison Range was established in 1916 and the bison were first introduced on the range in October 1924 when one bull and two cows arrived from a refuge in Oklahoma.
Sandsage Prairie description: The Bison Range is one of the few tracts of native sandsage prairie that has not been converted to irrigated cropland. You'll find grasses such as sand bluestem, sand lovegrass, big bluestem, buffalo grass, blue grama, paspalum, and prairie sandreed. You'll find forbs such as sand sagebrush, buffalo gourd, bush morning glory, sand snowball verbena, spiderwort, Devil's claw, and Indian blanket flower. Some of the critters you could see include lesser prairie chicken, kangaroo rat, scaled quail, black-tailed jack rabbit, mule deer, western hognose snake, and ornate box turtle.
Point of Interest: Did you know there was a (planted) national forest in southwest Kansas? Well, for a short time anyway. Prior to becoming the Bison Range in 1916, the land was part of the federally owned and operated Kansas National Forest. By 1915 more than 800,000 seedlings had been planted, but only a few surviving trees remain to this day. As you can guess the project was a failure and the land was turned over to the State of Kansas and so the Bison Range was born.
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