Splendor in the Grass:
Kansas Tallgrass Prairies
September 11-18, 2010
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Autumn hues and cooler weather make this an ideal time to experience the natural secrets hidden deep in the heart of Kansas. You will see EXPANSES (thousands of acres) of prairie that will stretch your imagination and inspire your heart. Join us to investigate world-class wetlands and grasslands as we explore the amazing prairies of central Kansas and the Flint Hills ecosystem. This is the only remaining area in America with intact, extensive tallgrass prairie landscapes. Our week-long journey will begin and end in Wichita Kansas.
September is a beautiful time to visit with fall color and tall, mature grasses decorating the landscape. It is selected as a favorite time to visit (post summer heat and insects) by our experienced prairie guides Ed and Sil Pembleton. This is a great time to “shake hands” with Big-bluestem, Indiangrass, Switchgrass and the other tall grasses that blanket these hills, and to savor late-blooming wildflowers. Spend some time at www.kswildflower.org to taste the rich menu of Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses that we encounter during our travels.
At the National Park Service’s Tallgrass Prairie Preserve we examine the grandeur and history of ranching days and at Konza Prairie we gain an update on the latest research being conducted on prairie ecosystems. We'll visit the Maxwell Game Wildlife Refuge, where we have an up-close, safe, encounter with bison and elk (though unlike Yellowstone, elk are shy here and often miss the meetings).
Our visit to Cheyenne Bottoms, designated as a Wetland of International Importance, will give you an opportunity to see the surprising array of plants and animals that make this 20,000 acre Wildlife Area so important. Much of the prairie in the area around Cheyenne Bottoms is technically mixed grass and harbors a few prairie dog towns that we scan for elusive and increasingly rare burrowing owls. Seeing the mixed grass ecosystem will provide a good comparison for our time in the Flint Hills. This is past the peak of songbird migration, but a good time to observe raptors, gulls, early migrating waterfowl, shorebirds, and White Pelicans in the thousands.
Why does such quality native grassland remain here? The Flint Hills limestone and chert geology defied use of the plow, favoring a grass and ranching agriculture that led to preservation of large expanses of prairie. This rock foundation also provided a rich cultural and architectural heritage which we discover passing through small 
towns of this heartland. From stone fences to elegant homes, barns and courthouses, the native stone solidified history. As our route crisscrosses the Santa Fe Trail, we feel the pull of westward expansion that brought Norwegian, Irish, Swedish, and German settlers to this area.
Tour leaders, Ed and Sil Pembleton, are "deeply rooted" in prairie ecosystems. They lived in the Kansas Flint Hills for nearly a decade and they were both intimately involved in studying and protecting prairie resources. Ed worked for National Audubon's regional office which was leading efforts in both Kansas and Oklahoma to protect prairies as part of the National Park system. Sil developed interpretative materials for visitors to Kansas State's Konza Prairie Long Term Ecological Research Area and helped lead the successful campaign to save Cheyenne Bottoms. They led field trips to explore prairie habitats in both states and enjoyed the opportunities to introduce people to these complex and subtle ecosystems. This is a NEW Naturalist Journeys adventure and one not to miss!
ITINERARY
Sat., Sept. 11 Arrival in Wichita, Kansas / Dyck Arboretum of the Plains
Arrive in Wichita by 1:00 PM. If you need to arrive early the Best Western Airport Inn is convenient and has an airport shuttle. We depart from the airport at 1:30 PM heading north to Hesston Kansas where we will get our first taste of the flora of Kansas at the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains www.dyckarboretum.org. This arboretum is dedicated to educating people about the benefits of appreciating, preserving and utilizing native vegetation of Kansas and the Great Plains. From the arboretum we head west across the mixed grass prairie and farm grounds to Great Bend for the first of two nights and our welcome dinner .
If you arrive early and have time to explore Wichita, a visit to Botanica www.botanica.org or the Great Plains Nature Center www.gpnc.org would provide you with an introduction to the region. And, if you have an extra day or two, the Kansas State Fair begins on 10 September in Hutchinson www.kansasstatefair.com.
Accommodations Best Western Angus Inn, Great Bend KS (D)
Sun., Sept. 12 Cheyenne Bottoms / Quivera National Wildlife Refuge
After breakfast, we depart the hotel at 8:30 AM to visit explore Cheyenne Bottoms , the largest inland marsh in the United States and recognized as a world class wetland with a Ramsar treaty designation as a Wetland of International Importance. With more than 14,000 acres of wetland habitat and 6,000 acres of prairie and wet prairie habitat, and the Nature Conservancy’s adjacent 7,700 acre Cheyenne Bottoms Preserve, this 28,000 acre area harbors a diversity of wildlife-especially birds. We check mudflats for early or late migrating shorebirds and scope the pools for waterfowl, American White Pelicans, gulls, herons, egrets, White-faced Ibises, and keep our eyes skyward for raptors. There’s always a surprise waiting when you explore this area.
We also take an opportunity to check some of the local Prairie Dog towns, many of which lost most of their population during a flood event a couple of years ago and are just now regaining members. Before returning to Great Bend for a late lunch, we stop at the new Kansas Wetlands Education Center that provides a wealth of information about the ecology and history of the Bottoms (it was used for aerial gunnery practice during WWII) and is a sobering expression of the value that residents see in this magnificent wetland resource.
After lunch we travel south to check for Burrowing Owls in a Prairie Dog town near the town of St. John, and then head east to Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Quivira and Cheyenne Bottoms taken together are considered as one of the original “8 Wonders of Kansas,” but, with more than 22,000 acres of prairie and farm land containing both salt and freshwater wetlands, Quivira is quite different than the Bottoms. Big and Little Salt Marshes attract thousands of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds, which made them attractive sites for hunting clubs and that eventually led to the protection and management of the area as a National Wildlife Refuge. The mix of habitats attracts more than 300 of Kansas’ 453 bird species to the refuge. Most of today’s birding will be by car with stops at appropriate places. We return for dinner in Great Bend on the Wetlands and Wildlife National Scenic Byway.
Optional: Owl prowl—8:00-10:00 pm.
If you have never seen or are interested in seeing Barn Owls, this will be an opportunity with a high likelihood of success, with a night tour of Cheyenne Bottoms. Although they have a world–wide distribution, Barn Owls are uncommon in most areas, but the Bottoms has desirable habitat that has maintained a healthy population. More than likely we will find a few Great Horned Owls, and if we are really lucky, we may see night-herons flying or an occasional coyote.
Accommodations Best Western Angus Inn, Great Bend KS (B,L)
Mon., Sept. 13 Cheyenne Bottoms /Mushroom Rocks State Park / Lindsborg
After yesterday’s long hours we sleep in, have breakfast at the restaurant, check out of the hotel by 9:30 and check out the bird life at Cheyenne Bottoms one last time before we take a scenic route to Lindsborg, a charming town filled with Swedish heritage. Our route includes the western portion of the Prairie Trail Kansas Scenic Byway (we enjoy the eastern portion tomorrow) and include a stop to explore the prairie, interesting geology and history of Mushroom Rocks State Park.
We proceed to Lindsborg to check into our accommodations at the lovingly restored Swedish Country Inn, before spending some time exploring Lindsborg’s main street. If we are fortunate we may get to meet National Geographic Photographer, Jim Richardson, at the Small World Gallery of Arts and Ideas that he and his wife maintain here in town. Jim’s outstanding photographs have graced many National Geographic articles including an April 2007 article on the Flint Hills.
Accommodations: Swedish Country Inn, Lindsborg, KS (B,L-box lunch, D)
