Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area

Proposed Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area

Arguably, the most significant proposal for conservation of the Flint Hills to ever come along, the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area, is moving toward implementation. “The purpose of the proposal is to help maintain the integrity of the tallgrass prairie wildlife habitat, stream water quality, and the rich agricultural heritage of the Flint Hills”, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

After listening meetings held at various locations in the Flint Hills, the Environmental Assessment is in preparation.  Comments and suggestions were taken during the earlier meetings and are incorporated into the EA.

The Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area proposal would involve a landscape-scale conservation program using voluntary conservation easements. These agreements would protect the Flint Hills through legal agreements between landowners and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to restrict subdivision andcommercial development while continuing agricultural uses such as livestock grazing and haying.