Friends of Konza Prairie

Identity area

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Corporate body

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Friends of Konza Prairie

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        Dates of existence

        1994-

        History

        The Friends of the Konza Prairie is a non-profit organization dedicated to the support of the Konza Prairie environmental education program. The origins of the Konza Prairie can be traced to 1872 when C.P. Dewey purchased 175 acres of land in what is now the northwest corner of the Konza. Dewey sold the land and his ranch in 1930, after which the land had multiple owners. Lloyd Hulbert had first proposed the idea for a prairie field station for ecological research at Kansas State University in 1956, but it wasn’t until 1971 that the Natural Conservancy was able to obtain the original Konza Prairie land for K-State. This original purchase did not include the Dewey Ranch land, as this was acquired in 1977 after several years of negotiations with the McKnight family, the last private owners of the property. Hulbert served as the first director of the Konza Prairie until his death in 1986, overseeing the addition of prairie land to the U.S. Geological Survey’s network of benchmark watersheds and the dedication of the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area Network dedicated to long-term ecological research. Bison and cattle grazing were introduced to the Konza in 1987, while from 1987 to 1989, NASA Satellite Land Surface Climatology Projects were conducted at the prairie. In 1993, the Friends of the Konza Prairie was established. Over the past few decades, the Konza’s research and maintenance facilities have continued to be improved and expanded.

        Konza Prairie Directors:
        Lloyd Hulbert: 1971-1986
        Donald W. Kaufman (acting director): 1986-1987
        Ted Barkley: 1987-1990
        Donald W. Kaufman: 1990-1991
        Ted Barkley: 1992-1993
        Jim Reichman: 1993-1995
        David Hartnett: 1995-2006
        Eva Horne (interim director): 2006-2008
        John Briggs: 2008-2018
        John Blair: 2018-present

        Friends of Konza Prairie Coordinators:
        Ginny Arthur: 1994-1997
        Ann Feyerharm: 1998-1999
        Clint Riley: 2000-2001
        Jim Guikema: 2002-2003
        Charlie Given: 2004
        Loren Alexander: 2005
        Dan Franke: 2006
        Larry Loomis: 2007-2008
        Patrick Gormerly: 2009
        Vickie Clegg: 2010
        Mike Haddock: 2011
        Greg Zolnerowich: 2012
        Karen Hummel: 2013-2014
        Diane Barker: 2015
        Joe Gelroth: 2016
        Donna McCullum: 2017
        John Harrington: 2018
        Cydney Alexis: 2019
        Ken Stafford: 2020
        Kelly Yarbrough: 2020
        Jim Koelliker: 2021

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        Written in February 2021 by Jarrod Kuckelman.

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            Creator Source: Local Authority File