Conservation resources for Douglas County landowners
Two hundred years ago the area that is now within the boundaries of Douglas County, Kansas was nearly 90 percent tallgrass prairie, part of a vast ecosystem that covered more than 170 million acres from Canada through Texas and east as far as Ohio. These rolling hills and plains were interrupted by fingers of forest that hugged north-facing slopes, and by the rivers and streams that snaked across the prairie.
Today, cultivated land, planted pasturelands and young woodlands have replaced the prairies and old-growth forests. But vestiges of the original landscape still can be found scattered across the county. As part of a project funded by the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council, the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research has worked with county residents to develop strategies for conserving and restoring this natural heritage for future generations. This site provides links to organizations that connect private landowners with expertise and cost-share assistance to manage prairies and forests, and to re-establish these native ecosystems where they once thrived.
Visit Douglas County native prairies and forests open to the public; see our list with links to maps.
Request the following PDF files
Request these PDF files by emailing Jennifer Delisle at jdelisle@ku.edu:
- Brochure: "Discovering our natural heritage: Prairies and forests of Douglas County, Kansas."
- Brochure (general resource for landowners): "Native prairie hay meadows: A landowner's management guide."
Resources (including cost-share programs) for landowners
Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks Habitat First Program
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs
Kansas Forest Service
Planting Natives in Northeast Kansas - Online do-it-yourself guides
Nonprofit conservation organizations
Monarch Watch — free milkweed for restoration projects
Friends of the KAW
Grassland Heritage Foundation
Lawrence Bird Alliance (formerly known as Jayhawk Audubon Society)
Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams
Kansas Land Trust
Kansas Native Plant Society
The Nature Conservancy in Kansas
State and county agencies
Douglas County Conservation District
K-State Research and Extension - Douglas County
Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research