Ranchland Trust of Kansas initiative awarded grant
Recently, the Ranchland Trust of Kansas was awarded $100,000 from Playa Lakes Joint Venture’s ConocoPhillips Capacity Grant program to support the launch of a four-year project in western Kansas to educate ranchers on conservation easements. RTK was recently the recipient of two additional grants to make the project possible.
RTK received a grant from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and a grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service by the Conservation Collaboration Grants or Agreements program.
Ducks Unlimited played a valuable role to help earmark NAWCA funds to secure at least one conservation easement with RTK in western Kansas as part of the PLJV conservation initiative.
Partners for the Kansas Prairie Wetlands NAWCA grant proposal are not only organizations dedicated to conserving and protecting wildlife and water, but many are city and county entities or corporations who are concerned about Kansas and their community.
The next grant RTK received, thanks to the progressive approach of NRCS through the CCGA program, allows NRCS to leverage funding with private partner resources increasing the overall success in achieving mutual goals of protecting and conserving agricultural lands.
Landowners in western Kansas will now have the option to enhance, increase and protect grassland habitat through this project with conservation easements. RTK’s role will be to build new relationships with ranchers to initiate dialogue between landowners and conservation partners.
This project will grow long-term project capacity and will help transition RTK from a regional to a statewide land trust. This work will take RTK to the next level of conservation and expand the footprint of conservation easements.
