Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
* A Prairie Partnership *
A project of the National Park Trust
in cooperation with the National Park Service
Route 1, Box 14 * Strong City, KS 66869
Phone: 316-273-8139 * Fax: 316-273-8247
E-mail: prairie@parktrust.org

NEWS RELEASE

RELEASE DATE: October 27, 1999

NATIONAL PARK TRUST FORMS CITIZEN BOARD TO OVERSEE THE TALLGRASS PRAIRIE NATIONAL PRESERVE

Strong City, Kansas - The National Park Trust (NPT), owner of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, announced the establishment of a subsidiary not-for-profit corporation in Kansas. The new corporation, National Park Trust of Kansas, Inc., (NPT-KS) was formed to assist the National Park Service (NPS) in the improvement, management, operation, administration, preservation and protection of the Preserve.

In addition to overseeing the day-to-day management of the Preserve, NPT-KS will assist with the eventual transfer of management responsibilities to the NPS, implementation of the General Management Plan and carrying out the intent of the enabling legislation.

A Board of Trustees, chaired by Paul Duffendack, will govern NPT-KS. Many of the initial Trustees that have been selected also serve and/or served on NPT's national board, the Secretary of the Interior's Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Advisory Committee, the former Z Bar/Spring Hill Ranch Interim Management Committee and/or the Kassebaum Commission. Each has demonstrated a long dedication to the prairie and the Preserve.

Iralee Barnard - Botanist, Curator of the Kansas State University Herbarium, currently compiling a comprehensive plant list and conducting a Photo Point Study at the Preserve (3)
Bill Browning - Rancher & Physician (2, 3)
Paul Duffendack - American Institute of Architects, Vice Chairman of the NPT Board of Trustees, Chairman Elect of the NPT-KS (1, 2, 3, 4)
Lee Fowler - Fifth Judicial District Judge, Chairman of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Advisory Committee (2, 3, 4)
Jim Hoy - Professor of English, Emporia State University and renowned cowboy poet, historian and author (3)
Bob Lagomarsino - Retired republican congressman for California and author of numerous park legislative efforts (1)
Shirley Ann McCullough - Conservationist, preservationist and Chair of the NPT Ad Hoc Committee (1)
Paul Pritchard - Founder and President of the National Park Trust (1, 2)
Barbara Zurhellen - National Park Trust Preserve Director, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (3)

1. Serves on the National Park Trust Board of Trustees
2. Serves on the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Advisory Committee
3. Served on the former Z Bar Spring Hill/Ranch Interim Management Committee
4. Served on the former Kassebaum Commission

Stephen C. Miller, Chairman of the NPT Board of Trustees, from Palm Beach, Florida, described the new board as, "an outstanding array of dedication and knowledge. They have shown their commitment to all Americans in their concern for the Preserve. We are honored that they have agreed to continue to watch over this unique national park endeavor." Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Superintendent, Steve Miller, stated "We look forward to working, in partnership, with this new corporation and its board members for the future benefit of the preserve."

The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve was established by Congress on November 12, 1996, to preserve, protect, and interpret for the public an example of a tallgrass prairie ecosystem and the historic and cultural values represented on the Preserve. The National Park Trust, a private, nonprofit land conservancy organization, owns the 10,894-acre Preserve, which is managed by the NPS. "A model for the nation," is how the author of the legislation, former Senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker, describes this unique relationship.

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Copyright 1999 National Park Trust
URL: http://www.parktrust.org