Wildlife and Biology

Mammals
Little is known about the mammal species within or transient to the preserve. Approximately 120 mammal species, including transient and exotic, occur within the state (Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Strategic Plan 1991-1996). Some adjunct data does exist for the area of the preserve with a total of 59 species of mammals reported by Moore in 1990 for Chase, Lyon, and Morris counties. The list was compiled from references dating from 1958, 1981, and 1985, and provides general information for mammals that might be sighted within the preserve.

Large mammal species, such as Odocoileus hemionus hemionus (mule deer), Odocoileus virginianus (white-tailed deer), and Antilocapra americana (antelope) have been observed within the area of the preserve. Bison bison (bison) were "abundant" in all counties in the state when the first European settlers arrived. They were gone from the Flint Hills area by the early 1870s; the last reported sightings in the state were in 1898 (Choate 1987). The report by Moore also contains four species that have historical sightings but are no longer found: Ursus americanus (black bear), Ursus horribilis (grizzly bear), Felis concolor (mountain lion), and Cervus canadensis (elk).

Little is known regarding small mammals within the preserve. Restoration of some non-huntable species such as the Lutra canadensis (Schreber) (river otter) took place in the Cottonwood River during the 1970s (Sorenson, 1998, personal communication).

Birds
Bird species information compiled by the Kansas Ornithological Society documents 428 species of birds known to occur within the state. The NPS entered into a three-year grassland bird study with the U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, which involved eight parks, including the preserve. The field work for the preserve study, a baseline bird survey, was completed in August 1999 with the final report identifying 132 bird species with15 of those being specifically grassland associated species. The report recommends burning prior to breeding season or in the fall and burning on a 2- to 5-year rotation with variable frequency and seasonality.

The Kansas Coordinator for Partners in Flight Program has voiced concerns regarding species in decline, such as the Tympanchus cupido (L.) (greater prairie chicken). Studies of grassland bird reproduction and land management treatments from Konza and northeastern Oklahoma have shown that spring burning followed by grazing (especially early intensive stocking) resulted in reproduction levels below replacement rates (Kansas Biological Survey, personal communication, 1998.

Reptiles and Amphibians
Twenty-eight species of amphibians (8 salamander, and 20 frog and toad) and 53 species of reptiles (4 turtle, 12 lizard, and 37 snake) are found in the state (Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Strategic Plan 1996). Twenty-one species, including both amphibians and reptiles, are found at the preserve (Kansas Herpetological Society 1997). However, these were identified in a cursory look, conducted by largely untrained volunteers, over a two-day period.

Fisheries
Twenty-four species of fish were identified in Fox Creek during a 1995 sampling effort (Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks 1996). Concern was voiced at that time over the presence of Micropterus salmoides (Lacepede) (largemouth bass) and the absence of Micropterus punctulatas (Rafinesque) (spotted bass), indicating negative changes in the native fish fauna. Another sampling of Fox Creek in 1996 identified species that indicate a disturbed or unsettled community. The large number of stock ponds is thought to contribute to this imbalance, as species are released from ponds during flood events (Tillma 1996).

Additional sampling by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks within Palmer Creek and two unnamed tributaries found 14 species of fish, including the Topeka shiner and the Luxilis cardinalis (cardinal shiner). The Topeka shiner, found in two of the unnamed tributaries, is federally listed as an endangered species under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Final Rule signed 11/25/98); and the cardinal shiner is a State SINC species. Pimephales promelas (Rafinesque) (fathead minnow), found in large numbers in ponds, were also located in the tributary headwaters, implicating the ponds in affecting the natural fishery (Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks 1997).

When the Kansas Department of Health and Environment began monitoring Fox Creek, initial sampling found five species of unionid mussel, including the exotic Corbicula fluminea (Asiatic clam) (Medland 1997, personal communication).

Threatened, and Endangered Species
The Topeka shiner is federally-listed as an endangered species under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Final Rule signed 11/25/98).

The federally-listed threatened Haliaeetus leucocephalus (bald eagle) may also occasionally occur on the preserve.

The federally-endangered Noturus placidus (Neosho madtom) is suspected of being in the Cottonwood River of which Fox Creek is a tributary (National Park Service "Enhancement Report" 1998); however, it has not been found at the preserve.

The Kansas Natural Heritage inventory monitors some 130 species of vertebrates and invertebrates and some 400 species of plants in Kansas. The cardinal shiner is a State SINC species. As noted above, the Topeka shiner has been found in two unnamed tributaries within the preserve. No other occurrences are documented from within the preserve, although no formal surveys have been conducted for many of these species (Busby 1997, personal communication).

All aquatic areas are recognized as "hot spots" and should be sampled for invertebrates and mussels. Springs and seeps are considered as sites with high potential for biodiversity on the prairie, according to recent findings on the Konza Prairie. About 28% of the vascular plant species at Konza are found associated with these areas. Similar findings may also be true for aquatic invertebrates (National Park Service "Enhancement Report" 1998). It is thought to be highly unlikely that rare or endemic terrestrial plant or animal species will be discovered at the preserve.

Air Quality
The Clean Air Act, P.L.88-206 as amended, designates units of federally-owned lands into different categories of air quality. According to specialists within the National Park Service Air Quality Division, the preserve, if federally owned, would fall in the Class II category and all applicable state air quality regulations would apply. (Flores, NPS Air Quality Division 1999, personal communication).

Site specific air quality data for the preserve is lacking, but overall, the air quality for the area is presumed to be good (Weir, 1997 personal communication, Kansas Department of Health and Environment). Particulate data, from the 1970s, exists for an Emporia station (approximately 18 miles (30 kilometers) east of the preserve). All of the current air quality data comes from a Wichita station; no data is currently being collected from Chase County or the preserve area. Analysis of lead, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide levels revealed no problems that would impact the preserve. The only exceptional events with particulate matter less than 10 microns (PM-10) were due to dry, dusty conditions (Wier 1997, personal communication).

Fire Management
The historic role of fire in the prairie ecosystem is well documented in the literature (Bragg 1995, Collins and Barber 1985, Hartnett et al.1996). Fire that is highly variable in both frequency and seasonality is essential for the maintenance of a functioning prairie ecosystem. It is this variability that encourages the greatest expression of biological diversity.

Fire also plays an important role in the management of Flint Hills prairies as pastures. Since most of the leased pastures throughout the Flints Hills are lightly stocked in the latter months of the growing season, vegetation remains into the fall resulting in a large accumulation of biomass during the winter. Since it is difficult to control the spread of wildfires in grassland ecosystems and commercial grazing sets the pattern for the entire region, annual controlled spring burning is widely practiced.

Viewsheds (Landscapes and Vistas)
Repeatedly, the public has identified the vistas and views as some of the preserve’s most important resources. The relationship of earth and sky, the feeling of vastness, and the openness of the landscape all contribute to a "sense of place." There are very few intrusions on the land.

Several vistas are noteworthy within the preserve as representative of the larger, nearly undeveloped and sparsely populated Flint Hills region. From U.S. 50 north on State Hwy 177 the preserve flanks the highway on both sides, providing a pastoral scene and appealing landscape. The historic ranch headquarters area represents the only large human-constructed element visible, resulting in a broad vista of the verdant valley.

To the east of Hwy 177, from the front porch of the main ranch house, lies another broad vista of the distant gallery floodplain forest backed by the escarpment of rolling hills. Again, this view contains few human intrusions except for the cultivated brome field and a few barely visible fence lines.

To the west of Hwy 177, the tallgrass prairie rises to the main north-south ridge system that defines the preserve’s more remote sections. Only a few trees are visible in the draws where water is more plentiful and the effects of fire are less active. This rounded landscape beckons one to come and examine it more closely.

Perhaps the most spectacular vistas within the preserve are atop the long north/south ridge system. From these vantage points, a person can see great distances in all directions. With the exception of the development associated with Strong City, few human structures are visible from these lookout points. Communication towers are located southeast and southwest of the preserve and can be seen from some areas within the preserve. Depending on the season, a rolling sea of green or brown expands to the horizon. Here, people have an opportunity to ponder the past and reflect on the vastness that American Indians and early Euroamerican settlers encountered.

Night is a special time to experience the preserve and its vast expanse of sky. Although lights from events in Strong City are visible, on most clear nights the sky appears as a giant dome of black, studded with stars, unaffected by city lights.

These relatively undisturbed viewsheds offer visitors a unique opportunity to experience a large expanse of prairie unaltered by modern intrusions.

Grazing
Grazers inhabiting the tallgrass prairie prior to European settlement included bison, elk, pronghorn antelope, white-tailed deer, mule deer, numerous species of small rodents, and invertebrate species. The extent to which large grazers used the prairie is unclear (Roe 1970). The Flint Hills have been used intensively for cattle grazing since the early 1880s.

Cattle grazing regimes take several forms within the Flint Hills, including year-long cow-calf operations, May-to-October steer grazing operations, and intensive early stocking. The latter operation places twice the number of animals on the land for one-half the time. Cattle are usually brought on in late April and removed by late July to allow for recovery of the prairie. One criticism of this regime concerns its homogeneity and the indication that intensive early stocking promotes a lack of diversity when used as the sole management strategy, though there is no compelling evidence against intensive early stocking as one component of land management (Hartnett, personal correspondence July 14, 1998).

However, declining populations of some avian species such as the greater prairie chicken are in part due to the practice of annual spring burning and early intensive stocking, which reduces vegetative cover during the nesting season (Kansas Biological Survey personal communication 1998). Early work by Weaver also questioned the role of heavy grazing of tallgrass prairie, and suggested that it resulted in degraded range with low diversity (Weaver 1954).

Research is underway regarding whether bison and cattle grazing may differ in their effects on tallgrass prairie vegetation composition and biodiversity. Although both cattle and bison display generalist food habits, bison select almost exclusively grasses and may reduce the dominance of matrix grasses. Other behaviors, such as wallowing and the bison’s tendency to graze closer to the ground, may cause bison to differ from cattle in their effects on species richness and grassland biodiversity (Hartnett 1996).

Large herbivores alter the abundance of various plant species through the selective removal of preferred forage species. Bison diets consist of up to 90 percent grasses, while cattle diets consist of about 70 percent grasses (Plumb 1993). Selective grazing of grasses releases forbs from competition pressure and increases plant species diversity (Collins 1987).

Recently burned areas are often preferentially grazed by cattle or bison or both (Shaw and Carter 1990). Large grazers can trample vegetation (Wallace 1987) and engage in wallowing, the impacts of which may persist for decades. Other groups of small herbivores, such as Geomys bursasrius (Shaw) (pocket gophers), provide establishment sites for plant species uncommon in undisturbed prairie (Platt 1975), thus increasing diversity.

Vegetation
Survey notes from the 1850s describe areas of "nearly all prairie" and a "small quantity of timber on the creeks" in the region of the present day preserve (Barnard 1997). Recent attempts by Lauver (1998) to classify vegetation alliances and plant communities found eight plant community types occurring within the preserve. The preserve is dominated by the Andropogon gerdardii (big bluestem) – Sorgashastrum nutans (Indian grass) – Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem) Flint Hills herbaceous vegetation community, or tallgrass prairie. Prairie is found on nearly level land as well as steep slopes on uplands and on a wide array of soils. Other community types such as the Bulrush- Spikerush Marsh and Limestone outcrops are very narrow and found in small patches (Lauver 1998).

The prairie vegetation, under the current grazing lease, is burned every spring, usually around March 20th ; it is grazed under a 35-year lease arrangement that began in 1995. The vegetation is subjected to an early intensive stocking regime, averaging two acres for a 550-pound steer for approximately 90-100 days between April 15th and July 31st . The cattle are then removed and the vegetation is allowed a period of regrowth until the next spring.

The floodplain forests along Fox and Palmer creeks are examples of the ash-elm- hackberry-burr oak-black walnut floodplain forest community. It is characterized by nearly level bottoms andterraces along major streams and rivers (Lauver 1998). This floodplain community has been called the rarest in the state because of the tendency, historically, to plow these deeper soils and to replace native vegetation with agricultural or grazing crops (National Park Service, 1998 Enhancement Report). The bottomland along Fox Creek is currently planted in brome grass. Cool season grasses like brome are usually grazed in the spring between March 16 and June 30 and again in the fall between about September 1 and December 31, or they are cut for hay.

The riparian forest along Fox Creek has been heavily used by livestock and shows signs of soil compaction, erosion, and loss of herbaceous species. Some row crops are planted in the southern area along Fox Creek under an annual lease arrangement with NPT. The floodplain vegetation along Palmer Creek appears to be diverse and healthy (National Park Service Water Resources Division trip report March 1997).

Dominant species, identified by the Kansas Biological Survey, are Andropogon gerdardii (big bluestem), Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem), Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama), Amorpha canescens (leadplant), Sorgashastrum nutans (Indian grass), Buchloe dactyloides (buffalograss), Vernonia baldwinii (ironweed), Psoralea tenuiflora (wild alfalfa), and Bouteloua hirsuta (hairy grama). The relatively high cover of buffalograss and ironweed indicates that some areas of the preserve (ridgetops and creek floodplains) are prone to overgrazing (Lauver 1998).

More than 400 species of vascular plants have been identified within the preserve as of 1999, from observational data and 11 photopoint sites (Barnard 1999). Additional vegetation data documents 46 plant species from 100 plots within 10 sampling sites from the preserve. This research noted a dramatic decline in vegetative cover between the June and August sampling periods (Thomas 1997). Presently, floral data collection continues as part of a photopoint record (Barnard 1998) and vegetation community transects have been established within the riparian zones and selected prairie sites covering 100 individual plots (Thomas 1997).

Threatened and Endangered Plant Species
No plants are included on the state threatened, endangered, or Species in Need of Conservation (SINC) list (Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. Strategic Plan 1991-1996). However, two plants found within Kansas, Platanthera praeclara (western prairie-fringed orchid) (Sheviak and Bowles) and Asclepias meadii (Meades milkweed) (Torrey ex A. Gray), are on the federal list of threatened species. Neither of these are known to be within the preserve; surveys for other species have been limited or non-existent.

Ecologically Critical Areas or Unique Natural Resources
The tallgrass prairie is the dominant vegetation community within the preserve and constitutes a unique resource on a national and global scale. This habitat is also listed as state prime habitat (Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. Strategic Plan 1991-1996).

The many springs and seeps within the preserve, having associated free-flowing, intermittent, or perennial streams, are prime habitat within the state and considered crucial habitat "wherever they occur" (Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. Strategic Plan 1991-1996). Two perennial streams within the preserve form the habitat for the federally-listed endangered species, the Notropis topeka (Topeka shiner).

Exotic Plant Species
Over 30 plant species classified as "non-native" within the state have been found within the preserve. Many of these plant species do not constitute a serious threat to the resource, including Lamium amplexicaule (L.) (henbit), Poa pratensis (L.) (Kentucky bluegrass), and Stellaria media (L.) (cyrillo) (common chickweed). Other species, such as some members of the Bromus group or sweet clovers, are only of concern to severely impacted or overgrazed prairies.

Andropogon Bladii (Caucasian bluestem) represents a serious threat and has been found within the preserve. Control of this species is difficult because it responds positively to fire and is not impacted by mowing or normal grazing regimes. It has been found on the preserve in three sites, the largest, approximately one acre (0.4 hectares) in size. Dr. Clenton Owensby, Professor in the Department of Agronomy at Kansas State University (KSU), stated that he fears Caucasian bluestem more than any other exotic (Clubine 1992).

Special attention should be given to state-listed noxious weeds and especially to potential problem species such as Lespedeza cuneata (sericea lespedeza). While not found within the preserve, this species "may pose a serious threat to the biotic integrity and biodiversity of Flint Hills tallgrass prairie in the next decades" (National Park Service 1998 Enhancement Report).

Streams and Creeks
The major aquatic resources within the preserve consist of Palmer Creek, a tributary to Fox Creek, located in the northern portion of the preserve and flowing west to east; and Fox Creek, a major tributary to the Cottonwood River, which bisects the preserve flowing north to south. Floodplains for these stream reaches have been digitized and mapped from the Federal Emergency Management Agencies Flood Insurance Rate Maps. Additional unnamed tributaries discharge into the Fox Creek.

In 1998, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment initiated a monitoring program for Fox and Palmer creeks involving one fixed site on both. The sampling includes pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, nutrients, organics, heavy metals, bacteria, and some invertebrate samples. Prior to this program, no formal sampling procedure had been implemented, therefore routine water quality data is lacking.

The initial sampling in July 1998, showed extremely high fecal coliform and fecal streptococcus counts in both Fox and Palmer creeks. The counts from the August sampling were greatly reduced. (Kansas Health & Environment Laboratory 1998). The July samples exceeded the state water quality standard coliform count for whole body contact of 200/100 ml and also the state standard for non-contact, which is 2000/100ml. The high fecal counts may be the result of non-point source pollution due to runoff from heavily grazed pastures (Department of Health and Environment Kansas Water Quality assessment 1996).

Some earlier water quality data for Fox Creek is associated with fisheries sampling efforts. Fox Creek was given a high score for habitat for aquatic macroinvertebrates. Ninety-seven individual insect species and 23 species of fish were collected. However, Fox Creek was rated as ‘poor" in stream health, mainly due to an increase in species tolerant to pollution and a decrease in intolerant species (Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks 1995).

A recent follow-up evaluation was performed on three preserve aquatic resources using a Bureau of Land Management technique for assessing riparian areas. This technique evaluates 17 factors including hydrology, vegetation, and stream geomorphology, and results in a finding in one of three categories: functioning, functional-at-risk, or nonfunctioning. Palmer Creek was assessed in two locations: a west portion and an east portion close to Fox Creek. The west segment was judged functioning, despite some concerns over the lack of woody species. The eastern portion exhibited degraded conditions due to erosion and was labeled nonfunctioning. An unnamed tributary to Fox Creek was labeled functional-at-risk due to incising at its lower end. The other condition assessments for this area were notable for their excellence (National Park Service Water Quality Division, trip report October 1997).

Wetlands
Wetlands are an imperiled national resource, with a loss rate of 300,000 – 450,000 acres (121,114-181,671 hectares) annually on a national scale (Feierabend and Zelzany, 1987). Wetlands help convert plant material into nutrients; they function in flood and erosion control; and they improve water quality. The NPS strives for a "no-net-loss" of wetlands in any management action affecting those resources. Because of the lack of site-specific information regarding wetlands within the preserve, the NPT, through the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) has initiated a wetlands survey. This survey and subsequent NPS planning, management, and protection actions will be in compliance with Director’s Order and Procedural Manual #77-1: Wetlands Protection.

Current information regarding wetlands has been derived from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Wetlands Inventory (NWI). The Housing and Urban Development (HUD) flood hazard maps provide some information on some type of floodplain delineation. The state of Kansas reports all state and federal areas containing wetlands, but does not include the majority of wetlands on private lands. Wetlands within the state are currently classified as "waters of the state," and are designated for noncontact recreation, food procurement, and aquatic life support. There is no estimate of wetland losses within the state as of 1996,according to the Kansas Water Quality Assessment Report (Kansas Department of Health and Environment 1996).

Stock Ponds, Seeps, Springs
Additional water resources include numerous seeps and springs; 26 ponds constructed for stock use, including Peyton Creek Detention Dam No.104, a 200-acre-ft watershed retention impoundment constructed under Permit No. DCS-0142 and operated by Peyton Creek Watershed District 71; and several tributaries with variable flows. The stock ponds serve as water sources for cattle and as retention ponds for surface water runoff during storm events.

The presence of a federally-listed species, Notropis topeka (Topeka shiner), in a tributary downstream from a pond has created concerns over the possibility of dam failure and the introduction of fish species from the pond which might impact that endangered species. However, the preserve lacks any water quality or biological data on species present within these ponds except for a survey for potential recreational fishery within ten ponds conducted by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (Kansas Dept. of Wildlife and Parks. 1996. Report: Ponds on the Z-Bar Ranch). A recent inventory of the 26 dams provided physical data regarding the ponds, dimensions, and maximum capacity. While all were classified as having a "low" hazard potential, a number of dams were identified as being in need of corrective work to assure structural soundness (Rizzo 1998). The preserve lacks long-term data sets on water quality, hydrology, and geomorphology.