![]() ![]() Ranchers also use fire to keep out encroaching species like the eastern red cedar. The prairie grasses are most nutritious during their first 100 days of growth, so prescribed burning provides cattle with fresh, tender grass as it emerges from the jet-black prairie. Today, the lands support a rich cattle ranching culture, where more than a million cattle graze each year. This makes it one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. Of the 400,000 square miles of tallgrass prairie that once covered North America, less than 4% remains, primarily in the Flint Hills. As a result, a lush but delicate ecosystem of grasses emerged, becoming dependent on fire to sustain a treeless ecosystem.Ī prescribed burning crew member monitors a patch of burning rangeland. Mother Nature also set fires through lightning strikes and wildfires. Native Americans routinely burned prairie to entice bison, who were attracted to the fresh grass sprouting up from scorched hills. The Flint Hills, which span from northern Kansas into Oklahoma, are a tallgrass prairie ecosystem forged by fire. “That’s when Region 7’s Air Quality Planning Branch began considering what to do about it.” Burning in the Flint Hills: A Time-Honored Tradition “After analyzing weather pattern models, we were able to confirm that the smoke emissions from the Flint Hills fires were impacting air quality in downwind Kansas and Missouri communities,” Grier said. High levels of ozone can cause health problems for people with asthma, children, older adults, or those who work outdoors. Ozone levels are usually highest during summer months because high temperatures, sunlight, and stagnant air react with oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to create ozone pollution. April is not the time of year we expect to see monitors reading high for ozone,” said EPA Region 7 Agricultural Air Coordinator Gina Grier. During a typical Kansas spring, temperatures are cooler, cloud cover is constant, and winds are high. “We wondered why ozone levels exceeded EPA’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards ( NAAQS). In the early 2000s, air quality monitors in the Midwest drew attention when they recorded unusually high levels of ozone during the month of April. (Photo credit: Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, supported by Colorado State University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.) Even though I drove around exploring the last 60 miles of trail, I still enjoyed finding the true end of the trail, and documenting as much of the trail as I could.Satellite imagery shows the smoke plumes from prescribed burning in the Flint Hills. As of November 2016, this is the most accurate map of this trail online that I'm aware of. I drank three liters of water and a thermos of hot coffee and a small lunch spread out across a few stops and was still spent after exploring to Vassar.Įast of Vassar, I drove to specific points on the trail to see if Google Maps was correct. Be sure to take plenty of food and water. So even with frigid weather conditions, I felt I was up to the challenge and took them up on their offer.ĭon't underestimate this trail.the climb from Council Grove to Bushong is the only challenging uphill, but the sheer distance is quite a challenge if you're not used to that type of energy draw. How do you get back to your car?! My parents had business in Council Grove and offered to move my car to Vassar mid-day. I aspired to do this trail for eight months or so and this was the day it had to happen.to overcome the problem of a super long trail such as this. It offered a great tailwind, but the pictures were lackluster after sunrise. I rode this trail on a super cold day 42 degrees with 30mph NW winds. ![]() I have a few friends on Facebook who bikepack and this would be the best way to digest this trail and the Prairie Spirit Rail Trail which connects to this one in Ottawa, KS. The little towns might offer support if you're in need of water or help, but I didn't have time to venture into them as I had lots of trail to cover in one day. ![]()
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