Newsletter

October 2025

What You'll Find in this Newsletter

Advocacy: Kansans for Conservation Coalition (KFC) Seek State Funding

Conservation: Protecting North America’s rarest mammal, the Black-footed Ferret

Education: What good is Serecia lespedeza?

Upcoming Events: Celebration of Cranes (Nov. 7-8)

Philanthropy Corner: Equipment Campaign Dollars Support "Mobile Workshop"

Chapter Spotlight: Burroughs Audubon Society of Greater Kansas City

From left to right: Rex Buchanan, Dr. Jackie Augustine, Vanessa Avara, AOK representatives hosting a table at the capitol in Topeka, Kansas

Kansans for Conservation Coalition (KFC)

Seek State Funding

Story by Rex Buchanan, AOK Board of Trustees Representative

If you’ve ever visited a state park in Missouri, you know they are well-kept. They’re also ubiquitous. And they’re free. Missouri funds these parks, by constitutional

amendment, with a tax dedicated to their support.

Many states have funding specifically dedicated to conservation and parks.

Not Kansas.

That’s why a group of organizations has come together to develop a dedicated source of funding for Kansas conservation. Kansans for Conservation (or KFC) is sponsored by more than 40 organizations, ranging from the Kansas Farm Bureau to Audubon of Kansas. They have proposed and championed legislation that would direct state funding to conservation broadly defined, including wildlife, recreation and education, working lands, and water.

For the past two legislative sessions, KFC has worked with legislators to introduce bills to provide on-going conservation funding and methods for that funding’s dispersal. Though hearings were held during both legislative sessions, the bills did not advance out of committee.

But nothing important is easy. It often takes several attempts to pass legislation, particularly legislation that involves budgets. KFC plans to return in January 2026, asking for funding of $16-$17 million per year. KFC is working with supportive legislators to introduce a bill and has begun efforts to get it passed.

KFC met in Manhattan in August to work toward that goal. Three board members represented Audubon of Kansas at that meeting. In October, Kansas Audubon chapters discussed KFC efforts during a monthly virtual meetup. On February 12, 2026, KFC plans a "day at the capitol" to talk with legislators about the bill and answer questions.

What does this mean to you?

If you believe conservation is important to Kansans, and that it deserves the support it receives in other states, this is an opportunity to get involved. Visit the KFC website to learn more about its proposals. Consider becoming part of the effort, particularly by joining KFC’s day at the capitol. Legislators naturally listen to their constituents. If you live in a legislative district of a critical legislator (one who sits on budget or natural resource committees, for example), your voice is especially important.

If you don’t know your legislators, get to know them. I’ve long said the worst time to develop a relationship is when you need it. When you walk in their door to talk about a bill, your legislator should already know you. And trust you. Reach out to KFC.

If you’re a member of a conservation organization that isn’t a member of the KFC coalition, encourage your organization to join.

None of this will be easy. But nothing important ever is.

Protecting North America’s rarest mammal,

the Black-footed Ferret

Imagine it’s midnight. You’re driving down a country road when you crest a hill and see trucks spread out over 8-10 fields combing the countryside with spotlights. What is the first thing that comes to mind? Searching for a lost child? An alien encounter? Crazy people doing what crazy people do?

It might look crazy, but those spotlights belong to a group dedicated to protecting North America’s rarest mammal, the Black-footed Ferret. Participants include staff from zoos and nonprofits (including AOK), veterinarians, and volunteers. They drive through prairie dog towns at night looking for the ferrets. The ferrets’ eyes reflect green, and the observers watch what hole the ferret enters. A trap is placed in the hole and neighboring holes are plugged. When the ferret tries to leave, it gets caught in the trap. Ferrets are taken to the veterinarians who determine age and sex, record body condition, and administer vaccines. The ferrets are then released unharmed back into the hole where they were captured. The information gathered is critical for determining the health of the ferret population.

In the late 1800s, there were estimated to be 500,000 to 1 million Black-footed Ferrets. In the 1950s, they were presumed extinct. Agricultural expansion and prairie dog eradication were the main factors causing the decline. Over 90% of a ferret’s diet consists of prairie dogs, and a ferret eats a prairie dog once every 3 days. So, if prairie dogs are eliminated, the ferrets disappear with them. In 1981, a population of Black-footed Ferrets were discovered. The population was monitored, but started declining, so the remaining 24 ferrets were brought into captivity in 1987 to start a breeding and reintroduction program. All ferrets alive today are descendants of those 24. To date, 5,100 black-footed ferrets have been released at 28 sites in 8 US states. However, only 4 of those sites are self-sustaining and support only 200 mature individuals.

The threats to ferrets are ongoing. There is still persecution of prairie dogs, especially in Kansas. A state law allows counties to kill prairie dogs on private land and charge the landowner for that ‘service,’ even if the landowner supports prairie dog conservation. Prairie dogs and Black-footed Ferrets are also susceptible to disease including canine distemper and plague. Ferrets also may also exhibit low reproductive success due to inbreeding.

Despite all these threats, the Kansas Black-footed Ferret population is doing well. Ferrets were seen throughout the area of introduction, demonstrating they are utilizing the available habitat. Captured individuals included several that were born this year, indicating that reproduction is good at the site. One individual was nearly 5 years old, indicating that survival is also good at the site (ferrets only live 4-5 years in the wild or 4-9 years in captivity). Audubon of Kansas staff captured 1/3 of all the individuals captured this year. We are proud to support the conservation of North America’s rarest mammal, right here in Kansas.

From left to right: eyes shine in the spotlight, a trap is set, and a ferret is caught.

What good is Sericea lespedeza?

Story and photo by Dr. Jackie Augustine, AOK Executive Director

If you know Sericea lespedeza, you likely think there are no redeeming qualities about the invasive plant. It is a perennial legume that can produce over 1,000 seeds per plant annually. It can be a high-protein forage for cattle early in the year, but as it grows and the summer gets hotter, tannins increase causing it to be unpalatable and indigestible.

Being tolerant of drought and shallow, acidic soils, Sericea was planted throughout southeast Kansas in the 1930s to reclaim strip mines. In the 1940s and 1950s, it was planted around reservoirs for wildlife habitat. Deer may eat the plant, but it is as unpalatable to deer as cattle. Quail may eat the seeds, but the seeds do not provide much nourishment. Sericea spread further throughout Kansas in the 1980s when it was a contaminant in seed used for grassland restorations. If left unmanaged, Sericea can become a monoculture displacing our diverse native grasslands.

Management of Sericea is challenging. Effective herbicides also kill native wildflowers. Some ranchers have taken to spot-spraying individual plants – a time intensive process, but it can be effective if Sericea occurs in low densities. Some ranchers are experimenting with burning in late August or early September – killing the plants before they seed. Although Sericea is listed as a noxious weed in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska, southeastern states like Mississippi and Georgia still promote its use on poor soils.

So, are there any redeeming qualities of Sericea? I would argue that there might be two bright spots with respect to Sericea. First, this threat is being recognized and combated by ranchers. On two legacy AOK Protected Areas, the current landowners and donors are enacting Sericea control measures. As a board member of Tallgrass Legacy Alliance, I have seen firsthand how ranchers come together to talk about Sericea management and other ways to maintain the diversity of our grasslands in Kansas. Second, there might be a movement to shift at least some prescribed burning to the fall to combat Sericea, especially in the Flint Hills. If this happens, this might be a boon for Greater Prairie-Chickens in the region. Currently, most of the prescribed fire happens in the spring leaving little standing grass remaining to conceal nests. If burning is alternated between spring and fall, there may be more nesting cover, which could lead to more prairie-chickens surviving until adulthood. It will be interesting to return to this topic in 20 years to see if changing grassland management to control Sericea will indirectly benefit prairie-chicken populations in the Flint Hills…

The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Audubon of Kansas or Tallgrass Legacy Alliance.

Overlooking Bullfoot Creek at the Connie Achterberg Wildlife-Friendly Demonstration Farm

Burroughs Nature Center and Bird Sanctuary

Demonstration Prairie Wildflower Planting

Banded and Tagged Prothonotary Warbler