Our Prairie Talk Panel will address the issue of woody encroachment on grasslands. This program is for ranchers, land managers, and laypeople.

Note:  This is our first annual “Josh and Jim Hoy Memorial Prairie Talk,” and continues the educational mission of the Symphony in the Flint Hills.

Schedule

2:00 Welcome by Jeff Davidson, President, Pioneer Bluffs Board of Directors
2:05 Luke Westerman – Introduction to the program: “The Problem of Woody Encroachment”
2:20 Jackson Lindamood – “Woody Cover Impact on Grassland Values” – discuss economics of woody invasion
2:55 Break
3:05 Katie Schmidt – “Cedars, Flower & Pollinators” – how the proliferation of cedars affects nearby populations of flowers and pollinators
3:35 Luke Westerman – “Solutions to Woody Encroachment”
3:45 All Panel – Q & A
4:00 Snacks downstairs

Panelists

Luke Westerman has worked for NRCS for 23 years. All of those years being in Kansas. He started as a Soil Conservationist for NRCS in 2002 and is currently a Supervisory District Conservationist in the Eureka Field Office. Luke received an undergraduate degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology from Kansas State University and a Master of Science degree in Environmental Biology from Emporia State University. Luke is passionate about teaching others about the tallgrass prairie ecosystem and the importance of the Flint Hills of Kansas. In Luke’s spare time he enjoys birdwatching, woodworking and teaching the young and old about the natural world around them.

Jackson Lindamood is from a ranching family in Greenwood County, and earned his Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University. His thesis work examined how environmental factors, primarily woody encroachment and water restriction policies, affect agricultural land values across Kansas.

Katie Schmidt has served as the grounds manager and horticulturist at Dyck Arboretum of the Plains in Hesston, KS for ten years. She manages the greenhouse, provides landscape consultations and design services, and maintains Dyck Arboretum’s thirty acres of lawns, gardens, prairie reconstruction and pond. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Natural Sciences from Bethel College and is currently pursuing a masters degree in ecology from WSU.