Legislators take up issue of pollution, prairie burning restrictions

Last Update: 1/25 6:29 pm

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Legislators take up issue of pollution, prairie burning restrictions

WICHITA, Kansas – Possible restrictions on burning pastures over fears of air pollution have ranchers in the Flint Hills concerned.

Burning pasture in the Flint Hills is a sign that spring has arrived in Kansas. Beginning in late March, ranchers like Dallas Korte, who live outside of Leon in Butler County, light fire to their land.

"It's a natural means to control invasive species,” Korte said. “The environment in the Flint Hills is a tall grass prairie. It's one of the very few tall grass prairies left in the world."

Korte says without fire, invasive species like Red Cedar Trees, would take over their pasture and choke out grass needed for grazing. But the EPA is concerned that such burning in the Flint Hills contributed to poor air quality standards last year in both Wichita and Kansas City. So the agency wants the state to come with a smoke management plan that could include burning restrictions.

It’s something ranchers argue against, saying only fire can preserve their land.

"Tillage is not really possible because we have such a shallow soil that we hit rock when you go down about an inch or two,” Korte said. “Another thing, this is a native species. Anytime it's tilled up or disturbed, the native species takes years, decades to come back."

"Before man was here we had natural fires due to lightening and that's what kept the trees and shrubs down and kept the ecosystem in place,” said Senator Carolyn McGinn, of Sedgwick.

Senator McGinn is so concerned about the possible burning restrictions she’s introduced legislation that would exclude the Flint Hills from additional air quality regulations.

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