Ranchland Trust of Kansas

06/12/2026

Ranchland Trust of Kansas is proud to recognize Equity Bank as a sponsor of the 2026 Prairie Picnic! 🧡🧡👏

Equity Bank provides great support for their clients and the communities they operate in through a positive company culture and local outreach. They have many convenient locations across 6 states in our region. Thank you for your support of Kansas grasslands conservation! 🌾🌾

Join us for the Prairie Picnic! 🌾🌼🐂

Use the QR code in the 3rd image to purchase tickets while they are still available! Tickets are $50 per person. Limited to 150 people.

Details: Saturday, June 20 at Pioneer Bluffs in Matfield Green
Barn doors open at 10:30 AM
Event begins at 11:00 AM
Featured speaker: David Kraft with Kansas Grazing Lands Coalition
Sneak-peek of the Symphony in the Flint Hills: A Documentary, Matt Crow
Catered BBQ Lunch
Acoustic performance by Lora McDonald
Live auction benefiting RTK with Jeff Davidson as Auctioneer
Optional: Guided wildflower walk along PrairyArt Path beginning at 9:45 AM (1.1 mi. south of Pioneer Bluffs, west side of Hwy 177)

🎟️ Purchase your ticket today: https://ranchlandtrustofkansas.org/events-news/

06/11/2026

🧡🦋 Next Saturday, June 20th, is RTK's annual Prairie Picnic!🦋🧡
You don't want to miss the afternoon we have planned - we're beyond excited to have Lora McDonald, talented singer, musician, and songwriter from Madison, KS performing for us!

Praised for great vocals and a connection with the crowd, Lora loves performing both covers and her own originals. She has performed at numerous events and venues like the Symphony in the Flint Hills, Emporia Granada Theater, Ottawa Memorial Auditorium, and Washunga days as well as opening for the likes of Maddie and Tae, RaeLynn, Josh Meloy, and Logan Mize. Lora was recently featured on the TV Show “Best of America by Horseback.” Her original music can be found on all streaming platforms, including her newest single, “A Horse Like Mine.” 🐎🐎

🎟🎟 Its not too late to purchase tickets to the Prairie Picnic! We still have a few remaining - but don't wait too long! Details here: https://ranchlandtrustofkansas.org/events-news/

You can follow her Lora McDonald or find out more about her music here: https://www.loramcdonald.com/home

06/10/2026

Congratulations to John Rogler for being named the new executive director at Pioneer Bluffs!
The Rogler family operated Pioneer Bluffs as a ranch for three-generations before it became a historic site and non-profit. How wonderful to have a Rogler at the helm again!

Pioneer Bluffs has a new executive director with a familiar name…
John Rogler brings extensive skills and experience, in addition to having a unique connection - his ancestors homesteaded Pioneer Bluffs in 1859.

Lt. Colonel John Rogler is a 28-year Air Force Fighter Pilot, with four combat deployments. He has widespread experience in business, sales, and management; most recently, he was an economist with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

You’ll have a chance to meet John at upcoming events, including volunteer workdays. He invites you to reach out to him at [email protected].

06/08/2026

🚨👏Another Prairie Picnic auction item!
This stunning photograph of Little Jerusalem Badlands by Bruce Hogle, of Leawood, KS. Bruce generously donated a 24" x 36" framed canvas of this photograph, and it will be available to bid on at our Prairie Picnic on June 20th at Pioneer Bluffs, in Matfield Green 💚

Event starts at 11am and will end around 2pm.
More details on our website: https://ranchlandtrustofkansas.org/events-news/ .

Details can also be found on our Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn pages.
You can see other pieces available at the auction here: https://ranchlandtrustofkansas.org/prairie-picnic.../

For questions or to place an absentee bid, please contact Dawn at [email protected].

The Prairie Picnic is just 12 days away! See you soon 🧡

06/06/2026

Happy National Prairie Day from Ranchland Trust of Kansas! 🌾🧡

The unique and bountiful ecosystem we call home is also one of the most imperiled in the world. Every year in the United States alone, its estimated we lose about two million acres of grassland.
Two. Million. Acres. Every. Year. 🤯🤯
At this rate, our grazing lands, and the economic and ecological benefits they provide us, will be lost within three generations, according to the Nobel Research Institute.

RTK's mission is to preserve Kansas’ ranching heritage and open spaces for future generations through conservation of working landscapes. We're committed, forever, to our state's beautiful prairie and we need your help to ensure our success! All donations to RTK are used towards conservation easements that ensure those places will never be converted or developed. To date, we've protected nearly 20,000 acres from development, forever, and we've got 10,000+ acres pending in active projects.

Healthy grasslands provide not only grazing and associated economic benefits, but they also support clean drinking water for our communities, a diverse ecosystem full of life, a natural carbon sink, and space to recreate and enjoy natural beauty 🐂🦆🪱🦋💧

Join us in TWO WEEKS, Saturday, June 20th at our annual Prairie Picnic at Pioneer Bluffs to learn more about what we do and join our community of prairie stewards: https://ranchlandtrustofkansas.org/events-news/ .

Deadline to RSVP is this Friday, June 12th.

Photo by: Mike Scheufler. Taken in the Flint Hills.

06/05/2026

RTK's Executive Director, Dawn, spent the week in Sacramento, CA, with other PORT (Partnership of Rangeland Trust) colleagues. While there, they visited a working CA ranch with conservation easement. A great opportunity to see rangeland conservation firsthand in another state!

06/04/2026

"Volunteer Fire Assistance Cost Share Grant Applications are now open! The Kansas Forest Service administers the Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) cost-share program with grant funding provided by the US Forest Service. The funding is available to rural or city departments that provide fire protection to rural areas with less than 10,000 people."

📣 VFA Applications Due June 15th!📣

Volunteer Fire Assistance Cost Share Grant Applications are now open! The Kansas Forest Service administers the Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) cost-share program with grant funding provided by the US Forest Service. The funding is available to rural or city departments that provide fire protection to rural areas with less than 10,000 people.

A step-by-step help video has now been added to the grants page to help make the application process easier for departments. Please review the video and apply today!

✍️ Learn more and apply: https://buff.ly/XOSgQa5

06/03/2026

🧡 We are just 17 days away until the RTK Prairie Picnic on Saturday, June 20th!
This year, Pioneer Bluffs in Matfield Green is where we are hosting our annual fundraising event. Pioneer Bluffs is a natural partnership for Ranchland Trust of Kansas as we have overlapping missions to preserve ranching heritage in Kansas 🧡

Pioneer Bluffs is a non-profit organization that preserves a 12-acre homestead in the Flint Hills which was home to the Rogler family's three-generation ranching operation which was well-respected in the area. A National Register Historic District, the homestead preserves an iconic 1915 barn, restored to a one-of-a-kind event space that has historic charm; a 1916 granary/carriage house renovated to host ranching exhibits and research library; a classic 1908 farmhouse; log cabin; and mile-long limestone fence. This isn't the first or last time we've partnered with them - we're grateful to have their support! 🤠

To learn more about Pioneer Bluffs: https://pioneerbluffs.org/visit/our-story/

The deadline to RSVP for the Prairie Picnic is next Friday, June 12th. To purchase tickets and learn more about the event, as well as view auction items: https://ranchlandtrustofkansas.org/events-news/

06/02/2026

🚨Another Prairie Picnic auction item!

This piece, titled, 'Quiet on the Prairie' by Scott Bean Photography, of Manhattan, KS was taken in Wabaunsee County along old K-18. Scott has generously donated a 20" x 30" framed canvas of this photograph, and it will be available to bid on at our Prairie Picnic on June 20th at Pioneer Bluffs, in Matfield Green. Event starts at 11am and will end around 2pm.

More details on our website: https://ranchlandtrustofkansas.org/events-news/ .

Details can also be found on our Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn pages.

You can see other pieces available at the auction here: https://ranchlandtrustofkansas.org/prairie-picnic-auction-items/

For questions or to place an absentee bid, please contact Dawn at [email protected].

If you want to see more of Scott's work, follow him Scott Bean Photography or check out his website: https://scottbeanphoto.com/

The Prairie Picnic is just 18 days away! See you soon 🧡

06/01/2026

Ranchland Trust of Kansas is proud to recognize Porter Cattle Company as a sponsor of the 2026 Prairie Picnic!

Owned and operated by Rich Porter near Emporia, Kansas, Porter Cattle Company has long been a leader in the cattle industry, conservation, and stewardship of native grasslands. His operation backgrounds approximately 7,000 calves annually, utilizing native grasslands as a cornerstone of their management program.

Beyond ranching, Rich has been a strong advocate for agricultural research, education, and community support. His dedication to the land reflects the values celebrated at RTK and at the Prairie Picnic: conservation, stewardship, and preserving Kansas' ranching heritage.

Join us! Tickets are $50 per person. Limited to 150 people.
Details: Saturday, June 20 at Pioneer Bluffs in Matfield Green:
Barn doors open at 10:30 AM
Event begins at 11:00 AM
Featured speaker: David Kraft with Kansas Grazing Lands Coalition
Sneak-peek of the Symphony in the Flint Hills: A Documentary, Matt Crow
Catered BBQ Lunch
Acoustic performance by Lora McDonald
Live auction benefiting RTK with Jeff Davidson as Auctioneer
Optional: Guided wildflower walk along PrairyArt Path beginning at 9:45 AM (1.1 mi. south of Pioneer Bluffs, west side of Hwy 177)

⏳ Only 11 days remain to RSVP! (RSVP deadline: June 12)

🎟️ Reserve your seat today: https://ranchlandtrustofkansas.org/events-news/

Thank you, Porter Cattle Company, for helping keep Kansas ranchlands working, productive, and conserved.

Photos retrieved from: Pioneer Bluffs