June 7, 2006, Welda, KS
Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Inc. has donated a Chevrolet pickup truck to The Nature Conservancy of Kansas. Southern Star Central is a natural gas transmission system spanning over 6,000 miles in Kansas and six other states.

The Conservancy and the University of Kansas (KU) are working in Anderson County, one mile north of Welda, to protect more than 1,300 acres of some of the best remaining tallgrass prairie in the region. With slightly more annual rainfall than the nearby Flint Hills, this area features exceptionally diverse prairie plant communities and important habitat for species at risk, such as the greater prairie-chicken. Mead’s milkweed (a

globally threatened plant), can also be found on the preserve.

The Conservancy and the University of Kansas (KU) are working in Anderson County, one mile north of Welda, to protect more than 1,300 acres of some of the best remaining tallgrass prairie in the region. With slightly more annual rainfall than the nearby Flint Hills, this area features exceptionally diverse prairie plant communities and important habitat for species at risk, such as the greater prairie-chicken. Mead’s milkweed (a globally threatened plant), can also be found on the preserve.

One of the Conservancy’s goals at the Anderson County Preserve is to protect and improve Mead’s milkweed population and ensure a distribution of a healthy, viable population of the plant. The Conservancy is partnering with the University of Kansas for research and management of the preserve.

“With this gift, Southern Star Central has made a strong commitment to supporting conservation and environmental stewardship. The pickup will help the Conservancy and KU to fulfill its mission of safeguarding the grassland ecosystems of Kansas,” said Alan Pollom, State Director of the Kansas Chapter.