A Day in the Life of a Conservation Delivery Specialist
By Gibbon Simmons, Grant Edwards, and Nathan Tavaglione
Gibbon Simmons
Smoky Hills Conservation Delivery Specialist, KS
Grant Edwards
Flint Hills Conservation Delivery Specialist, KS
Nathan Tavaglione
Red Hills Conservation Delivery Specialist, KS
“What do you do?” I’m often asked. Well, I’ll describe my work to you. I am employed by Pheasants Forever. My position title is Conservation Delivery Specialist for the Smoky Hills Ecoregion. Do you get it now? I didn’t either.
“What do you deliver?” A follow-up question to the first I receive just as often. I asked the same question when I was interviewed for the position. It’s not as concrete or tangible as delivering packages to someone’s front door. It’s not like delivering fish from a hatchery to the river either, a delivery task I know very well. The deliverables of this position are services provided to clients.
In Kansas, Conservation Delivery Specialist positions are funded by grants provided by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Our positions are contracted to the NRCS to expand voluntary participation in the Kansas Great Plains Grassland Initiative (GPGI).
A brief lesson on Kansas GPGI: The Kansas GPGI is an initiative designed to confront the greatest threat to Kansas grasslands. It is a part of the NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife framework inviting landowners to defend the few remaining grasslands in the Great Plains from woody encroachment. This initiative in not just another government administered tree cutting program, but rather an initiative led by landowners. Landowners lead by defending grasslands and by spreading the value and importance of defending grasslands, with neighbors; thereby taking initiative to change hearts, minds, and land management practices. GPGI is informed by science. Researchers are studying grassland threats, vulnerabilities, social sciences, services, and many other aspects of grassland management to help guide all levels of land managers. Pheasants Forever partners with NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife to help drive the GPGI bandwagon with hopes of reaping a bountiful harvest of beneficial grassland habitat for pheasants, quail, and other wildlife.
“Enough propaganda! What do you do?” Okay, let me tell you. I communicate with people, plain and simple. I listen to landowners, who have a deep interest in grassland conservation, but don’t know where to begin their efforts. I ask to visit the property to gather data and a better perspective of their operation’s unique challenges. With that data, I draw maps of the property. One map detailing the percentage of canopy cover, another symbolizing the biologic stages of woody encroachment, another featuring historic aerial imagery to provide context of what the property used to look like and how woody encroachment has dramatically altered the state of the landscape, and other maps if needed.
After mapping the property, I work with the client and NRCS during the planning process. Addressing the client’s goals and defending core grasslands are the top priorities. Once a plan is written and agreed upon, we implement it. Sometimes, landowners need a little help starting the work. I make myself available to help when needed. Throughout the implementation process, I keep in contact with the client and NRCS partners to monitor progress. I take pictures and videos of before and after to capture the story. Stories are powerful, more powerful than statistics and technical jargon.
Near the end of implementation, a final review of the property is conducted. I ask to walk the property with the landowner to make sure that all the work we planned has been carried out. Some of these conservation plans can last up to five years; by the end, clients have developed the skills required to continue to defend grasslands and teach their neighbors.
Teaching is another part of my job. Teaching landowners, conservationists, hunters, schools, and the public about grasslands. It may look like attending a Kansas Association of Conservation Districts monthly board meeting in one of thirty-two counties across the Smoky Hills and Central Great Plains; or setting up an outreach table at the Concordia Fall Fest, or presenting in a high school classroom, or simply having a conversation one-on-one with a landowner. Outreach takes many forms day to day. Some days it’s creating content for social media, or writing articles relevant to Pheasants Forever’s mission, or planning a grasslands workshop. Telling stories, of a landowner taking initiative to defend their farm from flood-like enemies threatening to swallow up grasslands and standing victorious with their foot on a tree stump, is how I would like to spend my days. Whatever form outreach takes, the message is consistent with Pheasants Forever’s mission and the NRCS Kansas GPGI.
Don’t forget training. I began working for Pheasants Forever in July 2024. Still fairly new, I am in training all the time so I can better deliver these services to my clients. Obviously, I don’t do all these things in the same day. However, if you are still wondering, “What do you do?” To summarize, I communicate with landowners about conserving Kansas grasslands. This is what “a day in the life” of a Conservation Delivery Specialist looks like for me.
There are two other Conservation Delivery Specialists in Kansas. Grant Edwards in the Flint Hills ecoregion and Nathan Tavaglione in the Red Hill ecoregion. We all work towards the same objectives, but each have unique experiences. Differences between ecoregions, landscapes, community cultures, and challenges shape our day-to-day work. Below are our responses to interview questions comparing and contrasting a day in life of a Conservation Delivery Specialist.
Grant Edwards, Flint Hills Ecoregion
Q: How would you describe the Flint Hills ecoregion?
R: The Flint Hills is a true tall grass prairie. In the Flint Hills you will find the big four grasses; Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Indian Grass, and Switch Grass are all in abundance. The area consists of hundreds of grass covered watersheds that all drain to the various creeks and rivers in the region. The landscape is very rocky, which is easier seen in the spring after a burn; these rocks are the only reason the Flint Hills exists today, otherwise it would have been plowed and farmed years ago. When I think of the Flint Hills I think of the changing seasons; the grasslands may be red, brown, yellow, green, or black in color depending on the weather and time of year. The Flint Hills has the scarce resource of rangeland/grassland. This resource is at threat now more than ever. Trees. Most folks think trees are good. We grew up hearing plant a tree today for a better tomorrow. Fortunately, I think even the general public is starting to wake up to the fact that there are more trees than ever and the way they remember the Kansas prairie is starting to change. The definition of a grassland is: a large-scale treeless ecosystem dominated by herbaceous vegetation (grasses and broadleaf plants).
Q: What is a challenge you’ve encountered?
R: I think we are in a challenging yet unique position to be able to think outside of the box and try to find new producers/partners to work with. Unlike someone who works in an office that might get someone interested walking in the door or calling, the CDS might have to find those individuals in a less traditional manner. Another challenge is the way that brush management has been implemented in the past. We are tasked with trying to reeducate the public. The Great Plains Grassland Initiative. I think the most important word is initiative! Brush management is now being looked at from a holistic approach. I joke and say that you’ve got to drink the GPGI Kool-Aid! Understanding that cutting brush/trees is only the beginning of treating the resource concern. Follow up, education, inventory, monitoring, and knowing your seed source threats are just a few of the many different aspects of how woody encroachment needs to be addressed.
Q: What is the most enjoyable part of your job?
R: Often when working with these landowners/ranchers you find that they have different motivations. One person may be interested in grass production and maintenance in their pasture, or you might be working with someone that has an interest in preserving an ecosystem and bird habitat. The great thing is that all these things go hand in hand.
Nathan Tavaglione, Red Hills Ecoregion
Q: How would you describe the Red Hills ecoregion?
R: The Red Hills or Gypsum Hills is well-characterized by the names it has been given. The red in “Red Hills” is describing what you see from a distance when looking upon the buttes and mesas of the landscape. The soil has oxidized into a rusty red color from the iron in the soil and is exposed on the sides of steep slopes where vegetation does not occur. You might, also, see the hills sparkling back at you, this is where the Gypsum name comes from. The land is covered in gypsum that was deposited here long ago, and it makes for an interesting landscape with sink holes and caves hidden across the area. The soils are characterized as Vernon 1 and susceptible to wind and water erosion when overgrazed. This landscape is not suitable for farming due to the soil type and its susceptibility to erosion, as such, many landowners run cattle operations. The cattle are run on mostly mixed grass prairie with some landowners having wheat fields to supplement their grazing. The grass mix is mostly Little bluestem, Side-oats grama, and Big bluestem. Switch grass, Blue grama, Buffalo grass, and Hairy grama are the next most common plants that occur.
Q: What is a challenge you’ve encountered?
R: A challenge faced out here is gathering ranchers and land managers for education events. These folks are so busy due to various events that occur throughout the year that require all hands-on deck. Things such as calving, putting out hay, fixing fence, rotating cattle, cattle auctions, neutering steers, and administering shots to cattle. It is a rare thing to find a rancher who doesn’t have a problem to solve or a job to finish in my part of the country. I have to overcome this by communicating and identifying the ideal times for the majority of these folks to participate in workshops. Otherwise, I do my best to seize unconventional opportunities to speak with ranchers such as talking at the pre-burn meetings, striking conversations at the gas station, cold calls, and any other chance I can.
Q: What is the most enjoyable part of your job?
R: The most enjoyable part of my job is witnessing the amazing changes that occur on lands that we work on. The Red Hills are currently a mosaic of lands with large expanses of uncontaminated grasslands with pockets of heavy woody encroachment. As you drive across the hills, you can see the difference between the areas that people have worked very hard to clean up versus the areas that we have not been able to get to yet. The difference in the wildlife is mind blowing when you see the various species, that will not be found near a woody area, flying, running, slithering, or crawling along. You will see a huge difference in the plant composition as well. Our grasslands produce many different colorful plant species that will not be found in areas with woody encroachment. Wildflowers that you have never seen before, beautiful grasses that can grow taller than an adult human, and many more. I think the biggest difference you will see is just how far you can see across our grasslands. The wide open spaces are always more open where there are no trees.
Gibbon Simmons, Smoky Hills Ecoregion
Q: How would you describe the Smoky Hills ecoregion?
R: The Smoky Hills ecoregion, located in north central Kansas, is likely named after the haze I’ve seen gathered in the valleys at dawn, made of sandstone and limestone hills scattered throughout the region. This place is unique. Great Plains mixed-grass prairie grows in the remaining core grassland areas. I have seen upland game birds namely Bobwhite Quail, Greater Prairie Chicken, Ring-necked Pheasant, and Wild Turkey in healthy grasslands during my field work. Most of the flat land is cropped, leaving the hills in grass. People tell me that this used to be the place to hunt pheasants. Now, pheasant populations are less abundant here, as is grassland habitat. There are some prescribed burning associations practicing prescribed fire, most notably the Smoky Hills Prescribed Burning Association in the Salina, KS area.
Q: What is a challenge you’ve encountered?
R: A challenge I’ve noticed in the Smoky Hills is the use fire. Prescribed burning is culturally accepted in the east and central parts of the region but feared and avoided in the west where annual precipitation is less than the central and eastern Smoky Hills. Though prescribed burning is the most cost-effective grassland management tool available, its use is not always accepted. At the heart of this challenge is cultural will. How can a culture, a community of people that fear fire, accept the use of prescribed burning to manage the land around them? Even more, how can I help people accept the use of prescribed burning? I’ve heard John Weir of Oklahoma State University say, “There is no substitute for fire.” Fuels will build up over time, and already have, exposing the Smoky Hills to greater risk of wildfire without the presence of fire. Woody encroachment of Eastern Redcedar, a well-known volatile fuel, only makes matters worse. Too long has fire been suppressed on an ecoregion scale in the Smoky Hills. It’s time to make the Smoky Hills smoky again.
Q: What is the most enjoyable part of your job?
R: The most enjoyable part of my job is hearing and sharing stories. My clients are often excited to show me around and tell their stories. I usually hear stories of what motivates them to begin a conservation project. These stories are testimonies from the heart. Working closely with my clients on the project connects me to their story and makes me feel good.
Although we share the same position titles and have the same objectives, the CDS positions in Kansas vary a little. Fleshed out, we are here to promote and coordinate the delivery of healthy grasslands to our state!