Jefferson County landowner receives Kansas Bankers Association conservation award
Wildlife Habitat Award winner Les Barnes offers open house event for other landowners to learn about conservation.
Photo available
Released: Feb. 17, 2016
BOYLE, Kan. – Les Barnes, a lifelong native of Jefferson County, Kansas, has been managing the natural resources on his 80-acre tract of land near Boyle since the 1980s. In recognition of his efforts, Barnes was selected to receive the Kansas Bankers Association Wildlife Habitat Award. He received the award at this year’s Jefferson County Conservation District annual meeting, on Jan. 27.
The purpose of the Kansas Bankers Association conservation awards is to stimulate a greater interest in the conservation of the agricultural land and natural resources of Kansas. The association gives recognition to farmers and landowners who have made outstanding progress in practicing conservation and providing stewardship of natural resources on their land. Each year, more than 200 Kansas producers and landowners are recognized through this program.
On Feb. 23 from 10 a.m. to noon, representatives from the Kansas Forest Service; Meadowlark Extension District; Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism; and Jefferson County Conservation District will join Barnes at his property to visit with landowners who have an interest in properly managing their natural resources. February is an ideal time to prune trees, so Kansas Forest Service district forester David Bruton will provide a hands-on pruning demonstration throughout a small bur oak plantation that Barnes established nearly four years ago.
“Understanding how to properly prune trees is important for maintaining tree health and can have a major influence on the economic value of forest products over time,” Bruton said. “When people prune, they touch the future.”
This opportunity is being offered as an open house event and is free to the public. Attendees are welcome to come and go throughout the two-hour event.
Attendees can locate the Barnes property given the following directions: from the intersection of K-4 and K-16 (northeast of Valley Falls), travel east on K-16 for 4.2 miles to Marion Road, then turn right and travel south on Marion Road for 0.5 miles to a gated entrance on the right side of the road.
The event will not be hosted in inclement weather. If weather conditions are questionable, please contact the Meadowlark Extension District Office in Oskaloosa at 785-863-2212 to determine event status.
About the Kansas Forest Service
The Kansas Forest Service is the nation’s fifth oldest state forestry agency. The agency serves rural landowners, communities, rural fire districts, forest and arboriculture industries, and citizens of the state through its Conservation Tree and Shrub Planting, Fire Management, Community Forestry, Rural Forestry, Marketing and Utilization, and Forest Health programs. The Kansas Forest Service state office is located in Manhattan, Kansas, just off the campus of Kansas State University. The agency is administratively attached to the Department of Horticulture, Forestry and Recreation Resources, College of Agriculture, Kansas State University. The agency receives its direction from a mission statement that reads: “Care of Natural Resources and Service to People through Forestry.”
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K‑State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well‑being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K‑State campus in Manhattan.
Story by, and for more information:
Jennifer Williams
Communications Coordinator, Kansas Forest Service
785-532-3308 or jgwilliams@ksu.edu
