Fort Scott National Historic Site

Creating a Healthier Park with Fire

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Prescribed Fire Planned in April

 

Fort Scott Kan. – Park managers at Fort Scott National Historic Site, in coordination with Fire Managers at the US Fish and Wildlife Service from Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge, plan to burn the five-acre restored prairie this April 2023.  The soonest date will be this Friday, April 7, if conditions are safe and will meet the park’s goals. The specific date and ignition will depend upon weather conditions and the burn may be postponed or canceled if conditions are unfavorable.

 

“We are looking forward to implementing this prescribed fire (Rx) project with the assistance of our interagency neighbors. Our ability to treat the tallgrass prairie with fire enhances the resilience of the ecosystem, results in a more diverse prairie, and provides a better habitat for migratory birds and pollinators.” said Jill Jaworski, Superintendent, Fort Scott National Historic Site. Like all prescribed fires, the plans for the tallgrass prairie Rx contain a set of parameters which define (among other things) the expected weather and fuel conditions under which the fire can be initiated. Prior to implementing the burn, fire managers will evaluate current conditions and will only ignite the fire if all of the prescribed conditions are within those parameters.

 

During typical Rx fire activity, daytime smoke disperses to the northwest, up and over the highway.  Coordination with the City of Fort Scott, Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office, Kansas State Highway Patrol, and Kansas Department of Transportation is already underway for this prescribed fire.  Smoke impacts or traffic delays on Highway 69 are not expected during the burn.

 

-NPS-

 

Credit Photo: NPS Photo/M. Brenner

Bourbon County, Business

Young Couple Expands Farm Business

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Dacia Clark, Bradie Terry, Jody Hoener, Noah Terry,  Rachel Carpenter and Lindsay Madison pause for a photo at the grant award ceremony on March 22.

Noah, 25, and Bradie Terry, 24, purchased their Bourbon County property in December 2020, after moving from Oregon.

“We were motivated to look further into the homestead lifestyle and wanted to take the knowledge we gained to pass it on to others in the community,” Bradie said. “We quickly realized the importance of knowing where your food comes from and how it is raised or grown. We both did not grow up with any background in agriculture or farming, so everything that you see us doing is learning-as-we-go and applying our time we spent studying these things to gaining hands-on knowledge.”

The name of the homestead business is The Shire, LLC.

“The name, The Shire, derives from a region in J. R. R. Tolkien’s fictional book, The Lord of the Rings,” Bradie said. “In this fictionist world, The Shire is a peaceful, fruitful, community that focuses on agriculture. Which is symbolism of the type of community that we want to build upon in Bourbon County. We are also both pretty short, so we also have the whole ‘hobbit’ thing going for us.”

Submitted photo. Cucumbers.
Submitted photo. Home canned pickles.

“Currently, we have a flock of free-ranged chickens that allow us to sell delicious eggs to the community,” she said.  “We are also growing cucumbers to produce pickles for a local restaurant.”

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Submitted photo. A hen looks over eggs at the Shire.

The farm is located on the southeast side of Fort Scott near Ellis Park.

“We both work on the farm when time allows,” Bradie said. “Currently, my husband is in school and I work a full time job from home. Our goal is to transition one or both of us to working full time on the farm as we grow.”

They are the recipient of a Healthy Bourbon County Action Team (HBCAT) $10,000 Farmer/Rancher Grant.

“Our plans for the $10,000 farmer/rancher grant is to expand to our bee and dairy cow operation as well as expanding our garden for produce,” she said. “We will have bee hives and will breed our Jersey dairy cows by April of 2023, which will produce honey and raw milk by fall of 2024. The expansion of our garden operation will be done over the course of a couple of years and we hope to have a big greenhouse built by that time. The grant funds will also help us expand our chicken operation in order to have more eggs available to sell.”

One of the Shire cows. Submitted photo.

 

“We will jump into the world of beekeeping and milking our dairy cows within a year, which are two huge farm changes because we haven’t experience this before,” she said.

 

Government, Kansas

Legislative Update by State Senator Caryn Tyson

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Caryn Tyson

 

March 31, 2023

 

Too many bills to mention Last week the Senate worked over 75 bills in three days.  It was a grueling schedule.  All of the bills can be found at www.KSLegislature.org  Below are a few highlights from the marathon of legislation.

 

Property Tax was discussed in some detail on the Senate floor regarding a proposed constitutional amendment that I requested, Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR) 1610.  It would limit property valuations to a maximum 3% increase each year.  According the Revisors office (lawyers), this change must be made in the Constitution.  It was modeled after Oklahoma and Oregon, states that use fair market value systems, similar to Kansas.  A couple of Senators argued that it would take us out of compliance of fair market value and some owners would be paying more because they remodeled or sold their home.  However, the more important argument in support of the 3% limit is why should you be paying higher property taxes if your neighbor sells or remodels their home?  Oklahoma and Oregon have had valuation limits for over 25 years.  It will not break the Kansas system, but it will keep property owners from these massive property tax valuation increases in one year.  It does not stop local governments and schools from increasing your property taxes, via mil levy increases, but it does stop these super-inflated valuation increases and the burden of contesting them.  The SCR must pass both chambers by 2/3 majority.  It failed in the Senate on a vote of 26 to 14.  If one Senator who voted no, will change their vote Monday 4/3/23, it would go to the House for a vote.  It is a step in the right direction for limiting these massive property valuation increases.

 

Freedom from Government Competition is the intent of Senate Bill (SB) 252.  Businesses should not have to compete against their government.  There are government ran businesses in Kansas, creating an unfair advantage and SB 252 would help level the playing field.  If the Department of Revenue decides that your business is competing against a government business in your city then sales and property tax for your business would be exempt.  It passed the Senate 24 to 16.  I voted Yes.

 

Environmental Social Governance (ESG)  is a rating system established to encourage politically charged investments, such as stopping investments in the oil and gas industry.  The Kansas Senate took a major step in prohibiting state agencies and other political subdivisions from giving preferential treatment to or discriminating against companies based on ESG criteria.  I offered an amendment that would prohibit state investments in countries that are known foreign advisories to the U.S., such as China and others.  All investments must be divested within 18 months.  We should have never been invested in these countries.  The amendment passed.  The bill passed the Senate 29 to 11.  I voted Yes.

 

It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 12th District State Senator.

Caryn

 

Ascension Via Christi

Via Christi’s Program To Increase Breastfeeding/Duration Rates Earns Recognition

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Pittsburg’s Ascension Via Christi Hospital

earns High 5 for Mom & Baby recognition

 

Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg has once again earned recognition by High 5 for Mom & Baby, a program developed by the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration rates in Kansas.

“I’m very proud of our team and the work they do to continue to promote breastfeeding for our moms and babies,” says Janelle Wade, director of Inpatient Services, which includes Women’s Health. “They understand the importance and the health benefits that breastfeeding provides newborns.”

Ascension Via Christi in Pittsburg first received High 5 recognition in 2018 and has maintained it each year since that time. High 5 for Mom & Baby provides resources and a framework to help Kansas hospitals implement 10 evidence-based practices proven to support successful breastfeeding, improve maternal and infant health outcomes and reduce racial and ethnic health disparities.

To obtain recognition, each facility must complete a voluntary and self-reported evaluation and demonstrate that it follows at least five of its 10 evidence-based practices:

  • Have a written maternity care and infant feeding policy that addresses all 10 High 5 for Mom & Baby practices supporting breastfeeding
  • Maintain staff competency in lactation support
  • Provide all expectant mothers with information and instruction on breastfeeding
  • Assure immediate and sustained skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby after birth
  • Provide all families individualized infant feeding counseling
  • Give no food or drink to newborns other than breast milk unless medically indicated
  • Allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day
  • Encourage feeding whenever the baby exhibits feeding cues, regardless of feeding methods
  • Give no pacifiers or artificial nipples to breastfeeding infants
  • Provide mothers with information about community resources for breastfeeding support following their discharge from the hospital

These steps are designed to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration rates in the state of Kansas. Factors that influence how long or if a baby is breastfed include hospital practices, education and encouragement, policies or support in the workplace, and access to community support.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, six out of 10 mothers stopped breastfeeding sooner than they had planned.

“Our goal is to provide the support that mothers and babies need to be successful at breastfeeding,” says Miranda Caskey, RN, the certified lactation consultant who led the hospital’s High 5 for Mom & Baby efforts.

That support is critical, which is why Ascension Via Christi converted its lactation and childbirth education classes to virtual offerings led by a registered nurse and offer them at no cost to parents. Breastfeeding mothers also can schedule in-person follow-up appointments and weight checks with Caskey to help ensure a successful breastfeeding experience.

Learn more about Labor and Delivery or sign up for a class at Ascension Via Christi by visiting viachristibaby.com.

 

 

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About Ascension Via Christi

 

In Kansas, Ascension Via Christi operates seven hospitals and 75 other sites of care and employs nearly 6,400 associates. Across the state, Ascension Via Christi provided nearly $89 million in community benefit and care of persons living in poverty in fiscal year 2021. Serving Kansas for more than 135 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension is the leading non-profit and Catholic health system in the U.S., operating more than 2,600 sites of care – including 145 hospitals and more than 40 senior living facilities – in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Visit www.ascension.org.

 

 

 

 

Government, Kansas

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran Newsletter

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America Needs a Fair & Transparent Organ Transplant System
For years, Senator Roy Blunt and I raised the alarm about the nation’s fundamentally unfair and biased organ transplant system. Our warnings were heeded when the Department of Health and Human Services announced its intent to overhaul the organ transplant system.

Breaking up the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) contract and adding transparency to the process are good first steps to rectify the fundamental bias in the system dominated by a monopolistic contractor. Getting the organ transplant and donation system right is a matter of life and death. There is no room for bias, reckless mistakes or an opaque process. It is important to continue oversight and make certain the organ donation process is transparent and fair so that more organs can be donated and more lives saved.

Continue reading U.S. Senator Jerry Moran Newsletter →

Business, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Coffee hosted by Woodland Hills Golf Course on April 6

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The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce invites members and guests to the Chamber Coffee this Thursday, April 6th at 8am. This week’s coffee will be hosted by Woodland Hills Golf Course located at 2414 Horton St. Coffee and light refreshments will be served.

Fort Scott’s Woodland Hills Golf Course was named a Top 10 golf course in Kansas by Best Things Kansas and number 6 in the entire state. Woodland Hills has also been named one of the best municipal courses in Kansas. Woodland Hills is an 18-hole park-style course, winding through beautiful scenery, with elevation changes and some of the best views in Bourbon County. Come enjoy one of Southeast Kansas’s hidden treasures at the Woodland Hills Golf Course.

 

Contact the Chamber of Commerce at (620) 223-3566 for more information.

 

Government, Kansas

KS March Taxes Surpass Estimate

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Governor Kelly Announces March Total Tax Collections Surpass Estimate by Nearly $65 Million

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly announced today that total tax collections for March 2023 were $758.3 million. That is $64.9 million, or 9.4%, more than the monthly estimate. That is also $78.7 million, or 11.6%, more than March 2022.

“Time and again, we have exceeded our estimated tax collections, providing further proof that we can responsibly axe taxes on groceries, retirement, and property for Kansans,” said Governor Laura Kelly.

Individual income tax collections were $314.6 million. That is $438,000 less than the estimate but $16.4 million, or 5.5%, more than March 2022. Corporate income tax collections were $102.6 million, which is $75.6 million, or 279.9%, more than the estimate and $74.9 million, or 271.1%, more than March 2022.

Combined sales and compensating use tax receipts were $275.4 million, which is $422,000 more than the estimate and $4.9 million, or 1.7%, less than March 2022. The reduced year-over-year receipts for March from these tax sources are due in part to the reduction of state sales tax on food and food ingredients.

The Consensus Revenue Estimating Group, comprised of the Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Budget, Legislative Research Department, and economists from the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, and Wichita State University, will meet on April 20. The Group will review the fall estimate and make any revisions it may consider necessary.

Business, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Quarterly Downtown Meet & Greet scheduled for April 4th!

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Quarterly Downtown Meet & Greet scheduled for April 4th!
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce announces a Downtown Meet & Greet will be held Tuesday, April 4th from 8:00-9:00 a.m. at City State Bank, 202 Scott Ave.
These informal, quarterly meetings are hosted by the Chamber for downtown business owners, representatives, and community members to network and share ideas on events, promotion and anything related to downtown.
Coffee, juice, and light refreshments will be served.
Thank you to our Chamber Champion members below!
Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce | 231 E. Wall Street, Fort Scott, KS 66701

Bourbon County Local News