Rannells Flinthills Prairie Preserve Acquisition and History

The Hilas Bay and Emma Browning Rannells Flint Hills Prairie Preserve, a 2105-acre area of pristine Tallgrass Prairie, was bequeathed to the Kansas State University Foundation by Lou Rannells Adams and Helen Rannells Sampson for the sole use and benefit of the range research program with the specific condition that the area may never be sold, conveyed, or assigned by the grantee, and that the property may be only used for research uses which will be limited to those which do not alter the condition of the property and preserve it in its existing condition. In order to restore the Rannells holdings to their original state, Section 4 was purchased with a gift from Mrs. Adams and funds provided by the Livestock and Meat Industry Council which extended the area to 2745 acres. In 1999 an additional 160 acres was purchased using earnings from the Rannells Flint Hills Prairie making the area its current 2904 acres. Clenton Owensby, Professor of Range Management, was designated by the donors as the manager for the area.