November 26, 2020
Between Wichita and Salina is the Maxwell Wildlife Refuge. Before the Nature Conservancy and the National Park Service created the Prairie Preserve near Cottonwood Falls, this was the best location to see bison in their natural prairie setting. There is now also a herd planned for western Kansas at the Smokey Valley Ranch (a Nature Conservancy site).
Kansas
In 1943, the Henry Maxwell estate donated 2.560 acres (4 sq. mi.) of land to the Kansas Forestry, Fish, and Game Commission for the creation of a wildlife refuge dedicated to bison and other prairie species.
Principal vegetation is a warm-season mixed grass prairie with many species of grasses and forbs. The dominant grass species are big bluestem, little bluestem,
Indian grass, switch grass, and side oats grama. Forbs are abundant and numerous clumps of native sand plum and smooth sumac are scattered throughout the area.
Management techniques used on the area are prescribed fire and grazing by bison and elk, including herd management to maintain proper grazing levels.
--Maxwell wildlife refuge website
The refuge is known for bison, elk and beavers, but I've never had much luck seeing elk or beavers. Even so, it's easy to see why they'd be here.
Down in that valley is Battle Creek, which flows north into Gypsum Creek, which then meets the Smoky Hill River, which eventually takes on name of the Kansas (or Kaw) River before entering the Missouri River at Kansas City.
The herd moves around; sometimes they're near the unpaved road through the refuge, and other times they're over the hills, out of view. Today, they are near the road.
They didn't pay any attention to me.
I'll be walking the trail that drops down to Battle Creek.
There's not a lot of color in late November.
Battle Creek sometimes spreads out into a wide marsh. I'm looking for beaver, but never saw one--nor any elk. I think it's the wrong time of day.
Sometimes the trail is easy enough to follow...
...and, sometimes it's less obvious. Expect to get your feet wet.
Life clings to both dead wood and living.
It's a beautiful area; likely in the springtime there'd be more color, but then it'd also be more difficult to walk between the trees.
Perhaps someday I'll see both beaver and elk, but no matter; it's a nice area.