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Did you know that air rifles have been around since the Fifteenth Century? The Lewis  and Clark Expedition might have failed had it not been for an air rifle! That's right the expedition had only one air rifle but it was capable of shooting multiple shots and shooting them very accurately. The Native Americans encountered  along the way were usually given a demonstration of the 'silent and deadly' big bore rifle. When they saw tight groups shot at extended yardages, from a weapon that was almost as silent as their bows, they were awe struck.

During the 'Dirty Thirties' various methods of controlling soil erosion were tried to help end the blowing dust and keep precious topsoil in place.  In addition to different ways of tilling the soil, and the establishment of grasslands to hold the soil, thousands of tree rows, called shelterbelts or windbreaks, were planted to decrease wind erosion and to provide shelter for homesteads and livestock.   With the advent of large scale irrigation, and especially center pivot irrigation systems, plus the fact that the numbers of occupied farmsteads has decreased, we also see a decrease in windbreaks.   Today the Great Plains states are again facing critical droughts and blowing dust.  Many of the old windbreaks are dying of age, disease, and insects.  It is once again time to transplant tree seedlings and rebuild windbreaks.  A three day series of workshops presented by various forestry agencies, assisted by numerous state extension offices will be held May 21 - 23 in Dodge City, Kansas.  For more information about these meetings, contact Andrea Burns at the Kansas State Extension Office in Ford County.  Email aburns@ksu.edu or call 620-227-4542.  You can also get additional information on the following website:  http://nac.unl.edu/events/southernplainsworkshop.htm

Chester Peterson, Jr., of Lindsborg, Kansas, owns grass and cropland on the western margin of the Flinthills, a rolling landscape of tall- and shortgrass prairie largely unchanged since settlers crossed it in the 1860s. He wanted to keep the land perpetually free from subdevelopment, petroleum wells, wind turbines and cellular towers. He contracted land easements with the Ranchland Trust of Kansas. That organization,  created by the Kansas Livestock Association, is tasked  with preserving Kansas ranching heritage and open spaces for future generations. This story is part four of a four-part series on easements. It originally aired May 7, 2013.