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Our translator station serving St. Francis and Cheyenne County at 96.3 FM is off the air due to an air conditioning breakdown at its leased transmitter site, making it too hot for HPPR's equipment to operate. We are currently working to fix the situation. We apologize for the loss of service and ask listeners to tune to KZNK at 90.1 FM or listen on line through the player above or HPPR's mobile app.

A working summer outing leads to Prince's Plume

High Plains Public Radio | By Skip Mancini
Published July 9, 2015 at 12:00 AM CDT
nsmn1.uh.edu

A trip to Northwest Kansas introduced my husband and me to a wildflower I hadn't seen before.  Our destination was the Smokey Valley Ranch, a working cattle ranch in Logan County.  Owned by the Kansas Nature Conservancy, the day-long visit began as a volunteer work session, as we helped remove invasive red cedars and clear old fence posts and barbed wire.  But it also turned into a wonderful learning experience as we observed the flora and fauna of the native shortgrass prairie that is protected there.
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HPPR Environment Kansas Nature ConvervancyPrince's PlumeSmokey Valley Ranch
Skip Mancini
Years ago Skip Mancini left the rocky coast of Northern California to return to her roots in the heartland. Her San Francisco friends, concerned over her decision to live in a desolate flatland best known for a Hollywood tornado, were afraid she would wither and die on the vine. With pioneer spirit, Skip planted a garden. She began to learn about growing not only flowers and vegetables, but hearts and minds. If you agree that the prairie is a special place, we think you'll enjoy her weekly sojourns into Growing on the High Plains.
See stories by Skip Mancini