In Search of Bird-Friendly HabitatDan Baffa of the Smoky Hills Audubon Society takes a close look at the ground to check the seeding of native plants at the group's wildlife sanctuary northwest of Salina. The Audubon group is replacing brome grasses by seeding a mixture of native grasses and wildflowers that will attract the bugs and insects needed by birds. The brome grasses, quite invasive, create a thick mat at ground level not welcome by ground-nesting birds. Brome also outcompetes other plants, creating a monoculture that spoils the natural prairie ecosystem. The planting project at the Audubon sanctuary is funded, in part, by a Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. The Rolling Hills Zoo is assisting with the project by drilling the seed. On the tractor, Garrett Morris, the zoo's horticulture supervisor, pauses while Baffa checks the planting rate.

Dan Baffa of the Smoky Hills Audubon Society takes a close look at the ground to check the seeding of native plants at the group's wildlife sanctuary northwest of Salina. The Audubon group is removing brome grasses at the 67-acre sanctuary and seeding a mixture of native grasses and wildflowers that will attract the bugs and insects needed by birds. The goal is a small prairie environment. Brome grasses, quite invasive, create a thick matt at ground level that ground-nesting birds find undesirable. Further, brome outcompetes other plants, creating a monoculture that spoils the natural prairie ecosystem. The planting project at the Audubon sanctuary is funded, in part, by a grant from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. The Rolling Hills Zoo is assisting by drilling the seed. On the tractor, Garrett Morris, the zoo's horticulture supervisor, pauses while Baffa checks the seeding rate.