Mitigation Initiative Helps Protect and Restore Rare Tallgrass Prairie in Southeast Kansas

The Challenge 

Ørsted, a U.S. clean energy company, completed its 200MW Sunflower Wind Farm in 2023. With the goal of powering over 78,000 homes annually, this wind farm will help meet Kansans’ need for clean, flexible, wind-powered electricity. With any new energy project, however, comes a potential impact on local communities and surrounding wildlife. 

The Solution 

To address potential impacts of the Sunflower Wind Farm, Ørsted set up a $1.76M voluntary mitigation fund with The Conservation Fund to permanently protect land within the Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area in Kansas. This area is home to two-thirds of the remaining tallgrass prairie in North America, and about 80% of the remaining tallgrass prairie in the world. 

The Conservation Fund used these voluntary mitigation funds to establish the Native Prairie Biodiversity Initiative along with local Kansas conservation partners. The initiative provides on-the-ground funding to secure protection for these biodiverse, critically endangered landscapes.  

The Results 

In the spring of 2026, The Conservation Fund secured its first win under the Native Prairie Biodiversity Initiative — protecting 800 acres of ecologically significant prairie habitat at Cross Timbers Ranch in Greenwood County. The conservation agreement allows for private ownership while ensuring long-term stewardship via Kansas Land Trust. Conservation outcomes for the project include: 

• Habitat protection for a variety of both wetland and grassland-dependent species, including the greater-prairie chicken and Henslow’s sparrow 
• Protection of foraging lands for cattle, which safeguards Kansas’s iconic ranching heritage 
• Wetlands restoration in the area, leveraging an additional $77,500 in partner funding from Ducks Unlimited 

This initiative is just getting started. The Conservation Fund is on track to meet, and potentially exceed, its goal of 3,000 permanently protected acres with Ørsted’s grant within the next year. 

Why It Matters for Industry 

This partnership with Ørsted proves that businesses’ needs can successfully work in harmony with nature. Through the Cross Timbers Ranch project alone, The Conservation Fund was able to: 

• Secure critical, high-quality conservation outcomes in one of the most ecologically rare regions in the world 
• Utilize on-the-ground partner relationships to ensure reliable, long-term care for protected land, as well as unlock additional project funding 
• Support Ørsted’s commitment to protecting biodiversity and responsible land stewardship 

This project demonstrates the importance of strategic, voluntary mitigation — and the lasting results that come from working with The Conservation Fund to mitigate the impacts of infrastructure growth.