The Nature Conservancy is an international nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to preserving plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. The Conservancy has been responsible for the acquisition of millions of acres worldwide, including several thousand acres of natural grasslands. Konza Prairie is part of the Ordway Preserve System of The Nature Conservancy, a group of preserves encompassing more than 100,000 acres of prairie throughout the Great Plains. In addition to Konza Prairie, The Nature Conservancy has preserved several other grasslands in Kansas, including the Flint Hills Tallgrass Prairie Preserve near Cassoday and the Smoky Valley Ranch, a mixed- and shortgrass prairie preserve in western Kansas. For more information about The Nature Conservancy, contact the Kansas Chapter at 700 SW Jackson, Suite 804, Topeka, Kansas 66603­3758, (785) 233-4400 or the national office at 4245 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203 (www.tnc.org).