KS DEPARTMENT of AGRICULTURE SPOTLIGHT

KRISTIN KLOFT

Kristin Kloft enjoys the outdoors. She hunts, fishes, and has been known to trap occasionally. That’s why it is no surprise to find her in waders in the middle of a creek working to keep Kansas water clean. One creek at a time.

Kloft is the Riparian and Wetland Program Manager for the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Conservation (DOC). She studied Animal Ecology at Iowa State University. Kloft began her career with the Kansas Wildlife and Parks before joining the DOC.

“As a kid I wanted to be a veterinarian because I like animals so much, but after a few classes, I decided to change to a career with wildlife.” At KWP Kloft was doing field work like wetland management, pumping the wetlands in the fall, burning, and food plots. She made the switch to conservation in 2020. “It is still natural resource based. Now I don’t work specifically with wildlife, but with the wildlife habitat,” said Kloft. “It’s a bigger scope. This is state-wide whereas before I was limited to a region.”

Kloft’s primary responsibility is working with Conservation District Managers and landowners on the Riparian and Wetlands Program (RW). She is tasked with promoting conservation for wetlands and streams throughout the State of Kansas. The RW Program provides financial assistance to landowners to implement riparian and wetland conservation projects on private lands to improve water quality, increase quality wildlife habitat, and promote conservation of these natural resources and the benefits they provide.

KSNRI

The Kansas Sediment & Nutrient Reduction Initiative (KSNRI) is a part of the ongoing effort to reduce sedimentation and nutrient runoff. With this program, the DOC offers incentive payments to producers who install the approved Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) practices in 29 counties in Kansas. Conservation Districts submit practices for consideration in the KSNRI program. Once the DOC receives an application, Kloft administers the application from contract to payment.

Streambank Protection

On a larger scale, she works with staff from the Kansas Water Office, Kansas Department of Health and Environments, and Kansas Forest Service, collectively known as the “Inter-agency Streambank Team.” The RW program administers the Streambank Protection Program for the state.

Kloft works with private landowners to decrease sediment in federal reservoirs caused by streambank erosion. The “Streambank Team” seeks to target the largest contributing sites first, some losing more than 20,000 tons of sediment a year. Targeting the Delaware, Tuttle and John Redmond Reservoirs, the Streambank Team stabilize by installing riparian buffers to help insure longevity. There is no cost to landowners for the projects. “We monitor the sites for several years after installation to help ensure a successful project that protects both agricultural lands and the interest of downstream water users.”

A map on the Kansas Water Office website shows the completed projects and current targeted sites. https://kwo.ks.gov/projects/streambank-stabilization-projects

Kloft works on small streams as well. “We do small projects on tributaries to improve the streambanks,” Occasionally you will find her wading in the creek. “That’s when we are checking the depth to plan our strategy,” said Kloft. “I work with Andy Klein from the Kansas Forest Service, and we stabilize small chunks of small streams.” When steep cut banks threaten a field, home, or bridge, wads are placed and seeding done to secure the streambank. “It’s called a flood plain bench,” she explains, “It expands the area the creek can access without damaging the surrounding areas or undercutting the bank.”

In Washington county, tree root wads were used to build a floodplain bench along the 225 feet of an eroding creekbank. This provided the creek a release for high flows while stabilizing the toe of the eroded bank. The technique results in stabilizing the cut bank which helped to protect the nearby agricultural field.

Before

After

“I really enjoy working in conservation. I get to see the whole state, work with landowners, and make a difference.”

RQEI

Another program under her leadership is the Riparian Quality Enhancement Initiative (RQEI). This program seeks to help landowners improve riparian health, land profitability, and wildlife habitat in the eastern half of the state. In partnership with the Kansas Forest Service and Conservation Districts, the RQEI program offers financial and technical service for forestry practices for Kansas Landowners. Conservation District Managers may reach out to Kloft when a landowner is interested in making improvements. “This is a popular program. We have several landowners who have worked with the DOC to make improvements,” said Kloft.

Wetland Development

Often overlooked, wetlands in the western part of the state provide a unique resource for water quality, water availability, and wildlife habitat. “Through the RW Program,” Kloft said, “the DOC provides financial assistance to landowners who want to develop or rejuvenate existing wetlands. Landowners are eligible for cost share for earthwork and vegetation in these projects.”

Through this portion of the program, the DOC works with partners such as Ducks Unlimited and Playa Lakes Joint Venture to promote playa conservation in western Kansas. These shallow and seasonally dry wetlands provide habitat for many species and serve as a source of recharge for the Ogallala Aquifer.

“We are working to expand some of our programs, but it has to go through regulation changes to incentivize the practices,” said Kloft, “We hope to have it finished for next year so we can get the money spent and put it in the right place.”

“I really enjoy working in conservation. I get to see the whole state, work with landowners, and make a difference.”

Kansas Association of Conservation District | kacdnet.org