Brad Guess Continues Family Legacy of Stewardship of Native Prairie

When Brad Guess’s father, Doug Guess, purchased property in northwest Douglas County in 1976, he had no idea that the land was special.

“I was in the 3rd grade when they purchased the property,” said Brad who now owns the land. “They really didn’t know anything about the prairie or its value, and thought it was just another field. When I got a little bit older, I had an interest in biology, and my dad and I started finding different kinds of plants out there that we thought were unique. That eventually led to the discovery that the whole prairie was unique.”

It turned out that 11 acres of the 20-acre Guess property was native prairie that was home to dozens of native plants, including the federally threatened Mead’s Milkweed. When Brad went away to college to study biology, Doug and his wife Ruth Ann Guess continued to consult experts about the plants on their property. In 2002, Doug and Ruth Ann permanently protected their 20 acres through the Kansas Land Trust. In addition to the 11 acres of native prairie, the Guess land contains four acres of restored prairie and 15 acres of woodlands.

After his retirement from the University of Kansas, Doug took up watercolor and drew inspiration from the prairie on his land. Eventually, he put his paintings, along with poetry he had written, into a book called Walking the Prairie.

“He started painting, got pretty good at it, and then he found another interest; writing poetry,” said Brad. “Then he put it all together and made this nice little book.”

After Doug Guess passed away in 2008, Brad purchased the protected Guess land from Ruth Ann and moved back to become the steward of the 20 acres. Brad said he and his wife Ellen walk the perimeter of the prairie regularly to appreciate the special piece of land.

“This little patch of native tallgrass prairie has never been plowed,” Brad said. “Tallgrass prairies have been becoming more and more rare for decades, and in Douglas County, they are extremely rare. Urbanization in the area continues and we are glad this little pocket of nature is protected.”