“Good fires prevent bad fires.”
“Prescribed fire is the best and most economical tool in the battle against the invasive eastern red cedar tree.”
Lazy KT Ranch’s land stewardship incorporates multiple conservation practices to enhance the rangelands, water resources, wildlife habitat and wildfire mitigation.
Core practices include:
- adjusting stocking rates for appropriate range utilization;
- prescribed grazing that includes rotational grazing, intensive grazing management with patch burning;
- prescribed fire to restore and enhance healthy rangelands for livestock grazing, wildlife and nectaring habitats;
- controlling eastern red cedars by cutting and applying prescribed fire;
- mulching dead cedar skeletons;
- and fencing off sensitive riparian areas and applying prescribed fire to revitalize springs for development and restore creek flow.
Katie Blunk credits her mother, Rose Blunk, with having the most influence on the ranch’s conservation efforts. Rose literally cleared the cedar path and burned a trail home for Katie and husband Michael Horntvedt to continue with her conservation efforts. Katie and Michael’s extensive conservation practices have returned the Lazy KT Ranch back to productive grasslands.
Katie and Michael were the winning Oklahoma nominees for the prestigious Leopold Conservation Award from the Sand County Foundation in 2021.
The ranch has built upon partnerships with USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Oklahoma Nature Conservancy, Okies for Monarchs, and the local Woods County Conservation District.
Katie has served as the president of the Cimarron Range Preservation Association (the local prescribed burn association); a board member of Woods County Conservation District; trustee on the Comanche Pool Prairie Resource Foundation; board member for the Oklahoma Prescribed Burn Association; the Area 1 director and board member of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts; member of Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association; member of Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association; and member of the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corp (medical professionals volunteering for disasters).
In 2018, she was awarded the Oklahoma Section Society for Range Management’s Outstanding Service by Non-Member Award. She also received the Outstanding Conservation District Director from USDA-NRCS Partnership Award the same year.
