John Strickler
Energy & Environment
Energy & Environment contains the interviews of individuals who were involved with the development and implementation of state energy and environmental policy from the 1970s through the early decades of the 2000s. The interviews elicit insights about the policy-making process, the assignment of priorities, and the give-and-take involved in reaching final policy decisions. Of special interest are instances in which Kansas developed singular solutions and means for implementing them. To explore this collection and others, visit the Kansas Oral History Project home page: https://ksoralhistory.org/
John Strickler served the State for many years in a variety of roles, primarily as a professor in the Kansas Forest Service at Kansas State University. During his thirty-five-year career with the Forest Service, Strickler served as Associate State Forester and as Acting State Forester. He provided leadership, addressing Kansas's water issues with an emphasis on the important role of riparian forests and wetlands and protecting water quality. From 1987 to 1989, Strickler served as Governor Mike Hayden's Special Assistant for Environment and Natural Resources. During his service with the Hayden administration, he was liaison to the Legislature, working to obtain the initial funding for the Kansas Water Plan in the 1989 Session. He also worked with Governor Hayden to create the cabinet-level Department of Wildlife and Parks. Strickler served two governors, Mike Hayden, and Bill Graves, as Acting Secretary of Wildlife and Parks during those governors' respective national searches for permanent agency executives. After leaving state service, he continued to work in the field of natural resources. As a member of the Kansas Forest Service Advisory Council, he was a founding member of the Kansas chapter of the Nature Conservancy and a board member of the Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams.
During John Strickler's 2019 oral history interview, he recalls meeting and becoming friends with newly-elected State Representative Mike Hayden. Later, from 1987 to 1989, Strickler served as Special Assistant to Governor Hayden on environmental matters. During the 1989 legislative session, he assisted Hayden in his efforts to secure funding for implementation of the State Water Plan. He describes in some detail the debates among the various interests over whether water plan funding should come from the State General Fund or from water user fees. Strickler describes the dynamics of the governor's office, legislature, and various interests in the passage of the Water Plan funding. He notes that subsequent governors and the legislature have not maintained funding levels as originally proposed. Strickler discusses at length the difficulty of managing water resources in Kansas and elsewhere and the problems of implementing environmental education.
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