18TH NORTH AMERICAN PRAIRIE CONFERENCE
The 18th North American Prairie Conference will be held June 23-27 (not
23-24 as indicated in the winter issue of the Missouri Prairie Journal) in
Kirksville, MO at Truman State University (previously Northeast Missouri State
Univ.). Kirksville is about 30 miles south of the Iowa border, making it
roughly 60 miles south of Ottumwa.
The theme of this conference will be "Promoting Prairie", with subtopics
that include: prairie biodiversity, restoration and reconstruction,
initiatives to preserve prairies, education and outreach, native landscaping, and use
of prairies for environmental improvement.
For more information see www.napc2002.org or call Sharron Gough at
417-876-5226.
POLK CITY CEMETERY THANKS
"The Prairie Community certainly turned the tide this winter for the
future of the Polk City Cemetery/Prairie. We want to express our thanks to all who
wrote or called or helped in any way to convince the Madison Township Trustees
to not destroy the prairie there. The situation seemed hopeless to us.
It seems a little odd to say thanks; the prairie is not ours. It is a
wonderful resource. It is a valuable remnant. It is a big part of that
miniscule slice of a percentage of what's left of Iowa's natural heritage. It
belongs to us all. But beyond that... a large part of our hearts are out
there, and we do say again, "Thanks."
Scott Rolfes and Roxana Currie
LEARNING ABOUT NATURE IN NATURE
Iowa Lakeside Laboratory was established in 1909 as a private summer
field station. Lakeside's 140-acre campus is located on the west shore of beautiful
West Okoboji Lake. The entire shoreline of Little Miller’s Bay is Iowa
Lakeside Laboratory property, and the bay and adjacent uplands and wetlands are used as
a natural classroom in Lakeside courses.
Learning by "hands-on" experience has enticed students from all over the
world to study and do research at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory. Courses meet
Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Room and board is available on the
campus.
For anyone who is interested in learning more about the natural world,
Natural History Workshops are offered. There are no prerequisites for these
Workshops. The Workshops can be taken on a non-credit basis for a fee of $170
per week of class, or you can obtain one credit for each week a workshop is
taken. The following Workshops will be offered this summer:
Prairies and Prairie Restoration (June 23-28)
Aquatic Plants (July 7-19)
Mushrooms and Other Fungi (July 28-Aug. 2,
Aug. 4-9, Aug. 11-16, July 28-Aug. 9, Aug 4-16)
Field Archaeology (July 28-Aug. 2, Aug. 4-9, July 28 - Aug. 9)
Wild Wednesdays will be held on several Wednesday evenings this summer at
7 p.m. in the Waitt Water Quality Lab at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory. These
programs are fun, free, and open to the public for school-age and adult audiences to
learn about the natural and cultural history of the Iowa Great Lakes area.
The following are the topics for this summer’s Wild Wednesdays program:
June 12 Wetlands vs Lakes: What’s the Difference?
June 19 Duck, Duck, Goose: Wetland Birds
June 26 Shredders and Scrappers: Wetland Invertebrates
July 10 Hiding Out: Fish in Wetlands
July 17 Green Slime is Just Fine
July 24 Frog and Toad at Home
July 31 Foreign Invaders: What You Should Know!
August 7 Mucking Around: Wetland Soils
August 14 Build a Nutrient Sink! Restoring Wetlands
An Adult Nature Weekend will be held August 23-25. This is an
opportunity to participate in field trips to various natural areas in the Iowa Great Lakes
region supplemented by evening interpretive programs. Learn more about Iowa’s
natural history from some of the leading naturalists in the state while in a
relaxed and congenial setting.
For more information on activities at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, please
contact the AdministrativeOffice, 131 Bessey Hall, Iowa State University,
Ames, IA 50011-1020; phone: 515-294-2488; email: lakeside@iastate.edu; or visit our Web site,
http://www.lakesidelab.org.
IPN REGION 6 WINTER MEETING
by Inger Lamb
Members of Region 6 met at the Mahaska County Conservation Center in the
Russell Wildlife Area on February 16, 2002. They had a nice potluck lunch
first and then were treated to two slide shows, one from Erma Selser and
another by Mark Leoschke. Erma showed common Iowa butterflies, giving hints about
identification marks and typical behavior, and also provided reference books
and information for attendees to examine. Mark showed photos of an amazing array
of wild and crazy flowers one can expect to find growing in Iowa fens (a fen
being a very specific hillside landform with a wet, peaty soil), taken while he
participated in a survey of Iowa fens.
IPN WEB SITE UPDATE
by Casey Kohrt
The IPN Web site (www.iowaprairienetwork.org
<http://www.iowaprairienetwork.org>) continues to evolve. Take a look and
explore the new features. There is a new section that shows the past and
present land cover by county. Also, you can find a few public prairies on the web near
you in the list of prairies by county. There are also remnant and
reconstruction guides available for those wanting to manage their piece of land. As always,
we have. list of prairie walks, but we also have a section for prairie news and
action alerts. Watch for updates. If you have ideas e-mail the webmeister at
webmeister@iowaprairienetwork.org
STEWARDS OF THE BEAUTIFUL LAND
An educational program cosponsored by Trees Forever and the Iowa
Department of Transportation, Living Roadways Trust Fund.
Increase your knowledge of Iowa’s native prairie vegetation and its use
in roadside enhancement projects, entryways, outdoor classrooms and other
projects for your community. Class work and field experience include prairie plant
identification, basic design principles, planting (how, what, when),
maintenance and safety issues. No prior experience or knowledge of prairies and trees is
necessary, only a commitment to actively participate in the entire course.
The course consists of six sessions that take place every other week from
late May through late July. A $30 fee registers a participant for the course
at one of three locations across the state. (Classes in Grinnell and Mason City
will take place during the day on Tuesdays. The Mt. Pleasant class will take
place on Tuesday evenings.) The fee also covers the cost for a book and a
binder filled with relevant materials that participants keep as a reference
guide. Space is limited. For more information or to register, contact Tracy
Feldmann, Roadways Team Coordinator at Trees Forever, 515/287-7021 or
800/369-1269.
Meredith Borchardt
Field Coordinator, Trees Forever
www.treesforever.org
ADA HAYDEN MEMBERSHIP IN THE IOWA WOMEN’S HALL OF FAME
The IPN has written a letter in support for Ada Hayden’s admission to the
Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame. In the 1930’s Ada was one of the very first people
to raise awareness of the need for preservation of Iowa’s prairies for future
generations, and she kept up her campaign, sometimes almost single-handedly,
until her death in 1950. More information about this remarkable person is
available on the IPN web site (see "action alerts").
DNR PRIVATE LANDS SPECIALISTS BRING SUPPORT TO PRAIRIE CONSERVATION
by Karie Wiltshire
Karie_wiltshire@hotmail.com
As more than 95 percent of Iowa’s land and included wildlife habitat is
privately owned, the Wildlife Division of the Iowa Department of Natural
Resources (DNR) is developing an emphasis on private lands habitat management
with the recent hiring of 3 private lands biologists, 8 Wildlife specialists,
and 10 Americorps-funded private lands specialists in positions dispersed
throughout Iowa. The positions are jointly funded through the DNR and
conservation groups, and are structured to work closely with Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) offices of each position’s area. Job duties
frequently entail the promotion of CRP practices or wildlife habitat plans,
but abundant field visits give each specialist the opportunity to identify and
assist in the management of prairie remnants.
The Americorps-funded positions are unique, as they were awarded to NRCS
offices on a competitive basis by position duties. The Mahaska and Marion County
Field Offices, with the influence of a vivid prairie scene and vocal IPNers, applied
for and received a ‘Prairie Reconstruction Specialist’ position; after one
year of service I’m excited to share my perspectives as a Prairie Nut in the field.
It’s been fun to watch residents of my area as they are becoming native
to their place. I’ve enjoyed working with landowners on planning and managing
their CRP prairies while educating them about the ecology and identification
of native species and introducing the concept of Iowa or local ecotype seed.
I’ve found an amazing opportunity to give land stewards a new perspective on their
old pastures or turn lanes through remnant seed harvest, restoration and
management plans. I’ve also figured out that many area groups have a similar
interest in preserving our prairie heritage, and I’m working to forge new
prairie partnerships. My position allows me to work closely with not only the
NRCS, DNR wildlife bureau and refuge managers, but also county conservation
boards, the Lake Red Rock Corps of Engineers, the Mahaska County IRVM,
Pheasants Forever, gardening groups, and colleges of the area. Partnering with these
groups has facilitated multiple field days and workshops with topics ranging
from introduction to prairie, prairie rescue, burn school, prairie aesthetics,
and alternatives to CRP. I’ve educated more than 500 kids, recruited scores
of volunteers, and most importantly, am enthusiastic to plan Year 2 for Prairie
Karie.
I've been enlisted to spread the prairie seed. If you’d like to contact
the specialist working in your area, or have questions, requests, and ideas,
please contact me at karie_wiltshire@hotmail.com or at the Marion County NRCS
office at 641-842-5314.
MY EXPERIENCES WITH A LIZARD
By Paul W. Frese
I first became interested in prairie restoration through my experiences
with a lizard. In 1996, I discovered a small population of the northern
prairie skink on a plot of land along an abandoned rail-road right of way in
Bridgewater, IA. Now the town of Bridgewater (population 200) is like many
small Iowa towns, in that when the town ends, the cornfields start. But
somehow, someway, this little colony of prairie skinks had survived 110+ years
of disturbance to remain a part of the local prairie fauna. The skinks had
survived a rail-road depot, lumberyard, and a thriving brick factory over the
years. All but the skinks had gone by the wayside, leaving vacant lots and
abandoned rail-road right of ways. Now, the skinks had a couple of nice open
fields to call home. Unfortunately, over the years the surrounding vegetation
that wasn’t cropped or residential had been converted to exotic varieties like
smooth brome, Kentucky bluegrass, and tall fescue, with a mixture of weedy
native forbs scattered about. That was when I came into the picture….
In March of 1997, I was able to purchase a plot of land that harbored the
skinks and plan my attack. I would reconstruct the area back into the prairie
vegetation that had once covered most of Adair County. I poured over books
and articles concerning prairie restoration. I found out that this relatively new
science was developing very rapidly and many new ideas were being tried.
However, my main well tested options were few: plow up the old sod and plant
prairie seed or spray the old sod with chemical and no-till drill the prairie
seed. Well, when one looks at the ecology of the prairie skink, one can see
that neither option was going to work. You see, prairie skinks are a
fossorial animal, spending a great deal of time underground. Many prairie animals
happen to be fossorial, perhaps because of the history of fire in a prairie
landscape. Anyway, since prairie skinks are underground dwellers for much of their lives,
I couldn’t very well plow up their homes and expect them to stick around. So
much for option one. Now option two might work, drilling in seed doesn’t disturb
soil too much. But, widespread chemical use and total destruction of the
plant life for part of a year may not be good for insects and spiders, which are the
main food source of the skinks. Hmmm, cross out option two…..
Well, about that time I happened to purchase a nice book about prairie
restoration. I’m sure you all know it, The Tallgrass Prairie Restoration
Handbook by Packard and Mutel. In this book I learned about interseeding.
Through interseeding, a restorationist could develop native vegetation in
grass turf or enhance an existing prairie stand by just spreading on seed and
leaving it be. The book said it would be slow, but good things could happen. I
decided that was the option for the skinks and I. I wouldn’t have to disturb the soil
and maybe, with some luck, I’d have some resemblance of a prairie in five or
ten years. I knew I could wait, and so could the skinks.
The first year of reconstruction was in spring of 1997. I was excited
and wanted to start right away, so I purchased a small amount of seed from two
reputable Iowa seed dealers. I would seed a bit at a time until I was happy.
As a makeshift experiment, I decided to till up a small patch of soil away
from the main skink area and spread some seed on it. I wanted to see how it would
change compared to the rest of the area, which would be interseeded. Not very
scientific, but it might be interesting. This small (<200 sq. ft.) area was
seeded down on May 22, 1997. On the remainder of my land, I interseeded
native grass and forb seed on October 25, 1997.
School and other distractions kept me or anyone else from doing much
management on the land until March of 2000. Not much native growth had taken
place. The tilled plot was showing sprigs of big and little bluestem, Indian
grass, and Canada wild rye. Also, several small plants of grey-headed
coneflower were showing up, but overall the whole area had just grown thick
with cool season grasses and some weedy forbs. Small tree seedlings were starting
to sprout up everywhere. The land needed burned. Once again, I had to consider
the effects of reconstruction not only on the vegetation, but also on the
prairie skink population. I knew skinks tended to emerge from hibernation in
mid-April. This meant I couldn’t wait for the cool season grasses to put on
growth and then stunt them with a late burn. I couldn’t risk charring any
skinks from this highly fragmented and tiny population. I either had to burn
before April or after October, when most reptiles have gone into hibernation.
I decided to try for a spring burn. Again, school and other events kept me from
the land, but fortunately several neighbors and my father were able to burn
90% of the area on the 10th of March. Then on March 27th, I was able to interseed
a variety of native forb and grass seeds collected over the last year from local
prairie remnants. This seed was raked in and left to fend for itself.
The skinks were still doing well, but the prairie reconstruction left
much to be desired. As many of us know, prairie restoration and reconstruction can
be very frustrating and must be under taken with a great deal of patience. I
had tried to have patience and finally in the summer of 2000 my patience paid
off. Suddenly, I was noticing little bluestem over here and purple prairie
clover over there, and wow! There were a couple of compass plants and a pale
purple coneflower! As the summer and fall of 2000 passed by, the area finally
began to show the fruits of our labor. Native vegetation had finally gained a
foothold on the property. I still had a problem patch of fescue and reed
canary grass, but with time and a bit of spray, I will take care of them. The
natives were coming!
This year I have concentrated on gathering more prairie seed to interseed onto
the area. My plans are to burn in late fall/early winter of 2001 and then
interseed the whole area with a mixture of little bluestem and local forbs.
If successful, I will have sowed over 60 species of forbs and 12 species of
grasses onto the area. My goal is to transform the area into a mid-grass prairie
dominated by little bluestem, side-oats, and other smaller grasses. The
clumpy structure should be perfect for prairie skinks, giving them ample open areas
between clumps to forage amongst and yet still provide numerous areas to hide.
Over the years, I have also added dozens of pieces of wood, rock, and other
debris throughout the area for the skinks to hide and nest under. Early in
2001, I was able to purchase an adjacent tract of abandoned rail-road right of
way that will serve as an additional prairie reconstruction site and hopefully
expand the prairie skink range a bit. I realize that it will take decades to
become what I see in my mind’s eye, but like the skinks, I can wait. Perhaps
the future of this prairie skink population is a bit brighter.
It has been quite an enjoyable experience learning the finer points of
prairie reconstruction while also learning much about the natural history of a
little prairie lizard. One of the most important things I have learned is
that managing prairies is a very difficult task. Managers must consider each and
every species in their management plans and practices. This can create
controversy and headaches. Sometimes the plants may suffer at the expense of
the animals, while other times the tables are turned. Sometimes certain
species have such specific habitat requirements that intensive management is
imperative to keep them from becoming extinct. However, whether talking about plants,
insects, reptiles, birds or other organisms, an overall goal of preserving
biodiversity and managing for natural communities is probably the best way to
cover all bases. Whether you are a natural resource manager, farmer, or urban
dweller, we can all do our part to preserve biodiversity and Iowa’s prairie
heritage.
Author Paul W. Frese is a wildlife biologist with the Natural Resources
Conservation Service in Albany, MO and grew up in Bridgewater, IA.
CALL FOR MORE FRESH BLOOD
The last newsletter pointed out that the IPN is prepared to welcome with
open arms anyone interested in donating some time and effort toward the
prairie cause, and in response to that request we are delighted to introduce a new
columnist, Paul Frese. Paul is an Iowa native (SE ecotype) but currently
lives near Albany, Missouri and works for the NRCS.
We also have board openings in districts 3 and 7 (the NE and E central
areas of the state). Please contact us if you are interested in joining our
board or volunteering in any aspect of the IPN.
IPN AND THE PRAIRIE RIVERS RC&D
by Inger Lamb
In November representatives of the IPN board met with Jim Cooper of the
PRRC&D and agreed to work together to pursue grant funding for the IPN in
effort to meet some of the organization’s goals. One goal given particular priority
was to establish an educational program, with the intent of reaching out to
non-environmentally oriented groups that are unaware of the beauty and
uniqueness of Iowa’s prairie heritage. Plans are in place to pursue grant
funding to finance the preparation of a slide program about prairies,
accompanied by a series of brochures on related topics, and to provide trained
people to deliver lectures using these materials. Emphasis will be on groups
such as historical societies, scout troops, schools, and non-conservation
oriented volunteer organizations. We want to tell the world how wonderful
prairies are!
The IPN board also accepted an offer for administrative assistance from
the PRRC&D and has transferred it’s membership and financial files to that office,
resulting in a new address for all communication. We look forward to the new
relationship with the PRRC&D not only as a chance to expand our educational
mission but also as a venue to accomplish and expand other IPN goals.
ANNUAL MEETING 2001
by Inger Lamb
The IPN met Oct. 20, 2001 at Neil Smith Wildlife Refuge. We were treated
to a lovely long walk through the savannah area with Really Excellent Prairie
Guide Pauline Drobney, and also paid a visit to one of the older reconstructed
prairie sites there, which now has an impressive level of species diversity.
After a potluck lunch a brief business meeting was held, in which it was
decided to contact the Prairie Rivers RC&D (PRRC&D) for advice/help in
pursuing the IPN goals identified from a survey of board members. Inger Lamb was
elected president and Casey Kohrt secretary, with Jim Nedtwig and Sue Irving
continuing as VP and treasurer respectively.
The lunch break ended with presentation of some great door prizes, many
thanks to PrairieLand Herbs (gift basket), Polk County Arbor Society (5 gal.
Bur Oak), Polk County Conservation Board (camping passes and a round of golf at
Jester Park), Reeves Wildflower Nursery (gift certificate), and Prairie Lights
bookstore (books and a t-shirt). A few hale and hearty (or thick-skinned?)
members then accompanied Pauline on yet another tour, this time getting an up
close and personal look at an authentic patch of Black Locust saplings, while
armed with loppers and ironic thoughts regarding the existence of really big
thorns on invasive species.
A final tour was held at Engeldinger Marsh, where Loren Lown demonstrated
he can make the earth move by merely jumping up and down on it. He also
showed us some interesting plants and birds and reviewed the history and future plans
for the site.
WINTER CIPN MEETING
by Inger Lamb
The Central Iowa Prairie Network held it’s annual winter meeting on
January 19, 2002 at the spectacular new lodge in Jester Park. It was a great day,
with over 90 people attending a series of short talks, looking at poster displays
and ogling/bidding on a remarkable range of items available at the silent auction.
The invited speakers covered a wide variety of subjects, including information
about the new Iowa Wetlands Mitigation Bank (Rick Robinson), the collaboration
of the DNR Wildlife Division with Pheasants Forever and some members of the
Iowa State Penal system (Bill Johnson), the Hallett’s Quarry project in Ames (Erv
Klaas), what is a RC&D anyway (Jim Cooper), an update on Engeldinger Marsh
(Loren Lown), and how to prepare plant specimens for preservation (Deb Lewis).
The silent auction was a great success, raising $3000 to pay an Iowa
Natural Heritage Foundation intern to work on prairie remnants in the central
Iowa area this summer. The evening finished with a potluck dinner and live
music from a select band of talented prairie musicians. Many thanks to all
who worked to put on this great day and to everyone who donated or purchased
auction
items.
PRAIRIE ON THE FARM: PRAIRIE PASTURE, REMNANTS, CEMETERY, AND RECONSTRUCTIONS
IN SOUTHERN MARION COUNTY
Mike DeCook, of DeCook Family Farms, invites IPN to his diverse operation
on Saturday, July 20. DeCook uses rotational grazing to manage his large
never-plowed pasture, while encouraging the formerly ‘invisible’ prairie to
flourish. He also cares for a medium quality 10-acre dry prairie remnant, and
is restoring prairie on a nearby cemetery. With all of this, DeCook also has
several reconstructions in both pasture and ornamental settings, established
using experimental techniques. Join us 9 am to noon on July 20 at his farm.
To get there, take Hwy. 5 south to Attica. In Attica take G76 south for 1.5
miles. Turn left (south) on Van Buren Dr. , and immediately take a right (south) on
170th Pl. Take 170th Pl. over the covered bridge, until meeting the
T-intersection with H16. Go left (east), for about 1/8 mile, looking for a
white barn. A rain date is set for Saturday, August 3. Contact Karie
Wiltshire, at the Knoxville NRCS with questions at 641-842-5314,
karie_wiltshire@hotmail.com.
Iowa's prescribed fire history is relatively unremarkable due to do many
factors from professionalism and caution, to just pure luck. For many years
we've also had very few targets out there which could burn. But consider that
Iowa is in the top 4-5 states for CRP (most often planted to a burnable native
vegetation for the obvious benefits), and consider the growth of high-end
housing into the wilds within the last 5-10 years. We have acquired risks we
didn't have before, at the same time we're understanding even more about the
importance of fire in our wild communities.If you have wild lands with
prescribed fire in the management plans, but you believe your ability to use
prescribed fire is becoming limited due to increased hazards and neighbors,
please contact me as I am interested in finding out the scope of the problem
in Iowa. The Firewise program is intended to help communities where wild fire
could be a problem develop more defensible and survivable space. www.firewise.com is
a web site which shows plenty of hazards for folks in other states to avoid -
I'm also interested in getting pictures of areas in Iowa where real threats occur
given that much of our landscape does not fit the models proposed.
Jean Eells, jceells@ncn.net, 2550 Stagecoach Road, Webster City, IA
50595-7375, 515-832-1771
GARLIC MUSTARD ALERT
by Larissa Mottl
Keep your eyes out this spring for an extremely invasive exotic species
called garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata). Garlic mustard is a cool-season
biennial herb that is invading upland and bottomland forests, woodlands,
wooded edges adjacent to prairies and roadsides, and wooded urban areas. Large
infestations displace native herbs, prevent tree regeneration, and reduce the
quality of wildlife habitats.
Its first-year basal rosettes are easy to spot during the dormant season
because they stay green and continue to grow. The basal leaves are
kidney-shaped with rounded teeth on their edges and originate from a single
point at ground level. The leaves smell like garlic when they’re crushed,
unlike creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea), which looks very similar but has
creeping stems or rhizomes. Watch for the second year plants with 1-4’
flowering stems in April through early June. The flowers have four white
petals and are clustered at the top of the stem and side branches. The fruit begin
maturing in late May with seeds ready to disperse shortly thereafter. A
single plant can produce hundreds of seeds in long, narrow capsules. The seeds are
readily dispersed on the boots of hikers and on animal fur so this species
finds its way into diverse habitats along deer and hiking trails. Check the soles
of your hiking boots and pant cuffs before leaving an area infested with garlic
mustard.
It only takes one plant to start a population in an area. Periodic
monitoring, especially during the dormant season, is the best way to control
the invasion of this plant. Once established in an area, first-year basal
rosettes can be controlled by a dormant season application of herbicide such as RoundUp
™ or Crossbow™. Herbicides must be used carefully to avoid destroying native
vegetation. For second-year plants, prevent seed production by hand-pulling
or cutting flowering stems at ground level before they start to flower. If cut
after flowering and left on the ground, the seeds will develop and mature as
the stem dies, so cut stems must be bagged and removed from the site. Seeds
remain viable in the soil for about five years.
Garlic mustard is known to occur in at least 1/5 of Iowa’s counties, with the
worse infestations covering acres of land in the NE, east-central, central,
NW, and SW portions of the state. Stay tuned for the results of a study currently
underway to determine what combinations of physical aspects (like soil
fertility, soil moisture, light environment) and biological characteristics
(like ground layer and canopy species compositions) make some habitats in Iowa
more susceptible to invasion. The results may help us focus our monitoring
efforts. In the meantime, please report any infestation sites to land
managers in your area like county conservation boards so that control efforts can be
organized. Several garlic mustard workdays are scheduled across the state
each spring. For more information on garlic mustard or upcoming workdays, contact
Mottl at mottll@grinnell.edu or 641-269-4717.
THE NEW FARM BILL BRINGS NEW OPPORTUNITIES
by Jon Judson, Diversity Farms
New provisions in the upcoming Farm Bill could significantly boost
protection of native prairie and other natural areas in Iowa. The Grasslands
Reserve Program, Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, Wetlands Reserve
Program, and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, all have great potential.
Since the new Farm Bill is in Conference Committee and rules for the programs
are yet to be written, details are somewhat uncertain, but the potential is
good.
The new Grasslands Reserve Program may be just what we need to provide
financial incentives to landowners to protect native grasslands (prairies).
This program will pay landowners to maintain remnant native grasslands (40
acres or larger) through 30 year and perpetual easements. In the Senate’s version
of the Bill it appears that the remnant prairie can be smaller than 40 acres.
The additional acres surrounding the prairie will need to be restored. Additional
cost-share will be available for restoration.
New funding for the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program can provide up to
75% cost-share funds to protect native prairies through management. Eligible
management practices include brush and tree removal, prescribed burning, and
seeding with local ecotype seed. An important component (and potential
limitation) will be the development of realistic cost-share rates for the
above noted practices. As an organization it will be important for us to work with
USDA to insure realistic rates are established. This is important in order to
insure landowners actually receive up to the 75% cost-share allowed.
The Wetlands Reserve Program and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement
Program also offer long-term protection of land that is converted from row
crop production. Because these programs offer long-term easements, restoration to
native (local ecotype) species is critical to maintain our native landscape.
IPN and our members need to work with the State USDA (FSA and NRCS) to
encourage their commitment. This commitment includes the promotion and development of
appropriate cost-share limits for the development of local ecotype seedings.
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) also offers potential to
landowners to reconstruct native prairie on cropland. The Continuous CRP program allows
producers an opportunity to enroll small areas as specific practices.
Practices include stream buffers (120 feet wide), contour buffers (30 to 60 feet wide),
farmed wetlands (5 acre max. potholes, up to 10 total pothole acres, with 3:1
upland buffers) and shallow water areas for wildlife. Contract length varies
from 10-15 years (depending on practice) and up to 90% cost-share for
construction and seeding. The general CRP program allows for larger tracts of
land to be seeded, but cost-share is limited to 50%.
As mention previously, existing cost-share limitations that are based on
seeding cultivars, may not provide adequate rates to plant local ecotype. IPN
and our members need to work with the FSA and NRCS to insurea more equitable
rate for those landowners interested in planting local ecotype seed on CRP acres.
All in all, the USDA programs offer tremendous potential to restore (some
of) the natural landscape so important to many Iowan’s. The programs still
need a little tweaking. We do live in a democracy, and the only way to create
change is to speak what you believe. Please utilize your right to do just that,
and encourage your USDA representatives to help us protect Iowa 's natural
heritage.