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.
17th NAPC PROCEEDINGS NOW AVAILABLE
The Proceedings of the 17th North America Prairie Conference, held at
Mason City in June of 2000, are now available. The 242 page book, edited by Neil
Bernstein with artwork by Brian Seger, includes 36 papers about prairie
management, restoration, ecology and education. The Proceedings can be ordered
with a $20 check made out to: NIACC-NAPC sent to: Carol Schutte, NIACC-NAPC,
500 College Drive, Mason City, Iowa 50401. Contact Carol at 641-422-4319 or
schutcar@niacc.edu if you have any questions. THANK YOU!
LOESS HILLS PRAIRIE SEMINAR
From May 31- June 2, Onawa experience Iowa's unique Loess Hills
ecosystem at the 26th annual Loess Hills Prairie Seminar, at the Loess Hills Wildlife
Area. Workshops, field trips and evening programs help participants get in
touch with the natural communities of the Hills, as well as learn about the
history, geology and culture of the region. All activities are free. Primitive
camping andmeals are available at the site. For details, visit
http://www.aea12.k12.ia.us/services/loesshillsseminar/> or contact Gloria
Kistner at 800.352.9040, ext. 6083 or kistnerg@aea12.k12.ia.us>.
GRASSLAND RESERVE PROGRAM NEEDS HELP
by Cindy Hildebrand
The new Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) has great potential to help
prairies. Unfortunately, that potential is in peril because of a language
change by the Farm Bill conference committee, which stripped "native" from the
program (see Farm Bill article). Landowners could potentially be paid for
enrolling exotic-species plantings instead of native grasslands.
The best way to help is to ask the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to focus
the GRP on native grasslands, as the original bill language intended. Below is
a sample letter, but any brief message asking that the GRP focus on native
grasslands will be helpful. There is no official deadline for letters, but
sooner is better. Letters are better than emails, and emails are better than
silence. Secretary Veneman's email address is: agsec@usda.gov
To help further, please send a similar letter to Senator Tom Harkin. For
more information, please contact Cindy Hildebrand.
The Honorable Ann Veneman
Secretary
Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington DC 20250
Dear Secretary Veneman,
I am writing to ask that the new Grassland Reserve Program focus on the
protection of native, never-plowed virgin grasslands. Virgin grasslands are
among the most endangered and rapidly-disappearing ecosystems on earth, and
are irreplaceable. The GRP should benefit landowners who have protected virgin
grasslands, especially where grasslands are in the greatest jeopardy,
including the tallgrass prairie region.
All grassland reconstruction supported by the GRP should be required to
use diverse species of genetically-local seed. In Iowa, where the State Technical
Committee is commendably concerned about prairies, I ask that the Committee
and other organizations with prairie expertise be part of the enrollment priority
decision process. Thank you for considering these comments.
A PRAIRIE TO PRESERVE
By Mark J. Leoschke
Dr. Ada Hayden, a professor in the Botany Department at Iowa State
University, inventoried prairies throughout Iowa in the middle 1940’s in an
effort to identify sites worthy of preservation. One of the areas that she
inventoried was the valley of Waterman Creek, a tributary of the Little Sioux
River in O’Brien County in northwest Iowa. Dr. Hayden recommended that a
portion of the prairie in the valley be preserved. The Nature Conservancy of
Iowa is helping the Iowa DNR's Wildlife Bureau fulfill Dr. Hayden’s vision.
Over 130 acres of prairie will be purchased and added to the prairie already
protected in the Waterman Creek Wildlife Management Area. The Nature
Conservancy of Iowa obtained a REAP grant to help pay for the prairie, but
needs to raise funds to pay for the private match required by the grant. If you
would like to make a contribution to help purchase this prairie, make out a check to
"The Nature Conservancy of Iowa" and put "Waterman Creek" on the memo line.
Mail the check to this address:
The Nature Conservancy of Iowa
108 Third Street, Suite 300
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
Thanks in advance.
GARLIC MUSTARD WAR IN ASHWORTH PARK
By Jo Hudson
Ashworth Park and an area near the rose garden in the Des Moines Art
Center grounds are ideal places to see the devastation unchecked garlic mustard can
bring to a beautiful wooded area. For the past two years I have organized
volunteers to pull, and last fall the Parks Department did some spraying of
the worst areas, but because of scheduling difficulties and uncooperative weather
they missed much of the time window for effective spraying. It is going to
take their continued efforts plus an army of volunteers to get this invader under
control.
This year I have scheduled a full workday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., on
June 8th, so volunteers can come any time and work as long as they choose. However,
because there is more than we can possibly pull in one day--and because there
is an IPN field trip scheduled the same day--I will be glad to work with any
group, even just two or three people, anytime, any day of the week, from now until
the seed pods are ready to dehisce. I plan to be there each Saturday morning at
9:00, but will meet you there any other day if you call me. Even an hour or
so will help, and this beautiful park is worth all our effort.
Parking is south of Grand Avenue on 45th Street, just south of Ashworth
Pool. Call me, 515-276-6359, or e-mail johud@radiks.net, for more information
or to arrange a time to work.
IPN AMBASSADORS
We have started a policy of providing extra copies of our newsletter to
individuals who are likely to come across people that might appreciate a
complimentary copy. If your job or hobby is such that you routinely meet
people starting to develop an interest in prairies, have a few questions, don’t know
who to contact in their area etc., please let us know- we would be happy to
supply extras for you to give out. Contact Inger Lamb (address on the inside
back page) and indicate how many copies per issue you think you could use.
And thanks- we want to get the "prairie word" out to any and all people even
marginally interested, you never know who just might get the prairie bug!
HOW THE NEW FARM BILL WILL AFFECT PRAIRIES
by Cindy Hildebrand
For prairies, the new Farm Bill holds both bad and good news. The bad
news is that farmers will still be able to plow up never-cropped land, including
virgin prairies, without losing farm program benefits. Since the new bill
continues the existing strong financial incentives to grow commodity crops,
more virgin prairies are likely be lost to rowcropping in the future.
The good news is that the new bill eliminates the national Conservation
Reserve Program (CRP) marginal-pasture tree planting requirement, which has
been damaging prairie remnants. The bill also includes a date-certain clause which
will eliminate the ability to plow up non-rowcropped land (including
prairies), put the land in subsidized rowcrops for two years, and then enroll the land in
the Conservation Reserve Program.
A new Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) has been established, which could
be very good news for prairies. The GRP would allow farmers to enroll
never-plowed prairies and be paid for protecting them.
The bad news is that the conference committee removed the language
referring to "native" grasslands. This means that the GRP could potentially
allow the enrollment of exotic-species grasslands like Eurasian bromegrass.
Prairie enthusiasts need to speak out on this point if we want the GRP to
protect prairies. (See Grassland Reserve article.)
The CRP and Wetland Reserve Program are being increased in size. These
programs benefit many species of prairie wildlife, prevent soil erosion, and
improve water quality. The downside is that the prairie plantings subsidized
by these programs are often of low quality by prairie reconstruction standards,
and they seldom use local-ecotype seed, which means they can pose potential
genetic threats to nearby prairie remnants and local-ecotype nurseries and plantings.
Several agencies and private groups in Iowa recognize this challenging
problem and are commendably working to address it. The challenge for prairie
enthusiasts will be to work with these organizations to help maximize the
benefits of the CRP and WRP and help lessen the problems.
Phone calls, letters, and emails from Iowa prairie enthusiasts have
already helped to make the new Farm Bill better for prairies. Thank you! Now there
will be important rule-making on the national and state levels, as the new
Farm Bill is implemented. The rules will be critical in determining what actually
happens on the Iowa landscape. It will help if prairie enthusiasts stay
involved, starting with the Grassland Reserve Program. For more information
as it becomes available, please contact me and/or check the Iowa Prairie Network
website.
CRP COMMENTS NEEDED
by Cindy Hildebrand
The USDA is seeking public comments on the Conservation Reserve Program
(CRP), in order to prepare a draft programmatic environmental impact statement
(PEIS). The PEIS will provide decision-makers with an analysis of the
environmental benefits and potential impacts of the CRP.
This is a good opportunity for prairie enthusiasts to comment on how the
CRP affects prairies. Comments could include ecotype issues, how CRP rules
affect planting quality, prairie remnant pastures enrolled in the CRP, etc.
The deadline for comments is May 30, 2002, but comments submitted after
that date will be considered "to the extent possible." Comments should be
directed to: CRP@mangi.com, or can be sent to: CRP PEIS, P.O. Box 6830,
Falls Church, Va. 22046-6830. Comments can also be submitted by telephone,
toll-free,
at: 1-877-271-3842.
"RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT OF NATIVE PLANT COMMUNITIES"
An introductory class in "Restoration and Management of Native Plant
Communities" is tentatively scheduled for Fall term 2002 at the Urban Campus
of Des Moines Community College. Participants will learn a wide variety of
landscape scale restoration techniques such as: site analysis based on
indicator species; native and invasive plant identification; identification and harvest
techniques for local ecotype seed for prairie restoration and reconstruction;
restoration of abiotic landscape-scale processes such as hydrology and fire;
and monitoring.
The class is scheduled to begin in early September, with the first class
meeting at Urban Campus and classes thereafter meeting at the Audubon Center's
office at Saylorville Lake. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a pro-active
supporter in this class and students will be involved in active restoration
efforts within remnant plant communities. Priority will be given to prairie
and savanna rescue and restoration and some work in reconstructions. Field trips
are tentatively scheduled for Iowa State University's World Class Herbarium where
students will learn about specimen preservation for future research and also
as reference points. Urban restoration projects will be observed, as well as a
trip to a local seed processing facility. The theoretical base of this class is
anchored in principles of conservation biology and restoration ecology. For
more information send email inquiries to: Danielle M. Wirth, Ph.D. Science Dept. -
Urban Campus 'Des Moines Area Community College email - ehorizon@netins.net or
call 515-965-6010 ext. 421
The class is scheduled for Thursday afternoons this fall and will be
listed on DMACC's web page as Biol. 170. The 3 credits will be divided between 2
hours of lecture and 2 hours of lab. Several individuals have expressed interest in
scheduling this class on weekends. If it seems that the interest is there
DMACC will make every effort to respond to student demand.
SMUTS OF BIG BLUESTEM IN IOWA
by Lois H. Tiffany
Big bluestem, Andropogon gerardii, is a dominant plant in both stature
and cover in many Iowa prairies. Healthy plants can be up to two meters high and
populations may extend for many square meters. Since the late 1970’s, a
gradual decline has been observed in big bluestem populations in some native Iowa
prairies. This decline seems to be correlated with the presence of a smut
fungus, Sphacelotheca occidentalis. This fungus becomes established in the
perennial vegetative portions of big bluestem plants and each year invades
individual flowers of the flowering culms, (inflorenscences) replacing the
ovaries with smut mycelium. Ultimately a gall filled with black spores
develops from each diseased flower, hence the common name for the disease is
kernel smut. The galls are initially covered by a white membrane which soon
breaks, releasing the dry, powdery black spores. Usually all flowers
produced on a diseased plant are invaded and no seeds develop. Also, this smut
alters the appearance of the diseased plant as each year the inflorescences are
reduced in height, often to half of normal height initially with further reduction in
height in subsequent years. Flowering culms as short as two centimeters have
been seen. Diseased plants do not survive. If the big bluestem population
in an isolated prairie is of predominately susceptible plants, the presence of
big bluestem could be severely reduced or it could even be eliminated.
Kernel smut was first recorded in Iowa in 1978 from Caylor prairie in
Dickinson County and from surrounding areas in northwest Iowa. The fungus has
been reported on big bluestem from Kansas, Nebraska, and North Dakota. We
have monitored the presence of this smut fungus since 1978, as it has increased in
amount in the original area and has become more widely dispersed in other
prairies. In native prairies, kernel smut has been observed only in northwest
Iowa and has had a significant impact on the big bluestem population of Caylor
prairie. It has been recorded from planted prairies in other areas of the
state, presumably developed from spores carried on seed. Thus, seed harvested
from sites with diseased plants have the potential to carry smut spores to
new planting sites. We have no evidence that spores can be carried on clothing of
prairie visitors from a diseased plant site to a site not known to harbor the
smut. However, in our survey visits we are careful not to visit a "diseased"
site and then a "healthy" one.
Another smut of big bluestem, Sorosporium provincale, causes a disease
known as culm smut. Like kernel smut, it invades the perennial portions of
big
bluestem plants and develops each year in the young inflorescences. However,
this smut replaces the entire flowering culm with a long fragile gall. The
galls are several centimeters long with a white covering which soon breaks
releasing a mass of black powdery spores. The white outer membrane soon
weathers away, the spores disperse, and little or no evidence of the presence
of the fungus remains. This smut has been observed in native prairies in
southern Iowa for many years and more recently in planted prairies in other areas of
the state. Some stunting of the plants occurs, but the gall disappears so
completely that it is difficult to recognize diseased plants. Thus, it is
also very difficult to evaluate the impact of culm smut on big bluestem
populations.
At this time the distribution of these two big bluestem smuts is
distinctly different. Presence of both smuts in a given prairie has been
observed only in planted prairies. We are continuing to monitor these smuts
and other disease fungi on prairie plants. I would appreciate receiving
observations or specimens of either of these smuts or other fungi involved
with diseases of prairie plants. Please send them to Lois H. Tiffany, Dept. of
Botany, Iowa State University, Ames, IA. 50011.
IOWA ECOTYPE PROJECT BRIEF
Although typically fall is thought of as the harvest season, there are
quite a few prairie species setting seed all through the growing season. Some
that can be challenging to collect (especially long distance) that would
benefit the Iowa Ecotype Project are two spiderwort species, both bracted and Ohio;
Canada anemone, and bluejoint grass. Most of these are ripe by mid to late
July. Bracted spiderwort is the most challenging because it dries up into
almost nothing after flowering, and is usually overtopped by other
vegetation…mark the spots well while it’s in flower! See "Contributing
Remnant Seed" on the IEP website at: www.uni.edu/ecotype/ for more species,
printable seed collection label, and more information.
We’re hustling to put in more seed production plots on our new land on
the UNI campus, and anxious to move into our new ‘digs’ at the Native Roadside
Vegetation Center (currently being renovated from an old warehouse) just a
quarter mile west of the UNI Dome on 27th Street in Cedar Falls. The ecotype
plots and new facility will be featured as part of the annual IRVM Roadside
Conference August 1 and 2. Call for more details.
THE BUENGER / MCADAMS PRAIRIE SEED PROCESSING METHOD
By Jim Nedtwig
For those of us who do small amounts of seed collecting, processing and
preparing for planting it can be a tedious and time consuming task. Glenda
Buenger and Mark McAdams have devised a method of processing seed that is
convenient and efficient. They have successfully processed seed by running
it through a standard lawn and garden leaf shredder, catching the seed in their
kids old swimming pool. The shredder will break up seed heads and scarify
some seed. Multiple species may be run through a shredder simultaneously, so
species segregation is not required.
I wanted to use a shredder in my garage, so I looked for an electric
model. A problem with electric shredders is that most of them have only have
one speed - too fast! Since I've never found any machine that did exactly
what I wanted it to, I bought one anyway (a Black and Decker "Leaf Hog", @ $75,
speed = 200 MPH), with the idea of converting it to a variable speed machine. I
called a number of electrical contractors (Black and Decker customer service
was useless - why do they have those 800 numbers, anyway?), all of whom told me
what I feared - that if I tried to convert the shredder to variable speed, I would
probably burn up the motor.
A wise friend once told me "Some things are too important to be left to
'professionals'". With these words in mind, I decided to crank up my R & D department.
I went to the hardware store, and bought a high quality light switch dimmer
(the $38 kind), and a heavy duty extension cord. Then I cut the extension cord in half, and
installed the dimmer switch in the cord. I plugged the Leaf Hog into it,
turned it on, stepped back to a safe distance, and.... to my utter amazement, it
worked!
The shredder speed is completely variable, allowing very low speeds on
fluffy seed, high speeds on species with hard seed heads, and everywhere in
between. Tough species, such as pale purple coneflower, may require 2 passes
through the machine. I've used the machine for about 10 hours with no motor
burn up, no overheating, and no discernible negative affects. This method
creates a lot of dust, so if you can't tolerate dust in your processing area,
don't use it. A face mask is highly recommended.
To contain the seed flying out the end of the shredder, I built a square
wood frame about 6 feet tall, enclosed the sides with plastic sheeting, and
taped the plastic to the garage floor.
Thanks to Glenda and Mark, my seed processing can be completed in a day
or two. No more racing to beat the first snow each autumn - now I can put my
feet up, listen to Elwin Taylor's latest weather forecast, and determine my
planting day accordingly. I love it when things work.
IOWA NATIVE LANDS
A new organization is forming in Iowa, one designed to facilitate prairie
work and increase communication between prairie-oriented organizations. This
new group, the Iowa Native Lands, is hoping to provide an organizational
umbrella to bring together groups already working with various aspects of
prairies in Iowa. By providing a forum for communication, there will be
increased opportunities for interaction and cooperation among Iowa prairie
workers, and greater funding potential for joint projects. An additional
priority will be to raise the awareness and appreciation of prairies by the
public. Through coalition building, fund raising and education all Iowa
prairie interests will be advanced.
The INL will not be an individual membership organization, and is not
designed to compete with or detract from existing organizations, but instead
will create synergistic relationships among those organizations. It will
consist of a board of directors representing different aspects of prairie and
native vegetation interests in Iowa, and a technical advisory committee
composed of representatives from existing conservation organizations.
IAMU AWARDED
by Anne Kimber
"The American Institute of Architects recently recognized the value of
prairie development in sustainable architecture, naming the Iowa Association
of Municipal Utilities Training & Office Complex in Ankeny one of its "Top 10
Green Projects" for 2002. The award committee cited the association's restoration
of a farm field, destined for commercial development, into a Iowa reconstructed
tall-grass prairie. They pointed out that the prairie is accomplishing
multiple tasks, including preventing soil erosion, protecting water quality in
neighboring Carney Marsh, creating wildlife habitat, and providing aesthetic
enjoyment for the facility users.
IAMU has 11.3 acres of reconstructed prairie, started fall of 1997,
using seed from Carl Kurtz. Over 100 species of prairie plants have been
identified. Also included on the site is a wetland designed to treat
wastewater from the facility. Because of the site's clay soils and high water table, a
traditional septic leach field was unworkable. The treatment wetland, using
native wetland and prairie species in a subsurface flow system, discharges
into Carney Marsh. Monthly monitoring indicates the discharge water is lower in
nutrients than the marsh into which it discharges.
With 550 member cities, IAMU's goal to use its prairie and wetlands not
only to protect neighboring Carney Marsh, but also to demonstrate the use of
sustainable landscaping for its aesthetic appeal, low maintenance and low
costs, and its benefits for storm water management."
Hey Prairie People- In a grand spirit of cooperation The Nature
Conservancy, the Iowa Native Plant Society and the Iowa Prairie Network are
holding their annual meetings at the same time in the same place: Lakeside
Labs (Dickenson County) on Sept. 20-22. The area is so full of wonderful scenery
that we are having trouble deciding which areas to emphasize during field
trips, but don’t worry, we’ll sort it out. A special trip will be to the Little
Sioux Valley, but there will be several other choices for expeditions.We are still
working on details of course but the basics will be a short-distance field
trip, registration, and evening meet and greet session on Friday, discussion of
current Iowa prairie issues in the morning, field trips in the afternoon,
speaker and silent auction in the evening on Saturday, and a summary session
at breakfast on Sunday. Scenic tours for the route home will be provided!
Business meetings will be held at separate times for each organization
and will be scheduled during mealtimes. This will allow everyone to focus on one
organization at a time, but not compete with or take time out of field trips.
Meals will be provided. There is some lodging available at the site, and
many hotels in the area. And if you’ve ever had thoughts about girl scout
leaders being reserved…then you haven’t met our Cindy Findley (should be
Fundley, or possibly even… Funny). She