Prison Prairies

By Joe Wilkinson
DNR Information Specialist

Their eyes trained on scattered weeds, three workers move down the green rows. Two wield hoes. One pulls by hand. Row after row of prairie forbs, or flowers, stretch out on either side. Their names; mountain mint, purple prairie clover, compass plant, partridge pea, are as colorful as the splashes of yellows, lavenders and whites they add to native prairies.

The setting near Montrose, in Lee County, is a nursery of sorts. Forb seedlings are set out here. As they mature, the seed is directed to state prairie areas. The rural setting looks much like the farm next to it. And the one further down the road. As the name implies, though, State Prison Farm 3 is first and foremost a confinement setting.

100 miles away, tiny seedlings spill out of germination trays in the greenhouse at Oakdale, in rural Johnson County. This lead plant stock will be transplanted soon, to Montrose and other nursery areas in Iowa. Mike Millspaugh goes through his notes, checking planting depth and germination rates for a couple dozen different forbs. A few yards beyond the greenhouse, tall barbed wire topped fences enclose the greenhouse and other facilities at the state Medical and Classification Center.

The prison settings hardly evoke a picture of wide, open spaces. However, their role in cultivating valuable prairie forbs is vital. "We utilize corrections crews to help germinate the seed and then utilize (them) to help maintain three different production plots of prairie forb seed," explains Bill Johnson, coordinator of the Prairie Seed Harvest Program. The Department of Natural Resources biologist works with Department of Corrections officials, inmates and with staff at county and state wildlife areas to harvest seed, then grow the next generation of forbs for Iowa prairies.

Less than one-tenth of one percent of Iowa’s prairies remain. The same rich soil that supported those rolling fields of native grasses and forbs is feeding the world these days. There are efforts to reclaim small parcels of Iowa’s past, though. And while harvesting seed from those predominant grasses is hard enough, recouping scattered forb seeds is trickier. Seed must be harvested by hand, and at different times of the year. That is why the ‘corrections connection’ is so valuable.

"Establishing production plots and harvesting seed is very labor intensive," emphasizes Johnson. "We try to utilize the corrections system to decrease labor costs. The cost of this seed would be anywhere from $60 to $300 a pound, depending on the species." That cost simply could not be met otherwise. The seed stays on state wildlife areas, to avoid competition with ‘for-profit’ prairie seed ventures.

A healthy prairie area might have 150 to 200 species of grasses and forbs. The greenhouse to prairie program aims at 50 to 60 species, for now. "The greater number of species you have, the better it fills the niche in the land," stresses Johnson. "Certain species grow better on drier land. Other species are more suited to wetland or marsh edges. We try to diversify our seedings, to fill those niches and to out compete (unwanted) exotic species on our state areas."

The harvest program keeps track of where the seed originates, too. Seed strains from northern Iowa prairies go back to northern Iowa. Central and southern seed stock is identified, as well. Weather, soil type and other factors are considered.

Millspaugh, an inmate with a Master Gardeners certificate, is meticulous with his records. He shows me records for specific prairies. They track experiments, and sometimes solutions to problems, such as germination problems with prairie blazing star seed. "When I sowed them on top in these trays, the feathery tail (similar to dandelion seeds) would hold the seed up in the air and it was getting poor germination. So, I planted them 1/8 inch under the surface, where the topsoil would hold the seed down in there. We got about 70-80 percent germination. It helped save seed and cut down on soil loss."

Other notes remind him, and the handful of other Oakdale residents in the greenhouse program, what works. Culver’s root needs more light. Lead plant needs to be scarified for 10 seconds, to open more easily. Swamp milkweed should be planted ¼ inch deep, in the ‘big six pack’ trays. He describes the amount of seed sown in each tray, how the tiny plants are monitored, and eventually, transplanted.

Just a year or so into the program, some positive results are showing through. Johnson notes the inmate benefits, with positive work experience. The prairie seed effort complements Oakdale’s garden program, which ranges from produce consumed in the prison system to Christmas poinsettias for the Terrace Hill governor’s mansion.

But it’s the ecosystem boost that underscores the effort. "We are trying to diversify the seedings on state ground. The greater number of species you have, the better it fills the niche on that ground."

Sidebar: Forbs Complete Habitat Mix

As prison-raised prairie forbs, or flowers, are added to native prairie restoration, the results are quick to show. "We never thought we would ever be able to put much of a forb component into our restoration," admits DNR wildlife supervisor Ken Herring. "Our upland game biologist has been preaching to us the value of forbs and the insects (they attract) for wildlife. We have people telling us about pheasant broods in those forbs, where there weren’t any in previous years."

Herring says the hand-harvested and prison-germinated seed stock makes for a pretty interesting picture of ‘what could be’, down the road. "We can possibly do what our biologists have wanted us to do. We never had the budget. Now, we can look ahead a couple years (ahead) at high quality, diverse forb seedings." Herring says it’s plausible that state parks, county conservation boards, even roadsides might someday benefit from the prison prairies push.