Pontiac Prairie Retreat
Kelby Rippy
DAAPWorks 2023
1820 1870
1920 1980
Pre-settler era: Illinois was established with over 22 million acres of natural prairie. By 1978, that number had dwindled to less than 1,400. Prairie grass provides structure to the surrounding ground, which after being striped away for commercial farming detrimentally hurt the ecosystem. This widespread erosion costs famers across the midwest over 500 million dollars annually.
This rest stop serves as a Prairie Education and Advocacy Center: empowering users to bceome aware of the benefits of prairies and the diversity that‘s found in them. After education, users are promptly driven towards a boardalk that floats along the prairie and allows the individual to become fully engulfed in the environment.
