UNI’s Tallgrass Prairie Center gifted 300 acres for preservation

UNI’s Tallgrass Prairie Center was founded in 1999, formerly known as the Native Roadside Vegetation Center. The Tallgrass Prairie Center aims to “empower people to value and restore resilient, diverse tallgrass prairie.”

Some of the projects that the Tallgrass Prairie Center works on include the Iowa Roadside Management Program and the Prairie on Farms program. Alongside these programs, the Tallgrass Prairie Center helps manage the prairie conservation on UNI’s campus. On top of all of this, the Tallgrass Prairie Center was recently gifted 223 acres of land from Cathy Irvine of Dysart, Iowa.

On top of the 77 acres Irvine had donated previously, the Tallgrass Prairie Center now manages a 300-acre swath of land that staff is working to preserve.

In 1830, it was estimated that 75-80% of Iowa was covered in native tallgrass prairie. Almost 200 years later, it’s estimated that less than 1% of that native tallgrass prairie remains in Iowa today. This drastic freefall in native tallgrass prairie land is large in part due to the western expansion of the 19th century. However, there are many benefits to protecting the tallgrass prairie that remains in Iowa. One of these reasons includes protecting our water resources and protecting natural habitats for Iowa’s animals.

Tallgrass prairies also provide strong carbon sequestration, which is defined as the capturing and storing of carbon. The Tallgrass Prairie Center’s work to preserve and restore Iowa’s tallgrass prairie is vital in the preservation of Iowa’s ecosys- tems and protection of water quality in the area.

As aforementioned, the Tallgrass Prairie Center manages several projects to maintain and restore Iowa’s tallgrass prairie. Of these projects, the Iowa Roadside Management Program is one of the Tallgrass Prairie Center’s longest running projects. Laura Jackson, Ph.D., the director of the Tallgrass Prairie Center, spoke on how important it is to preserve all of Iowa’s land.

“The roadside management program does just what it says, it manages Iowa’s roadsides. You might not think anything of it when you’re driving by on the highway, but that accounts for almost 60% of our tallgrass prairie in Iowa. It’s in a ditch!” she said.

Beyond the roadside management program, the Tallgrass Prairie Center also works with farmers to preserve prairie on farmland through the Prairie on Farms program and cultivates native seeds. “All of this is state funded,” noted Jackson. “No one’s tuition is going towards this, it’s state funding we get to research and preserve these vital prairies.”

 See PRAIRIE PRESERVATION, page 2

PRAIRIE CENTER

Iowa’s prairies house unique ecosystems and animal habitats along with protecting water quality. Today, it is estimated that less that 1% of native tallgrass prairie remains in Iowa.

Adventure Trips

continued from page 1

“It’s been awesome working with the College of Ed. A lot of professors and department heads have been super supportive in getting this to happen and have really helped us out which is awesome to see,” Abrams said.

Kathleen Scholl, the Department Head for HRCS who has over 20 years of experience in wilderness education is aware of the professional and career development that Adventure Trips opportunities provide. She was empathetic to student concerns about the loss of the

Adventure Trips program and decided to take action.

“At the very least, I wanted those students immersed in their academic programs to get the career development opportunity they were expecting,” Scholl said. “This semester, we are piloting the outdoor trips to identify avenues to increase outdoor leadership opportunities within an academic program.”

Colleen Mulholland, Dean for the College of Education, listened to student concerns about the loss of the Adventure Trips program and was also incredibly supportive of bringing the Adventure Trips program back to its former glory.

“She has really been our knight in shining armor. I cannot understate how meaningful it is that a dean really cares about [the Adventure Trips program],” Abrams said.

As of now, the program is being tested to see how it can eventually be integrated into the academic curriculum.

“As we [UNI] work to increase enrollment and transition the Adventure Trips program into an academic adventure leadership training program, I see the potential of a small and mighty program,” Scholl said.

According to Abrams, the trips look the same as they did when they ran under UNI Outdoors. The only difference students will notice is that to sign up for trips they must sign up on the College of Education website. During this pilot period, trips are only available to UNI students through the HRCS department. Eight trips are scheduled for this winter and spring.

“We have a nice mix of climbing, backpacking, cross-country skiing and ice climbing,” Abrams said. “We are going as far off as the Red River Gorge in Kentucky and out to the Needles of Rushmore, which is a rock climbing destination directly behind Mount Rushmore. We have backpacking in Yellow State Forest which is kind of just down the road and we’re going to do some cross-country skiing in Dubuque by the Mines of Spain. We have a little bit for everyone which is really nice.”

Abrams emphasizes the benefits of getting involved with these trips, and their strong community.

“We stand with each other through thick and thin in the backcountry, which is tough sometimes, but we get through it and grow through it which puts so much meaning into the college experience,” Abrams continued. “You can get through college just by going to classes and going back to your dorm. But by going on these trips you really do find so much meaning in what you are doing.”

To sign up for an Adventure Trip this semester, visit https://coe.uni.edu/hrcs/ students/hrcs-adventure-trips or scan the QR code below.

Prairie Preservation

continued from page 1

Beyond the strong programs that the Tallgrass Prairie Center has established alongside a swath of volun- teers and community partners, the Tallgrass Prairie Center now has the opportunity to preserve a 300-acre plot of tallgrass prairie that used to be farmland. Jackson continued on the ecologi- cal benefits of the tallgrass prairie plot, saying “It is a fantastic habitat… there are many pheasants in the area, and they’ll find a home within this prairie. Along with the pheasants, we’re hoping to bring back the bobolink, which used to nest here, but no longer does due to the tallgrass prairie reduction.” Jackson hopes to not only rebuild a strong ecosystem in the Irvine Prairie, but also noted that there will be strong soil benefits for the area as well. “There’s no soil erosion under a prairie. You aren’t losing nutrients to runoff, so maintaining the Irvine Prairie will do great things for the area.”

There are several ways UNI students can get involved with tallgrass prairie in the area as well, Jackson discussed. “One of UNI’s best kept secrets is the biology department’s trails behind University Ave.,” Jackson continued. “Being in nature can be so beneficial, especially for students. I think getting out into the prairies, just walking in them and being connected with nature can be great for students.” The reservation can be found in between the Center for Environmental and Energy Education and the Residence

NORTHERN IOWAN

L011 Maucker Union Cedar Falls, IA 50614 www.northerniowan.com northern-iowan@uni.edu

319.273.2157

NIXSON BENITEZ

Executive Editor benitezn@uni.edu

319.273.6826

EMMA KOEHLER

Managing Editor koehlere@uni.edu

319.273.6420

EDITORIAL STAFF MALLORY SCHMITZ News Editor schmimbt@uni.edu

DIAMOND ROUNDTREE

Campus Life Editor diamondr@uni.edu

DAVID WARRINGTON Sports Editor warringd@uni.edu

SOPHIE HOFFMEIER

Copy Editor hoffmeis@uni.edu

KARINA ORTIZ Spanish Editor ortizkac@uni.edu

PRODUCTION STAFF

EMMA KOEHLER

Webmaster Graphic Artist

LANI WEBER

Social Media Manager weberhae@uni.edu

ADVISORS

ANELIA DIMITROVA anelia.dimitrova@uni.edu

CHRIS MARTIN christopher.martin@uni.edu

CIRCULATION

ELIZABETH SPAKE

Circulation Manager on the Hill Apartments on the south side of campus. Beyond walking the trails, Jackson also recommended students volunteer alongside the Tallgrass Prairie Center in their upcoming events, including April’s prairie burning. “Prairies need to be burnt as a general upkeep for the prairie, and students are more than welcome to help out and can sign up for training on the website.”

The Northern Iowan is published semi-weekly on Monday and Thursday during the academic year, except for holidays and examination periods, by the University of Northern Iowa, L011 Maucker Union, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0166 under the auspices of the Board of Student Publications.

Advertising errors that are the fault of the Northern Iowan will be corrected at no cost to the advertiser only if the Northern Iowan office is notified within seven days of the original publication. Publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisement at any time.

The Northern Iowan is funded in part with student activity fees.

All material is © 2023 by the Northern Iowan and may not be used without permission.

“It’s your campus,” Jackson commented. “Get involved with all it has to offer!” The Tallgrass Prairie Center and all of its programs to maintain Iowa’s wildlife is one of UNI’s many hidden treasures. The gift of the Irvine Prairie will benefit Iowa’s ecological sphere for years to come, and Iowa’s return on investment into its tallgrass prairies will be seen for decades to come.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letters must be less than 300 words in length and are subject to editing. Not all submissions will be printed. Send submissions to northern-iowan@uni.edu.

SEND US STORY IDEAS

Tell us what’s happening on campus. Email submissions to northern-iowan@uni.edu.

Do you want to have an event listed here? Email us at northern-iowan@uni.edu with information about the event to have it featured.