Spring 2011: Volume 32, Number 1 - Missouri Prairie Foundation

2011
Volume 32
Number 1
Missouri Prairie Journal
The Missouri Prairie Foundation
Protecting Native Grasslands
45 th Anniversary Year
MPF Acquires New Property!
2010 Year in Review
New: Native Warm-Season Grass News
with Steve Clubine

Message from the President
Once upon a time, not so long ago, the idea prevailed in our land
that the meaning of conservation fell strictly within the borders of
this phrase: forest, fish, and wildlife.
Along came a few men and women who thought outside that
box, Bill Crawford, MPF’s co-founder, being among them. Bill and his contemporaries
got the ball rolling. By their actions they said, “Wait a minute. Isn’t a
significant part of our natural heritage contained in grassland communities?”
When I met Bill, some 20
years ago, he made me feel that
if I were interested in native
grassland conservation then I
was interested in something
important. I remember the day
we dedicated Schwartz Prairie.
Bill gathered us all around
On August 20, 2010, the Missouri Prairie Foundation up there on the southeastern
(MPF) paid tribute to Bill Crawford, center, who cofounded
MPF in 1966 with the late Don Christisen. views in the state. He was
corner, one of the best prairie
With Bill, from left, are MPF members and conservationists
Joel Vance, Stan Parrish, Dave Erickson, and
uncharacteristically brief that
Glenn Chambers, who all spoke at the tribute dinner day. He said: “We have just saved
in Columbia. For more on the event, see page 12. another prairie. I am pleased
about that. And you should be
too.” Bill, I could not be more pleased. Thank you. We would not, we could not
be here without you.
This year, as we recognize MPF’s 45 th anniversary, I have information about
a new acquisition to share. We are grateful to MPF member Clifford Welsch,
whose generous contributions enabled the purchase at the end of 2010 of an
80-acre tract joining our Coyne Prairie on the west. Our “prairie renovation”
efforts there (see page 4 for more details) will buffer Coyne from invasive species
and extend habitat for native wildlife.
We have an exciting year ahead of us.
• This spring, the MPF board will engage in strategic planning sessions to
develop a 2012–2016 Strategic Plan. Members are welcome to participate (see
page 15).
• As you will see on page 23, grassland biologist Steve Clubine, recently
retired from the Missouri Department of Conservation after 33 years, is a
new contributor to this magazine. MPF is grateful to Steve and to the Private
Lands Services Division of the Department of Conservation, which is providing
funding this year to make Steve’s “Native Warm-Season Grass News” section
possible.
• In June, we’re hosting both the second annual Prairie BioBlitz at Golden
Prairie and throwing a 45 th anniversary party in Kansas City. See page 15 and the
back cover for details on these and many other upcoming events.
Lastly, and most importantly, I want to thank all who made contributions
to MPF at the end of 2010. Donations totaled nearly $30,000, all of which will
be well spent toward prairie protection.
Stan Parrish, President
Carol Davit
The mission of the Missouri Prairie Foundation (MPF)
is to protect and restore prairie and other
native grassland communities through
acquisition, management, education, and research.
Officers
President Stanley M. Parrish, Walnut Grove, MO
Immediate Past President Paul Cox, Kansas City, MO
Vice President Doris Sherrick, Peculiar, MO
Secretary and Science and Management Committee Chair
Bruce Schuette, Troy, MO
Treasurer Laura Church, Kansas City, MO
Directors
Glenn Chambers, Columbia, MO
Page Hereford, St. Louis, MO
Warren B. Lammert, Jr., St. Louis, MO
Wayne Morton, M.D., Osceola, MO
Steve Mowry, Trimble, MO
Rudi Roeslein, St. Louis, MO
Jan Sassman, Bland, MO
Thomas Taylor, St. Louis, MO
Bonnie Teel, Rich Hill, MO
Randall Washburn, Versailles, MO
Jon Wingo, Florrisant, MO
Presidential Appointees
Galen Hasler, M.D., Madision, WI
Mike Skinner, Republic, MO
Van Wiskur, Pleasant Hill, MO
Emeritus
Bill Crawford, Columbia, MO
Bill Davit, Washington, MO
Clair Kucera, Columbia, MO
Lowell Pugh, Golden City, MO
Owen Sexton, St. Louis, MO
Technical Advisors
Max Alleger, Clinton, MO
Jeff Cantrell, Neosho, MO
Steve Clubine, Windsor, MO
Dennis Figg, Jefferson City, MO
Mike Leahy, Jefferson City, MO
Rick Thom, Jefferson City, MO
James Trager, Pacific, MO
Staff
Richard Datema, Prairie Operations Manager, Springfield, MO
Carol Davit, Missouri Prairie Journal Editor
and Director of Communications and Development, Jefferson City, MO
2 Missouri Prairie Journal Vol. 32 No. 1

Contents
Spring
2010 Volume 32, Number 1
Editor: Carol Davit,
1311 Moreland Ave.
Jefferson City, MO 65101
phone: 573-356-7828
info@moprairie.com
Designer: Tracy Ritter
Technical Review: Mike Leahy,
Bruce Schuette
Proofing: Doris and Bob Sherrick,
Bill Davit
23
16
4
2 Message from the President
4 MPF Activities & Accomplishments 2010
By Carol Davit
including Mystic Plains Native Prairie Revival
By Chris Woodson
16 Remnants to Restoration
By John George
20 Member Profile: Bill and Joyce Davit
By Lee Phillion
22 Public Prairies of Missouri Map
23 Native Warm-Season Grass News
with Steve Clubine
27 Education on the Prairie
with Jeff Cantrell
28 Prairie Postings
Back cover Calendar of Events
The Missouri Prairie Journal
is mailed to Missouri Prairie
Foundation members as a benefit
of membership. Please contact the
editor if you have questions about
or ideas for content.
Regular membership dues to
MPF are $35 a year. To become a
member, to renew, or to give a
free gift membership when you
renew, send a check to
New membership address:
Missouri Prairie Foundation
c/o Martinsburg Bank
P.O. Box 856
Mexico, MO 65265-0856
or become a member on-line at
www.moprairie.org
General e-mail address
info@moprairie.com
Toll-free number
1-888-843-6739
www.moprairie.org
Questions about your membership
or donation? Contact MPF’s new
Membership Database Manager
Jane Schaefer at janeschaefer@
earthlink.net.
On the cover:
Shooting stars bloom on prairies,
glades, and woodlands in
mid- to late spring. Photo by
www.HenryDomke.com
Vol. 32 No. 1 Missouri Prairie Journal 3

MPF a c t i v i t i e s & a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s 2010
The Missouri Prairie Foundation (MPF) capped off the decade with
many noteworthy accomplishments and activities. In 2010, we
completed a tremendous amount of management work, stepped up
outreach and education efforts, and ended the year on a high note: in
December, thanks to a generous donation from MPF member Clifford
Welsch, we acquired 80 acres of land next to Coyne Prairie in Dade
County. Provided here is an overview of many of the year’s activities.
None of MPF’s work, of course, would be possible without the
support and participation of you, our members. Thank you for your
generosity and for being part of the Missouri Prairie Foundation
community. We hope to meet more of you in 2011.
Allen Woodliffe
cliff white
—Carol Davit,
MPF Director of Communications and Development
Missouri Prairie Journal editor
With the current and
future renovation of the
new 80-acre acquisition
next to Coyne, prairie
wildlife species like this
regal fritillary at Coyne,
above, will benefit from
expanded habitat. Thank
you, Clifford Welsch, for
making this acquisition
possible.
MPF Acquires 80 Acres Adjoining Coyne Prairie
Thanks to the generosity of member Clifford
Welsch, MPF now owns an additional tract
of land: in December 2010, MPF acquired 80
acres of former prairie that joins Coyne Prairie’s
western boundary.
In 2011 and beyond, MPF will be reconstructing
and restoring this tract, creating a buffer
for the high quality Coyne from invasive species
and extending habitat for native wildlife. Two
acres of the new property are intact prairie, which
will be burned in a prescribed fire regime over the
next few years. Approximately 45 acres have been
planted in soybeans for several years. Through a
rental agreement with a local farmer, MPF will
crop that portion once more in 2011, while seed
from Coyne and Penn-Sylvania Prairies is col-
lected. MPF plans to broadcast the seed in the
winter of 2011/2012. Fifteen to 20 acres are thick
brush. A closer look reveals widely scattered oak
trees, distinctly older than the undergrowth. The
oaks may indicate an historic savanna, which is an
exciting prospect.
MPF is applying remaining funds from
a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Private
Stewardship grant awarded in 2006 to help pay
for labor, herbicide, and other costs associated
with renovating the new property. In addition, in
response to MPF’s November 2010 appeal, MPF
members contributed nearly $30,000 to help pay
for prairie protection efforts. MPF is thankful for
funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and for the generosity of its members.
Richard Datema
Richard Datema
In early January 2011, Prairie Operations Manager
Richard Datema had already set to work restoring the
new acquisition. In an area of the tract that may be an
historic savanna, Richard cleared brush. This clearing
will also allow for easier access into the area to cut
and treat bush honeysuckle and other invasives in the
spring.
4 Missouri Prairie Journal Vol. 32 No. 1

Clifford Welsch: Giving Back to Missouri
Given his intense love for prairie, Clifford Welsch
could not think of a better way to give back to
his home state of Missouri than to enable the
purchase of MPF’s new tract of land with a
generous donation.
Born and raised in Missouri, Clifford
received all of his education—kindergarten
through graduate and medical school—in
Missouri. He left in the 1960s to accept an
academic faculty position at Michigan State
University in East Lansing, where he spent 30
years in oncology research as well as taught
undergraduate through post-doctoral students.
In addition, Clifford enjoyed responsibilities
with the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the
American Cancer Society.
Clifford’s love of the natural world developed
as a child, while spending time with his father, an
avid quail hunter. Clifford and his family made
many hunting trips to Dent County and frequent
stays at a 60-acre family property in Jefferson County.
Although he lives on 80 acres of land with his wife Margaret, demands
of professional life put many of his outdoor pursuits on hold until the day
he retired in 1995. “I remember reading a newspaper article, the year I
retired, about native grasslands being Michigan’s and the United States’ most
endangered land type,” said Clifford. “Immediately, I began making plans to
convert a 20-acre crop field on my property to native prairie plants.”
Clifford also began extensive study of ecology journals to learn about
prairie. Today, Clifford’s ecology colleagues consider his 20-acre prairie to
be the highest quality reconstruction in Michigan. Since 1995, Clifford has
taken on the responsibility of serving as the volunteer manager of three high
quality prairie/savanna remnants in Michigan.
“My appreciation for our country’s native grasslands, and my love for
my home state have provided the impetus for my enthusiastic support of
MPF and its conservation activities,” said Clifford.
MPF member Clifford Welsch
in his own 20-acre reconstructed
prairie in Michigan,
considered by ecologists to
be the highest quality prairie
reconstruction in the state.
MPF is the only organization in the state dedicated exclusively
to the conservation of prairie and other native grasslands. For
45 years, MPF has advocated for prairie conservation and was a driving
force decades ago behind the acquisition and protection of prairies by
the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Department of
Natural Resources. In addition, MPF owns 2,600 acres of prairie, manages
nearly 4,000 acres, and works with numerous public and private partners on
grassland wildlife protection efforts.
Bruns Tract Report
In the summer of 2010, two Henslow’s sparrow nests
were located in MPF’s Bruns Tract, a 160-acre former
crop field acquired in 2001 and converted to a wildlifefriendly
CRP planting. Bruns, located in Pettis County,
is part of the Cole Camp/Hi Lonesome Conservation
Opportunity Area.
“I believe the nests were found in a high-clipped
portion of the tract,” said Steve Clubine, grassland biologist
recently retired from the Missouri Department
of Conservation. “This is very good information. If
nests are found in the same cover next summer, it may
indicate that Henslow’s sparrows either prefer moderately
tall cover or do equally well with it as with taller
cover.”
Missouri Department of Conservation biologists
who manage Bruns normally burn a third of the tract
in fall, winter, or spring, and high clip about half of the
tract. Due to a Henslow’s sparrow study by graduate
student Levi Jaster on several grassland tracts in the
area, however, some management has been temporarily
suspended so as not to disrupt the study. Crews continue
to monitor and control invasive species at Bruns,
such as teasel, sericea lespedeza, bush honeysuckle,
and autumn olive, as well as control woody sprouts and
seedlings.
MPF is grateful to the Edward K. Love
Conservation Foundation for its support of Bruns and
to the Missouri Department of Conservation for its
ongoing management of the tract.
Steve Clubine
Vol. 32 No. 1 Missouri Prairie Journal 5

MPF a c t i v i t i e s & a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s 2010
Gilbreath property before and after tree cutting
Lattner prairie before and after dogwood spraying
r e s t o r a t i o n a n d m a n
Southwestern Missouri
Richard Datema, MPF’s prairie operations
manager, works long hours restoring and
managing MPF’s prairies. His work includes
cutting trees and brush; spraying sericea
lespedeza, tall fescue, and other exotic, invasive
plants; preparing fire lines and conducting
prescribed burns; and maintaining equipment.
MPF prairies are some of the best managed in the
state, thanks to Richard’s dedication.
In 2010, working in southwestern Missouri
and Kansas City, Richard and a small summer
crew searched for and applied herbicide
to invasives on more than 2,400 acres of land
Southwest corner of Niawathe Prairie before and after tree cutting
Carol Davit
Brian Edmond
Richard Datema
Richard Datema
Richard Datema
Private prairie adjacent to the Department
of Conservation’s Hi Lonesome Prairie,
before and after tree cutting
Above right, MPF’s Prairie Operations
Manager Richard Datema sprays fire-retardant
gel along a fire line at Penn-Sylvania
Prairie. Below right, MPF volunteers manage
a prescribed fire at Golden Prairie.
Elizabeth Hamilton
6 Missouri Prairie Journal Vol. 32 No. 1

a g e m e n t
owned by MPF, Prairie State Park, The Nature
Conservancy, Kansas City Parks and Recreation,
and private landowners. Richard and the crew
also sprayed woody growth along 6,600 feet of
fencerows and draws on MPF properties, and
treated trees sprouts over MPF’s 80-acre Coyne
Prairie. This work was accomplished thanks in
part to a $20,000 grant from the Missouri Bird
Conservation Initiative (MOBCI). One of MPF’s
partners in this grant, Prairie State Park, also
treated sericea on 2,370 additional acres at the
park. In all, the grant allowed for 4,778 acres of
prairie to be treated for exotics.
Through a $20,000 Land Conservation
Grant from the Missouri Department of
Conservation, Richard also accomplished the
following work: cut and treated trees and other
woody growth with herbicide on MPF’s Denison
and Lattner Prairies, which total 440 acres; hired
an aerial sprayer to treat invading dogwood with
herbicide over 40 acres of a warm-season grass
planting at Denison and Lattner and neighboring
private land; cut and treated trees and other
woody growth on six acres of the Gilbreath property
(private land that is part of MPF’s Golden
Prairie Project); and treated sericea lespedeza and
woody growth over 200 acres of MPF’s Golden
Prairie.
In addition, Richard and MPF volunteers
conducted prescribed burns on 870 acres of
MPF-owned and partner prairies. Richard and
the summer crew treated sericea lespedeza on 400
acres of private prairie adjacent to the Missouri
Department of Conservation’s Hi Lonesome
Prairie, and removed trees from two miles of
drainage draws and two hundred acres from
the same property—vastly improving the entire
prairie landscape in this part of the Cole Camp/
Hi Lonesome Conservation Opportunity Area.
Richard also removed trees on the Missouri
Department of Conservation’s Niawathe Prairie,
expanding the grassland landscape just one-half
mile from MPF’s Coyne Prairie.
MPF’s Jerry Smith Park Work Day
On November 13, 2010, approximately
25 volunteers pitched in to
remove cedars, shrub honeysuckle,
and other invasive woody plants at
Kansas City Parks and Recreation’s
Jerry Smith Park prairie in south
Kansas City. Thanks to funding
from Missouri Teaming With
Wildlife/Conservation Federation of
Missouri, participants received information
about conservation efforts in
the Upper Blue River Conservation
Opportunity Area in Kansas City,
which includes the Jerry Smith Park
prairie.
Many thanks to the volunteers,
Kansas City WildLands, Kansas City
Parks and Recreation, and Doris and
Bob Sherrick for coordinating logistics
and providing equipment and
herbicide to treat cut stumps. MPF
promoted an additional work day on
December 9, 2010 at Prairie Fork
Expansion and Conservation Area
(See page 17).
Among the many volunteers at the MPF
Jerry Smith Park Prairie Work Day were
Rockhurst University students, above,
and MPF member Scott Lenharth, top.
MPF is pleased to contribute to the restoration
of this original remnant prairie
within the Kansas City limits. In July
2010, MPF’s Richard Datema and the
summer crew treated sericea lespedeza
over 80 acres at the prairie, and Richard
will be back in 2011.
bob Kipfer
For the second year in a row,
Missouri Master Naturalists
Barbara and Bob Kipfer volunteered
at the Missouri Prairie
Foundation’s La Petite Gemme
Prairie Natural Area in Polk County.
In the summer of 2010, the couple
treated sericea lespedeza and
multiflora rose with herbicide, and
they’ll be back in 2011. Thank you,
Barbara and Bob. Your hard work is
much appreciated!
carol davit carol davit
Vol. 32 No. 1 Missouri Prairie Journal 7

Texas
MPF a c t i v i t i e s & a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s 2010
Atchison
Holt
Nodaway
Andrew
Buchanan
Platte
Worth
Gentry
DeKalb
Clinton
Clay
Jackson
Cass
Bates
Vernon
Barton
Jasper
Newton
McDonald
Harrison
Daviess
Ray
Lafayette
Johnson
Henry
Cedar
Barry
St Clair
Dade
Lawrence
Mercer
Grundy
Mystic Plains
Caldwell
Livingston
Carroll
Polk
Stone
Linn
Saline
Pettis
Benton
Hickory
Greene
Putnam
Sullivan
Chariton
Dallas
Christian
Taney
Cooper
Morgan
Camden
Webster
Schuyler
Adair
Macon
Howard
Randolph
Moniteau
Miller
Laclede
The 100-acre property
of Joshua and Vonda
Shoop, above, was
burned in 2008. Until
then, this private,
original but degraded
prairie had either been
hayed or grazed for
60 years. Through the
Mystic Plains Revival
Effort, the Shoops have
been actively managing
their prairie with the
help of John Murphy,
above right, with the
Missouri Department of
Conservation. That first
burn and subsequent
ones have stimulated
the native warm-season
grasses and forbs—like
the abundant blazing
stars above—on land
that was once dominated
by cool-season
grasses.
Wright
Douglas
Ozark
Boone
Scotland
Cole
Knox
Pulaski
Shelby
Monroe
Callaway
Osage
Clark
Audrain
Maries
Phelps
Howell
Lewis
Marion
Ralls
Dent
Shannon
Oregon
Pike
Warren
Crawford
Lincoln
Franklin
Washington
Iron
Reynolds
Carter
St. Charles
Ripley
St. Louis
Jefferson
St.
Francois
Madison
Wayne
Butler
Ste.
Genevieve
Bollinger
Dunklin
Perry
Stoddard
Cape
Girardeau
Scott
New
Madrid
Pemiscot
Gasconade
Montgomery
Mississippi
Mystic Plains
Mystic Plains Native Prairie Revival
Partnership with northeastern Missouri landowners for native
grassland conservation exceeds goals
By Chris Woodson
The Mystic Plains Conservation Opportunity
Area (COA) is a 46,000-acre block of land located
in Sullivan and Adair Counties. This COA was
established in 2005 as one of the best places in
the state to focus conservation efforts and is part
of the Missouri Department of Conservation’s
Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy.
A unique aspect of the Mystic Plains COA is
that all 46,000 acres are in private ownership—
including MPF’s 50-acre Runge Prairie—while
other COAs in the state have at least some publicly
owned lands within their boundaries, which
often serve as the biological “anchors” for COAs.
The Mystic Plains was selected as an area
of conservation importance because it still has
numerous remnants of native prairie grasslands.
It represents one of the greatest potentials in
Missouri to link existing prairie remnants, ultimately
providing continuous wildlife friendly
grasslands at a landscape scale. Also, the Mystic
Plains has long been an important area in the
state for grassland-dependant bird species. As
recently as the 1940s, the Mystic Plains area had
one of the largest greater prairie-chicken popula-
John Murphy
tions in the state. Despite current population estimates
of fewer than 300 birds statewide, greater
prairie-chickens are continually sighted in the
Mystic Plains COA along with other declining
grassland bird species.
MPF has long recognized the importance of
and supported grassland conservation efforts in
the Mystic Plains. In 2007, MPF was awarded
a $70,000 Private Stewardship Grant (PSG)
through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service) for tree removal, hay field resting and
rotation, warm-season grass and forb seeding, and
prescribed fire on privately owned lands within
the area. The objective was to apply a variety of
these grassland management tools to overgrazed
and hayed prairie remnants, encouraging rare
plants such as Mead’s milkweed and false eared
foxglove to exhibit themselves while also benefiting
declining grassland wildlife species such as the
regal fritillary butterfly, upland sandpipers, and
the state endangered greater prairie-chicken.
In 2010, with the assistance of Private Lands
Conservationist John Murphy, who works for the
Department of Conservation, and the Service’s
Missouri Private Lands Office, MPF was able to
utilize the full $70,000 of PSG funding, matching
it with an additional $5,020 from MPF itself,
$24,141 in Department of Conservation private
lands cost share, and $11,621 in landowner con-
Frank Oberle
8 Missouri Prairie Journal Vol. 32 No. 1

John Murphy
tributions for practices to improve native grasslands
within the Mystic Plains.
Accomplishments included:
• Removal of woody cover and trees along fence
rows and within fields, opening up and improving
883 acres of grasslands
• 209 acres of hay field resting
• 748 acres of prescribed burn assistance
• 241 acres of native forb and warm-season grass
seeding
• 54 acres of grassland management through
chemical applications and mowing to control
undesirable and invasive species.
The end result of the three-year Mystic Plains
Native Prairie Revival effort was the restoration
and enhancement of 2,135 acres of native
grasslands, far exceeding the original Private
Stewardship Grant goal of 1,700 acres.
An equally important accomplishment of
the Mystic Plains effort has been changes in land
use attitudes and practices by hay and livestock
producers. Several of the partnering landowners
in the Mystic Plains now understand how woody
cover control and prescribed burning practices
can not only benefit grassland-dependent wildlife
but can also be beneficial for production.
Additionally, a few of the partnering landowners
have agreed to delay haying until after July 15
and leave a minimum grazing height of 4 to 6
inches on portions of their property to benefit
nesting grassland birds. Yet other producers are
incorporating more native warm-season grasses
for grazing in addition to their traditional use of
cool-season grasses.
A key component of grassland bird
conservation is cooperative land management at a
landscape scale. The Mystic Plains Native Prairie
Revival effort provides an example of how private
organizations, state and federal land management
agencies, and landowners can cooperatively work
together to have a positive effect for wildlife at
that landscape scale while still providing benefits
to those individuals who rely on that same
landscape for income.
Chris Woodson is a private lands biologist stationed
in Columbia with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s
Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. Chris has been
working with other conservation professionals and
private landowners to restore native grasslands in
northern Missouri since 2005. For more information
on the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, visit
http://www.fws.gov/partners/ or contact the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service Missouri Private Lands Office at
573-234-2132.
MPF Mystic Plains Landowner
Workshop and Field Day
On June 26, 2010, a total of 28 landowners,
These photos document
work before and after
woody cover control and
tree removal on private
land in the Mystic
Plains Conservation
Opportunity Area. This
work has opened vistas
and provided more
continuous habitat for
grassland-dependent
birds and other prairie
species.
as well as representatives from MPF, the
Missouri Department of Conservation, and
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service met in the
barn of local landowner Steve Young for
MPF’s workshop and field day for private
landowners in the Mystic Plains COA. MPF is
grateful to the Department of Conservation
for a Land Conservation Program grant that made this event possible, to John
Murphy with the Conservation Department for his help coordinating the event, and
to Steve Young for offering his barn as a meeting place.
As part of the workshop, MPF board member Glenn Chambers, standing, gave a
presentation on the importance of the Mystic Plains for prairie wildlife, including
greater prairie-chickens. Carol Davit with MPF and John Murphy with the
Department of Conservation also presented information on prairie biology, prairie
species of conservation concern in the Mystic Plains, and cost-share opportunities
available to landowners for improving their grassland resources for wildlife.
Following the workshop and lunch, the group enjoyed a tour of a100-acre prairie
owned by Mystic Plains landowner Joshua Shoop, which has benefited from
management practices in recent years. Following the workshop, MPF sent a letter
to participants to relay appreciation for their participation, and to encourage them
to contact MPF or John Murphy for prairie conservation assistance.
Frank Oberle
Vol. 32 No. 1 Missouri Prairie Journal 9

MPF a c t i v i t i e s & a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s 2010
o u t r e a c h and education
The Missouri Prairie Foundation organized, hosted, or
participated in many events designed to help more people
learn about, conserve, and enjoy our prairie resources.
Many thanks to all members and other supporters who
participated.
Clockwise from near right,
Dr. Paul McKenzie with the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
searched for orchids during
the bird, botany, and dragonfly
walk he led at Tingler
Prairie Natural Area on May
23. MPF member Joyce Davit,
foreground, helped lead a
member hike at Valley View
Glades Natural Area on June
5. Mammalogist Deborah
Fantz with the Department
of Conservation led the small
mammal group at the Penn-
Sylvania Prairie BioBlitz
on May 30. MPF member
Dr. Mark Robbins, back row
center, led a tour of the University
of Kansas Ornithology
Collection on February 27.
Carol Davit
Patsy Hodge
Carol Davit
Nathan Ofsthun
Tracy Ritter
Above, MPF member Mike Smith taught children
how to make cordage from prairie plants at
Shaw Nature Reserve’s Prairie Day on Sept. 25.
At right, MPF member Henry Domke led a prairie
photography workshop at the Prairie Garden
Trust on June 19.
Tracy Ritter
MPF Technical Advisor Jeff Cantrell, second from right,
led a raptor workshop at Prairie State Park on Dec. 11.
Katharine Spigarelli
10 Missouri Prairie Journal Vol. 32 No. 1

Summer Youth
Conservation Program
Thanks to a $2,500 grant awarded to MPF from
Missouri Teaming with Wildlife/Conservation
Federation of Missouri, MPF developed a conservation
program for urban youth in Kansas City
to learn about the natural resources and conservation
goals of the Upper Blue River Conservation
Opportunity Area. During the summer of 2010,
MPF partnered with several organizations to
make the program a reality, most notably with
the Center for Equitable Education (CEED), an
environmental education organization providing
environmental justice and education programming
for underserved youth in the greater Kansas
City region.
Ms. Diane Swift, founder and director of
CEED, recruited youth for the program and
coordinated logistics for numerous program activities,
including field classes and outings to Jerry
Smith Park prairie, Rocky Point Glade in Swope
Park, Manheim Community Garden, Lakeside
Nature Center, and Linda Hall Library.
Also included in the summer program was
a trip to George Washington Carver National
Monument and Diamond Grove Prairie in southwestern
Missouri. This trip allowed the students
to learn about Dr. Carver, a Missourian and
African American who grew up on a farm that
was part of Diamond Grove Prairie and went on
to become a famous botanist, agriculturalist, and
inventor, as well as to see a larger prairie landscape
that portions of Kansas City might have
resembled in presettlement times.
Incorporated into all the programming was
information about volunteer and professional
opportunities available to the students—now and
in the future, when they enter the work force—in
the natural resources field.
The culminating activity of the program was
a presentation by the students to their families
and peers about what they learned during the
program. Each student presented posters and
spoke about various activities of the program,
mentioning the importance of habitat protection
for wildlife and of native prairie plants for
beneficial insects. All students expressed their
commitment to continue working toward natural
resources conservation. During the students’
presentation, Mr. Airick L. West, president of
the Kansas City School Board, gave encouraging
remarks to the students.
MPF would like to thank Missouri Teaming
With Wildlife/Conservation Federation of
Missouri and all partners who made this summer
program possible, including CEED, Kansas City
Parks and Recreation, Kansas City WildLands,
Missouri Department of Conservation, Lincoln
University, Linda Hall Library, and Lakeside
Nature Center.
Nadia Navarrete-Tindall
Among their many
activities, Kansas City
students participating
in the Summer Youth
Conservation Program
studied prairie with
MPF Vice President Doris
Sherrick at Jerry Smith
Park; toured a glade
with Department of
Conservation Biologist
Larry Rizzo; learned
about all the natural
communities of the
Upper Blue River COA
from Linda Lehrbaum,
program manager for
Kansas City WildLands;
were introduced to
native plants and seed
collecting from Lance
Jessee, seed team
leader for Kansas City
WildLands; and made
cordage from native
prairie plants at Lincoln
University’s “Nature
and Agriculture in the
City” event at Manheim
Community Garden (at
left and below).
lincoln University cooperative Extension Photo
Vol. 32 No. 1 Missouri Prairie Journal 11

MPF a c t i v i t i e s & a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s 2010
“Thank you, Bill, for your
expansive view of conservation
and your inclusive way with
people,” said MPF President
Stan Parrish, during his
tribute to Bill. “We would
not, we could not be here
without you.”
gene Gardner
Tribute to Bill Crawford
On August 20, 2010, MPF paid tribute to Bill Crawford, a Missouri conservation
treasure. Nearly 100 of Bill’s friends and family members, prairie
supporters, and other wildlife enthusiasts attended the tribute dinner held in
Bill’s honor in Columbia.
In 1966, Bill founded MPF along with the late Don Christisen. With
MPF, they created an organization dedicated exclusively to the conservation
of the state’s native grassland resources. MPF has grown to an active
community of 1,500 members, has advocated for the protection of thousands
of acres of original prairie, and now owns and/or manages nearly 4,000 acres
of prairie.
Bill, a 43-veteran of the Missouri Department of Conservation, served
as chief of wildlife research for 30 years. An accomplished historian, Bill
continues to be a driving force behind the museum of the Boone County,
Missouri, Historical Society. Many thanks to all who attended and made
the tribute a very special evening. MPF is also grateful to the many prairie
supporters who were not able to attend, but made contributions to the
organizations in Bill’s honor.
Dennis Figg Dennis Figg
Nearly 100 guests celebrated the conservation career of Bill Crawford, MPF’s cofounder.
At top left is Bill with his friend Carolyn Doyle. Above, from left, are members
of the Crawford family: John and Nora VanSpeybroeck (Nora’s grandmother was
Bill’s second, late wife), of Rock Island, Illinois, with their daughter Clare; Ann and
Todd Crawford (Bill’s son) of Holt’s Summit, Missouri; Bill; Lauren VanSpeybroeck,
daughter of John and Nora; and Trent Crawford, son of Ann and Todd. At left, guests
MPF board member Randy Washburn, Rick Thom, and Karen Thom visit with Jerry
Overton, an MPF past president who traveled from California for the event.
Carol Davit
12 Missouri Prairie Journal Vol. 32 No. 1

Annual Meeting and Reception at Cole Camp
Many thanks to MPF board member Randy Washburn for
providing the tent, food, and drink.
On October 9, 2010, the town of Cole Camp held its third annual Prairie
Day in conjunction with the Cole Camp Oktoberfest. MPF partnered with
Audubon Missouri and the Missouri Master Naturalist’s Hi Lonesome
Chapter to host several Prairie Day activities.
MPF board member Dr. Wayne Morton generously offered his 400-
acre prairie adjacent to Hi Lonesome Prairie, just outside of town, as the
site for a wonderful concert of chamber music by the Prairie String Quartet
from Columbia. The concert was made possible through efforts of Audubon
Missouri and the Hi Lonesome Missouri Master Naturalists. The concert
coincided with MPF’s complimentary wine and cheese reception—part of its
annual membership meeting. Master Naturalists also arranged for stargazing,
with several local astronomers providing telescopes and interpretation of the
night sky. Many guests camped overnight and stayed on for MPF’s fall board
meeting the following morning.
Carol Davit
Carol Davit Carol Davit
At MPF’s annual meeting, five new board members
were welcomed. From left are MPF board members
Jon Wingo and Dr. Wayne Morton with incoming board
members Thomas Taylor, Rudi Roeslein, and
Jan Sassman.
Thomas Taylor, of St. Louis, is vice-president and
general manager of Vertegy, a sustainable consulting
company specializing in automotive, building, healthcare,
manufacturing and food and beverage markets.
Rudi Roeslein, of St. Louis, is CEO of Roeslein &
Associates, which engineers and builds manufacturing
systems worldwide for the packaging and biofuels
industry. Rudi, an avid hunter and prairie restorationist,
is converting land in Osage and Putnum Counties to
wildlife-friendly native vegetation.
Jan Sassman, of Bland, recently ended a 37-year
career in public education. Following her retirement,
Jan began restoration work at Prairie Star Restoration
Farm, which she and her husband Bruce own. Work
includes converting fescue pastures into fields of
native warm-season grasses and wildflowers, selective
forest thinning, and lake restoration.
Not pictured, but also new to the board are presidential
appointees Mike Skinner and Van Wiskur. Mike,
of Springfield, retired in 2010 after 20 years with the
Missouri Department of Conservation, where he served
as a natural history biologist.
Van Wiskur of Pleasant Hill is a professional engineer
specializing in roadway and site design projects.
Van is also a certified Missouri Master Naturalist.
Carol Davit
Above, from left, are Korey Wolfe with Audubon Missouri; Nancy Nycum, a Missouri Master Naturalist with the Hi Lonesome/Cole Camp chapter;
and MPF member Cécile Lagandré of Kansas City. Korey, Nancy, and others from the Cole Camp area worked hard to organize many Cole Camp
Prairie Day events. Center, MPF board members Randy Washburn and Laura Church, treasurer, served wine to more than 100 guests. At right,
members of the Prairie String Quartet had an appreciative audience for their beautiful chamber music.
Vol. 32 No. 1 Missouri Prairie Journal 13

MPF a c t i v i t i e s & a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s 2010
a d v o c a c y and research
MPF President Meets with
Congressman Ike Skelton
In late summer 2010, MPF President Stan
Parrish and other prairie advocates met with former
Congressman Ike Skelton from Missouri’s
Fourth Congressional District at Hi Lonesome
Prairie and a neighboring prairie owned by MPF
board member Dr. Wayne Morton. Congressman
Skelton had been invited by Missouri Teaming
With Wildlife Coalition members to tour conservation
projects in the Cole Camp/Hi Lonesome
Conservation Opportunity Area (COA). Prairies
in this COA have received funding from the
federal State Wildlife Grant program, which the
Congressman had long supported. Congressman
Skelton and his wife Patty spent nearly two hours
with the group, learning about conservation successes
and challenges.
In February 2010, MPF was among the conservation
groups represented in the Missouri Teaming
with Wildlife delegation to Washington, D.C.
The delegation meets with members of Congress
annually to seek support for the federal State
Wildlife Grants Program.
collect data, including Lauren Hart, a graduate
student at the University of Missouri–Columbia.
Lauren is comparing insect communities
in original tallgrass prairies, restored prairies,
and nearby fescue-dominated agricultural fields.
Using various collection techniques, Lauren is
in the process of determining what insects are
present in each system. Her next step is to decipher
the insects’ feeding interactions, which will
allow a glimpse into the food web of each system.
Comparison between community composition
and food web structure allows biologists to determine
similarities between systems and, in the case
of the restored prairies, potentially a measure of
prairie community recovery.
Natural Areas Conference
Carol Davit
Lauren Hart “vacuuming”
insects at MPF’s Schwartz
Prairie.
Insect Research on MPF Prairies
With permission, many researchers have conducted
research on MPF properties over the years.
MPF is pleased to help facilitate prairie research.
In 2010, several researchers used MPF prairies to
The 37th Natural Areas Association Conference
was held in Missouri in 2010, bringing biologists
from across the country to exchange ideas about
natural community protection and management.
MPF co-organized a conference workshop on
prairie ecology and management, with speakers
on prairie bird predation, patch-burn grazing,
soils and hydrology, invertebrates, and plant
ecology. In addition, a large group of conference
goers enjoyed a day-long field trip to Wah’Kon-
Tah Prairie. Many thanks to MPF board member
Randy Washburn for providing funding to allow
MPF to have a booth at the conference (above).
14 Missouri Prairie Journal Vol. 32 No. 1

c o m i n g up in 2011
MPF Strategic Planning
for 2012–2016
During the first half of 2011, MPF board
members and staff will participate in a series of
strategic planning sessions to develop a revised
five-year strategic plan. The strategic plan, and
accompanying implementation plan, will guide
the organization’s work from 2012 to 2016,
which is also the 50 th anniversary of MPF.
In late 2010, MPF was awarded a $5,000
Investing in Land Trust Partners grant from the
Missouri Department of Conservation, which
will help fund strategic plan development, as well
as development of at least two management plans
for MPF properties.
MPF members wishing to participate in
the strategic planning sessions are welcome and
should contact Carol Davit, MPF director of
communications and development, for more
information at 888-843-6739 or info@moprairie.
com.
Long-range Fundraising
Central to MPF’s strategic planning efforts in
2011 is to develop a long-range fundraising plan.
MPF will be working to secure funding for prairie
stewardship and other needs well into the future.
As you can see from the previous pages, MPF
accomplishes a tremendous amount of work, year
in and year out. For 45 years, MPF members and
other supporters have made this work possible. If
you are able to make a special gift to our Prairie
Stewardship Fund, via an immediate gift of cash
or stock, please direct your donation to
Missouri Prairie Foundation Prairie
Stewardship Fund
Community Foundation of the Ozarks
425 East Trafficway Street
Springfield, MO 65806-1121
To make a planned gift, please contact Carol
Davit at info@moprairie.com or 888-843-6739.
Also, if you have ideas about sources of funding
from individuals or groups who share MPF’s
mission, we’d love to hear from you. We could
not be here without your support. Thank you for
your past and ongoing contributions.
MPF Celebrates 45 Years in 2011
You are invited to MPF’s anniversary
dinner in Kansas City on June 18, with
guest speaker Dr. Kelly Kindscher.
Join fellow prairie supporters for a special dinner
on June 18, 2011 to recognize MPF’s 45 th anniversary
and prairie protection work. This casual,
ticketed event will be held at the dining lodge
in Swope Park, to be preceded by a guided hike
of nearby Rocky Point Glade. Watch for more
details via postal mail, the MPF Web site, and
e-news.
MPF is delighted that Dr. Kelly Kindscher
of the University of Kansas will be our guest
speaker. The title of his talk is “Medicinal Plants
of the Prairie.”
Dr. Kindscher was born in Syracuse, Kansas.
He grew up in Newton, Kansas and on his
family’s homesteaded farm near Guide Rock,
Nebraska. He completed his Ph.D. in ecology
and evolutionary biology at the University
of Kansas in 1991. His dissertation research
examined the groupings and importance of
plant guilds in tallgrass prairie ecosystems. Dr.
Kindscher’s primary responsibilities are as a
plant ecologist for the Kansas Biological Survey,
where he conducts research on plant communities
throughout Kansas, the Midwest, and the
Great Plains and Rocky Mountain states. He has
an appointment in the Environmental Studies
Program at the University of Kansas, where he
teaches environmental impact assessment and
ethnobotany.
Dr. Kindscher is the author of Edible Wild
Plants of the Prairie (1987) and Medicinal Wild
Plants of the Prairie (1992), both published by
the University Press of Kansas. He also has published
scholarly articles and technical reports on
prairie plants, prairie and wetland ecology and
restoration, ethnobotany, land ownership, and
agriculture. Dr. Kindscher is one of the founders
of the Kansas Land Trust and is a current board
member. He is also a board member of the Prairie
Plains Resource Institute.
Noted author, biologist,
and ethnobotanist Dr.
Kelly Kindscher with the
University of Kansas will
be MPF’s guest speaker
on June 18. During his
talk “Medicinal Plants
of the Prairie,” Dr.
Kindscher will speak
about the medicinal uses
of prairie plants, medicinal
plant knowledge
we have learned from
Native Americans, what
biologists are learning
about medicinals in the
laboratory today, and
why we should protect
our prairies and their
diversity.
s e e the back cover for more 2011 events.
Wally Emerson Photography
Vol. 32 No. 1 Missouri Prairie Journal 15

Remnants to
Restoration
By John George
Central Missouri’s remnant glades, savannas, and prairies give life to Prairie Fork reconstruction efforts.
The small and often isolated tracts of remnant native grasslands scattered
throughout the state are sometimes referred to as “postage stamp-sized” examples
of Missouri’s grassland biodiversity. Thanks to the seed sources from these natural
community islands, biologists like myself can undertake prairie restoration and
reconstruction projects.
Several well known projects of this
type are The Nature Conservancy’s
(TNC) and the Missouri
Department of Conservation’s Dunn
Ranch and Pawnee Prairie restoration
efforts in northern Missouri, as well as
Wah’Kon-Tah Prairie restoration work
in southwestern Missouri, also a joint
project of both of these organizations.
Drawing upon seed sources from local
remnant sites, TNC and Department of
Conservation biologists work to expand
and improve these relatively large prairie
landscapes. Each has been going on for
nearly a decade and has achieved success
with some examples of restored units
even nominated for designated Missouri
Natural Area status.
Another exciting project is the
Missouri Prairie Foundation’s (MPF)
prairie reconstruction project on its new
acquisition adjacent to MPF’s Penn-
Sylvania and Coyne Prairies in southwestern
Missouri (described on page 4),
which will benefit from the diversity of
seed available at these neighboring, high
quality prairies.
Glades at Danville Conservation Area, above,
are sources of seeds for Prairie Fork, and
have been improved with prescribed burning.
Thanks to seeds collected from remnants
like these that have been broadcast at
Prairie Fork, the area now has more than 120
flowering native plants, including rattlesnake
master, right. In addition, terracing
on formerly cropped portions of Prairie Fork
create wet depressions that increase prairie
plant, insect, and amphibian diversity.
John George
Jeff Demand
Central Missouri Native
Grassland Remnants
In central Missouri, however, there
are very few remnants of intact native
grassland communities left on the
landscape. Although Audrain County
was once more than 70 percent prairie,
only an abused 25 acres is known there
today at Marshall Diggs Conservation
Area, along with perhaps another 20
linear acres of railroad right-of-way
prairie stretched over miles and in varying
degrees of quality. Montgomery
County was more than one-third prairie,
16 Missouri Prairie Journal Vol. 32 No. 1

CLARK
GENTRY
SULLIVAN
GRUNDY
HOLT ANDREW
DAVIESS
P r a i r i e F o r k E x pa n s i oDEKALB
n A r e a a n d C o n s e r v at i o n ALINN
r e a
MACON
ADAIR
KNOX
SHELBY
LEWIS
MARION
Legend
Boundaries
Plantings
DATE_
01/01/04
01/01/05
01/01/06
01/01/07
01/01/08
01/01/09
01/01/10
01/01/11
Prairie Fork
Conservation
Area Owned by
the Missouri
Department of
Conservation
CALDWELL LIVINGSTON
BUCHANAN CLINTON
38 ac
Prairie Fork Expansion
40 ac
Area owned by MPFCHARITON
MONROE RALLS
CARROLL
RANDOLPH
PIKE
26 PLATTE ac
RAY
CLAY
Rudolf Bennit CA
35 ac
AUDRAIN
HOWARD
BOONE
SALINE
Marshall Diggs CA
LAFAYETTE
Rocky Forks CA MONT
GOMERY LINCOLN
JACKSON
Tucker Prairie (MU)
41 ac
Prairie Fork Conservation Area
Danville Glades NA
PETTIS
and Expansion Area (MDC/MPF)
42 ac
14 ac
COOPER
Auxvasse NA
ST CHARLES
WARREN
23 ac
JOHNSON
CASS
CALLAWAY
14 ac
MONITEAU
5 ac 7 ac 7 ac
OSAGE
ST LOUIS
COLE
FRANKLIN
HENRY
13 ac
BATES
MORGAN
Department of Conservation staff and
volunteers collect seed from remnant JEFFERSON
MILLER
native grasslands MARIES at the above areas for
BENTON
ST CLAIR
CAMDEN
planting at Prairie Fork. At left is a map of
HICKORY
the area, with color-coded CRAWFORD planting WASHINGTON
history.
VERNON
PHELPS
STE GENE
PULASKI
ST FRANCOIS
POLK
CEDAR 0 0.050.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 DALLAS LACLEDE
IRON
Miles
DENT
MADISON
DADE
BARTON
REYNOLDS
GASCONADE
NEWTON
JASPER
MCDONALD
but currently has no notable prairie
remnants left at all. Callaway County
was historically less than 20 percent
prairie, but contains Tucker Prairie
Natural Area, the single largest intact
parcel of the former “Grand Prairie”
that covered large portions of Callaway,
Montgomery, Ralls, Boone, Randolph,
and Monroe Counties. The University of
Missouri purchased the 146-acre Tucker
Prairie in 1957 and retains ownership
of it.
In 2004, MPF, the University
of Missouri, and the Department of
Conservation began a partnership to
reconstruct the 200-acre “Schmidt
Tract” addition at the north end of
the Prairie Fork Conservation Area in
Callaway County. In 2002, prairie supporter
Mrs. Pat Jones provided funding
to purchase the previously cropped tract,
today know as Prairie Fork Expansion
Area, owned by MPF. Mrs. Jones had
previously donated the land for the
700 + -acre Conservation Area to the
Department of Conservation. The res-
GREENE
toration effort on both parcels of land
WEBSTER
(referred to collectively as “Prairie Fork”
for the rest of the article) is similar to
those LAWRENCE in other regions of the state in
CHRISTIAN
terms of restoration goals, but is on a
smaller scale and STONE the remnant areas from
BARRY
which to collect seeds and
TANEY
gauge success
are more widely spaced.
DOUGLAS
MAP DATA PROVIDED BY CHRIS WIEBERG, MDC. PRESETTLEMENT PRAIRIE INTERPRETATION BY JIM HARLAN, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA, PROVIDED BY MDC.
Gathering Seeds and
Improving the Source
What does a biologist do when remnant
locations for collecting seed are scattered
over six or more counties, and has a very
limited labor pool? In my case, I travel a
lot and take advantage of available natural
and labor resources. At Prairie Fork,
we have used a combination of part-time
labor, Missouri Master Naturalist volunteers,
Americorps teams, and volunteers
during MPF workdays to reconstruct
or in some cases restore what eventually
will be nearly 1,000 acres of natural
communities comprising the continuum
from prairie to forest.
WRIGHT
OZARK
Carol Davit
TEXAS
HOWELL
SHANNON
OREGON
CARTER
RIPLEY
MPF Prairie Fork Work Day
On December 9, 2010, Department of
Conservation staff, MPF volunteers, Missouri
Master Naturalists, and AmeriCorps members
gathered at Prairie Fork to collect and mix
prairie seed for use on-site. Thanks to restoration
success at Prairie Fork, the site itself
is now a valuable seed source for expanded
plantings. Above, volunteers mix a pile
containing an estimated $20,000 worth of
collected seed.
B
WAYNE
BUTLER
D
Vol. 32 No. 1 Missouri Prairie Journal 17

Carol Davit
Carol Davit
Above left, Prairie Fork employee Brian Knowles feeds collected seedheads through seed-cleaning
equipment. At right are bags of seeds collected from area remnant glades, prairies, and savannas for
use at Prairie Fork. Below right is Prairie fork employee Pat Westhoff with her seed-collecting gear.
The University of Missouri lets us
use Tucker Prairie—16 miles to the
west—as our model and our major seed
source, while MPF has helped by sharing
some farm rental income from a rented
portion of the Expansion Area. These
funds are used to purchase some seed
from species that we aren’t able to collect
during the year. The Department of
Conservation coordinates the volunteer
efforts needed to improve the remnant
“source” sites and the “destination”
sites, such as treating exotic species and
conducting prescribed burns. As a result
of the Department of Conservation and
MPF partnership, we are slowly increasing
the quality and acreage of both our
source and destination sites.
Because Prairie Fork lies roughly
equidistant from our best examples
(Tucker is 16 miles to the west, and
about 15 miles to the northeast lies the
Marshall Diggs Conservation Area,
with its prairie, savanna, and woodland
remnants), we would like for the end
result of restoration to look, biologically,
somewhat like a combination of the two
sites. To enlarge our collection zone and
to keep from abusing any single collection,
we often have to do significant collecting
on savanna, woodland, and even
glade sites within 30 to 40 miles of central
Callaway County. This puts us on
Auxvasse Natural Area (dolomite glades
in Callaway County, approximately
15 miles to the south) or Danville
Glades Natural Area (limestone glades
in Montgomery County, approximately
15 miles to the east). Additional collection
sites are woodland and savanna
areas on Rudolf Bennit Conservation
Area in Howard and Randolph Counties
(30 miles north of Columbia) and
degraded woodland and savanna tracts
on the unmined portions of Rocky
Forks Conservation Area (10 miles north
of Columbia).
Part-time Department of
Conservation employees Brian Knowles
and Pat Westhoff, retired educators
with an interest in prairies, are central
to the Prairie Fork effort. Brian and Pat
work about four half-days a week from
mid-May through early November. To
keep from overcollecting seed at Tucker
Prairie and the Diggs Prairie, Brian and
Pat typically visit sites in somewhat
of a continual rotation that allows for
visitation of the best sites about once
every two weeks. Their observations of
the source sites help focus management
goals for district staff, such as treatment
of sericea lespedeza and prescribed fire.
This process has led to more than 250
acres planted at Prairie Fork, as well
as nearly 20 acres at Marshall Diggs
Conservation Area. We have also done
very limited overseeding of selected
species on some degraded glades in the
region.
By utilizing relatively small glade,
savanna, and woodland natural communities
in and around Callaway County,
we have been able to methodically convert
more than 200 acres of cropland to
a prairie planting mix that has produced
more than 120 native flowering species
thus far. In addition, our management
efforts on the seed source sites—to
stimulate seed production and eliminate
exotic species—yield benefits and often
expansions to these remnants. We might
be dealing with many small “postage
stamps” of biodiversity across the landscape,
but they provide resources that
contribute to a growing native landscape
at Prairie Fork.
John George is the central region
natural history biologist for the Missouri
Department of Conservation. John makes
management recommendations for
species and communities of conservation
concern for the 15 counties of the
Department’s central region. Of all of the
aspects of his work, he enjoys working
with volunteers the most.
Carol Davit
18 Missouri Prairie Journal Vol. 32 No. 1

Glades, Prairies, Savannas, and Woodlands
The amount of canopy cover and degree of soil development are key to determining
the plant composition of each of these distinct natural communities.
Glades, prairies, savannas, and woodlands are distinct natural communities, but share a great deal of the same
ground flora. Differences in plant composition and abundance are largely due to the amount of sunlight
reaching the ground.
Prairies typically have less than 10 percent tree cover, so mostly plants that thrive in full sun will be
present. A savanna, with up to 30 percent tree cover, can have all the same plant species as a prairie but also
may have many shade-tolerant and shade-obligate species growing around and under woody growth. A
woodland has more canopy presence than a savanna—up to 80 percent—so it contains even more shadetolerant
and shade-obligate plants, although it still has most of the sun-loving (prairie) plants in the canopy
gaps. Topography plays a role in plant composition too: prairies and savannas occur mostly on relatively level
to gently undulating topography, while woodlands and forests—with up to 100 percent tree cover—are
associated with hills and breaks.
Glades are natural openings within woodlands or forests with a diversity of drought-adapted plants
and animals making their homes on exposed bedrock. Glades may share 90 + percent of the same flora as a
prairie, but may have some glade-restricted plants that are specific to the substrate type (limestone, dolomite,
sandstone, etc.) or somewhat drought-restricted plants that occur in small shallow pockets of soil (such as
Missouri primrose, adder’s tongue fern, or glade poverty grass). Essentially, glades are small, dry rocky prairies
on south- and west-facing hillsides—that have some additional species adapted to the rocky substrate.
Seed Collection Protocol
If you want to establish a prairie, glade, savanna, or woodland planting of your own, or restore an existing
grassland community, collecting seed from remnant natural communities may be a practical way for you to
obtain seed. However, before you collect, remember that you must first seek permission to do so.
Collecting seed on public property, such as state Conservation Areas, requires a permit from the area
manager, which may not always be granted. Commercial use of seed from these areas requires an agricultural
permit. If you wish to collect from private land, you must first contact the landowner.
When collecting, it is important to collect no more than 25 percent of the seeds present for a given
species, to ensure that enough seed material remains on site for future natural germination and healthy
genetic diversity. For more on seed collecting ethics, see the Tallgrass Prairie Restoration Handbook, Stephen
Packard and Cornelia F. Mutel, editors.
Paul W. Nelson
Prairie Fork Tour—
June 26, 2011
Join fellow MPF
members for an early
summer walking
tour of Prairie Fork.
See firsthand the
reconstruction success
of the area and enjoy
the many blooming
wildflowers. Meet at
10 a.m. on Sunday, June
26, 2011. Tour will finish
at noon. Bring a sack
lunch and eat on site
if you wish. Directions:
Take Interstate 70 to
Exit 161, go north to
Williamsburg and at
four-way stop, go left
(west) on Hwy. D for
about 2.5 miles, then
go left (south) on Hwy.
D crossing over I-70.
Continue south on
Hwy. D for about 1.5
miles. Turn into the
drive for the first house
on the left; you will
see a white house and
a red and white barn.
RSVP to info@moprairie.
com or 888-843-6739.
Prairie Seed Exchange: MPF members with established prairie species of their own who are interested in
organizing a seed exchange should contact Carol Davit at info@moprairie.com or 888-843-6739. If there is
interest among members, MPF could host a prairie seed swap party.
Vol. 32 No. 1 Missouri Prairie Journal 19

Member
Profile:
Bill and
Joyce
Davit
By Lee Phillion
Carol Davit
I
looked at the clock, and realized that
my hour-long interview with Bill
and Joyce Davit had stretched to
three hours. It felt more like three minutes.
The Davits’ prairie restoration and
promotion activities are many, and the
pathway that led to their conservation work is fascinating.
One of the first things that got Bill interested in the
outdoors—as a child growing up in St. Louis—was his
grandfather’s 28-acre truck farm in St. Louis County. “That’s
where I learned to appreciate plants, soils, and the satisfaction
of growing one’s own food,” said Bill.
An interest in science led him to take a degree in geophysical
engineering at St. Louis University. After graduation in
1954, Bill spent two months doing “seismic prospecting” for
Shell Oil in Texas. “Then I got orders to report to active Navy
duty,” said Bill, who had joined the Naval Reserves just out of
high school.
“Join the Navy and See the World,” was more than a
recruiting slogan for Bill, whose assignment was to make depth
charts of the world’s oceans aboard a survey ship. For the
next couple of years, Bill traveled the world—from Baffin Bay
within the Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean, where he spent
months camped on a beach in Turkey. “It was the Turkish
people and that experience that made me appreciate the value
of simple living,” said Bill.
Upon discharge from the Navy, Bill headed west, first
working in a copper mine in Montana, and later bucking hay
bales in Colorado. Next came work as a geophysicist at the
Navy’s Hydrographic Office (now the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration) in Washington, D.C., where he
Bill and Joyce Davit at Osage Prairie Natural Area in Vernon County. An emeritus board member,
Bill joined the Missouri Prairie Foundation board in 1988. Bill and Joyce’s visits to prairies like this
one in southwestern Missouri have expanded their knowledge and appreciation of Missouri’s prairies.
They have promoted prairies and native plants for decades by giving presentations, guiding
hikes, gathering seed, pulling weeds, and raising thousands of plants for restoration projects.
joined “Project Magnet,” an initiative to measure the Earth’s
magnetic field from the air over all the oceans.
For the next three years, Bill circled the globe, making frequent
stops in Norway and several trips to McMurdo Station
in Antarctica. No matter where he went, Bill always hiked the
countryside and chatted with the local citizenry.
Bill wasn’t always flying. Occasionally he was crash landing.
“My co-workers used to joke that they didn’t know
if I brought bad or good luck on flights,” said Bill. “I was
involved in quite a few aeronautical crisis situations, but in all
cases, everyone survived.” A crash landing on his third trip to
Antarctica stranded Bill and others in Quonset huts for almost
a week while a new plane was flown in. Bill naturally took the
opportunity to explore his surroundings—on a dog sled with
some of the researchers stationed there.
Back in D.C., Bill transferred to a research position within
the agency and in 1960, met Joyce, originally from Cornwall,
England. The couple married, and after the birth of their first
daughter—and influenced by the writing of Thoreau—decided
to live closer to nature. They left D.C. for Missouri and eventually
ended up at the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Shaw
Arboretum (now called Shaw Nature Reserve) in Gray Summit
in 1970, by then with two daughters.
“By luck, I joined at the perfect time,” said Bill. “The
Arboretum was just starting to develop its environmental
20 Missouri Prairie Journal Vol. 32 No. 1

education program.” The job even came with a house on the
grounds, where their third daughter was born. “It was a special
place,” said Joyce, “staffed by a community of very dedicated
people. That is still true today.”
Bill did education, horticulture, and maintenance work
until 1980, when the initial 48-acre experimental prairie was
planted. For the next 10 years, prairie restoration was his primary
assignment.
“We became acquainted with the Missouri Prairie
Foundation when the organization gave us the funds to purchase
seeds for that first planting,” said Bill. “We also received
help from the Missouri Department of Conservation, especially
from Tom Toney, and from members of the Webster Groves
Nature Study Society. Mark Hall gave us advice and tours of
his diverse prairie restoration at Gordon Moore Park, east of
Alton, Illinois.” The hard work of Shaw staff and many valued
volunteers have made the prairie an important educational
resource.
By 1984, Joyce had become a part-time employee at Shaw,
collecting prairie seeds and propagating thousands of them
in the Nature Reserve’s greenhouse. Bill and Joyce also began
leading prairie tour suppers, which drew more people to learn
about and appreciate prairie.
A new opportunity arose for Bill and Joyce in 1990. They
were approached about moving to and working at a newly
developing educational center on 24 acres in St. Louis County,
later to be named the Litzsinger Road Ecology Center. “It was
just 15 acres,” said Bill. “But it was going to be expanded and it
would give more students the opportunity to experience nature,
so I said yes.”
The center is privately owned and operated by the Missouri
Botanical Garden. Over 10 years, Bill developed 13 acres of
prairie plantings on site, worked with student groups on woodland
restoration projects, and battled many stubborn invasive
plants. The center has made it possible for thousands of young
students to explore the natural world and experience prairie
plants for the first time.
Bill retired in 2000, and he and Joyce now reside in
Washington, Missouri. Joyce tends extensive native wildflower
gardens at home and volunteers at Shaw Nature Reserve. Bill
pursues his interests in painting, photography, and organic
gardening, and doesn’t hesitate to educate everyone he meets
about Missouri’s prairie legacy.
Lee Phillion, of St. Charles, is an MPF
member and a Missouri Master Naturalist.
MPF Establishes
Prairie
Gardens Fund
Honoring
William and
Joyce Davit
Help raise $50,000
for prairie gardens
This year is not only the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s (MPF’s)
45 th anniversary, but also Bill and Joyce’s 50 th wedding
anniversary. To honor their anniversary and decades of work to
promote prairie, MPF has established a Prairie Gardens Fund.
Our goal is to raise $50,000 for the fund in 2011. The
designated fund is held and invested by the Community
Foundation of the Ozarks, where MPF has other established
funds. Interest from the fund will provide money for a small
grants program to support prairie garden projects at schools,
parks, neighborhoods, and other public venues around Missouri
to allow more people to enjoy the beauty and ecological
benefits of our native prairie plants. Specific criteria regarding
maintenance of the gardens will be key in grant awards.
Thanks to the generosity of several individuals, as of
January, MPF has already secured $5,500 toward our goal.
Please consider making a donation to the Prairie Gardens
Fund—of any amount—to honor Bill and Joyce and to provide
a permanent funding source for prairie gardens. If they wish,
donors to this fund will be recognized in future issues of the
Missouri Prairie Journal and in Prairie Gardens Fund promotional
materials.
Donations to the MPF Prairie Gardens Fund
should be made to:
Community Foundation of the Ozarks
425 East Trafficway Street
Springfield, MO 65806-1121
Reference “Missouri Prairie Foundation Prairie Gardens
Fund” with your gift. The Community Foundation of the
Ozarks and MPF are 501(c)(3) organizations.
Photo from Prairie-Style Gardens© Copyright 2010 by Lynn M. Steiner. Used by permission of the publisher
Vol. 32 No. 1 Missouri Prairie Journal 21

Public Prairies of Missouri
The Missouri Prairie
Foundation currently owns
15 tracts of prairie across the state
ATCHISON
Tarkio
Rock Port
NODAWAY
Maryville
WORTH
Hatfield
HARRISON
Mount Moriah
MERCER
Princeton
PUTNAM
SCHUYLER
SCOTLAND
CLARK
totaling more then 2,600 acres and manages
an additional 1,500 acres in partnership with
MPF Owned
Runge Prairie
Prairie Fork Expansion
Mound
City
HOLT
ANDREW
BUCHANAN
St. Joseph
PLATTE
Kansas City
GENTRY
DEKALB
CLINTON
Excelsior
Springs
CLAY
JACKSON
Bethany
DAVIESS
CALDWELL
RAY
LAFAYETTE
GRUNDY
LIVINGSTON
CARROLL
Green City
SALINE
SULLIVAN
LINN
Laclede
CHARITON
MACON
Kirksville
ADAIR KNOX
HOWARD
La Plata
Atlanta
Macon
RANDOLPH
BOONE
Columbia
SHELBY
MONROE
AUDRAIN
CALLAWAY
LEWIS
MARION
RALLS
MONT
GOMERY
PIKE
LINCOLN
Troy
public agencies and private landowners. MPF
maintains high standards for the prairies it
owns and manages. Aggressive control of
invasive species ensures a high level of native
prairie biodiversity.
Bruns Tract
Friendly Prairie
Drovers’ Prairie
Schwartz Prairie
Stilwell Prairie
Gay Feather Prairie
Lattner Prairie
Edgar & Ruth
Denison Prairie
New property
(see page 4)
Coyne Prairie
Golden Prairie
Penn-Sylvania Prairie
La Petite Gemme Prairie
CASS
BATES
Rich Hill
BENTON
ST CLAIR
HICKORY
VERNON
Nevada
El Dorado
Springs
Humansville
Sheldon
CEDAR
POLK
Bolivar
Liberal
DADE
BARTON
Jasper
Archie
Butler
JASPER
Joplin
Diamond
NEWTON
Neosho
MCDONALD
MAP DATA PROVIDED BY CHRIS WIEBERG, MDC. PRESETTLEMENT PRAIRIE INTERPRETATION BY JIM HARLAN, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA, PROVIDED BY MDC.
Prairie Ownership
MPF
MU
DNR
TNC
ORLT
JOHNSON
HENRY
Golden City
Mount
Vernon
LAWRENCE
BARRY
Green Ridge
Clinton
GREENE
WEBSTER
Springfield
STONE
PETTIS
Sedalia
DALLAS
CHRISTIAN
TANEY
COOPER
Ionia
Versailles
Cole
Camp
MORGAN
Warsaw
CAMDEN
MONITEAU
LACLEDE
MILLER
WRIGHT
DOUGLAS
OZARK
COLE
Jefferson City
PULASKI
MARIES
TEXAS
Fulton
OSAGE
PHELPS
HOWELL
West
Plains
Cities and Towns
Large
Small
Presettlement Prairie
MDC
These prairies saved by MPF and later sold to MDC.
GASCONADE
DENT
CRAWFORD
SHANNON
OREGON
WARREN
FRANKLIN
WASHINGTON
REYNOLDS
CARTER
ST CHARLES
IRON
RIPLEY
St. Louis
ST LOUIS
JEFFERSON
ST FRANCOIS
STE GENEVIEVE
MADISON
WAYNE
BUTLER
BOLLINGER
DUNKLIN
PERRY
STODDARD
CAPE
GIRARDEAU
Cape Girardeau
NEW
MADRID
PEMISCOT
SCOTT
MISSISSIPPI
Prior to European settlement, more than one-third of Missouri’s original landscape—or 15 million acres—was tallgrass prairie. Of this
presettlement prairie, shown here in gold, fewer than 90,000 acres of high quality and degraded prairie remain on public and private land. Of
this amount of original prairie, approximately 25,000 acres are owned by the organizations noted in the legend above. The map indicates the
locations of individual, original prairies available for the public to enjoy. Decades ago, MPF encouraged state agencies to purchase many of these
prairies, which are now protected for the public to enjoy. For detailed directions to prairies owned by the Missouri Prairie Foundation, visit www.
moprairie.org or call 1-888-843-6739. For a list and directions to all public prairies, consult the Public Prairies of Missouri publication, available in
print at many Conservation Department offices.
22 Missouri Prairie Journal Vol. 32 No. 1

Native Warm-Season Grass News
A Landowner’s Guide To Wildlife-Friendly Grasslands
Welcome to the inaugural
Native Warm-Season Grass
News portion of the Missouri
Prairie Journal. When I retired from the
Missouri Department of Conservation
in September 2010, the Native Warm-
Season Grass Newsletter that I produced
for 28 years ended. My readers
asked where they could continue to find the kind of information it had
contained.
I considered a Web version or adding it to an existing conservation
contractor’s newsletter, but then I was approached by the Missouri Prairie
Foundation (MPF): Would I want to contribute the newsletter information
to this magazine? I wholeheartedly accepted, knowing my interests and
that of MPF and its members are closely aligned.
Native Warm-Season Grass News will include information on
prairie restoration and management. Its content, however, like that
of my former newsletter, will not be limited to the topic of original
prairie: I will provide information on how to make livestock pastures
and other grasslands in agricultural production as grassland-wildlife
friendly as possible. I’ll also include book reviews, updates on grassland
improvement cost-share programs, grassland government policy news,
and other information for private grassland landowners.
You won’t see much about tall fescue, Old World bluestem, or
Bermuda grass, however, unless it’s how to get rid of them. Not only are
these seriously invasive grasses, I don’t know of anyone who has had
much success making them wildlife-friendly, and that was one of the
purposes of my newsletter—to improve grassland-wildlife habitat.
With funding from the Missouri Department of Conservation,
through the Private Lands Services Division, MPF is able to produce Native
Warm-Season Grass News and mail this spring issue to all my former
newsletter subscribers, as well as to MPF members. Former newsletter
subscribers can continue to receive the next two 2011 issues of the
Journal, with Native Warm-Season Grass News included, by becoming
members of MPF. Annual, basic membership is just $35, and supports
production of the Journal as well as all of MPF’s prairie operations and
management. In addition to receiving the Journal, members receive invitations
to prairie hikes, campouts, workshops, lectures, and other events.
I have been an MPF member since 1979, and I hope my former
subscribers will join today. See page 31 for membership information.
Yours for better grasslands,
Steve Clubine
Grassland Biologist
Susan Hilty
Grassland Management
with Fire and Grazing
The spring issue of the Native Warm-Season Grasses
Newsletter was always the “Prescribed Burning Issue”;
not that all grassland burning is done in the spring, but
because that’s when we did prairie burns when the Newsletter
began in 1982. Now, of course, many prairie burns are done
in fall and winter because that’s when the most acres may
have historically burned. Prairie fires ignited mainly from two
sources—American Indians and lightning.
Some prairie enthusiasts feel that dry summer lightning
storms ignited a lot of fires, but I have doubts. While lightning
may begin fires that burn thousands of acres in the dry
mountain west, relatively few lightning-initiated prairie fires
were ever recorded in the humid, midgrass and tallgrass prairie
regions. In my 50 years of prairie experience, I recall only three
grassland fires started by lightning, and the largest burned only
three acres before rain extinguished it. In searches of thousands
of records and personal interviews for his book Forgotten Fires,
author Omer C. Stewart documented that lightning ignitions
were rare east of the Rockies.
American Indians were the principal source of historic
prairie fire, and the main seasons they burned were fall, winter,
and spring. American Indians burned to aid travel, clear areas
for camps, protect camps from accidental fires from campfires,
burn out enemies or sneak up on them, prepare areas for food
crops, and stimulate new grass for native grazers. Once the
plains American Indians got horses, they burned to provide
new forage for large horse herds. However, two other reasons
Elizabeth Hamilton
Vol. 32 No. 1 Missouri Prairie Journal 23

Native Warm-Season Grass News
Omer Stewart cited from passed-down oral histories of
American Indian tribes was to clear ground for digging native
forb roots and to trap and collect insects, such as grasshoppers,
for food. The latter were mostly summer burns to trap and
collect insects and were relatively small in area affected.
Large landscape burns occurred in fall, winter, and spring.
Fall burning began as soon as frost killed grasses and forbs to
carry the fire. “Indian summer” described the period after the
first frosts when the weather warmed and American Indians
began burning. Fall burns benefit forbs more than grasses. Did
American Indians know that and purposely burn to increase
forbs for seed, insects, and roots? There is not much about this
in historic records or tales, but Omer wrote that American
Indians burned to increase the yield of grass seed that was used
in food.
Stewart wrote that the extent and frequency of burning
by American Indians greatly expanded the prairie from what
we think of as having been prairie. In many areas it was 50
years after American Indians died out or fled ahead of the
EuroAmerican invasion before settlers actually arrived. By that
time, forests had reclaimed much of the prairie due to reduced
fire frequency.
Stewart also cites many early writers who claim that game,
elk, deer, bison, and turkey were much more numerous when
the eastern part of the continent was annually burned, resulting
in more open woodlands and forests, a fact that the U.S. Forest
Service and many state fish and wildlife agencies still disregard
or deny. There is, however, little reference about the abundance
or scarcity of small game, i.e., prairie-chicken, bobwhite quail,
and cottontail rabbit. Perhaps these species didn’t fair so well
with annual, large landscape burns because of lack of early nesting
cover. It may not have been until EuroAmericans began
settlement and reduced the frequency of and extent of burning
that these species prospered because of increased nesting and
brood cover.
It is my contention that small game wildlife didn’t prosper
between the time American Indians were extirpated east of the
plains and the arrival of white settlers because large herbivores
were also exterminated and prairie vegetation became too tall
and rank. Small game wildlife didn’t prosper until settlers
returned herbivores to the land in the form of draft animals
and beef and dairy cattle, which reduced the height and density
of grassland cover creating a mosaic of cover density in pastures,
hayland, weedy cropfields, and scads of borders among
them. Until tractors replaced draft animals, it took an acre of
prairie pasture and a quarter of an acre of hayland to feed the
draft animals for every acre of cropland they tilled. For many
decades after they arrived, settlers burned prairie pastures just
as American Indians had burned the prairie for centuries.
Today, prairie owners manage our few remaining original
prairies, native grass and forb plantings, and wildlife-friendly
cool-season grasses and legumes for a variety of reasons: plant
conservation, aesthetic enjoyment, wildlife viewing, hunting,
wildlife and insect habitat, and domestic animal forage.
Accomplishing this can entail using both fire and grazing. To
maintain grassland habitat and keep trees in check, we burn,
but probably with less frequency than did American Indians,
so we must employ other tools: cutting and treating with
herbicides.
Grazing with domestic livestock or bison can ensure that
cover doesn’t become too dense for small grassland wildlife and
some plants that evolved with varied cover density. Over time,
we hope to do it adequately for all indigenous species to survive.
Opinions vary on how and where fire and grazing should
be used.
Range Management &
Grassland Wildlife Conservation
High-Clipping for Better Nesting Habitat
Many grassland managers don’t think of mowing as a
tool for improving wildlife habitat. However, many
grassland birds evolved in grazed prairie in which
bison and elk reduced the height of native grasses and forbs.
Prairie-chickens won’t use cover taller than their heads—about
17 inches. If the cover can’t be moderately grazed to reduce
height, think about mowing at least half of the field, but not
too short. Average height should be 10 to 14 inches.
Steve Clubine
24 Missouri Prairie Journal Vol. 32 No. 1

Native Warm-Season Grass News
In addition to reducing height, the clipped stubble is more
resistant to lodging or being flattened by ice and snow, leaving
a more vertical protective roosting and nesting cover. Vehicle
tracks may also aid bird movement, not as effectively as grazer
paths, but better than tall, rank grass. Prairie-chicken telemetry
studies show birds use grazed or clipped native grass and prairie
almost exclusively versus unmowed or ungrazed native grass
or prairie. Preliminary results from a Henslow’s sparrow study
near Green Ridge show greater use of clipped native grasses and
smooth brome than unclipped native grass.
High-clipping cool-season grasses not only helps birds see
farther to avoid predators, but also helps the cool-season grasses
remain upright over winter for better nesting cover the following
spring. The key is to not mow too short.
Invasive Plant Control
Teasel and Thistle Control
Cutleaf and common teasel, musk, bull, and Canada
thistles*, and spotted knapweed rosettes are fairly easy to
kill in the fall with 2,4-D or Remedy, but much more
difficult when they bolt in late spring or early summer. At
the bolted stage, glyphosate (brand names include Roundup,
Glyphos, and Buccaneer) has been the only effective herbicide,
but managers are often concerned about collateral damage from
overspray. In addition to killing desirable forbs and grass, killed
spots are ideal for seed of teasel, thistle, and other invasive
species to germinate.
Milestone® VM has been shown in recent studies to be very
effective on bolted teasel and thistle, but many forbs and grasses
are resistant, which is encouraging news to prairie and wildlife
habitat managers. Missouri Department of Transportation
roadside managers and Missouri Department of Conservation
grassland managers have experimented with Milestone the
last couple of years and agree that it is effective and collateral
damage is minimal.
Milestone is available at local farm supply stores for
about $100 a quart. It takes only 5 to 7 fl. oz in about 20
gallons of water. Jump on the first teasels you see and a pint
will last years.
Other herbicides that also help control thistles in pastures
include the brand names Redeem R&P (clopyralid and
triclopyramine), Cimarron (metsulfuron methyl), and Curtail
(clopyralid and MCPA). No matter which product you use, be
sure to read and follow label instructions and apply herbicide at
the proper time.
Managing for dense, healthy grasses and forbs is the best
defense against thistles, most of which aren’t very competitive.
Proper grazing so that grasses and forbs are thicker and taller
will ensure they outcompete thistle seedlings. Teasel, on the
other hand, is more competitive, suppressing even healthy
grasses. You need to monitor for teasel rosettes in fall and early
spring and watch for bolted plants in late spring and early
summer.
If you can’t treat bolted plants before they develop mature
seed, cut, bag, and burn the prickly heads. Each head contains
thousands of seeds, so be careful not to let seed shatter before
you get the heads burned. If mature heads are found, monitor
the site and downstream for the next several years for teasel
rosettes.
*To learn how to distinguish invasive thistles from beneficial native ones,
see Vol. 28 #2, page 28 of the Missouri Prairie Journal (available on-line at
www.moprairie.org/PrairieJournalArchive.html)
Grassland Policy
USDA Publishes Grassland
Reserve Program Final Rule
Tim E. Smith
Exotic musk thistles, left, and
spotted knapweed, above,
can be effectively controlled
by spraying rosettes in fall or
spring.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
issued a final rule for the Grassland Reserve Program
(GRP).
“We’ve lost more than 21 million acres of ranchland and
pastureland to development over the past 25 years,” says David
White, NRCS chief. “GRP helps to retain ag lands, ensuring
healthy and diverse ecosystems that benefit the landowner
and the surrounding community while also providing wildlife
habitat.”
GRP is a voluntary program that helps landowners restore
and protect grassland, rangeland, pastureland, scrubland, and
Tim E. Smith
Vol. 32 No. 1 Missouri Prairie Journal 25

Native Warm-Season Grass News
other lands, and provides assistance for rehabilitating grasslands.
The program supports working grazing operations,
enhancement of plant and animal biodiversity, and protection
of grassland and land containing shrubs and forbs under the
threat of conversion. GRP is available in all 50 states and territories.
The NRCS and the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA)
administer the program.
Applications are accepted continuously. Each application is
ranked by the NRCS state conservationist and FSA state executive
director based upon criteria developed with input from the
state technical committee.
Participants agree to limit future development and
cropping uses of the land. They retain the right to conduct
common grazing practices and operations; this is subject to
certain restrictions during nesting seasons of bird species
that are in significant decline. A grazing management plan is
required for all participants.
For more information about NRCS conservation programs
online, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov or visit the nearest USDA
Service Center in your area.
— information from a November 29, 2010 USDA press release
Book Review
The Ecology and Management
of Prairies of the Central
United States
By Chris Helzer
University of Iowa Press
Paperback, $29.95
Chris Helzer’s exceptionally well
written book seeks to, as the
author states, “educate prairie
owners and managers about
grassland ecology and to provide
them with guidance on making
sound decisions about managing
their prairies.” Helzer does
what few prairie authors have done: describe the function of
grasslands and provide a philosophy and plan for management.
His management suggestions are applicable to public and
private land managers, including farmers, ranchers, wildlife
area managers, government agency administrators, universities,
non-government organizations, and anyone else interested in
conservation and management of grasslands.
The book has two main sections: prairie ecology and
prairie management. The ecology section addresses plant
communities, the role of disturbance (fire and grazing), animal
communities, importance of diversity and heterogeneity, and
landscape context. He reminds us that “prairies have been
evolving for thousands of years, and choosing a snapshot in time to
manage for would be like trying to keep your own appearance just
as it was when you were 15.”
The management section includes an adaptive process,
guiding principles for designing strategies, examples of management
systems, managing the grassland for wildlife, controlling
invasive species, and prairie restoration.
Helzer feels management philosophy should be to promote
biological diversity rather than focusing on a few species or
habitat for a just a few species. Too narrow a focus risks loss of
complex interrelationships, and the prairie becomes simplified
in species, functions, and processes. He stresses that managers
need to develop their own management techniques and vary
timing, duration, and frequency of management treatments,
for example: season of burns, intensity and duration of grazing,
and rest. This management philosophy should apply to grasslands
throughout North America.
Helzer describes two general management principles:
• Managing prairie means managing the competition
among plants. “All management strategies are designed to
manipulate plant competition in a way that pushes the plant
community in a desired direction.”
• “Diverse prairies require diverse management treatments.
Manipulating plant competition to favor plant diversity takes
a variety of tools, and you will need to vary the intensity with
which you use those tools.”
Helzer cautions against falling into the “Calendar Prairie
Syndrome,” in which we manage prairie to look like a July
wildflower photo each year. Calendar photos are static, but
prairies are dynamic, and should not look the same from
one July to another if management is diverse. Floral displays
are often a response to management from previous years
that involved stressing plants and changing interspecific
competition.
In the appendix, Helzer describes technical application of
tools and processes that few other grassland authors either had
experience with or bothered to describe, thus making the book
much more useful to the prairie manager. He describes how
to parcel out the process of invasive species control in a logical
and rewarding manner so that the work is not overwhelming;
results can be measured, and will inspire further work.
26 Missouri Prairie Journal Vol. 32 No. 1

Education on the Prairie with Jeff Cantrell
Capturing Solitude
Apparently, this fast-paced
world is waking up to
our society’s “disconnect”
from the natural world. “Nature
Deficit Disorder” is discussed in
several newly published books and
an increasing number of studies. It
is a disorder that naturalists have
recognized for more than 20 years,
but seems to be snowballing with
every revised video game, GPS, or
cell phone with the latest features.
Turns out the findings show
being exposed to the outdoors is
essential to both our physical and
mental well-being. For example,
our ability to learn, our bone
growth, keeping a healthy immune
system, and even preventing road
rage are connected to the attributes,
colors, and photoperiod of the great
outdoors.
One thing I’m not seeing
mentioned in these studies is
the need or understanding for
solitude in the natural world.
Becoming aware of the state of
“being alone with oneself,” as well
as fully engaging all senses while
in the natural world, is extremely
enriching.
I recall standing in the center of a 1,000-
acre grassland watching rain clouds form to the
west and slowly move toward me. I remember
a change of temperature in the air, an increase
of a gusty prairie wind, suddenly finding myself
shaded, a slight sprinkling of rain, feeling the
barometer change on the back of my neck, and
then watching the clouds rolling to the east. The
sun’s radiance returned with a backdrop of dark
blue passing over. The striking color of an eastern
meadowlark and its crisp song stood out like a
lighthouse. This was rich; this was experiencing
solitude!
A good avenue for exploring, discovering,
and capturing solitude on prairies and elsewhere
Visualize a prairie
extending beyond
fences and roads.
Imagine a vast
prairie landscape
and witness solitude
the way the Osage
may have. With
a journal, capture
this experience.
Cyndi Cogbill
in the natural world is journaling.
The act of putting pencil to tablet
itself helps to physically and
mentally slow us down.
Journaling is not just for
students; the writings of explorers
Henry Schoolcraft and William
Clark certainly verify that
journaling is the foundation of
discovery. I’m impressed by this
quote from Lawrence Kilham, the
author of several naturalist and
avian ecology books, regarding
field study, “Reading is a poor way
to start oneself on a research project.
Go out into the field, build up some
unprejudiced observations, make
good notes and you then have a live
interest in something.”
You’ll learn as you go how
you want to organize your journal,
and what kind of journal or
writing equipment will work best
for you. If you like to draw, you
may want a completely blank
journal with no lines or borders.
You may want to use your journal
more for recording natural
phenology: what organisms are
emerging, what plants are in
bloom, who is migrating in and
who is leaving, all linked to the seasons. Lists
may be important too, as well as dates, so journal
entries written now can be referred to in the
future when an historical account is needed. Or,
use your journal for brainstorming, recollecting
memories or history—whatever natural activities
on the prairie encourage.
We are fortunate that the Missouri Prairie
Foundation, working with its partners, saves
exceptional natural places—places where we add
order to our lives in the form of nature, and can
truly experience and capture solitude.
Jeff Cantrell is an education consultant in southwestern
Missouri with the Missouri Department of
Conservation and an MPF technical advisor.
Jeff’s
Recommended
Journaling
Resources
A Trail Through Leaves: The
Journal As A Path To Place
by Hannah Hinchman (1997)
ISBN 0-393-04101-8
The Sierra Club Guide to
Sketching in Nature (1990,
1997) by Cathy Johnson
ISBN 0-87156-932-9
Keeping a Nature Journal,
Discover a Whole New Way
of Seeing The World Around
You (2000) by Clare Walker
Leslie & Charles E. Roth
ISBN 1-58017-306-3
Educators’
Journaling
Workshop
Formal and informal
educators are invited
to register for this free
workshop led by Jeff
Cantrell.
Cyndi Cogbill
Friday, June 3, 2011:
In the Shadows of the
Osage: An Educator
Journaling Workshop,
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: MPF’s Golden
Prairie, a National Natural
Landmark in Barton
County, near Golden City.
Jeff will lead participants
through the basics of nature
journaling. Participants
can then use journaling as
a tool to investigate and
explore Missouri prairie life,
history, and management.
The workshop is free to all
educators, but registration
is required. To register,
contact Jeff at 417-451-
4158 or Jeff.Cantrell@
mdc.mo.gov. If they wish,
participants can camp out
and stay on for MPF’s Second
Annual Prairie BioBlitz
(see back cover for more
information).
Vol. 32 No. 1 Missouri Prairie Journal 27

Prairie Postings
Laurie E Herrman Myers
The Prairie Star
Photography
Challenge encouraged
nearly 20 photographers
to lend their
perspectives and
talents to documenting
life at Prairie
Star Restoration
Farm. Pictured here
are the three photos
selected during judging
for publication in
the Missouri Prairie
Journal.
Prairie Star
Photography
Challenge
Missouri Prairie
Foundation (MPF) board
member Jan Sassman and
her husband Bruce are owners
of a 120-acre property in
Osage County called Prairie
Star Restoration Farm.
The couple has conducted
extensive savanna restoration
and prairie reconstruction
on the property, and
has restored a 1926 barn.
In the summer of 2010,
in order to raise awareness
of and appreciation
for the biological richness of the area, the Sassmans launched the “Prairie Star Photography
Challenge.” They invited 18 photographers to explore the property and capture its beauty. On
October 24, the Sassmans hosted a reception, where a large crowd enjoyed an extensive display
of many of the photographers’ prints.
In addition, MPF and other conservation groups were invited to judge the photographs for
publication in their respective magazines. It was my privilege to select the three photographs
shown here from the many quality entries. I appreciate how these three photographs call attention
to the fine points of grassland ecology and restoration.
With her grasshopper photo, Lynn Burgher, of St. James, Missouri, zoomed in on an
important detail in an area undergoing native grassland restoration. Laurie E. Herrman Myers,
an art and journalism teacher at Rolla Middle School, captured a lovely scene of a curving
blade of grass and a beetle visiting a coreopsis flowerhead. Dave Marner’s photo is of the seeds
of featherbells (Stenanthium gramineum), collected by the Sassmans from a single plant that
appeared after forest thinning and prescribed fire. The Prairie Star population is an Osage
County record. Dave, a writer and photographer for the Gasconade County Republican, wrote
an article on the Sassmans’ restoration efforts for the paper.
Congratulations to Lynn, Laurie, Dave, and all other Photography Challenge participants.
—Carol Davit, editor
Lynn Burgher
Dave Marner
New Books
Discover Missouri Natural Areas—
A Guide to 50 Great Places
2011, Missouri Department of Conservation
Spiral bound
By Michael Leahy
The Missouri Natural Areas System protects the
best remaining examples of our state’s natural
heritage. Now, a great new book is on the way
to help nature lovers experience these special
places firsthand.
In Discover Missouri Natural Areas—
A Guide to 50 Great Places, author Mike Leahy,
the Department of Conservation’s natural areas
coordinator and a Missouri Prairie Foundation
(MPF) technical advisor, offers information that
brings to life the outstanding geological, biological,
and ecological features of natural areas
throughout the state. MPF’s La Petite Gemme
Prairie Natural Area is featured in the book, as
are 13 other prairies. Easy-to-use maps and stunning
photographs compliment the text. Look for
the guide to hit bookshelves this spring.
28 Missouri Prairie Journal Vol. 32 No. 1

Prairie-Style Gardens
Capturing the Essence of the
American Prairie Wherever You Live
2010, Timber Press
Hardcover, 303 pages, $34.95
By Lynn M. Steiner
Native garden enthusiasts, go to your nearest
book source and prepare to gush: Ms. Steiner’s
new book is one of the most comprehensive
guides on gardening with prairie plants
available. Prairie-Style Gardens is beautiful,
practical, well organized, and clearly written.
Photographs of natural prairie and savanna
landscapes, from which her gardening
inspiration comes, as well as of prairie gardens,
site preparation, and individual plants grace
nearly every page. Ms. Steiner makes an
important distinction between establishing
“prairie gardens” of a quarter of an acre to
1,000-square-feet in size, and smaller prairie
landscaping projects in traditional settings—
each of these two garden types has its own
chapter. Clear instructions on site preparation,
plant selection and planting, and garden
design accompany each.
The bulk of the book, however, is contained
in the “Prairie Profiles” section, because,
as Ms. Steiner writes, “the book is really all
about the plants.” Each of the 70 + plant profiles
includes information on native habitat,
site requirements, landscape uses, wildlife
attraction, maintenance, and good companion
plants. Missourians will note that Ms. Steiner
places special emphasis on plants of the upper
tallgrass prairie region, and in her sections on
resources and places to see prairie plants, very
few Missouri businesses and prairies are listed.
Gardeners seeking assistance on the abundance
of prairies and prairie garden resources
in Missouri are invited to contact the Missouri
Prairie Foundation—we will be happy to help
you locate resources.
Timber Press © Copyright 2010
Blacky the Black Snake
By Julia Poirot Thoma
Paperback, 24 pages, Limbertwig Press
Author to donate portion of proceeds to MPF!
Author Julia Poirot Thoma of Kansas City,
Missouri, turns a family story about a black
snake that lived on her family’s farm into
a children’s book. This gently told tale of
Grandpa and Grandma and Blacky—as they
face the cycles of life on the Missouri prairie
together—is written with fourth or fifth
graders in mind, but the story is truly for all
who appreciate nature as well as the special
wisdom of grandparents. Thoma teamed up
with Ozark illustrator Susan Raymond to create
a beautiful children’s book inspired by the lives
of the author’s parents in the mid-1900s.
Thoma’s father, Eugene M. Poirot,
was an agricultural ecologist from the
Golden City area and named a Missouri
Master Conservationist by the Conservation
Commission in 1942. He also wrote Our Margin
of Life, published in 1978. Thoma’s brother
and his family maintain the family’s prairie and
surrounding farm land today.
MPF is grateful to Ms. Thoma for
donating a portion of her book’s proceeds
to the organization. Blacky the Black Snake
is available from the author for $10 each for
small quantities, including postage. Contact
the author at jul3tho@yahoo.com to order. The
book is also available from Amazon.com and
by special order at any bookstore.
Prairie Habitat—
We Gotta Have It!
In 2010, the
Missouri
Department of
Conservation’s
annual
Endangered
Species Postcard
Contest featured
plants and
animals of the
prairie. Students
across the state
were encouraged
to learn about and
create postcardsized
artwork of
prairie species.
Carol Davit, MPF
staff, was among
the judges who
helped select
finalists from six
age groups. The
Conservation
Department
sells packets of
six cards of the
first-place entries
at Conservation
Nature Centers
and on-line for
$2.50 See all
18 first, second,
and third place
winning entries
at http://mdc.
mo.gov.
Vol. 32 No. 1 Missouri Prairie Journal 29

Prairie Postings
Artists Contribute to MPF
The Missouri Prairie Foundation
(MPF) is pleased to announce that
artists George Olson and
Rob Dreyer are contributing a portion
of sales of their artwork to the organization.
MPF is grateful to Mr. Olson and Mr.
Dreyer for their generosity.
An exhibition of Mr. Olson’s prairie
plant watercolors (above) will be on display
through March 24, 2011 at the George
Caleb Bingham Gallery of the University
of Missouri-Columbia. Mr. Olson will be
making a contribution to MPF from a portion
of sales at the exhibition. His exquisitely
detailed watercolors have been exhibited
at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural
History, the Phoenix Art Museum, the
Missouri Botanical Garden, the Brooklyn
Botanical Garden and many other venues.
For a map and directions to the gallery, visit
http://binghamgallery.missouri.edu/map.
html. Gallery phone: 573-882-3555.
Mr. Dreyer, a lifelong Missouri artist
and conservationist, has recently been
selected as a signature member of Artists
For Conservation (AFC). AFC is a nonprofit,
international organization dedicated
to the celebration and preservation of
the natural world. Based in Vancouver,
Canada, AFC represents a collective of
artists focused on nature and wildlife. Its
mission is to support wildlife and habitat
conservation, biodiversity, sustainability, and
environmental education through art that
celebrates our natural heritage.
Mr. Dreyer has selected MPF as the
organization he will help support through his
art, and has added MPF’s name to the AFC
list of approved beneficiaries so that other
AFC artists can pledge to MPF as well. The
AFC site is at www.natureartists.com, and
Mr. Dreyer’s personal site is
www.RobDreyer.com
MPF’s Profile with
the Greater Kansas
City Community
Foundation
In 2010, the Missouri Prairie Foundation
(MPF) received “Reviewed Status” for
its profile with the Greater Kansas City
Community Foundation. Via affiliation with
this organization—founded in 1978 to help
improve the Kansas City metropolitan area
and recognized as a national leader in philanthropic
investment—MPF is increasing its
visibility in the state. You may view MPF’s
profile by visiting www.gkccf.org. Recent
MPF audits and other financial information,
as well as our goals and select accomplishments,
are available for review.
Thank you,
MPF Supporters!
The Missouri Prairie Foundation Board of
Directors is extremely grateful to all donations
made to the organization at the end
of 2010 and beginning of 2011 for prairie
protection efforts. Contributions totaling
nearly $30,000 will help make this year’s
work possible.
All donations to MPF are tax-deductible.
If you would like information about making
a gift of cash or stock, or establishing a
charitable annuity or other planned gift to
benefit the organization, please contact Carol
Davit, MPF director of communications
and development at 888-843-6739 or
info@moprairie.com.
Allen Woodliffe
Memorials
The Missouri Prairie Foundation gratefully acknowledges the following individuals who
made contributions to the organization in memory of loved ones.
Bob Kern of St. Louis made a contribution in memory of Bob Beckmann.
Susan Kiddoo, of Urbana, Illinois, made a contribution in memory of her father,
Donald Hamilton, Sr. of Viola, Illinois. Mr. Hamilton was a fan of native prairies,
including five acres of original prairie on a family farm in Mercer County, Illinois.
Memorial gifts are tributes to the memory of these individuals and also help us carry out
our mission of conserving Missouri’s prairie heritage for future generations. Thank you.
30 Missouri Prairie Journal Vol. 32 No. 1

MPF Welcomes New Members Who Joined
Between September 8, 2010 and January 12, 2011
Joseph Adamo, St. Charles, MO
Arne Ahlstedt, Norwood, MO
Ken Babcock, Madison, MS
Michael Baker, Warrenburg, MO
Kathleen Barnes, St. Louis, MO
Lynn Barnickol, Jefferson City, MO
David Barylski, St. Charles, MO
Ray Beck, Columbia, MO
William Becker, Sunrise Beach, MO
John Berger Jr.,
Town and Country, MO
Steve Bierle, Harrisburg, SD
Don Bley, St. Louis, MO
Kirsten Bosnak, Lawrence, KS
Jim Bowman, Columbia, MO
David Bradley, New Franklin, MO
Nathan Bradley, Boulder, CO
Lynn Burgher, St. James, MO
Patrick Byers, Springfield, MO
Clifford Caldwell, Hartsburg, MO
Connie Campbell, St. Charles, MO
Robert Campbell, St. Charles, MO
Nancy Carrol, Ellisville, MO
Eric Christensen, Garden City, MO
Rick Clawson, New Bloomfield, MO
William Cleeton, Moberly, MO
Bill Cook, Harrisonville, MO
Carol Cross, O’Fallon, MO
Todd Culbertson, Troy, MO
Jill Cumming, St. Louis, MO
DeeCee Darrow, Columbia, MO
William Dauphinais,
Albuquerque, NM
John DeMoulin, Eureka, MO
Douglas Del Doux, Jefferson City, MO
Joe Dillard, Columbia, MO
Joseph Dimartini, St. Louis, MO
Bill Dittmer, Camdenton, MO
Grace Dryer, Robertsville, MO
Barbara Dudley, Cypress, TX
Thomas Dueber, Wilmington, DE
John Duncan, Nevada, MO
Catherine Ebbesmeyer, St. Louis, MO
Rose Edwards, Springfield, MO
Lowell Fay, Strafford, MO
Frank Fillo, Huntsville, MO
Suzanne Fischer, St. Louis, MO
Aaron Fram, St. Louis, MO
Matt Garrett, Independence, MO
Matthew Gaunt, Columbia, MO
Richard Gibson, Mountain View, AR
David Gilbreath, Marietta, GA
William Gilges, Mission, KS
Jean Glauert, Columbia, MO
Joe Goodding, Kansas City, MO
Kris Goschen, Kansas City, KS
Ruth Grant, Springfield, MO
Diana Gray, St. Louis, MO
Kenyon Greene, Platte City, MO
Diana Hallett, Hartsburg, MO
Keith Hankins, Chesterfield, MO
Deborah Harmon, Ashland, MO
Ronald Hill USN (Ret), Ballwin, MO
Jill Hollowell, Waynesville, MO
Janet Iggeldun, St. Louis, MO
Pauline Jaworski, Grover, MO
Alfred Jessup, Butler, MO
Ben Johnson, Kansas City, MO
Frank Johnson, Greenfield, MO
Emily Johnson, Niangua, MO
George Kastler, Jefferson City, MO
Rory Kaufman, Rocheport, MO
Susan Kiddoo, Urbana, IL
Ron Klataske, Manhattan, KS
Leroy Korschgen, Columbia, MO
Gary Krause, Columbia, MO
Berton Leach, Cumberland, MD
Rick Lincoln, Raymore, MO
Donna MacDonald,
Richmond Heights, MO
Jim Mann, St. Louis, MO
Dave Marner, Owensville, MO
Shirley Mason, Independence, MO
Connie May, Frankfort, KY
Anne McLaughlin, Santa Fe, NM
Kenneth Medlin, Latham, MO
Rick Merritt, Eolia, MO
Moneca Mills, Peculiar, MO
Roger Mitchell, Columbia, MO
David Morgan, Wildwood, MO
Lee Morris, Peculiar, MO
Jack Mosinger, St. Louis, MO
Jennifer Motz, Glencoe, MO
David Murphy, Columbia, MO
J. Sarah Myers, Columbia, MO
Laurie Myers, Rolla, MO
Tim Nelson, Holt, MO
Ivan Nicholson, St. Joseph, MO
Anne Noe, Plattsburg, MO
Cynthia Noll, Barnhart, MO
Carl Nollen, Runnells, IA
Gary Petty, Gardner, KS
Glenn Phillips, Mexico, MO
Terence Raterman, St. Louis, MO
Tim Ripperger, Jefferson City, MO
Bob Robben, St. Louis, MO
W Scott Robinson, Columbia, MO
Marilyn Ruemmler, Affton, MO
David Sapp, Columbia, MO
Jackie Schirn, St. Louis, MO
Donna Settenburg, Hannibal, MO
Isabel Sheply, St. Louis, MO
Jean Shoemaker, Kansas City, MO
Debby Siegale, College Station, TX
Erin Skornia, Kansas City, MO
Richard Smith, Columbia, MO
Shawn Smith, Clever, MO
John Stansfield, Columbia, MO
Richard Steel, St. Charles, MO
Bob Strempel, Round Lake Park, IL
John Stuber, Warsaw, MO
Rick Thompson, Nevada, MO
Thomas Thompson, Clinton, MO
Robert Thurman, Springfield, MO
Carlynn Trout, Columbia, MO
Ruth Van Wye, Kansas City, MO
Jim Vaughn, Dexter, MO
Richard Vaught, Columbia, MO
James Walton, Kansas City, MO
Cindy Wells, Galena, MO
Zachary Wolfe, Deerfield, MO
Jim Yosel, Kansas City, MO
MPF also recognizes
and thanks the 413
members who renewed
their memberships during
this time.
Welcome,
Jane Schaefer!
Note MPF’s new
membership address
MPF is pleased to welcome
Membership Database Manager
Jane Schaefer. MPF is contracting
Jane’s services to maintain membership
and donation information,
as well as to generate membership
mailing lists. If you have a question
about your membership or
donations, please contact Jane at
janeschaefer@earthlink.net.
Remember that your
membership expiration date is
printed above your name on the
back cover of the Missouri Prairie
Journal. To renew or make an
extra donation outside of annual
membership, please send a check
to our new membership address:
Missouri Prairie Foundation
c/o Martinsburg Bank
P.O. Box 856
Mexico, MO 652650856
(Please use MPF’s Columbia,
Missouri address only for general
correspondence.)
Bruce Schuette
You may also contribute on-line
via PayPal at www.moprairie.com/
Contribute.html.
Vol. 32 No. 1 Missouri Prairie Journal 31

MISSOURI
PRAIRIE
FOUNDATION
P r o t e c t i n g N a t i v e G r a s s l a n d s
Missouri Prairie Foundation
P.O. Box 200
Columbia, MO 65205
info@moprairie.com • 1-888-843-6739 • www.moprairie.org
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Columbia, MO
Permit No. 286
Please note that your
MPF membership expiration date
is now printed with your address.
Renewing promptly will save MPF costs
of mailing renewal reminder letters.
To renew, see page 31.
Calendar of Prairie-Related Events
Missouri Prairie Foundation Events
Through March 24, 2011—
Exhibition of Prairie Plant
Watercolors by George Olson
Artist to donate percentage
of sale proceeds to MPF!
The George Caleb Bingham
Gallery of the University of
Missouri-Columbia will host an
exhibition of watercolor paintings
of prairie plants by the botanical
artist George Olson. Mr. Olson’s
work has been exhibited at the
Smithsonian Museum of Natural
History, the Phoenix Art Museum,
the Missouri Botanical Garden,
the Brooklyn Botanical Garden
and many other venues. For a
map and directions to the gallery,
and gallery hours, visit the Web
site of the Bingham Gallery.
Gallery phone: 573-882-3555.
April 9, 2011—Guided hike to
see the bison at Prairie State Park.
Be prepared for a long hike over
rolling terrain. Weather can be
highly variable. 10:00 a.m. Call the
park at 417-843-6711 to register
for this free hike.
April 23 and 30, 2011—MPF
Annual Spring Plant Sale at the
City Market in Kansas City. Both
dates: 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., 5 th
and Walnut, Kansas City. Purchase
quality natives for your home
landscaping and help MPF raise
funds at the same time. Contact
MPF Vice President Doris Sherrick
at bjdjsher@fairpoint.net or
816-779-6708 if you can
volunteer at the sale.
April 30, 2011—Spring bird
walk at the Prairie Garden Trust
near New Bloomfield. 7:00 a.m.
MPF members are invited! To
RSVP, contact Henry Domke at
henry@henrydomke.com
May 12, 2011—Native
Pollinators Workshop organized
by Lincoln University’s Native
Plant Program. Workshop will
be held at the MU Southwest
Research Center in Mount
Vernon, Mo. Jennifer Hopwood
with the Xerces Society to speak.
Outing to Woods Prairie to follow.
For details, call 573-681-5392.
Second half of May or first
half of June—Mead’s milkweed
survey on MPF prairies. MPF
Board member Mike Skinner is
organizing a group to survey
for this federally listed plant.
Contact Mike if you would like to
participate: 417-268-5704,
mike.skinner6680@gmail.com.
June 3, 2011—Educators’
Journaling Workshop at Golden
Prairie. See page 27 for details.
June 4 and 5, 2011—MPF
Board meeting at Golden Prairie.
June 26, 2011—Tour of Prairie
Fork. See page 19 for details.
July 16, 2011—Butterfly walk
with leader Donna Brunet at
the Prairie Garden Trust near
New Bloomfield. MPF members
invited! 1:30 p.m. To RSVP,
contact Henry Domke at
henry@henrydomke.com.
June 4 and 5, 2011—Second
Annual Prairie BioBlitz. Save the
dates! Join us for a fun-filled
weekend at MPF’s Golden Prairie
in Barton County. Professional
biologists will lead small groups
out on the prairie—a National
Natural Landmark—over the course
of the weekend to learn about
and document as many species
of plants and animals as possible.
Potluck dinner and camping. Free!
To RSVP, email info@moprairie‌. com
or call 888-843-6739. Watch for
more details at MPF’s Web site.
Wally Emerson Photography
“MPF’s Prairie BioBlitz last
year was the best outdoor
event I have attended in
20 years. Cordial experts
in many field taught us
at an appropriate level.
The plant identification
survey revealed blooms
everywhere, including
orchids! There was an
amazing electronic bat
survey device that could
identify species by sound
and flight pattern as well as
sight, a friendly herpetology
talk, a nighttime moth id—
what an exciting two days! I
was new to MPF, yet people
welcomed me like an old
friend. I wouldn’t miss it this
year for anything.”
—Barbara Van Vleck, MPF member
and Missouri Master Naturalist
June 18, 2011—MPF 45 th
Anniversary Dinner. Dr. Kelly
Kindscher, noted ethnobotanist,
author, and researcher with a
wealth of prairie experience,
will be the guest speaker at the
dinner in Kansas City’s Swope
Park. See page 15 and watch for
more details.
July 30, 2011—MPF board meeting at Prairie Star Restoration Farm,
Bland, Mo. Details coming.
E-news alerts provide MPF members with news about more events. Send your e-mail
address to info@moprairie.com to be added to the e-news list. MPF does not share e-mail addresses with other groups.
Events are also posted at www.moprairie.org.