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A PrairieRendezvousSp r i n g Vo l.17, No. 1, 2015....................................An Appeal for Informed Skepticismabout Grazing PrairiesMany prairie enthusiasts are caught up with theexcitement of “bringing home the buffalo” atThe Nature Conservancy’s Nachusa GrasslandsNature Preserve in northern Illinois, and somepeople welcome the event without question. HereI present a differing view.Tall-grass prairie east of the Mississippi Riveris ecologically distinct from Great Plains grasslands.The American Bison was never a “keystonespecies” in Illinois. Pasturage can quickly damagea midwestern prairie.Some backgroundIn the summer of 1965, I rescued plants along arailroad and established one of the earliest prairierestorations in existence.by John WhiteDouglas County HappeningsPrairie stewardship in the Douglas County areahas taken on a new energy in recent weeks. Thisnew interest is in large part the result of GPF takingownership of the approximately 20 acre Burnetttract. Although this property is located onemile north of Douglas County it is only about amile and a half from Villa Grove and is more “local”to people of Douglas County (such as VillaGrove, Tuscola and Camargo) than it is to thepeople of Champaign County.The tract includes some remant prairie plantsurvivors from the original prairie. It offers agood location to re-establish the rich array of localnative prairie plants either from transplantsor from gathered seed. These plants will be grownfrom seed collected by volunteers from local prai-Left: Niawathe Prairie before patch-burn grazing with anabundance of coneflowers.Right: The same scene after two years of patch-burngrazing, with a solitary coneflower in bloom.I first inspected what would eventually becomeNachusa Grasslands on September 23, 1975, whileformulating methods for the Illinois Natural AreasInventory. The hillsides were grazed so hard,(continued on page 3)Fig. 1. Stewardship network volunteers threshing andcleaning seed collected from Greater Douglas County.(continued on page 4)

2 A Prairie RendezvousA Prairie RendezvousP.O. Box 36 • Urbana, IL 61803-0036Editor: Jim FayAssistant Editor: Jamie EllisA Prairie Rendezvous is a publication of Grand Prairie Friendsfor the restoration community of East Central Illinois.A Prairie Rendezvous is published quarterly. Article submissionsshould be sent electronically to the editor at jimfay7@gmail.com or by mail to the GPF P.O. Box 36, Urbana, IL61803. Member submissions are gladly welcomed.Grand Prairie Friends is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizationdedicated to natural community preservation, restoration,and education in East Central Illinois. Our stewardshelp coordinate volunteer workdays at native prairie, savanna,wetland, and woodland remnants. Inquiries and taxdeductibledonations should be sent to the P.O. Box listedabove.GPF mission is to preserve and restore naturalcommunities in east-central Illinois andpromote an understanding and appreciation ofnatural resources.Stay in touch with the GPF community through the website(www.grandprairiefriends.org), facebook (www.facebook.com/grandprairiefriends) or the ecostewards e-mail list (lists.communitylists.org/listinfo.cgi/ecostewards-communitylists.org).GPF Board of Directors (term ends)Jamie Ellis, president (2015)Ruth Green, secretary (2015)Fred Delcomyn, treasurer (2016)Dave Easter, vice-president (2016)Pam Leiter (2015) Rob Stanton (2016)Carol Steinman (2017)VACANT (2017) VACANT (2017)Board meetings are regularly scheduled for the fourth Mondayof each month (except August and December) at 5:30 PMin the Forbes Building (1816 S. Oak St., Champaign)GPF CommitteesFor information on volunteering and getting involved withany committees, please contact the following:Membership & Volunteerism: VACANTStewardship: VACANT Education: VACANTFinance: Fred Delcomyn Publicity: Derek LiebertLand Acquisition: Dan Olson and Jim PayneFund Raising: VACANT, Terry Rathgeber,and Jamie EllisSubmission Deadlines• Summer Issue (June, July, Aug.): May 1• Fall Issue (Sept., Oct., Nov.): Aug. 1• Winter Issue (Dec., Jan. 2014 , Feb. 2014): Nov. 1• Spring Issue (Mar., Apr., May): Feb. 1Pr e s i d e n t’s Re p o r tby Jamie Ellis, President,GPF Board of DirectorsWhat are you passionate about? Whatstrong feelings of enthusiasm or excitementdo you have for a thing or activityor place or person? These are thethings you do without prompting orencouragement. These are the thingsthat fill your thoughts and time witha sense of joy. These are the thingsthat you do without any expectationof compensation or that you readilyspend your own money to do.I am happy to report that thereare many GPF members who feel passionateabout land conservation andstewardship. They show this by sendingtheir hard earned money so thatGPF can buy land and take of whatwe have. The wildflowers, trees, butterflies,and birds are important tome, and I am so thankful they are importantto you as well.GPF is in the midst of raisingmoney to buy more land! When 92acres of forested land adjacent to WarblerWoods Nature Preserve came onthe market last summer, it wasn’t avery hard decision for the Board tosay, “Let’s buy it!” We worked veryhard to raise money to buy the 141-acre Embarras Ridges Land and WaterReserve in 2012, and we were veryfortunate to receive Warbler Woods in2014. When we close on this propertyin May, there will be over 400 acres offorest we will protect and manage inperpetuity for the benefit of plants,wildlife, and you.We have a new Board member!Carol Steinman joined the Board inJanuary. Carol retired from a careerat Parkland College, and she has beenan important volunteer for East CentralIllinois Master Naturalists. I amvery happy that Carol is part of ourleadership team because there’s a lotto do this year. We are still lookingfor Board members. Are you ready tolead?(continued on page 5)

A Prairie Rendezvous(An Ap p e a l f o r In f o r m e d Sk e p t i c i s m…)they looked like a bluegrass lawn except where experimentalplots kept cattle out.My introduction to grazing in the western tallgrassprairie began on October 26, 1980 – when, asan ecologist for the national office of The NatureConservancy, I arrived at an Oklahoma ranch. Inmiles of searching, I could not find typical prairieflowers in any numbers except where cattle werefenced out: a little-used corral and a cemetery. Thisranch later became The Nature Conservancy’s30,000-acre Tallgrass Prairie Preserve.I have devoted most of the last 14 months tostudying scientific and historical literature aboutgrasslands and grazing animals.Recent remarksWithin the past year, three Ph.D. conservation biologists– each with decades of experience in research,protection, and management of Illinoisprairies – brought up the subject of bison grazingwith me.The first biologist asserted that putting bisonat Nachusa Grasslands was “unnecessary and atworst a form of entertainment.” And later: “I actuallywish this wasn’t happening.” The secondbiologist exclaimed “It’s stupid!” and said nomore.The third one refused to write a letter to supportputting bison in another Illinois preserve because,to put it mildly, he did not think it was agood idea.In contrast, a Nature Conservancy biologistrecently stated, “We know that bison will be goodfor the prairie” at Nachusa. The Conservancy proclaims“the prairie will come alive” as the bisonherd grows and can “roam free”; such hyperboleis not well informed. A Conservancy biologist recallsthe Nachusa prairie as “dingy” in 1993, butI haven’t forgotten the splendor of one flower-cladknob that was out of reach of cattle in 1975.Grazing is neither all bad nor all good.On the positive side:• For the sake of the species, we need moreAmerican Bison herds in their natural habitat.• Bison capture the public’s imagination andelicit support for protecting and restoringprairie.• Aside from bison, we need to manage someplaces for native grassland species that cannotlive in the tall grass of an ungrazed prairie.• At least in theory, bison grazing may help keepgrasses from crowding out other plants aftercropland is seeded with prairie.• Judicious management with limited, periodicgrazing (or mowing) may (or may not), in somecases, help maintain the desired species diversityin a prairie.• The vegetation, soil, and water at NachusaGrasslands should not be any more degradedby bison than it once was by cattle.• The Nature Conservancy and Illinois NaturePreserves Commission can monitor the impactsof pasturage at Nachusa and make adjustments.Next to plowing, grazing has destroyed moreIllinois prairie than anything else. Pasturage has,however, kept some patches of dry prairie fromgrowing up with brush. Those pastures providerefuge for certain grazing-tolerant plants andinsects – but even there, the soil and vegetationshow severe damage from livestock.If a tall-grass prairie is grazed very much,highly palatable plants such as many legumes andCompass Plant die out: that’s why range scientistsand ranchers call them decreasers. Grazing is farmore damaging east of the Mississippi River thanon the Great Plains.On the rich soil and in the humid climate of Illinois,a pastured prairie can be quickly convertedto an impoverished turf of Kentucky Bluegrass,Smooth Brome, and other invasive alien grasses.Patch-burn grazingGrazers prefer fresh grass growing on recentlyburned areas. In a patch-burn grazing system, differentparts of a pasture are burned from year toyear; the intent is to vary the vegetative growthand improve habitat for certain birds. The methodwas developed at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve,which was long overgrazed and repeatedly aerialsprayedwith broadleaf herbicides. Research findingsderived from there are not so applicable to Illinoisprairies.The weediness and low diversity of most westerntall-grass prairie pastures are disquieting.When National Geographic produced a program3(continued on page 6)

4 A Prairie Rendezvous(Gr e at e r Do u g l a s Co u n t y Ar e a…)rie remnants such as streambanks, roadsides andrailroad right-of-ways.The early efforts to explore and document thelocal prairie ecology and collect seed has alreadyresulted in some interesting discoveries. See “Local‘Incognitos’” on page 5.Coincidentally, the administration of the WalnutPoint State Park in eastern Douglas Countyhas begun efforts to restore the remnant prairiesin that Park, including a tract from the Universitythat has been ignored and let deteriorate for decades.The exotic non-local, non-prairie plants willbe removed and replaced with local prairie plants.The extremely popular interest in monarchbutterflies that is sweeping the country is aliveand well in Douglas County. This interest in prairiepollinator friendly plants has certainly been cultivatedby Tuscola residents Cindy and Kirby Pringle,producers of the documentary film “Plight ofthe Monarchs.” See “The Pringles: Friends of theMonarch” below.One such monarch friendly flower gardencurrently under development on the Villa GroveMethodist Church property. It is a “neighborhoodwildflower garden” because it is a product of prairiewildflowers local residents are donating fromtheir urban landscape flower gardens. It will notonly provide valuable habitat for butterflies, beesand birds but allow people to come to appreciatedthe ever-changing beauty and diversity throughoutthe year of this kind of prairie ecology.The Villa Grove Methodist Church has alsohosted and perhaps will continue to host prairiestewardshp programs and seed cleaning sessionsat its New Life Center.Walnut Point State Park is implementing aproject to establish a neighborhood wildflower gardenin the Park. Local area residents are invited toshare native prairie wildflowers from their gardens.This neighborhood garden will be well defined andremoved from the remnant prairie restoration efforts.However, those prairie remnant restorationefforts will also include finding and gathering seedfrom other local prairie remnants and establishingthose pollinator friendly wildflowers throughoutthe Park.The Pringles: Friends of the MonarchKirby and Cindy Pringle of Tuscola are in the processof starting two environmental education organizations,Roadsides for Wildlife and Save theMonarch Butterfly. Kirby is a former features andnature writer for the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, while Cindy is a photographer. The twohave been full-time photographers and partners intheir business, Dogtown Artworks, since 2008.The Pringles have been raising and releasingmonarch butterflies in an effort to help boost thepopulation since 2000, when the couple lived nearPesotum in rural Champaign County. The coupleput in a one-half acre reconstructed prairie ontheir property. The two were amazed at the diversityof wildlife the small parcel attracted, includingthe monarch butterfly. But through the years thePringles noticed fewer and fewer monarchs, especiallyduring the migration season in mid-September.This was especially noticeable after 2006. Asa result, they wanted to educate people about thedwindling monarch population and what could bedone to reverse the trend. Their third book, TheButterfly That Would Not Fly, was a result of thateffort.While taking photographs for the book, thePringles decided to film their butterfly subjects andmade a well-received documentary film, “Plight ofthe Monarch,” released in the spring of 2013. Thetwo have traveled the Midwest giving presentationsabout the monarch and showing the film.Roadsides for Wildlife (www.roadsidesforwildlife.org)and Save the Monarch Butterfly (www.gotmilkweed.org) are result of the Pringles’ passionfor monarch butterflies. The purpose of thetwo organizations is to educate farmers, landownersand backyard gardeners of the benefits of roadsideprairies and backyard prairie gardens. Kirbyis still working on the websites, but hopes to havethem completed soon.

A Prairie RendezvousNative Plant Sale 2015—Volunteer OpportunitiesWow, it’s cold outside, but that doesn’t stop usfrom thinking of spring. And thinking about theGrand Prairie Friends Annual Native Plant Sale.Mark your calendars for Saturday May 9, 2015from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM inside Lincoln Squaredowntown Urbana.Yes, the plant sale goes on under a differentmodel! GPF is buying seedlings from a nursery,but we will need volunteers to re-pot seedlingsinto larger pots.Plants are set to be delivered April 1, and we’llgather on Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00PM after that date—April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 and May7 in the Natural Resources Study Annex (NRSA)Greenhouse, 1910 S. Griffith Dr., Champaign.This greenhouse is south of St. Mary’s Road andwest of First Street to the southwest of AssemblyHall.On Friday May 8 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM we’llmove plants from the greenhouse to LincolnSquare to get ready for the big sale on Saturdaymorning.GPF needs all the help it can muster. If youlike to get your hands dirty, come out and helptransplant in the greenhouse. We’ll need stronghands and backs as well as a few people withtrucks on May 8 to move plants. Volunteers arevital on the day of the sale to help customers, toanswer questions about native plants, to promoteGPF, and to serve as cashiers.(Pr e s i d e n t’s Re p o r t …)GPF sincerely thanks Mr. Ralph Burnett forthe donation of 20 acres of land in CrittendenTownship in far southern Champaign County notfar from Villa Grove. The prominent natural featureis about 1000 feet of the Embarras River thatflows through this property. GPF is working toprotect the property as Land and Water Reserve.Look for a notice of a grand opening ceremony forlater this year.I have many other things to report and notenough room to write them: a great team workingto make the native plant sale a success; we’ll behiring summer interns soon; stewardship activitiesare progressing well as Embarras Ridges; workingwith Champaign Surplus to recruit new volunteersfor workdays this summer; many thanks to friendsjoining as Life Members; and more.GPF is at a critical point in its history. We havestepped up to become an important part of theland conservation team in east-central Illinois, butwe face some challenges. How do we take care of500 acres of land scattered at 10 sites across eastcentralIllinois?How do we raise the money needed to do this?Do we move from an all-volunteer organization tomostly volunteer by hiring staff? Is this person aland steward or administrative assistant or executivedirector? How do we continue being effectiveas a conservation organization?If you have thoughts or ideas to answer thesequestions and the motivation to carry them out,then give me a call.5James.ellis72@gmail.com217-649-7230Fig. 1. Customers queue up to pay for plants as volunteershelp check them out at the 2014 Native Plant Sale.The Native Plant Sale is GPF’s biggest fundraiserof the year. This event provides money tocarry out our conservation mission and to hiresummer interns. Tell your friends!If you have any questions please contactJamie Ellis (244-5695 or james.ellis72@gmail.com). Diane Wilhite and Rob Stantonwill be coordinating set-up at Lincoln Square(robert.l.stanton@gmail.com) and Ed Wilhite willbe coordinating volunteer cashiers (dianeed@sbcglobal.net). Special thanks to Beth Wohlgemuthas well who will coordinate advertising.

A Prairie RendezvousLand Acquisition Opportunity…And GPF Needs Your Help!Grand Prairie Friends is under contract to buy a92-acre wooded property in Coles County, Illinois,and we need your help. This parcel is adjacentto the 202-acre Warbler Woods and the 141-acreEmbarras Ridges—both owned by GPF. Theseproperties along with the nearby Fox Ridge StatePark and other protected properties are considerednatural areas of statewide significance.How can you help? Grand Prairie Friendsneeds to raise $295,000 by May 15, 2015 to buyand protect this property. We hope that GPFmembers and friends contribute $40,000 towardthis goal.This property, called Scaggs Woods for the moment,is located about 3.5 miles south of Charleston.Scaggs Woods is composed of ridges, slopes,and ravines cloaked with forest that harbors a diverseassemblage of native plants. Scaggs Woodslies adjacent to the north boundary of the 202-acre Warbler Woods Nature Preserve (NP), whichis contiguous with the 141-acre Embarras RidgesLand and Water Reserve (LWR). The three sitestaken together contain approximately 431 acresof forest. Over 100 different types of plants havebeen identified in the oak and hickory forest atEmbarras Ridges. A one-day bird survey at ScaggsWoods recorded 17 bird species including 3 speciesin greatest need of conservation as identified in IllinoisWildlife Action Plan (Yellow-billed Cuckoo,Acadian Flycatcher and Wood Thrush) and 9 speciesthat are either moderately or highly sensitiveto forest fragmentation. At least 57 speciesof birds inhabit the adjacent Warbler Woods NPduring the breeding season, and it is likely thatmany of these birds also occur in Scaggs Woods.Finally, the Wood Frog makes its home across allthree properties.GPF has applied for grant funding from localfoundations, but we hope that you will considerhow important this project is to protecting thenatural integrity and biodiversity of the EmbarrasRiver system.Join us in making this acquisition a realityby mailing a donation to Grand Prairie Friends,P.O. Box 36, Urbana, IL 61803 or donate on-line atwww.grandprairiefriends.org.7

8Among the “incognitos” discovered inearly explorations of Douglas Countyremnant prairies is Illinois bundleflower found in both Douglas andChampaign Counties but not documentedby the USDA Natural ResourcesConservation Service mapsin either. () It is a widely found innon-remnant planted prairies and gardens, however.Likewise, shrubby St.John’s wort was foundin Tuscola Township butis undocumented bothcounties. () Purplefalse foxglove was foundbut undocumented inDouglas County. () Seed collecting and processing of these threeplants offers an interesting insight about themand perhaps other prairie plants, and that dealswith the size of the seed.For example, most people would probablyconsider the seed of Illinois bundle flower to berather small. And, indeed, the seeds are prettysmall. The Prairie Moon nursery description liststhe seed as about 4,200 seeds per ounce.Illinois bundle flowerBut that is huge compared to the seed of theshrubby St. John’s wort. When viewed under amagnifying glass the seed has a shape somethinglike tiny sausages. (St. John’s wurst?)Local “Incognitos”There are 140,000 seeds per ounce. The seedsells for $40 per ounce.Here’s one way to get an idea of seed size thatis more appropriate in this case than comparingthe seeds to a dime. A regular newprint hyphenis about 1 mm long. Here is the size of shrubbySt. John’s wort seed compared to this newsprinthyphen: -hyphenseedBut that, in turn is huge compared to the falsepurple foxglove.false purple foxgloveThere is no reason to try to illustrate the sizeof that seed. Indeed, even with a magnifying glassit is difficult or impossible to distinguish individualseed. It would only look like fine chaff or dust.Prairie Moon lists it as 440,000 seeds per ounce.It sells for $60 per ounce.Another “incognito” worth mentioning is theprairie brome grass. It is called prairie brome inthis area, but in most areas it is called arctic bromegrass because it is indeed far more commonfar north of here. () We found it in the village ofVilla Grove.The heavy, droopy seed head ofthis brome is very distinctive. Andlike all brome grasses, this plant hasthe ‘m’ imprint on the leaf, althoughthis trademark of brome grasses isonly evident when the leaf is green.A Prairie Rendezvousshrubby St. John’s wort

A Prairie RendezvousGPF Receives Grantfor StewardshipGrand Prairie Friends is proud to announcethat it will be the recipient ofa grant from Columbia Sportswearworth up to $5000!These monies will be spent tohelp fund the summer internship; tocreate informational signs to erectat each of our preserves; and to recruitnew volunteers and friends duringstewardship days at some of ourpreserves. Lastly part of the grantincludes at least $1000 worth of Columbiaproducts. Shirts and hats willbe used as an incentive for new volunteersto come and help.This opportunitywas madepossible by apartnership withChampaign Surplusand The Grassroots Outdoor Alliance.Many of you know ChampaignSurplus as a unique, independent,specialty outdoor retailer located inChampaign, Illinois.The Grassroots Outdoor Allianceis a group of independent outdoor retailersorganized to serve the needsof its members who operate over 100independent specialty outdoor storesthroughout North America.GPF is putting together a teamto implement this grant, and we lookforward to working with ChampaignSurplus.GPF Plant Sale RepottingGPF plant sale seedlings will bere-potted into larger pots Thursdayevenings from 6:30 to 8:00PM from April 2 until May 7. Itwill be done in the Natural ResourcesStudy Annex (NRSA)Greenhouse, 1910 S. Griffith Dr.,Champaign. This greenhouse issouth of St. Mary’s Road and westof First Street to the southwest ofAssembly Hall.So Old Fashioned; So ‘Today’by Eileen Borgia’Recently I visited Old Town San Diego State Park. A newspaperin the Wells Fargo Company museum included an inspirationalpoem intended for settlers to beautify their homesteads. Themineteenth century style is a bit ‘old fashioned,’ but thesentiment is as poignant to “Wild Ones” and “PollinatorPocket” enthusiasts of today as it was for homesteaders.Make Home BeautifulMake your home beautiful – bring to it flowers;Plant them around to bud and to bloom;Let them give life to your loneliest hours –Let them bring life to enliven your gloom.Make your own world – one that never has sorrowed,Of music, and sunshine and gold summer air;A home world whose forehead care never has furrowed,And whose cheek of bright beauty will ever be fairMake your home beautiful-weave round the portalWreathes of Jesssamine and delicate sprays,Of red fruited woodbine with gay immortelle,That blesses and brightens wherever it strays,Gather the blossoms, too – one little flower,Varied verbena, or sweet mignonette.Still may bring bloom to your desolate bower,Still may be something to love and to pet.Make your home beautiful, gather the rosesThat board up the sunshine with exquisite art;Perchance they may pour as your darkness closes,That soft summer sunshine down into your heart!If you can do so, O make it an EdenOf beauty and gladness! Remember ‘tis wise:‘Twill teach you to long for that home you are needing,That heaven of beauty beyond the blue skies.Make your home beautiful; sure ‘tis a duty;Call up your little ones, teach them to walkHand and hand with the wandering angel of beauty:Encourage their spirits with nature to talk.Gather them round you and let them be learningLessons that drop from the delicate wingsOf the birds and the butterfly – ever returningTo Him who has made all these beautiful things.Make home a hive where all beautiful feelingsCluster like bees, and their honey-dew bring;Make it a temple of holy revealings,And love its bright angel with “shadowing wing.’Then shall it bring when afar on life’s billows.Wherever your tempest tossed children are flung,They will long for the shade of the home weeping willow.And sing the sweet song which their mother had sung.The San Diego News9

10SUMMER 2015 INTERNSHIPGrand Prairie Friends (GPF) seeks interested applicantsfor two full-time summer internship positionsfor summer 2015 in ecological stewardshipand management of natural areas in east-centralIllinois. Interns will work independently and as ateam to control and remove exotic, invasive plantspecies from prairie and woodland natural areasusing mechanical and chemical techniques.Educational opportunities include outingsin the field with natural resource professionals,scientists, and volunteers. Interns might also assistwith planting native plant seedlings and collectingnative plant seed. GPF owns a truck to beused for transportation to and from sites.Applicants should be highly self-motivatedand able to work with little or no direct supervision.Applicants must be willing and able to workin the field under a variety of environmental conditions.Completed college level course work inthe biological and ecological sciences is preferred.Ability and willingness to operate hand and powertools including bow saws, clippers, power brushcutter,chainsaw, etc. is also preferred. A pesticideapplicator license will be required at the start ofthe internship. A valid automobile driver’s licenseis required.Successful applicants will be paid $10.00/hrincluding up to $300.00 in mileage reimbursementexpenses for personal vehicle use (if needed).Position begins on or about May 16 and willcontinue to approximately August 31 (start andend dates are flexible).A Prairie RendezvousSummer interns, Jeff Peyton and BrodyDunn, pause for a moment at Weston Prairie.Jeff and Brody put in more than 1000 hours ofwork at over 20 natural areas in 2014.To ensure full consideration for the internship,applications should be received by March 15,2015. Please send letter of application, resume,and contact information for three references to:James Ellis (james.ellis72@gmail.com) re: GrandPrairie Friends-Summer Internship. Specificquestions regarding the summer internship canbe directed to James Ellis (james.ellis72@gmail.com or 217.244.5695).