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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.