Recently work was completed on a new 24′x24′ shelter. The shelter was erected by Bob Halter, and his construction crew based out of Lamberton, MN. The shelter consists of a concrete pad, a Dutch Hip style roof and weaved walls on the west and south sides of the structure. The shelter provides a classroom that can be used by groups who visit the remnant prairie site.
Download the Brochure: Canada Thistle Field Day (pdf)
On Tuesday, September 12 the University of Minnesota along with Dow Agrosciences and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will host a Canada Thistle Field Day. The day will include presentations from University of Minnesota scientists, representatives from Dow Agrosciences, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. There will be a tour of the Caged Seed Flight, Burning and Native Establishment Studies located at the SWROC. In the afternoon there will be a bus tour to the Windom Area field studies, Hedquist WMA and the Timber Lake WPA. Download the Canada Thistle Field Day brochure for more details.
On Saturday, August 12 the Minnesota DNR hosted a prairie workshop at the SWROC. Topics included an overview on the status of Minnesota’s prairies, grassland wildlife, prairie plant identification, protection and management of prairie remnants, management of restored prairies, and invasive species management.
Dr. Milt Haar gave a walking tour of the PrairieU site as part of the SWROC Natural Resource Day on Wednesday, August 16. On the tour Dr. Haar showed the beneficial effects of the spring prescribed burn, described the Best Management Practices for Prairie Following Fire trial that was begun this spring, and presented data from the Canada Thistle Management trial that was started in the fall of 2004.
The prescribed burn on Friday, May 19, 2006 did a good job of suppressing the cool season grasses on the hillsides and allowed the native grasses to flourish. There are enough native grasses growing that we plan to harvest the hillside and use this seed to reseed other portions of the site.
On May 19, 2006 a prescribed burn was performed on approximately 17 acres of remnant prairie at the University of Minnesota Southwest Research and Outreach Center (SWROC) PrairieU site. The burn was funded by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Partners for Wildlife Program and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The prescribed burn at the SWROC was one of eleven burns in southwestern Minnesota that were contracted to Seifert’s Field & Forest LLC of Baraboo, WI . Jack Seifert, certified NWCG RxB2 Burn Boss, along with a crew of six arrived at the SWROC at 11:30 a.m., started torching at noon, and were wrapped up and on the road by 1:15 p.m.
A burn occurring this late in the burn season, should set back the non-native cool season grasses that predominate at the site and give an advantage to the native warm season grasses and forbs that exist on the remnant prairie site.
The SWROC thanks Jason Garms, Prairie Stewardship Specialist, with the Minnesota DNR, and Gerry Shimek, Private Lands Program Coordinator with the USFWS Windom Wetland Management District for their help in organizing the 2006 prescribed burn.
The results of the Prairie U Soil and Vegetation Survey are now available to view on the Prairie U website.
During the summer of 2005, Shari Rockvam, who worked as a summer student laborer, completed a technical report on the soil and vegetation at the Prairie U site. Dr. Jeff Strock, SWROC Soil Scientist, Dr. Milt Haar, SWROC Weed Scientist and Lee Klossner, SWROC Research Fellow advised her in this project.
Ten sites were chosen for the survey. At each site a detailed soil description and vegetation survey was performed. The report highlights the unique features of the site and provides an overview of the overall condition of the prairie.
There are ten different soils that make up the thirty acre site. Over 50 different species of grasses, forbs and other vegetative species were identified in the 2005 survey. While several native grasses and forbs were identified, the two species that make up the most vegetative cover are kentucky bluegrass and smooth bromegrass. These species will be replaced during the restoration of the remnant prairie.
The University of Minnesota Southwest Research and Outreach Center is pleased to announce that PrairieU, a program about native prairie ecology, has a dynamic presence on the Internet. The PrairieU web site provides information about native prairie restoration, as well as ways to become involved with the program.
As the PrairieU program grows, so will the web site. We invite you to interact with PrairieU by signing up to post comments about the restoration and research work being conducted on the the native prairie site.
Educators are especially encouraged to visit the PrairieU web site often. The web site is a valuable tool for teaching about prairie science and ecology. We will add more information and resources in the coming months that will enhance native prairie education in classrooms of all levels.
Planning is underway for the site’s scheduled burn in spring 2006. Personnel from the Windom office of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will be visiting the PrairieU remnant prairie in the next coming weeks to gather information about the site and how the burn will be performed.
The Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Natural Resources are teaming up to provide a grant that will support the burn of this site and others throughout southwest Minnesota in the spring of 2006.
Establishing a burn regime at the PrairieU site will enable researchers to determine which native grasses and forbs exist and the site, as well as which areas will benefit most from reseeding native species.
Representing SWROC and PrairieU, Sue Anderson, Education Specialist with the University of Minnesota College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, recently attended a workshop about environmental education The Field Museum in Chicago, Ill. Ann Warner, a fifth grade science teacher with the Redwood Area Schools, accompanied Anderson to the regional conference. Participation was by invitation only and included teachers and other education professionals from Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri.
The conference focused on developing educational resources for teaching environmental science by identifying primary needs for teachers and facilitating idea exchange among those in attendance. Anderson and Warner presented information about their efforts to enhance the way environmental science is taught in the secondary level classroom. Anderson highlighted the work of PrairieU and the way that it offers educators an opportunity to teach in a hands-on environment and use the program as an effective resource.
Eighteen students from Deb Reinart’s junior and senior ecology class visited SWROC and the PrairieU native prairie site on Friday, Oct. 28. Dr. Milt Haar led them on a visit to the prairie and talked about the current research activities taking place at the site. He showed them the rare side-slope fen, explained the importance of prescribed burns, identified native plants and gave them a first-hand look at the erosion occurring along the Cottonwood River, which is located just north of the prairie site.
The students also visited the plots used for SWROC’s Variable Crop Management Study on the Elwell Agroecology Farm and learned about crop rotation and management. SWROC faculty member Dr. Jeff Strock spent some time with the class explaining soil research; students participated in a lab session, which allowed them to view and analyze various soil properties.