Mike Saxton – Executive Director – Friends of Nachusa Grasslands

Since its inception in 2003, the Grassland Restoration Network has focused on sharing lessons learned, connecting practitioners from across the region, and supporting a community of doers who believe in the promise of prairie.

The 2026 Grassland Restoration Network annual workshop hosted by Shaw Nature Reserve was a smashing success! The landscape was rich, the work was impressive, and the discussion was lively. We heard a stirring, impassioned keynote address from Doug Ladd and enjoyed a wide variety of tour experiences: dynamic glades, diverse plantings, creative approaches to enhancing old grass dominated restorations, amazing native plant gardens, important restoration science and an organized, well appointed shop space. The Tuesday night dinner/social was well attended and offered workshop participants the chance to network and engage. The bat mist netting and emergence counts were unique experiences for many.

Well done SNR team! Congratulations on all of the great work and thank you for all the time, energy, and care invested in the 2026 GRN workshop.

The Grassland Restoration Network workshop 2027 will be hosted by the Prairie Plains Resource Institute and TNC Nebraska. The Nebraska Sandhills, spanning over 12 million acres, form the largest remaining intact temperate grassland in the United States. Dates and details TBD.