Author Archives: Grassland Restoration Network blog

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About Grassland Restoration Network blog

Bill Kleiman, Julianne Mason, and Mike Saxton publish this blog. Bill's daytime job is director of Nachusa Grasslands with The Nature Conservancy. Julianne works for the Forest Preserve District of Will County. Mike Saxton works for the Missouri Botanical Garden at their Shaw Nature Reserve. We are looking for guest authors on various topics of grassland habitat restoration. Contact us with your ideas.

Shrub encroachment and fire

Posted on June 18, 2026 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

By Bill Kleiman We recently heard from Emily Wedel who worked on her doctorate at Konza Biological Station, looking at shrub encroachment in seldom and frequently burned units. Konza has been studying and pondering the shrubs which have established on … Continue reading →

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A list of weeds and strategies

Posted on June 11, 2026 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

By Bill Kleiman This is a list of most of the weeds we manage against at Nachusa Grasslands. I give brief descriptions of our management strategies. This blogsite has a search bar where you can quickly find other posts with … Continue reading →

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Annual Workshop Success – Shaw Nature Reserve

Posted on June 4, 2026 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

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 … Continue reading →

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Testing shows confounding results. Late spring applications of clethodim on Reed Canary Grass.

Posted on May 21, 2026 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

By Bill Kleiman This is a continuing update on an original post. At the end I post several links to related articles on controlling reed canary. It is good to do simple monitoring or testing to see if a weed … Continue reading →

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Nachusa Grasslands Prescribed Fire Summary Report April 2026

Posted on April 30, 2026 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

By Bill Kleiman April 9 IL DNR Franklin Creek Natural Area, 21-acres. These very modest flames do some good if they can just keep going. March 27: Yellow House Prairie burn 140– acres The bottom line: March 30: Kaleb Baker … Continue reading →

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Wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) control

Posted on April 16, 2026 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

By Don Osmond, volunteer steward Wild parsnip is a monocarpic perennial, usually taking 2-3 years to flower.  I chose a 4 acre area in southwestern Wisconsin to evaluate my control efforts over time.  Habitats ranged from dry degraded prairie to … Continue reading →

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Effects of Brush Pile Burning in the Chicago region

Posted on April 9, 2026 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

Antonio Del Vallé, Emma Leavens, Meghan Midgley This is a shortened version of a longer post from the Strategies for Stewards blog. You can find the full-length version at this link: https://woodsandprairie.blogspot.com/2025/12/effects-of-brush-pile-burning-in.html Research project summary: Over the past three years, … Continue reading →

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A fifteen-year revisit of a prairie planting

Posted on April 2, 2026 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

By Mary Vieregg, Nachusa Grasslands Volunteer Steward, with photo and captions by Bill Kleiman In 2008, the conversion of 6.25 acres of cornfield into reconstructed prairie began in the Clear Creek Knolls East Unit of Nachusa Grasslands. The acreage offered … Continue reading →

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2026 Workshop – Shaw Nature Reserve – Registration

Posted on March 26, 2026 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

Shaw Nature Reserve – Gray Summit, MO Grassland Restoration Network Annual Workshop May 27 & 28, 2026  We would like to extend an early invitation for you to join us for the annual Grassland Restoration Network Workshop. This two-day workshop … Continue reading →

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2026 – Annual Workshop – Shaw Nature Reserve

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

Shaw Nature Reserve – Gray Summit, MO Grassland Restoration Network Annual Workshop May 27 & 28, 2026 – Registration opens Thursday, March 26th Registration for this year’s Grassland Restoration Network annual workshop will go live next Thursday (03/26/2026). Join us … Continue reading →

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