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.

Save the Date – GRN workshop – August 16,17, 2022!

Posted on January 27, 2022 by Grassland Restoration Network blog
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Prairie planting #135 Grist Mill unit

Posted on January 13, 2022 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

By Bill Kleiman The Nachusa Grasslands seasonal crew were led by Anna Scheidel and Matt Nugent. The Nachusa crew harvested, processed and planted enough seed to plant two units, including this 25 acres at Franklin Creek Natural Area, FCNA, which … Continue reading →

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Twenty years of tallgrass prairie restoration in northern Illinois, USA

Posted on December 9, 2021 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

by Elizabeth Bach, Research Scientist at Nachusa Grasslands This blog originally appeared in The Applied Ecologist blog on Dec. 7, 2021. The challenges facing our planet can feel overwhelming and paralyzing. Climate is changing, biodiversity is declining, people are struggling … Continue reading →

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Combining prairie

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

by Bill Kleiman If you want a high diversity prairie restoration nothing beats picking by hand. You likely don’t need a combine, but perhaps you would find it interesting to see how ours works. Here is a half minute video … Continue reading →

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Growing Comandra with Plugs

Posted on November 11, 2021 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

By Bernie Buchholz, Nachusa Grasslands Steward Comandra umbelata (bastard toad flax) is notoriously difficult to grow from seed, but we’ve had success growing it from plugs. In 2008, we dug five plugs from inconspicuous spots on the edges of a … Continue reading →

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New seed room

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

Above is our new stewardship building at Nachusa Grasslands. The left half, with the lower roof height, is the seed room and science prep room. A few years back we ran out of room in our old HQ timber frame … Continue reading →

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Saving Bell Bowl Prairie

Posted on October 26, 2021 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

By Bill Kleiman If you are from northern Illinois you have heard about Bell Bowl Prairie, a remnant prairie that sits in the way of the current design for the Rockford Airport expansion.   There is a website created for the … Continue reading →

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Lisa Schulte-Moore

Posted on October 14, 2021 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

by Elizabeth Bach It’s not very often that prestigious national awards recognize the hard work and positive change happening to restore grasslands in North America. Last week was one of those rare moments. Dr. Lisa Schulte-Moore was named a 2021 … Continue reading →

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Grazing Bison at McHenry County Conservation District- A New Venture

Posted on October 7, 2021 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

By Adam Rex- Restoration Ecologist, McHenry County Conservation District McHenry County Conservation District has been leasing ground at the 2080 acre Pleasant Valley Conservation Area for cattle grazing for many years. Even before the district owned Pleasant Valley the land … Continue reading →

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Needle in a Haystack

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

By Bryon Walters Lespedeza cuneata is a serious invasive plant. It can be very problematic and can form large colony patches if left unattended. There have been many land managers implementing different methods and trying various herbicide products in hopes … Continue reading →

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