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.

Protecting oaks with fire and from fire

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

By Bill Kleiman Oak species in our area thrive in landscapes with frequent fire. White oak, bur oak, black, Hills oak…. In full sun, bur oaks will grow like this one above with characteristic outspreading limbs. Fires bring sunlight. Oaks love sunlight. … Continue reading →

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Northern Illinois Native Seed Phenophases

Posted on December 21, 2023 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

By Matt Hokanson Have you ever discovered a population of rare native plants gorgeously in bloom and think to yourself “I must come back and collect seed from these plants to restore their population elsewhere”? Summer rolls on, life gets … Continue reading →

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GRN Workshop at Nachusa Grasslands September 10-12, 2024

Posted on December 21, 2023 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

by Bill Kleiman Our survey last week suggested that September 10-12 were better for more people, but plenty said these dates were not their top choice. The top topics people chose were habitat restoration lessons learned, weed management strategies and science … Continue reading →

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Woodland fire at Hill Site

Posted on December 14, 2023 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

By Bill Kleiman On November 17, 2023 Middle Rock Conservation Partners burned their Samuel and Edna Hill Site. This photo shows good ecological fire, with a slow backburn consuming oak leaf litter and some dried plants from the previous few … Continue reading →

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2024 GRN workshop at Nachusa Grasslands, Illinois

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

We are working to plan the 2024 GRN workshop at Nachusa. We were wondering what time of year you might want the workshop, and what things you want to talk about? I made a very short survey to get your … Continue reading →

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A different pumper unit design

Posted on November 30, 2023 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

by Bill Kleiman Last week’s pumper unit had the tank taking up the entire bed. It was longer and shorter. The pump, motor, torches, and hose reel were all on top of the tank. But the design above is also … Continue reading →

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Prescribed fire UTV slip on unit

Posted on November 23, 2023 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

By Bill Kleiman Here are recent photos from a slip-on pumper unit we have at Nachusa Grasslands. We like this one. This is a 75 gallon unit with the pump, motor and reel on top of the tank. The tank … Continue reading →

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Birchmeier not spraying right

Posted on November 16, 2023 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

By Bill Kleiman I have seen this issue before.  A repair tag on the Birchmeier that says “does not pump right”  or “does not spray right”.  Indeed, when I tried this pack it would only pump one stroke and then … Continue reading →

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The power and limits of photo monitoring

Posted on November 9, 2023 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

By Bill Kleiman Take a look at this one point on the MRCP Hill Site on four dates. The first photo looks north, then the next photo looks at the ground. What I see in these photos: We did a … Continue reading →

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Ornate box turtle emergence

Posted on October 13, 2023 by Grassland Restoration Network blog

by Elizabeth Bach and Devin Edmonds Prescribed fire is an essential management tool in grassland systems. It can help suppress invasive species, particularly woody species, and maintain native plant diversity. Some plants and animals thrive in recently burned habitat, others … Continue reading →

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