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Next Field Day – August 27, 2014
We put together a draft agenda for our next Platte River Prairies Field Day, which will take place on Wednesday August 27 at our site south of Wood River, Nebraska. The agenda is a draft only because...
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A Trip to Konza Prairie Biological Station, Part 1
Last week, several of us from the Platte River Prairies traveled south to visit the Konza Prairie Biological Station near Manhattan Kansas. Konza Prairie includes about 8,600 acres of prairie, jointly...
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The Hidden Depths of Kim Tri
When Kim Tri (pronounced “tree) contacted us about coming out to volunteer for a month in the late spring/early summer, we weren’t sure what to think. Why would someone from Sterling College in...
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Photo of the Week – January 15, 2015
Earlier this week, I wrote about interesting holes in the bark of burned ponderosa pine trees at our Niobrara Valley Preserve. However, I wasn’t actually focused on documenting holes in trees at the...
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A Travel Week Plant Quiz
I’m writing this from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where I am preparing to speak at and attend the 2015 Native Prairie Restoration and Reclamation Workshop hosted by Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action...
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Concerns about EARTH A New Wild’s Messages About Grassland Conservation
I know that many of you watched the first two episodes of EARTH A New Wild last week on Public Television, including Episode 2: Plains. I watched as well, and while I was glad for the attention paid...
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August 21 Field Day – Agenda
We’ve completed the full agenda for our next Platte River Prairies Field Day on August 21. We’ll have a wide range of topics and sessions to choose from; it should be a fantastic day. See the full...
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My Long Irrational Nightmare is Over. Sort of. Nevermind.
Many of you are familiar with one of the great disappointments in my life. I know you’re familiar with it because you take great delight from bringing it up in conversation when I see you in person....
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Hubbard Fellowship – How would you like to help?
This post is written by Evan Barrientos, one of our Hubbard Fellows. As part of his Fellowship, Evan is trying to help us build and improve upon our volunteer program. Please consider taking his short...
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Boys and Sticks
My wife and I are both biologists. She’s a high school biology teacher and I’m a prairie ecologist. You won’t be surprised that we think it’s important for our kids to get outside and explore nature....
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Next Platte River Prairies Field Day – June 22, 2016
Please plan to join us for our next field day on June 22, 2016. We will have multiple field sessions to choose from throughout the day from 9am to 3:30pm. There is no cost for attending, and families...
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Graduating. Naturally.
My daughter graduated from high school this spring. The graduation ceremony got me thinking about commencement speeches and how I might craft a conservation-oriented commencement speech in the...
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Ok. I’m on Instagram. Now What?
One of my co-workers finally convinced me to join Instagram. So now I’m on Instagram. Yep, sitting here on Instagram. …Now what? I have some pretty strong objectives for the Prairie Ecologist blog....
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Hubbard Fellowship Blog – Inspiration is at Our Feet
This post was written by Katharine Hogan, one of our two current Hubbard Fellows. The photo is hers as well. Katharine has shown to be an introspective thinker and writer, in addition to a curious...
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Weaver Small Grants – Request for Proposals Out Now
If you’re a graduate student working in the Great Plains, you might be interested in a small grant available through The Nature Conservancy’s Nebraska Chapter. The J.E. Weaver small grants program...
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How Science Works and Why It Matters
As a scientist and science writer, I’m concerned about the way science is perceived by the public. I think some big misunderstandings about how science works are creating distrust and dismissal of...
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Survey Data is IN – THANK YOU!
This time of week, I am often putting the finishing touches on a new blog post that describes a prairie species or ecological interaction, discusses prairie management, or at least showcases some...
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Compatibility of Cows, Conservation and Climate Change?
I’ve been asked a number of times why I advocate for cattle grazing in prairies when cattle are such strong contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and rapid climate change. It’s a fair question, but...
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Photo of the Week – February 23, 2017
The weather has been extraordinarily warm for the last couple weeks, but it’s finally getting colder. While I’ve enjoyed getting outside to play soccer and other outdoor recreation activities, I’m...
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Register for the 2017 Grassland Restoration Network Now!
This year’s Grassland Restoration Network meeting will be July 11 and 12 at Konza Prairie near Manhattan, Kansas. Some of you have attended these annual meetings in the past (we hosted last year’s...
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