Inspiration
Rattlesnake master by Dan Barron
Member Spotlight: Gabriel Bertilson
It’s difficult to capture Gabriel’s contributions and talents in a few paragraphs, but Ben Bullard attempts this feat in this member spotlight.
Sustained Enthusiasm!
Prairie conservation takes many kinds of dedication: the knowledge to guide good management, the hands-on energy to care for the land, and the steady behind-the-scenes service that keeps an organization moving forward. Evanne Hunt has offered that kind of steady service for more than two decades.
Yellow Coneflowers and Wild Bergamot
Enjoy two poems celebrating yellow coneflowers and wild bergamot.
What a Difference a Year Makes!
Progress at Giordano Oak Barrens and Sand Prairie has been fantastic! We’ve been able to affect more than 14.5 acres of intensive tree and brush removal since efforts at the 40-acre site in Columbia County began in January 2025. Not many of those can be counted as “completed acres,” but we have been able to accomplish a lot of the work required to restore this site.
Why Prairies Unfold and Gently Reveal – Finding Delight in the Discovery
“I still don’t understand,” she said, scanning the five acres in front of us. “I get hummingbirds all the time near the house. Why not out here yet?” It was a fair question. Her traditional garden beds, tucked close to the house, buzzed with life. But the prairie reconstruction — now in its early years — felt quieter by comparison. Not empty. Just… young. “And the meadowlarks,” she continued. “They’re known to nest within five miles. You’d think at least one would check this place out.”
Monitoring Bat Activity Following Prairie Savanna Restoration
Bats are in trouble. Bats provide many important ecosystem services, including the control of crop insect pests.
Volunteer Spotlight: Gary Eldred
Celebrating the many accomplishments of Prairie Enthusiast Gary Eldred.
How It’s Made: Parsnip Predators
Get a behind-the-scenes look into how volunteers from the Prairie Bluff Chapter make their world-famous Parsnip Predators.
Positive Changes on Pleasant Bluff
Minnesota Driftless Chapter volunteer Eric Ressel tells the tale of a transformative prescribed burn from a volunteer’s perspective.
Springtime Magic
Enter the magical world of bumble bees and prairie blooms with paintings from artist and Prairie Enthusiast Joe Maurer.
Enthusiasm for Restoration Proves Contagious on Rattlesnake Ridge
Learn how the dedication of two Prairie Enthusiasts brought together a community around Rattlesnake Ridge.
Fifty Years of Fire: Stewarding Muralt Bluff Prairie
A chance encounter, an escaped fire and a budding community of Prairie Enthusiasts—read the story of Muralt Bluff Prairie on the 50th anniversary of the historic first burn.
Tiny But Mighty Hummingbird
Delight in hummingbird poetry by Jim Daubert.
Agaski Bluff
Standing on the steep slope of Agaski Bluff in 2021, Eric Preston and Kim Kreitinger took in picturesque rock outcroppings and a sweeping view of the valley below and considered the opportunity before them.
Catching the Prairie Bug
A prairie can escape the attention of those who have never been exposed to and noticed its wonders. But something out of the blue can spark an interest.
We All Have Mentors
Learn how an expert in prairie restoration and native orchids found a pathway to land stewardship through a prairie mentor.
Gneiss to Meet You
Explore Morton Outcrops Scientific Natural Area, which is one of Minnesota’s largest and highest quality examples of Crystalline Bedrock Outcrop Prairie.
Book Review: The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants
There are a number of books and blogs on propagating prairie plants, on gardening with native plants, on establishing prairies and even a few on identification of seedling prairie plants. This book stands out for its breadth of coverage.
What Guides You on Your Journey?
For thousands of years, the people who lived here shared a common set of values across diverse cultures, languages, and lifeways: a deep sense of relationship with the land and its living things, respect for all the members of that community, a desire for reciprocity and balance, and responsibility to future generations.
Keeping Prairies in the News
We are excited to share this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article and the mention of The Prairie Enthusiasts below: Wisconsin's prairies shine in late summer, from Lapham Peak to the UW Arboretumby Chelsey LewisMilwaukee Journal SentinelAugust 19, 2021 As August winds...
Remembering Tom Brock
We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of longtime The Prairie Enthusiasts member Tom Brock. A true champion for prairies, Tom was also an accomplished microbiologist. Take a look at these remembrances that have been shared everywhere from our own Prairie Promoter to The New York Times.
Our Winter Reading List
Pour some coffee, curl up in your favorite chair, and delve into these books written by members and friends of The Prairie Enthusiasts!
Why The Prairie Enthusiasts?
It started as a wish. As a child visiting my grandparents in rural Minnesota, I fell in love with the vast prairie skies and the steady hum of insects on summer nights.
Free Prairie Curriculum Ready for Use
How do children learn to care for the land? Often, it’s time spent outside with a family member that first makes them curious about nature. But teachers also have the power to spark curiosity.
Native Habitat as an Educational Centerpiece
In the heart of Driftless Wisconsin lies Viroqua, home to the Prairie Enthusiasts Chapter Support office. We are lucky to be surrounded by many prairie remnants, State Natural Areas (like Romance Prairie), and several public native gardens within walking distance of the office.
Milkweed for Monarchs ’19
This past winter (2019) the monarch butterfly populations overwintering in northern Mexico increased significantly for the first time in recent years.
Resilience
This introduction to the concept of resilience and how it applies to our prairie restoration work was an article published in the August 2019 Prairie Promoter.Those of us who were at this year’s TPE conference in Menomonie were introduced to resilience during the...