News

Upcoming Conservation Congress-What You Can Do Written by Tim EiseleThe annual spring Conservation Congress advisory meetings allows all citizens to vote on questions involving Wisconsin’s natural resources. Often, people think that the Conservation Congress questions...

The land trust accreditation program recognizes land conservation organizations that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. The Prairie Enthusiasts is pleased to announce it is applying for renewal of...

Small seeds planted lead to bigger things. At the end of June, Ian Michel, an employee from Diederich Tree Care LLC participated in a tour of Moely Prairie led by the stewardship team of Amy & Rick Chamberlin, Paul Anderson, and Brandon Mann. Apparently, Ian was...

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources recently published A State Natural Area [SNA] Strategy(1). Here I discuss one aspect of the Strategy that I applaud—the development of a formal procedure for SNA withdrawal. This is...

Lonetree Farm, in rural Stockton, Illinois, gets busy this time of year with NIPE’s prairie seed mixes. Staff and volunteers spend hours picking native plant seeds from area prairies and savannas, separating seeds from the rest of the plant, drying seeds, and then...

Moely Prairie has had a presence on Instagram (@moelyprairie) and Facebook (For the Love of Moely Prairie) for the last several years, and during that time, my fellow volunteers and I have connected with many nature lovers around the world. One follower who I have...

Learning about how to protect turtle nests. (Photo by Martha Querin-Schultz) The Southwest Chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts held a Wisconsin turtle workshop on Saturday, June 26, 2021, at Jack Kussmaul’s beautiful home near Woodman, Wisconsin. “Taking Time for...

Some attendees trying to determine a species of native bumblebee  (Photo & article by Susan Lipnick) On June 27, biologist Bev Paulan treated Northwest Illinois Prairie Enthusiasts members and guests to the presentation “Native Plants Need Native Pollinators” at...

“Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.”  William Feather People who are passionate about prairie restoration are a rare breed. However, as the number of these prairie warriors grow, so too will the numbers of successfully grown...

There couldn’t have been a more idyllic scene for The Prairie Enthusiasts picnic and annual meeting.  Basking in the glow of a perfect summer day, members gathered on Sunday, July 18th, 2021 at the UW-Milwaukee Field Station at Waukesha to learn and celebrate...

A conference tradition continues! The online format of our 2021 conference let TPE's amazing photographers show off their work to more people than ever. Read on to see who won.We received entries in five categories: people, seasons, flora/fauna, landscape...

Here's a recap of Driftless Area phenology from the past month, written by our very own Pat Trochlell.  Pat's inspiration comes from her career as a wetland ecologist with the Wisconsin DNR.  She and her husband, Ken Wade, live near and are stewards of TPE's 30-acre...

Landowner Services Coordinator Dan Carter writes about some special moments from the highly successful first year of TPE's Landowner Services program. Dan's schedule for 2021 is almost full. Email landowners@theprairieenthusiasts.org as soon as possible to discuss a...

This article was a collaboration with Rich Henderson. We in the Empire-Sauk Chapter are dreaming of a day when more red-headed woodpeckers, regal fritillaries, and other grassland- and savanna-loving species will use Schurch-Thomson Prairie. That dream is one step...

Incoming TPE Executive Director Debra Behrens tells the story of her journey into her new role. Debra wrote this additional greeting for our newsletter, The Prairie Promoter: It started as a wish. As a child visiting my grandparents in rural Minnesota, I fell in love...

It's been 4 years since our chapter started the Species Conservation Project (SCP) in northwest Illinois (see the feature article in the March 2016 Prairie Promoter here), and in those years I have occasionally written about the rare plant gardens we started to help...

Here's a recap of Driftless Area phenology from the past month, written by our very own Pat Trochlell.  Pat's inspiration comes from her career as a wetland ecologist with the Wisconsin DNR.  She and her husband, Ken Wade, live near and are stewards of TPE's 30-acre...

This article was a collaboration with Jeff Feece of Rochester Parks. Prairie Crossing Park in Rochester, Minnesota is living up to its name as the park's managers strive to restore native plants to the site.  Members of TPE's Minnesota Driftless Chapter joined the...

Here's a recap of Driftless Area phenology from the past month, written by our very own Pat Trochlell.  Pat's inspiration comes from her career as a wetland ecologist with the Wisconsin DNR.  She and her husband, Ken Wade, live near and are stewards of TPE's 30-acre...

This article was a collaboration with Grace Vosen and is an update to an article in our August 2019 newsletter.  Read the original piece here (navigate to page 5). The New Ulm (Minnesota) area is seeing a renewed interest in prairie.  Residents, and especially...

In 2019, the site stewards of Moely Prairie joined forces with Sauk Prairie High School to implement a summer internship program.  Participants report to the prairie once a week and conduct monarch monitoring research.  Not only are these exceptional students...

This article was a collaboration with Pamela Eyden. Motivated to reverse habitat loss and fragmentation, a team of private landowners (the Pleasant Valley Pollinator Corridor or PVPC Team) began this spring to work toward creating a pollinator corridor in Pleasant...

The Many Rivers Chapter was recently featured on the Minnesota DNR's Prairie Pod podcast. Chapter chair Henry Panowitsch represented TPE on the episode titled "A Legacy of Love for the Prairie Landscape: A Landowner's Perspective."Henry kicks off the discussion by...

Summer is here and the time it right for many species on the prairie. The Prairie Enthusiasts take pride in restoring biodiversity to our Midwestern prairie and oak savanna communities. Here are a few images that captured our attention this past month. Hope they...

The new Landowner Services program is up and running, and though the program is in its early days, it’s already yielding some noteworthy botanical finds and conservation opportunities. Given the myriad threats that our natural communities face and the pervasive,...

Our community of prairie enthusiasts is just as resilient as the prairies and savannas. However, there’s no doubt about it - as grassroots volunteers and leaders, we’re likely all asking ourselves “What’s next?” What's next for those of us who want to share these...

Beginning in late May of this year, our collective attention has been forcibly drawn by the enormous and continuing demonstrations across the country protesting the long unsolved issues of racial injustice and police brutality. This challenge has been with us as a...

TPE has set in place new guidelines to enable us to begin holding our important field trips and work parties going forward while protecting our safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. May 2020 field trip at the oak barrens near TPE’s Rattlesnake Ridge preserve in Arena,...

Are you, or do you know someone who is interested in restoring or managing native prairie and savanna communities on private land? Would you like to hear the bumblebees busily spreading pollen from flower to flower and see more butterflies dancing among the grasses?...

This week the savanna’s purple lupines (Lupinus perennis) and pink wild geraniums (Geranium maculatum) are being replaced by spiderworts (Tradescantia ohiensis).  According to past years’ local records, spiderworts are blooming later than normal this year. The cool...

Spring is quickly growing into summer. Here are a few photos that captured our attention this past month. So fun to see what is happening in and around the prairie. One way of looking at these images is called Phenology which is the study of reoccurring life cycles...

Please enjoy these beautiful Spring photos contributed by our members! Let go of the last bits of winter and take a virtual walk through Nature and witness the new beginnings of growth on the Prairie. Welcome back sunshine to our land and our lives! Photo by Joe...

Happy May Day 2020!  This may be one of the the most important days of the year. Symbolically, this day represents the return of life and fertility to the world. Astrologically, today marks the midpoint of Spring, half way between the Spring Equinox and Summer...

The main theme of this series of posts is the sense of nature that gives us strength and healing. The poetry of Wendell Berry often does that. He was in touch with the earth, though often from a more agricultural standpoint. He once wrote a poem about stones, from a...

This week more reptiles and amphibians are becoming active. The musical trill of American Toads can now be heard from some ponded wetlands. Toads typically breed when water temperatures are over 60⁰ F but may be heard singing from late April until...

Susan S. Chambers, Many Rivers Chapter member, explores the awe we can discover each and every day, and especially when we are isolated at home. A notable poet, she shows us how the comfort of a poem can touch us spiritually. Aubade poem- An aubade is a morning love...

Undaunted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Empire-Sauk Chapter delivered its March 28, 2020 basic burn crew training workshop online. Teachers Rob Baller, Andy Sleger and Scott Fulton, together with moderator Grace Vosen, utilized Zoom to present the 6-hour program to 31...

Spring is in the air! We are blessed to have so much native habitat nearby to enjoy. We want to encourage you to go see a prairie, oak savanna, or local park to look for signs of spring. The seasonal weather we are having is just what we need to bring life out on the...

The 2020 TPE burn season was dramatically shortened but was not a complete bust. Just as the season was getting underway the COVID-19 outbreak hit, with stay-at-home orders issued in late March for Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. State, county and local authorities...

Introducing a new phenology series. Pat Trochlell, author of 'This Week in the Driftless Area' will bring us on a virtual tour of what is happening in our native habitat through her new column. We hope to post this series weekly on our TPE Facebook page, found...

It is with mixed emotions that we report on March 1 the TPE Board of Directors decided to begin a nationwide search for a new Executive Director to replace Chris Kirkpatrick. Chris has graciously agreed to work with us on the transition process until March 31. The...

     Nearly 260 prairie enthusiasts gathered Feb. 29 on a beautiful leap-year day at UW-Platteville campus for the 32nd annual TPE Conference and Banquet.     Hosted by the Southwest and Prairie Bluff chapters, with coordination by Chapter Support staff, the team...

By Pam Richards Last summer a variety of prairies were discovered at Lake Carroll - a four-season recreational community between Lanark and Pearl City, Ill.  Carroll County is the southern-most region of the TPE-monitored areas.  These finds included a remnant, a...

What do TPE member and emeritus professor Tom Brock have in common with rock-n-roll star Steve Miller? In addition to never hearing of the other, they both were awarded Honorary Doctorate degrees from UW-Madison in May. Tom received the degree for his pioneering work...

We watched the world strike for action on climate change last month. As we work for conserving prairie and savanna ecosystems in the region, support is growing for taking better care of our global ecosystem.At an Earth Day celebration in Madison earlier this year, TPE...

By Jim Vonderharr Many Rivers Chapter has recently started partnerships with several educational entities. We were contacted in the spring of 2017 by Amber Gremmels, a middle school science teacher in New Ulm, Minn. The New Ulm School District has two vacant...

This summer marks my seventh year with TPE and completes our 50th land protection project. One of the special responsibilities that comes along with completing all these projects is the care we give these sites by burning, brushing and planting more prairies and...

Our work helping to restore Moely Prairie, a 23.5-acre remnant sand prairie on the outskirts of Prairie du Sac, has been one big exercise in repaying some of the attention I owe to wild places and beings. Here is my story of paying down the staggering debt.It was a...

On August 30th, The Prairie Enthusiasts achieved a long term goal of both TPE and The Nature Conservancy – the acquisition and permanent protection of two prairie remnants of distinction owned by Paul and Judy Swenson of Arena, WI.  Situated in the lower Mill Creek...

NIPE always says that Hanley Savanna was founded in 2003, but its history goes back much further than that of course. I met the landowner, Jim Lewis, back in 1978 when we were both working in the same building on Michigan Ave. in Chicago. He would stop in the plant...