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The vast American prairies, once teeming with biodiversity, face a critical threat. However, across the central United States, dedicated groups are stepping up to preserve and rejuvenate these vital ecosystems.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that approximately 80 percent of the original grasslands in the U.S. have vanished, with much of the land between western Indiana and the Rocky Mountains now occupied by farms and housing. This loss is accelerating beyond the pace of conservation efforts.
Restoring these prairies involves removing existing vegetation, such as turfgrass or crops, and seeding with native prairie species like wildflowers. These prairies are crucial as they provide essential wildlife habitat, capture carbon, and reduce flood risks.
Significant restoration projects are underway in several states. The American Prairie Reserve plans to restore about 3 million acres in northeast Montana, while the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service aims to revive 15,000 acres in the prairie pothole region from the Dakotas to Iowa.
Smaller, yet impactful, prairie restoration efforts are also gaining momentum.
Northern Illinois University Leads Prairie Restoration Project
Northern Illinois University is actively transforming a 40-acre campus field into a prairie. Over the next two years, contractors will eliminate turf grass and sow native prairie plants, such as black-eyed Susans. Courtney Gallaher, the university’s sustainability director, anticipates a full bloom by 2029.
Gallaher emphasizes that the restoration will enhance pollinator habitats, decrease synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and expand green spaces for both students and the community.
Historically, Illinois boasted 22 million acres of tallgrass prairie, now reduced to less than 0.01 percent.
“No one person or organization can restore all the prairies in Illinois or change the world in some other capacity,” Gallaher said. “But, if you help people to understand why it’s valuable and sort of how to start the process, then it has the opportunity to continue.”
Gallaher underscores the importance of keeping the area accessible for public use, featuring designated spaces for activities like marching band practice and cross-country running.
“People have a lot of feelings around it,” she said. “So, figuring out how to help people create a new, shared vision for what the space can be, I think, is exciting. Unlike a prairie reserve that might be out in a very rural area, once it’s there, people are really going to be attached to it.”
Holly Hansen, assistant director of sustainability at the university, believes reconnecting with nature in such spaces can inspire greater environmental stewardship.
“That happens from seeing the different bird species and the flowers and the pollinator insects,” she said. “And just spending time grounding yourself in green space. Because that’s what makes people care about other, more abstract sustainability issues and environmental conservation issues.”
This initiative is part of a broader movement to develop urban nature preserves in northern Illinois, with Gallaher noting increased prairie restoration efforts throughout the Midwest.
Kansas Nonprofit Revitalizes Prairies One Plot at a Time
In northeast Kansas, the Native Lands Restoration Collaborative is focused on reestablishing prairie ecosystems, sometimes on plots as small as 5 acres. The nonprofit, led by executive director Courtney Masterson, prioritizes projects with educational and community significance.
“The spaces we build together today will be the spaces that allow us to advocate for more in the future,” she said.
The collaborative is involved in projects like reconstructing a prairie at Emporia State University and restoring 22 acres along the Kansas River near Topeka.
Masterson notes that state resources for such projects in Kansas are limited, necessitating reliance on grants and private funding. Despite these challenges, she believes even small-scale restoration is vital.
“We’re all in prairie, and it’s our historic landscape,” she said. “It’s something that you don’t have to be an expert to do. Whatever community you live in, there’s an organization trying hard to restore what they can. And if you don’t know where to start, just start volunteering.”
Texas Preserve Seeds New Prairie Projects
The coastal prairie once spanned millions of acres from Mexico to Louisiana, but much of it has been lost. Near Houston, Texas, the Nash Prairie Preserve represents a rare, undisturbed prairie. Managed by The Nature Conservancy, this 427-acre site is a “hyperdiverse system” with approximately 350 plant species, according to restoration manager Aaron Tjelmeland.
The Nature Conservancy collects seeds from Nash Prairie to rejuvenate other areas, leading to over 150 acres restored across 58 projects in the Houston region.
“Year after year, you’re investing that time and energy into those properties, so that they’ll continue to produce… and continue to be those reservoirs for restoration,” Tjelmeland said.
He collaborates with native seed growers to ensure ample supply for regional projects, making the restoration of prairies more feasible.
“There’s always a lot of work to be done on it, but seeing the changes over time, and seeing that maintained and bloom through the years is really rewarding,” Tjelmeland said.
South Dakota Park Transforms Farmland to Grassland
Geoffrey Gray-Lobe, a county commissioner and Clay County Park board member in South Dakota, is spearheading the conversion of about 30 acres of parkland along the Missouri River into native prairie.
The park, which has leased land to farmers, found it could increase rental income by converting 31.5 acres to prairie while boosting revenue from the remaining 90 acres.
Gray-Lobe obtained a prairie seed mix and, with volunteers, collected seed heads from nearby natural areas. The first seeds were sown last February.
Gray-Lobe emphasizes community involvement in restoration efforts, inviting volunteers to assist with the initial seeding.
“It was joyful,” he said. “I made sure to give everybody who came a list of the species that they spread that day. My hope is that they could actually come back with their kids or their grandkids, seek out some of those species and then say, ‘I was there on day one, when we first planted this.’”
This story was produced in partnership with Harvest Public Media, a collaboration of public media newsrooms in the Midwest and Great Plains. It reports on food systems, agriculture and rural issues.
