Join fellow prairie enthusiasts for the 2019 Iowa Prairie Conference: Ensuring the Future of Prairie.
The world is changing rapidly, and the highly fragmented nature of tallgrass prairie will greatly reduce its ability to respond to these changes. As a result, the future of tallgrass prairie will depend heavily on our actions in the coming decades.
The conference will open at 8 a.m. on Thursday, August 8 with a morning of stewardship - led by INHF Volunteer Coordinator Melanie Louis - at a remnant prairie at Reichelt Unit of Stephens State Forest near Kellogg, IA. Official conference activities at Central College will open at 1 p.m. Several morning field trips to local remnant prairies - including INHF projects DeCook Ranch and Pleasant Grove - and research sites will also be offered throughout the conference.
Featured speakers include Jesse Nippert, associate professor of biology at Kansas State University, who will discuss the impact of climate change on Tallgrass Prairie; Justin Glisan, state climatologist of Iowa, who will share historical and recent climate trends in Iowa; and James Bever, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Kansas University, who will discuss the importance of soil bacteria and fungi on prairie biology and reconstruction.
The Iowa Prairie Conference is open to anyone interested in prairies. Natural resource managers, educators, students and prairie enthusiasts will gather for education, discussion and networking opportunities.
Individuals interested in presenting at the conference should submit a title and abstract to Russ Benedict at benedictr@central.edu Please reference submission instructions online. Abstracts are due by the end of day, Friday, July 12.
LEARN MORE & REGISTER