Governor Kim Reynolds has proclaimed September 12-18, 2021 as Iowa Prairie Heritage Week.
The week is coordinated by Iowa Prairie Network, a statewide nonprofit whose mission is to learn about, teach about, enjoy, and protect Iowa’s important tallgrass prairie history.
Iowans are encouraged to visit a prairie this week. A list of publicly-accessible prairies and prairie events is available on IPN’s website. The website also has information and resources about Iowa’s prairies.
A few interesting facts about the state’s prairie heritage:
- Iowa’s varied and complex prairie ecosystems built the deep, rich, world-famous soil on which Iowa agriculture depends.
- More than four-fifths of Iowa was once covered by prairie of which less than 0.1 percent remains.
- Iowa’s surviving original prairies are uniquely and irreplaceably precious as sites of beauty, recreation, biodiversity and research.
- Interest in the restoration and reconstruction of Iowa prairies is rapidly growing in Iowa and is providing new environmental, recreational and economic opportunities for Iowans working on public and private lands.
- Iowa’s prairies and prairie species continue to demonstrate their special abilities to protect topsoil, cleanse water, store carbon, and provide wildlife habitat.
- Researchers are just beginning to understand and unlock the enormous potential value of prairie ecosystems and species for making Iowa farms and communities more sustainable.
More information is available at https://www.iowaprairienetwork.org/iphw
