Prairie in Progress: UNI promoting Iowa's natural landscape

CEDAR FALLS | A bald spot appeared on Bill Ruud's manicured yard.In a few years, though, 25 species of native plants will flourish, taking back a small portion of land once covered in prairie.

"We have a Tallgrass Prairie Center. Why not promote it?" says the University of Northern Iowa's business-minded president.

Ruud asked center officials to put prairie plants near his residence. Of Iowa's land, 80percent was once rolling prairie but, as agriculture expanded, less than 1/10th of 1 percent remains.

That good black soil that we farm, it created that, said Daryl Smith, founder and former director of the center.

Prairie plants deep root system can plunge 15 feet, holding soil in place and permitting water to infiltrate the soil. These plants can also reduce chemical runoff on farm fields.

According to Smith, if more prairie were back on the landscape, it could also help mitigate seasonal flooding that devastates communities.

Were lobbying to get prairie established in watersheds on a larger scale, Smith said.

Some 125 acres of prairie dot UNI's campus. Campusgoers may not realize theyre walking past Ohio spiderwort or rattlesnake master and probably understand even less about the plants characteristics. Spiderwort, for instance, also known as cow slobbers, oozes a clear goo when leaves snap. Native Americans used rattlesnake master to make shoes.

Bewildered freshmen may find the compassplant useful. Settlers used it for navigation, since its leaf margins tend to point north and south.

But planting prairie instead of traditional sod grass also represents a long-term cost savings. The plants requires very little maintenance. Center officials estimate the transformation saved UNI about $47,100 so far.

Read more here:
Prairie in Progress: UNI promoting Iowa's natural landscape