For lovers of the Great Plains, a pair of prairie-centered events planned for the next two Saturdays in Dallas County will be causes for celebration.
Saturday, Sept. 12 will see the 18th annual Prairie Awakening Celebration from 3-9 p.m. at the Kuehn Conservation Area, 32828 Houston Trail in rural Earlham.
“Stand with us in the arena, carved into the tall grasses of the prairie, and experience the song, dance, drums, flute and stories of the First Peoples of this place,” said Chris Adkins, environmental education coordinator with the Dallas County Conservation Board. “As the prairie is once more awakened, we are hoping you can step inside these stories and awaken yourself here in the wilds of your home.”
The annual celebration features Native American songs, dances, stories and music — a unique opportunity for visitors to imagine a disappearing prairie lifestyle and capture its fading echoes.
The schedule of activities is varied and can be seen in detail on the Dallas County Conservation website.
Visitors should bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating. An evening meal of fry bread and Indian tacos will be available on site, with the proceeds supporting the celebration. The event is free and no registration is necessary.
For more information, contact the Dallas County Conservation Department at 515-465-3577 or visit the website.
Saturday, Sept. 19 will see the daylong “Going Native: Iowa Prairies Seminar,” a product of the partnership between the Carnegie Library Museum and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in Dallas County.
The “Going Native” events form part of the “Celebrating the Native Prairie” exhibition, featuring the work of pioneer of American landscape architecture Jens Jensen, whose works are featured Carnegie through the end of September.
Register by Sept. 11 for the “Going Native: Iowa Prairies Seminar.” The cost, which includes lunch catered by the Hotel Pattee, is $25 and is payable at the door. Full event details, including biographies of the speakers, are available on the “Going Native” website.
“Going Native” will feature a keynote address by Chad Hunter, Iowa State University lecturer in landscape architecture and design fellow for the ISU Community Design Lab. Hunter’s talk will explain the philosophies and techniques used by Jensen to compose vegetation, stone, water and earth into immersive environments.
Participants will have the option to attend two out of the three “Going Native” breakout sessions planned. One session will feature ISU Extension and Outreach Field Agronomist Meaghan Anderson’s discussion of milkweeds for monarchs.
“If a farmer had some of his crop land in CRP,” Anderson said, “or was planning to put some of his crop land in CRP, I would want to encourage him to use a pollinator mix and supplement the mix with more milkweed seed.” Anderson said gardeners and homeowners can also plant a “native” prairie mix containing milkweed seed.
A second session will host Anna MacDonald, Badger Creek Lake Watershed project coordinator with the Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District. MacDonald will discuss farm conservation through the use of prairie strips.
“Prairie has multifunctional benefits for protecting soil, slowing runoff, filtering sediment and providing habitat for wildlife,” MacDonald said.
Jim Uthe, roadside biologist for the Dallas County Conservation Department, will bring his 15 years of experience in natural resources management to his discussion of ways to establish prairies within residential yards.
“Science has shown that using native prairie grasses, as opposed to traditional non-native grasses, provides for better weed and erosion control, greater storm water infiltration and improved wildlife and pollinator habitat—all benefits that can be gained in your yard as well,” Uthe said.
“Going Native” Check-in will begin at 9 a.m., and the event will conclude at 5:30 p.m. after a prairie visit and Native American performances at Forest Park Museum.
For more information or to register, contact ISU Extension and Outreach Marketing and Communications Coordinator Caitlyn Ryan at 515-993-4281 or cryan@iastate.edu.
If you have not been to a Prairie Awakening, go.