Tallgrass Prairie Center

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Cedar Falls, IA
Tallgrass Prairie Center

Empowering people to value and restore resilient, diverse tallgrass prairie.
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08/19/2026

As the seasons begin to shift, our remaining community walks at Irvine Prairie (1174 55th St., Dysart, IA) are scheduled for the fourth Mondays of August and September.

Please join us next Monday, August 24, as Faith Hunt, Benton County Conservation Naturalist, shares information about monarch butterfly conservation and tagging.

All walks begin at 6:00 p.m. near the parking area by the Irvine Prairie rock. In the event of inclement weather, the walk will be moved to the following Monday.

08/14/2026

Introducing Molly Champion, a UNI Biology student who joined the TPC this summer after studying abroad in San Jose, Costa Rica during June. Molly has been assisting with events, updating documents on our website, and contributing to an exciting project that is still in the works.

Thanks to the generous support of the Friends of the TPC, we are able to bring students on for project-based work that supports our mission while providing them with practical experience.

Learn more about how donors can support this work here: tallgrassprairiecenter.org/get-involved/donate

08/12/2026

What does it take to complete our annual root pull? Careful coordination, many hands, and a bit of fun!

Nine specimens were pulled from their containers here on campus at the University of Northern Iowa the other week with the help of students, Green Iowa AmeriCorps members, and community members. These roots will be preserved and distributed to schools, nature centers, museums, and more as educational tools to illustrate the ecosystem services provided by native perennial vegetation.

Learn more about how the root specimens are produced and how various organizations display them here: tallgrassprairiecenter.org/resources/prairie-roots

08/10/2026

We said farewell to Green Iowa AmeriCorps member Ethan Dickey the other day as he completed his second 11-month service term with the TPC.

After graduating from UNI with a bachelor's degree in Biology, Ethan has served as our Volunteer Coordinator since fall 2024. During his time with the TPC he coordinated volunteers for burn season, brush removal, weekly weeders, and more. He also represented the TPC at events across the state and helped plan our summer walk series at Irvine Prairie this year.

We will miss having Ethan around, but we’re excited to see him continue his important work with Trees Forever in Marion, Iowa, where he will serve as their Growing Futures Program Coordinator.

07/28/2026

This summer, Iowa Roadside Program Manager Kristine Nemec, Green Iowa AmeriCorps summer member Jalen Stoval, and teacher extern Ben Olsen are out in the field monitoring 14 roadside prairie restoration sites across Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, and Buchanan counties.

As part of a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant, they're counting milkweed plants and inspecting up to 100 milkweed plants at each site, recording every monarch egg and caterpillar they find. This monitoring helps us measure the success of these roadside habitats and better understand how they're supporting monarch butterflies.

07/27/2026

Heads up! Due to heat index values above 100°F, tonight's prairie walk has been postponed to Monday, August 3, at 6 p.m.

Please help us spread the word to anyone who was planning to attend.

Next week, we'll explore the prairie's beautiful summer blooms. Then, on September 28, UNI professors Mark and Ai will join us for a special prairie walk.

07/25/2026

Important Update

Due to heat index values above 100°F, tonight's prairie walk has been postponed to Monday, August 3, at 6 p.m.

Please help us spread the word to anyone who was planning to attend.

Next week, we'll explore the prairie's beautiful summer blooms. Then, on September 28, UNI professors Mark and Ai will join us for a special prairie walk.

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🌾Reminder!🌾
Join us next Monday, July 27th for a walk out at Irvine Prairie (1174 55th St., Dysart, IA).

University of Northern Iowa Professors Dr. Ai Wen and Dr. Mark Myers will chat about the valuable research work done at Irvine Prairie by UNI students and faculty.

All walks begin at 6:00 p.m. near the parking area by the Irvine Prairie rock. In the event of inclement weather, walks will be moved to the following Monday

07/24/2026

What an inspiration! This week Neal and Laura Schrage of rural Parkersburg, Iowa hosted over sixty visitors for a CRP Management field day on their Prairie Acres in Butler County. The weather was perfect and so was the prairie --a profusion of purple prairie clover and black eyed susan practically glowed. Those vintage red tractors looked pretty good too.

Speakers included knowledgeable staff from the Natural Resource Conservation Service and Iowa Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever, plus two local conservation contractors who brought specialized equipment for us to look at. Butler County Soil Conservation Technician Michael Luebbers received high praise for his guidance and knowledge on this project. Congratulations to organizers and sponsors: Women, Land and Legacy and the Soil and Water Conservation Districts for Black Hawk, Bremer, Butler and Grundy Counties.

07/21/2026

It has been great to have Ben on board this summer. We are excited to see how his time with us translates into the classroom this fall!

07/17/2026

How do we manage on these hot summer days? Today our Weekly Weeders crew members worked in the shade, washing plug trays for next winter's seedlings. Meanwhile, recently harvested sedges and cool-season native grasses sit on tarps with box fans blowing on them to dry out. Then we'll thresh them in an air conditioned lab.

Weekly weeders are Green Iowa AmeriCorps members and UNI students. On Thursdays they volunteer their time to help Plant Materials Program Manager Laura Walter with big tasks like weeding.

Address

2412 W 27th Street
Cedar Falls, IA
50613

Telephone

+13192733836

Website

http://www.tallgrassprairiecenter.org/

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