Tallgrass Prairie Center

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Cedar Falls, IA
Tallgrass Prairie Center

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Empowering people to value and restore resilient, diverse tallgrass prairie.

10/08/2026

Join us for a Clay Prairie cut-and-treat workday on October 17 from 1:00–3:00 p.m.! Spend an afternoon outdoors helping care for the prairie as we work together to remove woody invasive plants.

No prior experience is needed, just come ready to spend an afternoon outdoors and lend a hand!

Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdIE9axtcRL9felT0uf5pSd_x99mLmU0vg2bpDWAbw-8EDP3g/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=113592747412124320939

09/24/2026

🌾Reminder!🌾
Join us next Monday, September 28, for our final walk of the season at Irvine Prairie (1174 55th St., Dysart, IA).

Dr. Ai Wen and Dr. Mark Myers from UNI 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

09/19/2026

As Iowa Prairie Heritage week draws to a close, we are reflecting on the rich history of our own campus prairie here at the University of Northern Iowa.

The story of prairie reconstruction on the UNI’s campus dates back over 50 years to 1973 when, what would later be named Daryl Smith Prairie (located on the south side of campus off of 29th street) was first seeded by then-UNI professor Dr. Daryl Smith. The seeding of this on-campus prairie marks not only the beginning of prairie restoration on UNI’s campus, but the beginning of a wider movement of prairie restoration across the state of Iowa. Four years later, this prairie had its first prescribed fire in April 1977 captured in the photos shared below.

Today, we’re proud to continue this legacy and are fortunate to still have Daryl stop by our prescribed burns!

09/16/2026

TPC’s Plant Materials Program Manager, Laura Walter, will be leading a prairie bike ride this Sunday along the Rolling Prairie Trail from Allison to Bristow!

09/12/2026

A story told through a few pictures: seeking, netting, and tagging.

Each step requires patience and gentleness, both skills that many of the 5th graders from Dysart-Geneseo Elementary School put to good use during a recent field trip to Irvine Prairie.

The monarchs tagged during this event are part of the Monarch Watch Tagging Program, a community science project that helps track fall migration. Students recorded information about the monarchs they caught before placing a uniquely coded tag on each butterfly and releasing it.

If a tagged monarch is later found along its migration route or at its overwintering grounds in Mexico, that tag can be reported and connected back to where and when the butterfly was originally tagged. Together, these individual observations help build an understanding of migration and population trends.

For students, it was a chance to get up close with one of Iowa's most recognizable prairie species while contributing to a larger effort to support monarch conservation!

09/03/2026

Between August 19 and 20, representatives from 42 counties and 2 cities traveled from across Iowa to the Tallgrass Prairie Center at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls to pick up native prairie seed for their roadsides.

This annual seed distribution is made possible through grant funding, including support from the Federal Highway Administrationand the Iowa Department of Transportation Living Roadway Trust Fund. Counties and cities with an approved Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management (IRVM) plan can request native seed through the Iowa Roadside Management program. The seed is provided in two mixes: the Cleanout Mix and the Diversity Mix.

The Cleanout Mix includes 8 grass and 15 forb species, including 2 wet-tolerant species. The Diversity Mix includes 10 grass and sedge species and 28 forb species, including 3 wet-tolerant species. These mixes are designed for a variety of roadside conditions and are used by participating counties to establish native vegetation along Iowa's roadsides.

This year, a total of 17,618 pounds of native seed was distributed, enough to plant approximately 1,460 acres of roadsides across Iowa!

Learn more about Iowa Roadside Management: tallgrassprairiecenter.org/iowa-roadside-management

Address

2412 W 27th Street
Cedar Falls, IA
50613

Telephone

+13192733836

Website

http://www.tallgrassprairiecenter.org/

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