How the Seeds Are Sown
The early days of Prairie Plains Resource Institute were spent harvesting seeds from local wild populations, planting small plots along Lincoln Creek in Aurora, Nebraska, and understanding the characteristics of local native prairies. These activities, carried out in the 1980s, grew in the 1990s to include the development of large (100+ acres per year) high-diversity wetland and prairie planting efforts along the central Platte River in Nebraska, where lowland prairies are a valued habitat component for huge concentrations of sandhill cranes and waterfowl. This work was done in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Nature Conservancy, Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 and the Platte River Whooping Crane Trust.
Considered pioneers in the field of Nebraska prairie restoration, Prairie Plains restoration methods have influenced individuals, organizations and government agencies. Local ecotype prairie and wetland restoration has obvious benefits for wildlife conservation, livestock forage production and soil conservation, as well as often overlooked benefits for water filtration and percolation into the ground. Prairies in the Platte River Watershed are extremely valuable resources because of their relevance to both ground and surface water quantity and quality.
Prairie Restoration is the process of recreating a prairie where one once existed but is now gone. Taking the word "restore" literally, it would result in completely rebuilding the prairie plant and animal community with all the species that a particular site used to have. Definitions can vary, but Prairie Plains defines prairie restoration broadly, including everything from planting a new prairie where the former prairie had been broken and farmed, to improving a degraded prairie, that is, one that was never plowed but lost many plant species due to prior land management practices.
Funded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust, Prairie Plains and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission teamed up in 2003 to create the benchmark restoration how-to manual, "A Guide to Prairie and Wetland Restoration in Eastern Nebraska." Gerry Steinauer, Heritage Botanist for Nebraska Game and Parks, wrote the manual with assistance from Prairie Plains staff and Chris Helzer of the Nature Conservancy's Platte/Rainwater Basin Project Office. The technical review was also contributed by a number of other prairie restorationists in Nebraska and Iowa.
The Restoration Manual is available as a PDF download in two parts:
Siku za mwanzo za Taasisi ya Rasilimali ya Prairie Plains zilitumika kuvuna mbegu kutoka kwa idadi ya wanyama wa mwituni wa ndani, kupanda mashamba madogo kando ya Lincoln Creek huko Aurora, Nebraska, na kuelewa sifa za nyanda za asili za ndani. Katika miaka ya 1980, shughuli hizi ziliongezeka na kujumuisha maendeleo ya maeneo makubwa ya maji na ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea ya mimea. Kazi hii ilifanywa kwa ushirikiano na Marekani. Ulinzi wa Wanyama wa Pori na Wanyama wa Pori (FWS) na Shirika la Ulinzi wa Mazingira (EPA) na Shirika la Platte River Whooping Crane Trust. Kwa kuwa ni waanzilishi katika uwanja wa kurudisha nyanda za Nebraska, mbinu za kurudisha nyanda za Prairie zimekuwa na ushawishi kwa watu binafsi, mashirika na mashirika ya serikali. Urekebishaji wa mazingira ya eneo la prairie na maeneo ya mvua ina faida dhahiri kwa uhifadhi wa wanyama wa porini, uzalishaji wa malisho ya mifugo na uhifadhi wa udongo, pamoja na faida za mara nyingi zinazopuuzwa kwa usafirishaji wa maji na kuingizwa chini. Nyanda za mto Platte ni rasilimali zenye thamani sana kwa sababu ya umuhimu wao kwa wingi na ubora wa maji ya chini ya ardhi na ya uso. Kurudishwa kwa nyanda ni mchakato wa kuunda tena nyanda ambapo hapo awali zilikuwapo lakini sasa hazipo tena. "Kutumia neno ""kurudisha"" kihalisi, ingesababisha kujenga upya kabisa jamii ya mimea na wanyama wa nyanda za nyasi na spishi zote ambazo tovuti fulani ilitumia kuwa nazo." "Mafunzo yanaweza kutofautiana, lakini Prairie Plains hufafanua ""kurudishwa kwa prairie"" kwa ujumla, ikiwa ni pamoja na kila kitu kutoka kwa kupanda prairie mpya ambapo prairie ya zamani ilikuwa imevunjwa na kulima, kuboresha prairie iliyoharibiwa, ambayo ni moja ambayo haijawahi kupandwa lakini ilipotea spishi nyingi za mimea kwa sababu ya mazoea ya usimamizi wa ardhi ya awali." "Kupitia mpango wa Nebraska Environmental Trust, Prairie Plains na Tume ya Nebraska ya Michezo na Hifadhi ziliungana mnamo 2003 kuunda mwongozo wa ""Urekebishaji wa Prairie na Wetland katika Mashariki mwa Nebraska.""" Gerry Steinauer, mtaalamu wa mimea ya urithi wa Nebraska Game na Hifadhi, aliandika mwongozo huo kwa msaada wa wafanyakazi wa Prairie Plains na Chris Helzer wa Ofisi ya Mradi wa Bonde la Platte la Mvua ya Uhifadhi wa Asili. Mapitio ya kiufundi pia yalichangia na idadi ya wasimamizi wengine wa malisho ya nyasi huko Nebraska na Iowa. Mwongozo wa Kurudisha inapatikana kama pdf download katika sehemu mbili: