“Seeds for the Future - Roots of the Past”

The 17th North American Prairie Conference

Plans are well underway for the July 16-20 NAPC Conference at NIACC in

Mason City, Iowa.

We’re packing alot of prairie fun into that week! Paul Christiansen has

organized six pre-conference field trips and nine are planned for Tuesday.

Neil

Bernstein and Tom Rosburg are currently receiving and reviewing abstracts for

the concurrent presentations. TomRosburg and Daryl Smith will give the opening

and closing plenary talks, and there will be an out-of-state speaker for the

banquet. Concurrent session themes include Prairie Heritage and Culture,

featuring Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie School Architecture, Landowner Projects,

Prairie Education, Management and Reconstruction and more! You might want to

dust off your favorite prairie photos, or snap some more, for the photography

contest! IPN is even planning a silent auction to benefit our own Iowa prairie

remnants, and there will be several exhibits of prairie art for your

enjoyment.

Fifty REAP grants will provide $100 each to Iowa K-12 teachers who

attend

the conference. Please encourage teachers in your area to apply for this great

opportunity. We invite novice and veteran prairie enthusiasts of any teaching

discipline to apply. Graduate credit will also be available.

Full registration materials are now ready. To keep costs down, we are

only mailing to those who request that information. Please contact Carol

Schutte

at 515-422-4319, schutcar@niacc.cc.ia.us, or NIACC, 500 College Drive, Mason

City, Iowa, 50401.

You can also request materials from the conference web site:

http://www.niacc.com/prairie2000/ . We certainly hope many of you are already

planning your trip to Mason City!

IPN Annual Meeting

IPN’s Annual Meeting will be held Tuesday evening, July 18 during the

North American Prairie Conference at the North Iowa Area Community College in

Mason City. We’ll have our own room to enjoy barbecue supper together, then

hold

a business meeting with election of officers and top it off with cake. Born at

the 12th NAPC held in Cedar Falls in 1990, IPN is celebrating its 10th

birthday

this year! A small ceremony honoring IPN’s founders is planned. Please join us

for this event. If you did not indicate barbecue supper in your conference

registration, or are joining us for the Annual Meeting and would like to dine

with us, please contact Glenda Buenger at 515-632-8308 or

rockman49@hotmail.com

by July 10th so that we can order for you. Look for signs at the barbecue

directing us to our meeting room. For directions to NIACC contact Carol

Schutte

at 515-422-4319; NIACC, 500 College Drive, Mason City, 50401 or

schutcar@niacc.cc.ia.us The conference web site is at

http://www.niacc.com/prairie2000/

History of the Iowa Prairie Network

by Glenda Buenger, with the help of several who were there

The hour was late, the room was hot, the meeting ran long and prairie

people were tired after an already-full day. But the 12th North American

Prairie

Conference, held in Cedar Falls at UNI in August 1990, had gathered a

critical

mass of Iowa prairie enthusiasts whose hearts and minds hankered for an

organization that would enable them to connect with and help each other. Some

them already knew one another, or knew of each other. Some of them knew

hardly

anybody. But some 50 people attended two such meetings at the 12th NAPC and,

midwived by Cindy Hildebrand and Pauline Drobney, the Iowa Prairie Network was

born.

Prior to the conference, Cindy had mailed out a 4-page informational

letter describing some ideas that could be discussed at a meeting of "Iowa

prairie and savanna advocates." These included topics such as prairie

reconstructions and restorations, use of local ecotype seed, management of

prairies and savannas, and protection of our endangered prairie heritage. At

the

UNI meetings, Iowa prairie people listened as

representatives from the Southwest Wisconsin Prairie Enthusiasts and the

Missouri Prairie Foundation described their organizations. Meeting attendees

decided not to focus on land acquisition since the Iowa

Nature Conservancy and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation both acquire to

protect. They focused on creating an information network in order “to learn

about, teach about, enjoy and protect Iowa’s prairie heritage.” Martha

Skillman

says, “Most of us know whether we’re ‘conceiving a child’ or not” and

commented

on the powerful feeling of joy and hope that was shared during those hot,

late

meetings. Trish Patrick comments, “People wanted this (organization) to

happen

so much, that we felt it would eventually, we didn't think it would so soon!

There was just so much energy and excitement about starting a network, because

so many people that were interested in prairie were together in the same

place.

After the two initial meetings during the 12th NAPC in Cedar Falls,

Cindy made another mailing which included a questionnaire and a call to attend

September meeting at the State Forest Nursery in Ames. IPN could serve a

number

of functions: provide information on prairie events, put local prairie people

touch with each other, provide information on prairie restoration, host field

trips and work days, and advocate public policy to help Iowa

prairies, among others. IPN would have both a statewide and regional

structure.

The first (1990 - 1991) Regional Coordinators were:

Region:

1 - Dianne Blankenship

2 - Joel Hanes, Treasurer

3 - Pauline Drobney, President, Mary Norton, Secretary, and Carole

Kern,

who had started a local prairie network in NE Iowa just before the 12th NAPC

4 - Glenn Pollock

5 - Cindy Hildebrand, Joyce Hornstein, and Trish Patrick

6 - Gene Kromray, Vice-President

7 - Phyllis Kiburz

The Regional Coordinators were to spread word about the newly-formed

Iowa Prairie Network, and the following year (1991 - 1992) saw several of

these

same dedicated volunteers serving on the first formal IPN Board:

Region:

1 - Dianne Blankenship (Secretary/Newsletter)

2 - Joel Hanes (Treasurer) and Gordon Prins

3 - Pauline Drobney (President) and Carole Kern

4 - Glenn Pollock

5 - Trish Patrick and Dick Van Deusen

6 - Gene Kromray (Vice-President)

7 - Phyllis Kiburz and Margrieta Delle

About this time, Pauline’s prairie knowledge and midwifery skills were

hired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service for a project which some of us still sometimes call Walnut Creek

(later

re-named the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge and Prairie Learning Center).

Gene Kromray became President. He recalls dealing with the dry work of

formulating by-laws while keeping nearly a dozen individuals, eager to share

their experiences and

knowledge, focused on a common goal, to establish a functioning organization.

Gene initiated the system still used for Board meetings: the President

solicits

agenda items from Board members, compiles an agenda, and distributes it to

Board members prior to the upcoming meeting.

Gene recalls observing the 1995 Annual Meeting in Red Oak (hosted by

IPN

Region 4) and commenting to Pauline, who agreed: “You know, this is kinda what

we had in mind - get a bunch of people with similar interests and get them in

the same place and let ‘em do their thing,” which is what IPN is busy doing

now

as then. With a current membership of 573, IPN focuses on learning and

teaching

about Iowa’s native prairie landscape in order to preserve and protect our

prairie heritage for our own spirits, for those who were here before us, and

for

those who will be here after us.

IPN returned to UNI for its first Annual Meeting, held in July 1991

during the Iowa Prairie Conference. IPN’s logo was designed by Linn Reece of

Fort Dodge in 1992.

*********************************************************

PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE BY-LAWS

By Casey Kohrt

At the annual meeting, it will be proposed that we amend the by-laws to

enable the officers (President, VP, Secretary, Treaserer) to be selected from

the Members, and not just the Board of Directors. Show up at the meeting and

vote on the proposal. It is hoped to be more involvement from the membership.

*********************************************************

IPN Silent Auction

by Glenda Buenger and Cindy Hildebrand

IPN will sponsor a silent auction Monday, July 17 at the North

American

Prairie Conference in Mason City. Donations for the auction are needed and

will

be much appreciated. Items small and large, from caps to art prints, are

welcome.

Proceeds will be donated to the Iowa Nature Conservancy to help pay

for

the purchase of the

Lineberry Tract, part of the Conservancyâ€™s Broken Kettle Grasslands Preserve

in Iowa's Loess Hills. The

600-acre Lineberry tract, located in Plymouth County, is a major part of this

high-quality natural area.

At over 2000 acres, the Broken Kettle Preserve is the largest prairie

remnant known in Iowa. An additional 1100 acres of privately-owned land

adjacent

to the Lineberry Tract is protected through a conservation easement with the

Knapp Family. Larger habitat areas can support more species of plants and

animals, and are more likely to survive natural and man-made disasters.

Iowaâ€™s Loess Hills, located along the Missouri River, are a

200-mile-long land form created by wind-blown silt.Â Often reaching over 200

feet in depth, they are rivaled only by China's loess hills along the Yangtze

River. Loess Hills prairies are unique because they provide habitat to many

plant and animal species that typically live much further west.Â Broken

Kettle

is home to the most eastern population of the prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus

viridis) in the United States.

Until recently, the rugged terrain of the Hills held off development

and

conversion to row crops. Today, development, fill dirt mining, and lack of

management threaten the Hills. Broken Kettle Grasslands Preserve secures a

handsome chunk of our Loess Hills from these threats, while benefiting the

local

economy via cooperative grazing agreements.

For more information about the Lineberry Tract, Broken Kettle

Grasslands, or the Iowa Nature Conservancy, please call the Iowa Field Office

515-244-5044, or log onto their web site at www.tnc.org/iowa.

For more information about the Silent Auction or to donate items,

please.contact Sue Irving at 515-828-7839, at irving@harenet.net, or at 1308

160th Avenue, Knoxville, IA 50318. Items can be hand-carried or otherwise

conveyed to the Conference by Monday morning.

Letting Sue know ahead of time what items you intend to donate will be

much appreciated. But last-minute donations will also be very welcome, as will

solicited donations from businesses, friends, and other prairie supporters. We

hope the silent auction will be fun, as well as beneficial to this special

prairie. Thank you in advance for any help you can give!

International Carbon Conference Set for August 29-31 in Des Moines, Iowa

by Laura Greiner

Farmers, conservationists, carbon management researchers and policy

makers will want to attend the upcoming carbon sequestration conference set

for

August 29-31 at the Polk County Convention Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

Highlights of the three-day conference, Carbon: Exploring the Benefits

to Farmers and Society, include presentations from 30 highly-acclaimed

speakers,

more than 50 poster presentations and many opportunities to

network with national policy makers, scientists and others.

Topics to be addressed during the comprehensive program include:

- What is carbon worth environmentally, economically and agronomically

- What do we know about carbon management and sequestration and other

green house gas mitigation measures

- How to manage carbon on agricultural land

- How carbon credit trading might work

- What’s next

“This is a very timely conference to discuss carbon issues,” said

Pearlie

S. Reed, chief of the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and a

speaker at the conference. “It is also comprehensive‹focusing on the science,

policy and management of carbon, including bioenergy production.

Other speakers include: James Bruce, Canadian Policy Representative,

Soil and Water Conservation Society, Ottawa, Ontario; Jerry Hatfield,

Laboratory

Director, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, National Soil Tilth Laboratory;

Jim Kinsella, Illinois farmer and Rattan Lal, professor of soil science, Ohio

State University.

Registrations are due Aug. 8 and cost $200 per person. After Aug. 8,

registration fees are $225 per person. Complete details about the conference

can

be found at www.cvrcd.org/carbon.htm. Or you may call Alice Vinsand,

conference

coordinator, at 515/225-1051 or 800/264-1084.

Conference sponsors include: Chariton Valley RC&D, Iowa Chapter of the

Soil and Water Conservation Society, Iowa Department of Natural Resources,

Iowa

Division of Soil Conservation, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa Heartland

RC&D, Iowa State University, Iowa Valley RC&D, Leopold Center, Monsanto,

National Association of Conservation Districts, Oak Ridge Laboratory, USDA

Agricultural Research Service National Soil Tilth Laboratory, U.S. Department

Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, USDA Natural Resource

Conservation

Service.

Highlights of April 8, 2000 IPN Board Meeting

submitted by Glenda Buenger, IPN Secretary

Present: Dave Hansen (Region 2); Erma Selser, Trish Patrick, Cindy

Hildebrand, Jim Nedtwig (Region 5); Glenda Buenger, Sue Irving, Pam White

(Region 6); Don Bardole, Casey Kohrt (Region 7).

Regional Reports were brief; the Board delved into agenda items:

Membership/Treasurer’s Report: 573 membership includes all who have

paid dues within last 2 years. Non-paid members are archived. Treasury: we

will start fresh with current account balance, $8,829.29 with current

newsletter

costs paid; archive old treasury records.

Expenditures approved: Iowa Valley RC&D, $250.00 to help sponsor sedge

i.d. class. Pheasants Forever/Izaak Walton League, $300.00 to help purchase

Emmett Co. fen.

Change in dues-paying year: Cindy moves, Glenda seconds to make

membership dues on calendar year basis for year dues are paid in, except for

new

members joining at the Annual Meeting, who will be paid for the upcoming year.

Approved.

Economic study: As a result of discussions during last March’s Board

retreat, Jim contacted the Iowa Dep’t. of Cultural Affairs, which led to a

contact with Dave Swenson, ISU, who offered to do an economic study free of

charge. Objective analysis only; results must be used ethically. Board

members

feel that promoting prairie will be enabled by facts supporting prairie’s

economic benefits. Other prairie-related projects such as IDNR’s Division of

Forestry and Prairie, or advocating prairie-related issues in the Iowa

Legislature, might also utilize the results of such a study. Dave moves,

Cindy

seconds to pursue the study; approved. Jim will be the coordinator. Forward

all ideas to Jim for consultation with Dave Swenson; then we can make

information-gathering assignments. Membership, please contact your regional

Board members with any and all ideas concerning possible

economic benefits of prairie (soil erosion, water quality benefits, reduced

maintenance costs, tourism, etc.) or information-gathering strategies.

NAPC, silent auction: Sue moves, Glenda seconds to donate silent

auction proceeds to The Nature Conservancy for purchase of Loess Hills

Lineberry Tract. Approved. (See related article this issue.)

IPN Annual Meeting: After some discussion regarding various options, Glenda

moves, Dave seconds to hold IPN’s Annual Meeting during NAPC. Approved. (See