Prairie Restoration in Kempton, Illinoia
Mennonite Church of Normal, 805 S Cottage Ave, Normal, IL, 61761 Map
Live Stream Available
Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation Wheelchair Accessible Public Restroom Free Public Parking Drinking Fountains
Note: This program will also be livestreamed and recorded. A link to join the livestream will be provided here closer to the program date.
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Don Gardner was always curious about the prairie plants he found along the railroad and at remnant sites around his childhood home at a small dairy farm in Kempton, IL. In 1974 he began to the reconstruction of a prairie in the former cow pasture, and it has flourished over the last 50 years to now host around 140 species of native plants, all from within 100 miles. Don's careful approach to prairie reconstruction and intensive management of the site have resulted in a remarkably high quality and colorful prairie. Join us as we explore methods of establishing and maintaining a rich local prairie and look at some of the current projects and challenges at the site.
Speaker Bio:
Scott Saffer fights invasive plants and helps manage Don Gardner's prairie in Kempton, IL. He grew up wandering the woods around Moraine View State Park, fishing local creeks and lakes, and exploring Weston Prairie Cemetery. After years of teaching science on Indian reservations in Arizona and New Mexico, he returned to teach in Central Illinois, retiring this year. Along the way he worked on various research projects for the U.S. Forest Service, Centers for Disease Control, University of New Mexico Museum of Southwestern Biology, and Illinois Natural History Survey. He's done field work on topics including rodents, Hantavirus, prairies, amphibians and reptiles, birds, and insects. Currently he's learning the intricacies of tending the prairie from Don Gardner, and working with his students on a muti-year research project reintroducing prairie cicadas to the site.