Illinois Pioneer Cemetery Prairies
Mennonite Church of Normal, 805 S Cottage Ave, Normal, IL, 61761 Map
Live Stream Available
Public Welcome Limited Access Recording Free Event Chapter Meeting Program/Speaker Presentation Wheelchair Accessible Public Restroom Free Public Parking Drinking Fountains
Despite being called "The Prairie State" Illinois has very little pristine prairie remaining. A majority of the highly productive black soil prairie has been converted to agricultural uses. Many small high-quality examples currently exist in pioneer cemetery prairies and some are protected as Illinois Nature Preserves. Learn about this priceless component of Illinois' natural heritage during this program by botanist Chris Benda.
Presenter Bio: Chris Benda is a botanist and past president of the Illinois Native Plant Society (2015-2016). Currently, he works as a Researcher at Southern Illinois University, where he coordinates the Plants of Concern Southern Illinois Program and teaches The Flora of Southern Illinois. Besides working at SIU, he conducts botanical fieldwork around the world and is an accomplished photographer and author of several publications about natural areas in Illinois. He is also known as Illinois Botanizer and can be reached by email at [email protected].
Note: This program will also be live-streamed. Use this LINK to join the live-stream.