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The article discusses the importance of considering public perception in ecological restoration projects. While restoration ecologists typically focus on enhancing the ecological health of an area, positive public perception can lead to increased support and funding for post-planting management. Projects that combine beauty and ecological richness can generate enthusiasm and funding for future projects. By arranging plants in visually and experientially pleasing ways, public perception can be improved without compromising the ecological value of the project. The article also explores the use of planting methodology and management practices to create coherence, legibility, complexity, and mystery in landscapes, which can further enhance public perception. [Extracted from the article]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is a primary manager of federal public lands in the northern Great Plains region, with over 400,000 hectares (ha) of mostly grassland and wetland administered under the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS). More specifically, the Service manages > 100,000 ha of mixed-grass and tallgrass prairie in northern Great Plains states. Prairies range from small, isolated < 16-ha tracts embedded in agricultural landscapes to > 10,000-ha contiguous tracts embedded within grassland-dominated landscapes. The mission of the NWRS is uniquely wildlife/wildland oriented, with human uses secondary in importance. As such, the expectation is that natural plant communities occur as relatively high-quality habitats. Grant et al. (2009) explored this expectation, concluding that "Despite 40–70 years of protection, the integrity of many prairies held in public trust continues to decline, primarily because of invasion by cool-season, introduced plants and woody vegetation." To address this concern, the Service proposed a program to evaluate restoration of Service-owned prairies following principles of adaptive management, including a decision support function. Our purpose in this paper is to update 14 years of development and implementation of the Native Prairie Adaptive Management (NPAM) program. We confirmed that Service-owned prairies continue to be degraded by invasive plants, especially Bromus inermis (smooth brome) and Poa pratensis (Kentucky bluegrass). However, NPAM has facilitated a significant gain in our understanding of ecological restoration and management of prairies in the region, increasing hope that restoration successes can occur when viewed over the long-term (i.e. many decades). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 2.5 million hectares have been impacted by coal mining in the Appalachian region of the United States. Revegetation to forested cover is a desirable post-mining land use but is often impractical given the challenges of reforestation on abandoned coal mines. Considering a prospective pollination crisis and the potential value of habitat restoration for pollinators, prairie restoration on mine lands offers a practical restoration option. We tested the effect of native prairie restoration in comparison to traditional reclamation with non-native cool-season grassland on pollinator richness, diversity, and community structure at three mined sites in southeastern Ohio. Rather than treatment level effects, we found correlations between overall floral and pollinator richness and beta diversity, as well as varied pollinator diversity and distinct community composition by month. Therefore, judicious design of prairie restoration seed mixes could increase floral diversity and provide across-season forage for pollinators in post-mining landscapes. Our findings also suggest, by the presence of several specialist/uncommon pollinators, that prairie restorations on coal mines can provide habitat for at-risk pollinators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restorations change across the growing season. Because of this, the point in the season that a restoration is sampled may affect the conclusions reached based on the sample. In this study, we explore seasonal changes in a prairie restoration experiment in eastern Kansas and investigate how these changes affect observed composition, biodiversity, and the effects of seeding density treatment on the plant community based on when, and how completely, vegetation is sampled. Free State Prairie was established in 2014 to test the effects of forb seeding density on forb establishment, diversity, and restoration success. We compared absolute cover data collected in early June and early September 2019 to each other and to combined data. We found changes in both composition and biodiversity from early-to-late in the season. Sown forbs decreased in cover and richness, while sown grasses increased in cover and richness. Nonsown species did not change in cover but decreased in richness. Neither individual sample fully represented the overall composition or biodiversity of the community. We detected a significant negative effect of forb seeding density on diversity in June, and with combined data, but not in September. As sampling time can affect both broad patterns of composition and diversity and observed results of establishment and management techniques, sampling multiple times in a year will provide the fullest and most accurate picture of the community. When multiple samples are impractical, sampling time should be selected carefully based on the phenology of the restoration and the variables of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The midwestern United States has a well-developed native plant industry with a wide variety of native seed mixes available to buyers, often for the purpose of ecological restoration. Despite the influence of seed mixes on site-level restoration outcomes, there has yet to be a comprehensive overview of seed mixes available in the Midwest. We characterized seed mix composition by analyzing a database of 1,031 commercially available native seed mixes. Our objectives were: 1) to describe the major types of seed mixes; 2) compare basic ecological characteristics of the seed mix types, including species richness, relative weights of graminoids, species' wetland fidelities, and the blooming phenology of forbs; and 3) identify popular or "workhorse" species—species that are frequently and abundantly used in restorations. We identified six major types of seed mixes reflecting different habitat targets and soil moisture conditions: pollinator habitat, tallgrass prairie, wetland, wet prairie, dry prairie, and woodland/savanna mixes. Species richness was generally greatest for wetland mixes, whereas tallgrass prairie mixes were the most species-poor. Percent of seed mix weight which was graminoids was highest in tallgrass prairie mixes, whereas it was low in pollinator habitat mixes. The species composition of the mixes reflected a moisture gradient in the field from wetlands to dry prairies. Despite their infrequency, woodland/savanna mixes were distinct because they had many unique species, and the blooming phenology was markedly different due to the presence of earlier-flowering forbs. Popular species in midwestern seed mixes were generalist prairie species with inexpensive seed, including dominant C4 grasses and early successional, showy forbs. This study is a descriptive overview of the current state of native seed mixes in the Midwest and suggests that most mixes consist of standard components of target communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the use of a restored prairie/wetland complex, the Granville Schools Land Lab (GSLL), by Thamnophis sirtalis (Eastern garter snake) and small mammals (Peromyscus spp. The loss of grassland and prairie habitats in the agricultural midwestern United States has likely had a negative effect on snake species. Often small mammal communities show a shift in species abundance with shifts from Peromyscus spp. early in restoration to those with B. brevicauda and M. pennsylvanicus as the grassland develops ([17], [16], [15]). Grasslands around the world have greatly decreased due to anthropogenic modifications and activities, including those in North America ([10], [5]). [Extracted from the article]

Invasive species, including the non-native forb Centaurea stoebe (spotted knapweed), constitute a threat to degraded and restored native prairies. Considering the threat that C. stoebe poses to prairie ecosystems, we examined the effectiveness of fire as a control for C. stoebe and (±)-catechin, a known allelopathic compound. We conducted an experiment in a reconstructed tallgrass prairie community at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute in Barry County, Michigan starting in May 2016. Our experiment consisted of individually burning 60 1-m² plots with a propane torch to achieve high (316°C) and low (103°C) temperatures across spring and summer seasons over two years, then planting and seeding six native prairie plant species to monitor their establishment after burning. We compared the effects of the different burn treatments on the plant community by estimating percent cover and biomass of all species within each plot in August 2017. We also examined the effects of the simulated burn treatments on soil (±)-catechin levels, which we quantified using High Performance Liquid Chromatography. Centaurea stoebe was less dominant in burned plots than unburned plots, with summer-burned plots having the lowest biomass and cover. Differences in burn temperature failed to produce significantly different results. Planted native grasses increased more after spring burns than after summer burns. Preliminary findings suggest that high-temperature spring burns may indirectly reduce soil (±)-catechin levels. Overall, these results indicate that prescribed burning is an effective tool for controlling C. stoebe and promoting native species establishment in restored tallgrass prairies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diversity metrics are used to compare sites and to track trends within sites. Many metrics have been proposed, from simple species counts to complex indices like the Floristic Quality Index (FQI). Using a large dataset (n = 452 quadrats) from high-quality remnant prairie, degraded remnant prairie, and restoration sites, we examined correlations among ten diversity metrics and explored which metrics provide useful information about trends and differences among site types. We also created a conservatism list for 492 plant species of the Texas Blackland Prairie. Shannon diversity, Simpson diversity, and FQI were strongly correlated with species richness (r2 > 0.53). Average conservatism varied greatly at low levels of richness and less at high levels of richness. This metric, which is usually considered to be independent of sample area, should be used with caution in sites with low richness. When assessing change in high-quality remnant prairie plots, native species richness increased the most. Average conservatism changed little, because an increase in specialist species (coefficient of conservatism ≥ 7) was matched by an increase in generalist forbs (coefficients 4–6). FQI increased, driven by changes in species richness rather than conservatism. When comparing site types, only FQI differed among all three site types; average conservatism and the number of specialist species also differed between remnant and restoration sites. We recommend using the number of specialist species and native species richness to examine trends within a site. For differences among sites, we recommend the number of specialist species, average conservatism, or FQI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision Prairie Reconstruction (PPR) is a site-specific application for enhancing native species richness (specifically native forbs) in old fields dominated by exotic grass species. The method consists of establishing native grasses and native forbs in micro-communities in an existing grass matrix. The micro-communities are constructed by broadcast seeding small-scale disturbances (8 m2 in size) installed over a given percentage of the site (5%, 25%, or 50%). Here we compared results from PPR treatments with two standard restoration techniques: herbicide application/drill-seeding (H&D) and rototill/broadcast seeding (R&B). In year 15 of the experiment, the 25% PPR had higher native forb density (27 plants m–2) and seeded forb density (16 plants m–2) than the other treatments with their corresponding averages of 10 plants m–2 and 4 plants m–2 respectively. Implementation cost of the 25% PPR treatment was approximately 1/3 of the traditional treatment costs in terms of seed purchase, cultivation, and seeding. Average results across 15 years showed the 25% PPR and R&B treatments were statistically similar in terms of total species richness (22 species), seeded forb richness (8 species), and seeded-forb-richness stability, measured by coefficient of variation (CV of 0.4, where high CV equals low stability). The other treatments were significantly different with corresponding averages: total species richness of 16, seeded forb richness of 3, CV of 0.97. After a 15-year field experiment, we are confident that the PPR technique offers an innovative, cost effective approach for increasing native forb diversity and stability in old fields dominated by exotic grass species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outcomes of prairie reconstructions are subject to both unpredictability and complexity. Prairie, tallgrass, and mixed grass reconstruction is defined as the planting of a native herbaceous seed mixture composed of multiple prairie species (10 or more) in an area where the land has been heavily cultivated or anthropogenically disturbed. Because of the unpredictability and complexity inherent in reconstructions, some outcomes end up being failures dominated by exotic species. We propose that these failures follow a fat-tailed distribution as found in other complex systems. Fat-tailed distributions follow the Pareto principle, where 80% of the time reconstructions work as expected but 20% of the time they are surprising and far from the typical response. Therefore, we suggest managers be informed that reconstruction failures follow fat-tailed distributions as opposed to assuming reconstructions are simple and predictable with few failures. Once managers realize failures are inherent in reconstructions, resources can be allocated to more effective methods of dealing with failures rather than working to perfect the predictability of reconstructions. We suggest implementing adaptive management, especially where unpredictability is high, as a way to learn from failures. Combining learning from adaptive management with a reconstruction design process, in which goals and constraints are iteratively adjusted, can be a way to deal with failures and develop better outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the key role played by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in the effective restoration of tall grass prairie in North America. Also cited are the symbiotic relationship between the AM fungi and terrestrial plants, the AM fungal community composition along a restoration chronosequence, and the endemic plants planted to the restored sites like Rudbeckia hirta (black-eyed Susan), Quercus rubra (red oak), and Artemisia spp., Panicum virgatum (switch grass).

Native grassland restorations are often unsuccessful as a consequence of unreliable seed sources and competition from weeds and agronomic species. To improve on conventional approaches, we tested whether native hay can be used as a seed source for restoring native mixedgrass prairie on oil and gas well sites and associated disturbed areas. We also assessed the recovery of grassland that had been cut to harvest native hay. We assessed three wellsites seeded with native hay seven years earlier to evaluate longer term recovery, and they showed significant similarity to controls in adjacent grassland. Additionally, in 2012, five wellsites and an access road were seeded with native hay cut from grassland close to the sites. Grassland cut for native hay recovered within one year, showing similar species composition. In the second year, native hay restored wellsites had significant weedy annual cover; nevertheless, native grasses and forbs germinated, particularly needle grasses, wheatgrasses, and bluegrasses. Three of the native hay restored wellsites were sprayed with a non-selective herbicide in the third year; however, the remaining sites showed good recovery in the third year, with native grasses replacing most of the original weedy species. Collectively, results from this research suggest seeding from native hay is a successful and sustainable technique for restoring native vegetation cover and diversity on industrial disturbances in native grasslands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the assessment of clopyralid and additives for the perennial legume coronilla varia (crown vetch) suppression in a remnant prairie in Wisconsin. Also cited are the ways in which coronilla varia propagates like vegetative expansion via rhizomes, crown buds, and root-splitting, the clonal expansion capability of the legume, as well as its cellular anatomy.

The article presents abstracts on medical restoration topics which include the use of principal response curves, impacts of mulch on prairie seedling establishment and restoration of a megaherbivore.

Invasive species frequently need to be controlled as part of efforts to reestablish native species on degraded sites. While the effectiveness of differing control methods are often reported, the impacts these methods have on the establishment of a native plant community are often unknown. To determine methods that effectively reduce spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) while enhancing native species establishment, we tested 12 treatment combinations consisting of an initial site preparation (mowing, mowing + clopyralid, or mowing + giyphosate), in factorial combination with annual adult knapweed hand pulling and/or burning. We established 48 plots and applied site preparation treatments during summer 2008, seeded 23 native forbs and grasses during spring 2009, pulled adult knapweed annually from 2009-2012, and burned in the early spring 2012. During July of 2011 and 2012, percent cover of all species was visually estimated. By 2011, seeded species had established in all treatment plots, including plots that retained greater than 50% knapweed cover, indicating that native species successfully established despite knapweed dominance. Mowing alone had no longterm impacts on community development. Clopyralid favored non-native grass establishment, while giyphosate encouraged non-native forbs. Clopyralid had minimal impacts on native forb establishment, but did effectively control knapweed. Pulling reduced knapweed cover, increased non-native grass cover and enhanced native species establishment. Burning had little impact, possibly due to low intensity and unseasonable weather. On the heavily invaded site we studied, combining the use of clopyralid with hand pulling effectively controlled knapweed and favored the establishment of seeded native grasses and forbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prairie remnants often serve as targets for restoration despite little knowledge of how they have altered over the past +150 years due to changes in the biotic and abiotic environment including suppression of fire, increased inputs of exogenous nitrogen, extirpation of bison, climate warming associated with the mid-19th century termination of the 'Little Ice Age' and 20th century anthropogenic forcing, and invasive introduced species. In this paper I assess the utility of prairie remnants as targets for restoration and management of prairies by examining compositional change of native plants in western Minnesota over the past ∼170 years. This analysis is made possible by the recent discovery of an unpublished manuscript by Charles A. Geyer as well as the relocation of 100s of herbarium specimens collected by Geyer. Geyer was a botanist with the 1838-1839 expeditions of J.N. Nicollet in western Minnesota and the eastern Dakotas. Comparison of the Geyer data with modern lists taken from the Natural Heritage Information System Relevé Database indicates that there has been surprisingly little change in composition of native species. This suggests that, in the aggregate, remnants retain much of their original flora and provide a good target for prairie restoration and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study concerning the impact of initial site treatment on the survivability of fescue at the Union Bay Natural Area (UBNA) in Seattle, Washington. It states that UBNA is being managed by the University of Washington Botanic Gardens as a public green space of grasslands, wetlands and forests. It outlines the preparation techniques used for the site treatment which include herbicide and till, remove vegetation and control.

Invasive plants, especially non-native perennial grasses, are a critical threat to remnant prairies and oak savannas in the Pacific Northwest. Managers must control non-native plants without adversely impacting native species in fragmented prairie remnants. We describe results of a collaborative experiment replicated at 10 sites along a 500 km latitudinal gradient. Our objectives were to develop and test treatment combinations that reduce target non-native weeds with minimal nontarget impacts and increase native species diversity and abundance. By replicating experiments across the ecoregion, we tested strategies for widespread applicability. We compared four different combinations of seed addition and disturbance treatments comprising herbicide (sethoxydim and glyphosate), fire, and mowing. Each combination was created to target various factors likely to limit restoration in this system, including invasive species, litter accumulation, and limited dispersal of native species. After three years, the treatment combinations varied widely in their effectiveness. The most disturbance-intensive treatment combination (joint application of sethoxydim, burning, and posthre glyphosate) led to reduced abundance of non-native grasses and forbs without causing a decline in native species. Sethoxydim combined with fall mowing reduced non-native grasses, caused no change in non-native forbs, and increased total cover of native plants. In all cases, disturbance treatments reduced non-native cover to varying degrees but had no positive impact on native diversity except when seeds were added. Our results show that a combined treatment approach employing a variety of strategies codesigned by managers and ecologists is an efficient and effective way to improve degraded grasslands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the northern Great Plains, native prairies managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) can be pivotal in conservation of North America's biological diversity. From 2002 to 2006, we surveyed 7,338 belt transects to assess the general composition of mixed-grass and tallgrass prairie vegetation across five "complexes" (i.e., administrative groupings) of national wildlife refuges managed by the Service in North Dakota and South Dakota. Native grasses and forbs were common (mean frequency of occurrence 47%-54%) on two complexes but uncommon (4%-I 3%) on two others. Conversely, an introduced species of grass, smooth brome (Bromus inermis), accounted for 45% to 49% of vegetation on two complexes and another species, Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) accounted for 27% to 36% of the vegetation on three of the complexes. Our data confirm prior suspicions of widespread invasion by introduced species of plants on Service-owned tracts of native prairie, changes that likely stem in part from a common management history of little or no disturbance (e.g., defoliation by grazing or fire). However, variability in the degree and type of invasion among prairie tracts suggests that knowledge of underlying causes (e.g., edaphic or climatic factors, management histories) could help managers more effectively restore prairies. We describe an adaptive management approach to acquire such knowledge while progressing with restoration. More specifically, we propose to use data from inventories of plant communities on Service-owned prairies to design and implement, as experiments, optimal restoration strategies. We will then monitor these experiments and use the results to refine future strategies. This comprehensive, process-oriented approach should yield reliable and robust recommendations for restoration and maintenance of native prairies in the northern Great Plains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's experience in visiting the Wolf Road Prairie.

The article presents abstracts related to control of pest species. They include "Burning and Grazing Regime Decimates Quaking Aspen in a Northern Mixed-grass Prairie (North Dakota)," by Karen A. Smith, "Can Ultrasound Eradicate Water Chestnut? (New York)," by Mei-Yin Wu, and "Hawaii Fights Coqui Frog, Other Species."

We conducted a floristic ordination and gradient analysis of plant communities extending from prairie through graminoid-dominated wetlands in the Chicago region of northeastern Illinois. Data represented about 450 species from 103 stands sampled across a gradient of six soil moisture classes ranging from dry to hydric, and included sand, gravel, dolomite, and loam prairies as well as fen, sedge meadow, floating mat, marsh, and bog. As found in other Midwestern grassland studies, vegetation aligned most strongly along a soil moisture gradient with individualistic species distributions forming a hierarchical continuum, and lower species richness at the dry and wet extremes of the moisture gradient. Most species were infrequent, with about 70 percent occurring at less than 20-percent frequency and present in less than five communities. Species that were more frequent within communities were also more widespread among communities, fitting the niche-based model of species distribution. Moreover, less than 20 percent of all species sampled were significant indicators of soil moisture gradient classes, with most representing mesic and hydric habitats. Dominant prairie grasses extended from dry to wet habitats, merging with wetland species in graminoid fen, calcareous seep and sedge meadow habitats. Hydric habitat, represented by calcareous floating mat, marsh and bog, had fewer dominant prairie species and was dominated by a wetland flora. These results provide compositional and structural models for managing and restoring vegetation across the prairie-wetland vegetation gradient of the Chicago region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The silphium borer moth (Papaipema silphii), a rare endemic insect in midwestern prairies, completes one life cycle per year and has a short dispersal distance. The moth eggs are presumably laid in the duff near host Silphium plants. Silphium species distributions are primarily restricted to fragmented prairie patches, commonly in upland habitats that can burn more intensely than lowland patches. Thus, these moths must cope with existence in a fire-prone environment. Currently, there is controversy regarding how prescribed fire affects the sustainability of prairie invertebrate populations. We counted larval densities of silphium borer moths within thirty-four 0.1-ha plots in three isolated southern Wisconsin prairies with different burn patterns. The median density of larvae was significantly lower in the rotationally burned prairie than in one of the prairies that has been repeatedly burned edge-to-edge. Larval densities did not differ significantly between recently burned and recently unburned plots. These findings suggest that prescribed fires are not endangering the silphium borer moth, regardless of burn method, at least at these three sites. However, more studies at more locations are needed. We still recommend burning only two-thirds of isolated prairies every year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on research papers related to wildlife habitat. The paper "Creation Times and Costs for Five Tree-based Wildlife Cavity Structures (California)," by Christopher R. Keyes, David A. Jaramillo and Branden M. Woolley determines the amount of time and costs spent to create five types of tree-derived wildlife cavity structures to assess the feasibility of incorporating this element of forest restoration into a framework of active forest management. The paper "Fire History Effects on Dakota Skipper Occurrence and Habitat (North Dakota)," by Robert K. Murphy, Andi S. Rogers and Larry Lystad explores the occurrence of Dakota skipper and its key habitat elements in relation to prescribed fire history at Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge, a mixed-grass prairie in northwestern North Dakota. The paper "Pastures for Upland Birds: Landowner Incentive Program Restores Native Species in Bermudagrass Pastures (Texas)," by Matt Wagner, Fred Smeins and Brian Hays finds cost-effective strategies for establishing and managing native grasses and forbs in Bermudagrass pastures.

This article presents several articles related to environment. One of the article was "Effects of Habitat Fragmentation on the Bee (1-fyinenoptera: Apoidea) Diversity and Reproduction of Amorpha Canescens Pursh. (Leadplant, Fabaceae)" by M. Slagle,of the Dept. of Biological Sciences, Uni- versity of Iowa. Slagle collected bees and fruits of leadplant on different-sized prairie preserves in Iowa and southern Minnesota to study the effects of habi- tat fragmentanon on bees and bee-pollinated plants She found that fruit set was increased with the number of bees present while the size of the prairie had little effect. Another article was "Bees on Missouri Prairies," by M. Arduser. Arduser discusses inventories of bee diversity in Missouri prairies. He states that of the 200 or more species of bees known to exist on Missouri prairies.

Focuses on the analytical tools used to compare a restored prairie with a remnant in Ohio. Use of multiple analyses to determine ways to improve floral diversity of 27-year-old prairie planting; Establishment of the Marion Campus Prairie Project with local species and genotypes; Description of the Claridon Railroad Prairie linear remnant site.

Focuses on the use of the belt transect method to monitor native prairie vegetation in North America. Decline in prairies due to conversion to other land uses, proliferation of woody vegetation and invasion by exotic plant species; Importance of appropriate stewardship of the remaining prairies to preserve their native biodiversity; Classification of vegetation according to a hierarchical breakdown of plant groups.

Presents a case study of the restoration of prairie ecosystems in the Olympic National Park and the surrounding region of the Olympic Peninsula using Native American traditional ecological knowledge and practices. Background on a major factor connected with the decline of prairies throughout the West; Importance of Pacific northwest prairie ecosystems to biocultural diversity conservation; Information on the creation of prairie ecosystems through natural and cultural processes.

Presents abstracts of several studies on pest species control. "Mesquite: Pariah or Opportunity for Tallgrass Prairie Restoration?" by Dwight Barry, Tami Barry, Thaddeus Haas and Tommy Taylor; "Voles and Cattle: Manipulating Herbivores to Control Invasive Shrubs on Rangeland," by Dennis M. Bramble and Jean C. Bramble; "Invasive Brook Trout Jeopardize Restoration of Native Greenback Cutthroat Trout in the Rocky Mountains," by . McGrath and W.M. Lewis, Jr.

Describes a theoretical model in the construction of a prairie-like community in Kansas that allows to understand how natural viability influences the ability to produce a desired restoration outcome. Information on theoretical models of variability; Discussion on Markov-set chain models; Importance of variability thresholds.

Provides information on topics related to tallgrass prairie insect restoration that were discussed at the 11th Annual Prairie Invertebrate Conference in Decorah, Iowa. Results of the restoration of the ground beetle Carabidae in remnant and reconstructed tallgrass prairies in Iowa; Observations on the behavior of soldier beetles in Wisconsin; Analyses of prairie insect surveys in Illinois.

Presents a study that assessed the effects of land-use treatments on the structural characteristics of tallgrass prairie under both private and public ownership in eastern South Dakota. Study sites; Methods; Vegetation height-density.

Presents a study that analyzed the success of the restorations at Green Oaks by comparing the restored prairies with nearby prairie remnants. Tallgrass prairie restoration at Green Oaks, Illinois; Study sites; Data collection.

Presents several abstracts of articles on ecological restoration. `The Camas Prairie Restoration Project Re-establishes an Indigenous Cultural Landscape,' by Alice C. Smith and Tony Farque; `Soil From Host Plants Aids Growth of Tropical Forest Tree Cuttings,' by Daouda K. Sidibe and Shivcharn S. Dhillion; `Regeneration of Native California Oaks on Hardwood Rangelands,' by D.D. McCreary.

Outlines concerns and offer an alternative way in designing seed mixes for prairie restorations. Analysis on the prairie matrix theory; Advice in designing and planting for diversity; Discussion on the dilemma with prairie plantings.

Presents information on a study which described the relationship between grazing and species diversity on grasslands and tallgrass prairies. Role of fire in the restoration and management of tallgrass prairies; Plant species in tallgrass prairies; Benefits and challenges of managed grazing; Effect of mowing and grazing on plant species composition.

The article presents a study which investigates the significance of carbon amendments in the restoration of the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Will County, Illinois. It examines the impact of carbon amendments on the carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio in soil. It states that carbon amendments involves adding organic matter to the soil enabling microbes to accumulate nitrogen which reduces weed growth.

The article presents a study on seed viability of forage plants from grazed and ungrazed prairies in Illinois. The seed samples of three grass species were collected from sites intensively grazed by cattle and from sites that had not been grazed for at least 20 years, and the seeds were collected between October 1 and 10, 2003. Results of the study shows that seed viability varied considerably among samples ranging from low of 18% to a high of 93%, but the germination within each species did not differ between the grazed and ungrazed prairies.

Presents abstracts of studies on grasslands restoration which were presented at the 17th North American Prairie Conference from July 17 to 20, 2000 in Mason, Iowa. `Future of Remnant and Restored Prairies Depends on Next Farm Bill,' by Cindy Hildebrand; `Effects of a Late Spring Fire on the Survival, Growth and Reproduction of Prairie Forbs,' by T.R. Rosburg.

Presents several abstracts on grasslands presented at the Symposium on Oak Woodlands: Ecology, Management and Urban Interface Issues on March 19-22, 1996 in San Luis Obispo, California. `A Longitudinal Study of Insect Diversity and Abundance on Remnant and Restored Prairie Areas in East Central Wisconsin,' by Bradford Rence, Ellen Turner and Julie Majewski; `Grassland Diversity Depends on Fungi,' by R. Callahan; `Editorial: Plateau,' by S. Clubine.

In this article the author discusses the importance of small prairies which can develop their own identity overtime from local seeds and nuts. He observes the predacious behavior of insects that formed part of the biotic community within the small prairie. The author thinks that the surviving plants provide hope that there is still time and that restoration is still a worthwhile effort.

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's experience in interseeding a mixture of conservative prairie species.

The article presents several abstracts related to government projects in ecological restoration including "The North Texas Ecotype Project: Promoting the Use of Native Ecotype Seed," by Lauri Heintz, discusses the conservation of native plan genotypes, "Save That Prairie," by R. Dupuy, describes the save plants from isolated coastal prairie remnant and "Spirit of Place," by M. B. Price, focuses on the enhancement of biological connectivity.

The article presents information on research papers related to restoration ecology. The paper "Emiquon Corps of Discovery: Providing an Aesthetic Perspective of a Large-scale Wetland Restoration (Illinois)," by Michael R. Jeffords and Susan L. Post focuses on the Emiquon Preserve, located on the Illinois River in Illinois. The "Emiquon Corps of Discovery" (ECD), was launched in which a group of volunteers would create an aesthetic picture of the restoration as it evolves. The ECD is a long-term project that will offer members additional educational opportunities, such as courses in macrophotography and watercolor painting, to help further their creative growth following the completion of formal training. The ECD has not ignored science, however, merely for the sake of aesthetics. The paper "Homage to the Flint Hills," discusses an art exhibit touring Kansas which celebrates the beauty of the North American tallgrass prairie. The show features works by 37 artists and includes paintings, photographs and fabric art.

The article presents information about the research paper "Seed Islands May Promote Establishment and Expansion of Native Species in Reclaimed Mine Sites (Montana)," by Kimberly J. Reever Morghan and Roger L. Sheley focuses on restoration of mixed-grass prairie species to two reclaimed coal mine sites near Colstrip in southeast Montana that were strip-mined from 1980 to 1983. The first site (Basin) is fairly level and was reseeded in 1990 and 1991 with 12 native grass species and five native forbs. The second site (NE Slope) was recontoured with a 20-degree slope and revegetated with seven native grasses and one native forb in 1993. Soils consisted of homogenized overburden subsoil covered with a 6- to 12-inches layer of sandy loam topsoil. Site differences appeared to influence recruitment. Purple Sagebrush recruitment was greater at the NE Slope site, while purple coneflower recruitment was greater at the Basin site. The results suggest that native species can expand from seed islands into a restored site, especially if the islands are heavily seeded.

The article presents information on research papers related to wetlands. The paper "Invertebrate Egg Banks of Restored, Natural, and Drained Wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States," by R.A. Gleason, N.H. Euliss, D.E. Hubbard and W.G. Duffy uses taxon richness and invertebrate abundance to gauge potential invertebrate egg bank recovery for natural, restored and drained and non-drained cultivated wetlands across three prairie pothole landforms. The paper "Using an IBI to Assess Effectiveness of Mitigation Measures to Replace Loss of a Wetland-Stream Ecosystem," by B.M. Teels, L.E. Mazanti and C.A. Rewa developed an Integrated Biotic Index for beaver-influenced wetland-streams in northern Virginia's Piedmont region to assess an 18-acre project that replaced 14.8 acres destroyed by an impoundment in 1992. The created wetland comprises an upstream series of cells revegetated with soil seed banks from the original wetland. Though deemed a success in meeting Clean Water Act requirements, the project did not include standards for biota.

The article presents information on research papers related to grasslands. The paper "Grazing and Wildlife," by S. Clubine, published in the "Native Warm-Season Grass Newsletter," discusses the problems grazing cattle cause for grassland nesting birds. The greatest concern is nest trampling, especially in densely stocked paddocks grazed in rapid rotations. The paper "Application of the Fire-grazing Interaction to Restore a Shifting Mosaic on Tallgrass Prairie," by S.D. Fuhlendorf and D.M. Engle, published in the "Journal of Applied Ecology," compares ecologically based rangeland management with traditional management to see if either could produce a shifting mosaic of vegetation characteristic of pre-Columbian tallgrass prairie. The paper "American Prairie Overlooked No More," by S. Kinzer, published in the June 2004 issue of the journal "New York Times," highlights the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, the first federally designated prairie preserve in the United States. The paper "Dominance Not Richness Determines Invisibility of Tallgrass Prairie," by M.D. Smith, J.C. Wilcox, Theresa Kelly and Alan K. Knapp, published in the journal "Oikos," examines the effects of species richness and dominance on invasion by yellow sweet clover, an exotic legume, in a tallgrass prairie in Kansas.

Presents an abstract of the study 'Decline of Sweetgrass Spurs Restoration of Coastal Prairie Habitat,' by Marianne K. Burke, Angela C. Halfacre and Zachary Hart.