Russell R. Kirt Prairie
Russell R. Kirt Prairie is a restored tallgrass prairie and savanna within the College of DuPage Natural Areas. A Trail Guide published by the college provides background information and ecological notes. In addition to the mesic prairie and oak savanna, the site also includes a small hill prairie, swale, marsh and wetland areas.: 8 Professor Russell R. Kirt states on the back cover of his book Prairie Plants of the Midwest: Identification and Ecology that he "began restoring prairie in 1974, two years after Ray Schulenberg of the Morton Arboretum introduced him to the prairie". In 1981 he started the restoration project by obtaining grant money from the college's Board Of Trustees, and began collecting native seeds and seedlings from sites within a 40-km radius of the college to ensure local genotypes. In 1984, he reestablished a former farmland and parking lot at the college to prairie with the help of numerous volunteers, including students. The restoration used two methods, either seed broadcast or seedling transplant. Whenever possible, species associations as described by Swink and Wilhelm were planted together. He monitored the site for at least 16 years, and published his findings at the North American Prairie Conference. After 16 years, the Floristic Quality Index (Index Value in Professor Kirt's papers) in areas restored by either method reached about 30, with no significant difference between the two.: 103 The college Board Of Trustees designated the site as West Prairie-Marsh Nature Preserve in December 1993, and renamed it Russell R. Kirt Prairie in November 1999.: 8 The prairie is located less than 100 meters from the college's Health and Science Center, making it the only sizable restored prairie in the U.S. that is within walking distance of a college classroom building, and it is often used for field study by biology, botany, and environmental science classes. The college offers a Prairie Ecology class that focuses on the tallgrass prairie ecosystem, with extensive hands-on studies in the prairie.: 17 Other disciplines that make use of the prairie resource include earth science, art, and photography.
Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Russell R. Kirt Prairie (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).Russell R. Kirt Prairie
Fawell Boulevard,
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Geographical coordinates (GPS)
| Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|
| N 41.84 ° | E -88.075833333333 ° |
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College of DuPage
Fawell Boulevard 425
60137
Illinois, United States
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