Slash, Burn and Graze,
Is That Any Way to Treat a Hill Prairie?
The Second Illinois Hill Prairie Conference will include several talks and a panel discussion, field trips, displays and information tables and vendors. The event will be held May 1-2, 2009, at Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois.
Dennis Schlicht, co-author of “The Butterflies of Iowa” will be the keynote speaker Friday evening on “Why Are Hill Prairies So Special?” George Olson, a local artist and author of The Elemental Prairie, Sixty Tallgrass Plants, will speak at luncheon on Saturday. His talk is entitled, "The Creative Process in the Artistic Portrayal of Prairie Plants.”
Registration is open to the public. Agency staff, conservation organizations, commercial vendors and natural area volunteers with expertise in hill prairie management issues, research and related fields are strongly encouraged to attend and participate. The registration fee of $55 includes a Friday evening social, light breakfast, snacks and lunch.
An invitation is extended to students and other researchers who would like to display posters on hill prairie research and/or new innovative management techniques, as well as to commercial vendors and organizations that would like to promote services, upcoming events and projects related to hill prairies. Commercial vendors will be charged a fee of $50. Display space for non-profit organizations, information tables and posters will be free.
The goal of the conference is to facilitate open discussion about a variety of different issues concerning hill prairie management. Several talks are scheduled which will cover issues relating to the theme: “Slash, Burn and Graze,” and there will be a panel discussion Saturday morning. The panels will include 3-5 participants with a wide range of expertise, backgrounds and affiliations who will address questions posed from the audience. A moderator will guide the questions and everyone in attendance will be encouraged to participate.
Panel discussion topics will include:
- How to achieve desired vegetative response through brush clearing and/or impact of brush clearing on microclimatic and soil conditions.
- How to reintroduce and maintain insect diversity while maintaining desired native vegetation.
- How to use fire more effectively to sustain openings without losing flora or fauna through timing, intensity/ignition methods, patch burning, etc.
- Utilization of goats or other livestock to control brush and the positive/negative impacts of grazing on flora and fauna diversity.
After lunch there will be an opportunity to meet with the authors of posters and visit vendors and information tables. George Olson and Dennis Schlicht will be available to sign copies of their books.
The event will conclude with a Saturday afternoon field trip to two high quality hill prairie natural areas: Indian Bluff Hill Prairie, owned by the Rock Island Forest Preserve District, and the Josua Lindahl Hill Prairie Nature Preserve, owned/ and managed by Augustana College.