Prairie Pod listeners, we are delighted to be here with you again during this holiday season and season of reflection, joy and, most importantly, hope. We’re closing out season six with our final episode of the Prairie Pod. We know endings can be hard, and we want you to know how much joy this special project has given us, sharing our love of the prairie with all of you. But while this is one sunset, the sun rises again tomorrow and there are lots of Prairie Pod episodes to go back and listen to...
Dec 19, 2023•1 hr 21 min
The prairie and indigenous people have persisted through time, and indigenous people’s role in prairie stewardship is intertwined with the survival of prairie on the landscape. Prairie Pod listeners, we’re honored to debut for you part two of our Dakota connections to the prairie series, featuring staff from the four Dakota communities within the borders of Minnesota. These episodes were recorded on November 9, 2022. The second part of this series covers how Dakota people and tribal staff are ma...
Nov 21, 2023•1 hr 7 min
The prairie and indigenous people have persisted through time, and indigenous people’s role in prairie stewardship is intertwined with the survival of prairie on the landscape. Prairie Pod listeners, we’re honored to debut two special podcast episodes we’ve been working on with staff from the four Dakota communities within the borders of Minnesota. These episodes were recorded on Nov.9, 2022. The first part of this series will cover Dakota historical and cultural perspectives and connections to ...
Nov 14, 2023•53 min
We're talking about how our love of the prairie and its many forms inspires us and sparks our imaginations to energize us into action. Namely, the act of creating art.
Aug 29, 2023•1 hr 21 min
We also know that we've lost much of our connected native prairie as well as our large grazing mammals like bison. And while there are some places where we're working hard to reintroduce bison to their prairie home, what about the places where we can't reintroduce bison? We're talking about research on haying prairies as a management tool to limit invasive cool-season grasses and to promote overall prairie biodiversity.
Aug 22, 2023•1 hr 6 min
We know that we've lost much of our connected native prairie as well as our large grazing mammals like bison. And while there are some places where we're working hard to reintroduce bison to their prairie home, what about the places where we can't reintroduce bison? We're talking about research on haying prairies as a management tool to limit invasive cool-season grasses and to promote overall prairie biodiversity.
Aug 15, 2023•1 hr 4 min
We're talking about savannas - the unsung hero of the prairie landscape. A special class of habitat that includes both prairie vegetation in the understory and mature towering oaks or even jack pine in the overstory. These transitional communities play an important role connecting Minnesota's prairies and enhancing biodiversity.
Aug 08, 2023•1 hr 8 min
Prairies are powerhouses of diversity, and that diversity on the landscape is vitally important to clean air, clean water and healthy soils—things we all depend on for survival. While climate change can be a difficult topic, this episode may bring you some hope about how the prairie is already making a difference in helping us to adapt.
Jul 25, 2023•1 hr 17 min
Whether you are contemplating a small container garden, a backyard design, or converting larger acreages, planted prairie restorations can play a key role in helping connect the native prairies we have left. Today, we're going to put our heads together and share our personal stories of our own pocket prairies and how you too can experience the joy of native plants in your own home!
Jul 18, 2023•1 hr 41 min
When we think about the prairie, there are so many things that catch our eye. Sights, sounds, touch — it's an overwhelming sense of wonder to describe just what it's like to finally discover the prairie. And as in life, we all have a favorite. What better way to celebrate the diversity of experiences and favorites than by having a whole episode dedicated to some of our favorite things about prairie?
Jul 11, 2023•1 hr 19 min
We're featuring many special guests and people of the prairie to showcase their stories of connection, diversity, and learning as they pass on their experiences. Thinking of prairie as a tradition is at the heart of our conservation efforts. We all work so hard together because prairie isn't just a thing that's out there on the land living, it is a place where we belong and our memories are shared as the moments we spend become legacies we leave. It is a legacy that connects us through the sound...
Dec 20, 2022•1 hr 6 min
One of the hardest things to quantify is how much things like clean air, drinkable water, flood control, and healthy soils are worth. How do you quantify the benefit of these ecosystem services and what is the cost when we lose the land that provides them? Arguably, even harder to quantify are the intangible benefits like mental health and well-being, spiritual connections, and a sense of peace one can derive from the prairie. From pheasant hunting to an improved quality of life, we've done the ...
Aug 16, 2022•1 hr
We're getting our feet wet in Minnesota's shallow lakes. Coming in at depths under 15 feet these permanent and sometimes semi-permanent water bodies are a critical habitat component for Minnesota's wildlife.
Aug 09, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Prairie landscapes are renewable energy rich with all the wind and sun our prairies experience, and renewable energy development can have a big footprint in these landscapes. Today we discuss an emerging trend to develop pollinator-friendly solar energy facilities that also support local agriculture through sheep grazing.
Aug 02, 2022•1 hr
Featuring places near and dear to our hearts: Minnesota State Parks and Trails! We are joined by park managers and naturalists to share the special prairie places in the parks they love. Hear insider tips from the people who know the parks best.
Jul 26, 2022•1 hr 20 min
We often talk about diversity above-ground in prairie ecosystems, but this week we'll be going underground to uncover the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the success of prairie reconstructions.
Jul 19, 2022•56 min
With the tallgrass prairie landscape reduced to just under 2% of its historic range in Minnesota and less than 1% of its range in North America, it is the most endangered ecosystem on this continent. Luckily, practitioners, scientists, and landowners are putting their heads together to come up with solutions to help keep our prairies genetically fit and diverse.
Jul 12, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Predators sometimes get a bad rap because they, well, eat the critters we admire. But it's important to understand that they play pivotal roles in the prairie ecosystem. Predators are a key ingredient of prairies.
Jul 05, 2022•1 hr 3 min
On today's podcast, we're featuring people of the prairie to showcase their real life work in the fight to save a landscape that hangs on with just under 2% left in the state. Their special connections show us the joy and power of prairie.
Dec 21, 2021•1 hr 14 min
Hosts Megan and Mike take the prairie pod on the road and come to you live from the Minnesota State Fair. They share the importance of prairie, what they love about it, and four special places you can discover the prairie after the Fair!
Sep 14, 2021•44 min
We've been reminded this season that there's wisdom in the land itself. What it's telling us if we're willing to listen. The lesson of diversity there is ever-present and we talk a lot on this show about how plant diversity makes a prairie stronger and more resilient. We can use basically the same logic to show how human diversity can make prairie conservation stronger and more resilient.
Sep 07, 2021•1 hr
On today's podcast, we're talking Climate Change Consequences: how the weather will determine how your prairie weathers. Climate change is a bigger topic than ever today—we're seeing evidence of it around us all of the time—6” rain anyone? No longer can we talk about climate change strictly as a future phenomenon: it's happening now.
Aug 31, 2021•1 hr 15 min
Today's podcast is talking about the importance of prairie structure with our very special guest, The Nature Conservancy's Director of Science and Prairie Ecologist, Chris Helzer. Diversity, restoration planning and design, and management choices, all play a role in how we achieve different prairie structures to benefit a wide variety of wildlife species.
Aug 24, 2021•59 min
Today's podcast is talking about the legacy of restoration in Minnesota. We have two very special guests, Dr. Gina Quiram (DNR Restoration Evaluation Specialist) and Dr. Sue Galatowitsch (Professor, Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota) who have been actively working to evaluate reconstructions. We know they've got the goods on lessons learned, common mistakes, and the future of restoration in Minnesota.
Aug 17, 2021•56 min
Today's podcast is part 2 of our invasive species support group. If you missed last week's episode go check it out so you can be caught up on how to manage the struggle with smooth brome and Kentucky bluegrass.
Aug 10, 2021•1 hr
Today's podcast is continuing our mental health theme and featuring an invasive species support group. Have you ever struggled with smooth brome or Kentucky bluegrass in your prairies or reconstructions? Well, help is on the way!
Aug 03, 2021•50 min
On today's podcast we'll be chatting with Verónica Jaralambides, DNR's Marketing Consultant with the Division of Parks and Trails as well as local medical doctor, Ann Vogel where they share with us prairie's importance as a mental health refuge. Need a brain break? This is just the ticket.
Jul 27, 2021•55 min
Today's podcast is talking about grazing grasslands. Grasslands rely on disturbance for their survival. The challenge is building disturbance back into a landscape that's deeply fragmented. Luckily we have two smart scientists: Kent Solberg (sustainable farming association) and Amber Knutson (DNR Assistant Area Wildlife Manager) to walk us through adaptive management grazing, their successes and challenges, and of course figuring out how to get grazing animals back on the prairie when the histor...
Jul 20, 2021•58 min
Today's podcast is talking about a very special occurrence that happened right here in southern Minnesota just outside of the City of Mankato. It's a story of healing, Dakota history, ecology, and restoration of a landscape that has been reduced to just under 2% of its native range in Minnesota.
Jul 13, 2021•1 hr 8 min
Today's podcast is talking about ssssnakes! Don't get scared, snakes are a super important part of the prairie. Whether we're talking the fabulous bluff prairies of the east or the majestic expanses of prairie in western Minnesota, snakes are an important piece of what makessss prairies function.
Jul 06, 2021•1 hr 2 min
