This week, our Nebraska staff gathered in Omaha to discuss potential conservation strategies – and to reconnect after a long period without the chance to gather as a full staff. After the first of two days of intense conversation, a group of us took a short drive across the Missouri River to hike The Nature Conservancy’s Folsom Point Preserve in the Iowa Loess Hills.
We arrived as the sun was nearing the western horizon and the moon was rising to the east. The light was warm and the wind had lessened from the gale force levels we’d been experiencing most of the week. In short, it was a gorgeous evening for a prairie hike and a perfect way to relax and clear our minds.
It was still a little early to see many wildflowers, but we did find a buffalo pea plant (Astragalus crassicarpus) in bloom. There were also quite a few green shoots and leaves emerging through gaps in the previous year’s leftover vegetation. We spotted some herons, turkey vultures, and a pretty sunset too. All that was nice, but it was even nicer to just climb some hills, feel the breeze on our faces, and enjoy each other’s company. Thanks, prairie, for being there for us.
The Prairie Ecologist 
What a beautiful hike!
I wish that I could see more diversity on the teams. It *appears* that this group has seven white males and two white females. Surely Native, Hispanic-American, and African-American people care, but for some unknown reason aren’t seeing the outreach efforts?
Thanks for bringing this up. The group in the photo is actually more diverse than it might appear, and our staff has more diversity than is shown in this photo. Having said that, we’re still far from where we’d like to be. I can tell you diversity is a frequent and ongoing theme in our staff discussions and was a part of every phase of our strategic planning workshop last week. We’re spending a lot of energy and time addressing the issue, but are always trying to find more and better ways to do it.
Thank you!