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Platte River Prairies Field Day – August 6, 2016

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Our next Field Day at The Nature Conservancy’s Platte River Prairies will be Saturday August 6.  We hope that by making it on a Saturday we will make it more accessible to families and people whose bosses don’t let them out of work on weekdays just to go hike around in prairies.  I hear there are jobs like that…

Bill Whitney (Prairie Plains Resource Institute) and his combine - harvesting grass seed at The Nature Conservancy's Derr Tract - Central Platte River, Nebraska.

We’re proud that Bill Whitney (Prairie Plains Resource Institute) will be on hand to talk about prairie restoration.  He is the godfather of prairie restoration in Nebraska and can tell you anything you want to know about the methods, history, and philosophy of restoration.

Please come out and join us.  We’ll have hikes and presentations on prairie ecology and management, prairie restoration (with Bill Whitney of Prairie Plains Resource Institute), prairie plant identification, and gardening with prairie plants.  You can also look for monarch butterfly adults and caterpillars and catch/learn about prairie insects.  Over lunch, I’ll give a brief presentation on prairie ecology with lots of photos.

There is no cost to attend – just bring your own lunch, bug spray, and sunscreen.  We’ll provide some snacks to eat and lots of wildflowers, insects, and birds to look at.

Click here to see the agenda and more information on the day.

Next Platte River Prairies Field Day – June 22, 2016

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Please plan to join us for our next field day on June 22, 2016.  We will have multiple field sessions to choose from throughout the day from 9am to 3:30pm.  There is no cost for attending, and families are welcome.  Bring your own lunch (and sunscreen, insect repellant, and drinking water).

Julie Peterson, University of Nebraska Extension Research Entomologist talks about prairie invertebrates. Platte River Prairies Field Day, August 27, 2014.

Julie Peterson, University of Nebraska Extension Research Entomologist will return this year to talk about prairie insect identification and ecology.

Session topics include:

Plant identification and ecology

– Chris Helzer, The Nature Conservancy

Principles of prairie management

– Gerry Steinauer, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

Prairie insects

– Julie Peterson, University of Nebraska Extension

Gardening with native plants

– Kim Helzer, TNC Volunteer and Centennial High School Science Teacher

Edible wild plants

– Cyndi Trail, The Nature Conservancy

Prairie seed harvesting and processing

– Mardell Jasnowski, The Nature Conservancy

How to help monitor monarch and regal fritillary butterfly populations

– Melissa Panella, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

Each session will be available at least twice during the day.  We will likely add another couple session options within the next weeks stay tuned for a final agenda to be posted here within the next couple of weeks.   

The Derr House is located 2 miles south of the Wood River exit off of Interstate 80 (Exit 300).  Turn south immediately after the highway curves to the east and you’ll be there.

For more directions to the site, go to: http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/nebraska/placesweprotect/eastern-nebraska-platte-river-native-prairie-nature-trail.xml