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Prairie Ecosystem Research at the Northwest Research and Outreach Center |
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Positioned at the edge of the prairie in northwest Minnesota, the Northwest Research and Outreach Center is ideally suited to carry out research and management of remnants of the once vast tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Research on the use of fire in restoring prairie vegetation was commenced at the Station's, Red River Valley Natural History Area in 1971 and continues to the present. With that beginning, Station Wildlife Biologist, Dan Svedarsky, extended this management approach to the grassland habitat of the Greater Prairie Chicken located some 15 miles to the east of campus. The Crookston campus was also involved in the organization of the Minnesota Prairie Chicken Society which celebrated its 25th anniversary on April 25, 1998, by hosting a national symposium in conjunction with the annual meeting. The Northwest Research and Outreach Center also works cooperatively with The Nature Conservancy, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in managing prairies; more recently initiating the use of grazing in combination with fire. The Station has also been awarded a major grant in Integrated Prairie Management by the Legislative Commission on Minnesota's Resources with funding commencing in 1999. Preliminary research and demonstration work has begun on the native prairie plant, Echinacea, which was used more by Native Americans than any other plant for medicinal purposes. It is well adapted to grow on droughty soils such as occur on the beach ridges of Glacial Lake Agassiz located east of Crookston. It has definite market potential but also this work could play a role in reducing overharvesting of wild plants. This cooperative project is sponsored by the Agriculutral Utilization Research Institute located on the Crookston campus. |
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The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. |
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