I attended the Iowa Prairie Network Winter Meeting today. Tallgrass prairies are an ecotype that covered a significant part of Iowa prior to the settlement by people of European descent. Less than a fraction of a percent is left.
A number of people gather regularly to discuss, celebrate, and preserve the fraction that is left.
Prairies can be spectacularly beautiful. The people who manage and preserve them are diverse and delightful.
In honor of the prairies and the people who try to preserve them (including my late father), here is a photo my Dad took with a small, disposable panaramic film camera.
I missed you today, Dad.
The roused bear 