Coneflower Prairie Moves Forward

Over the winter the prairie restoration company was selected, a planting scheme has been designed, and a species list has been generated that will produce an ecologically diverse prairie. The 70-acre site for the Coneflower Prairie restoration is just west of the current Linnaeus Arboretum and will be planted in soybeans this summer and seeded with prairie seeds in October 2008. Recently the Siberian elms were removed from the west end of the Linnaeus Arboretum. This invasive tree specie will be replaced with native bur oaks to create a savanna community on the edge of Coneflower Prairie. An exciting example of the community’s involvement in the Coneflower Prairie is the book buy-back program sponsored by the Book Mark and Gustavus students. This program has generated the funds to buy the bur oaks for this savanna community! To learn more, go to Coneflower Prairie.