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USGS and Students Restore Disappearing Prairie By Susan S. Horton April 2002 in this issue:  previous story | next story The Louisiana coastal-prairie ecosystem once contained 2.5 million acres; today it covers less than 100 acres. Wiped out mostly by farming and grazing, this ecosystem once boasted 500 species of grasses and perennial wildflowers and was home to bison, antelope, prairie chickens, and mountain lions, among other species. USGS botanist Larry Allain (National Wetlands Research Center, Lafayette, LA) is heading up a joint prairie-restoration project between the University of Louisiana, Lafayette (ULL)'s chapter of Americorps and the USGS' National Wetlands Research Center. Transplant harvest: Americorps volunteers from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette dig up grasses and perennials from a remnant of the coastal prairie that will be destroyed to make room for a four-lane highway. Transplant implant: With the guidance of USGS researchers, Americorps volunteers prepare the ground for planting of endangered prairie grasses and wildflowers at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette's Center for Ecology and Environmental Technology. Recently, Americorps volunteers relocated 5,000 ft2 of endangered prairie grasses, such as big bluestem grass and Indian grass, to a site at the ULL's Center for Ecology and Environmental Technology (CEET). The relocation was necessary to save as many species as possible before this section of prairie is cleared to make way for a four-lane highway. At CEET, this "refuge" of cultivated coastal-prairie species will be used for research, restoration, and education. Larry hopes that enough of the prairie can be planted so that eventually sufficient seed can be produced to make it practical to restore large areas of this imperiled ecosystem. For more information, visit the Cajun Prairie Habitat Preservation Society's Web site. National Wetlands Research Center U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Cajun Prairie Habitat Preservation Society in this issue:  previous story | next story

April 2002 Mailing List: Sign up to receive monthly email updates: print this issue in this issue: cover story: Gas-Hydrate Research Wells Completed Moloka'i Coral Reef Sediment Role of Parasites in Ecosystems Public Art Project Prairie Restoration Marine Science Day Marine Environmental Careers Symposium Students Visit Woods Hole Congressional Briefing on Wetlands Woods Hole Science Fairs Talks—DOE and College of William and Mary Netherlands Sediment-Transport Collaboration Sediment-Transport Modeling Tampa Bay Estuary Tour Monterey Bay Research Award Japanese Land-Management Team Visits St. Pete Western Region Retirements Woods Hole Visitor April Publications List

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