Minnesota DNR Prairie Pod

Hosts Megan and Mike take the prairie pod on the road and come to you live from the Minnesota State Fair. They share the importance of prairie, what they love about it, and four special places you can discover the prairie after the Fair!

We've been reminded this season that there's wisdom in the land itself. What it's telling us if we're willing to listen. The lesson of diversity there is ever-present and we talk a lot on this show about how plant diversity makes a prairie stronger and more resilient. We can use basically the same logic to show how human diversity can make prairie conservation stronger and more resilient.

On today's podcast, we're talking Climate Change Consequences: how the weather will determine how your prairie weathers. Climate change is a bigger topic than ever today—we're seeing evidence of it around us all of the time—6” rain anyone? No longer can we talk about climate change strictly as a future phenomenon: it's happening now.

Today's podcast is talking about the importance of prairie structure with our very special guest, The Nature Conservancy's Director of Science and Prairie Ecologist, Chris Helzer. Diversity, restoration planning and design, and management choices, all play a role in how we achieve different prairie structures to benefit a wide variety of wildlife species.

Today's podcast is talking about the legacy of restoration in Minnesota. We have two very special guests, Dr. Gina Quiram (DNR Restoration Evaluation Specialist) and Dr. Sue Galatowitsch (Professor, Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota) who have been actively working to evaluate reconstructions. We know they've got the goods on lessons learned, common mistakes, and the future of restoration in Minnesota.

Today's podcast is part 2 of our invasive species support group. If you missed last week's episode go check it out so you can be caught up on how to manage the struggle with smooth brome and Kentucky bluegrass.

Today's podcast is continuing our mental health theme and featuring an invasive species support group. Have you ever struggled with smooth brome or Kentucky bluegrass in your prairies or reconstructions? Well, help is on the way!

On today's podcast we'll be chatting with Verónica Jaralambides, DNR's Marketing Consultant with the Division of Parks and Trails as well as local medical doctor, Ann Vogel where they share with us prairie's importance as a mental health refuge. Need a brain break? This is just the ticket.

Today's podcast is talking about grazing grasslands. Grasslands rely on disturbance for their survival. The challenge is building disturbance back into a landscape that's deeply fragmented. Luckily we have two smart scientists: Kent Solberg (sustainable farming association) and Amber Knutson (DNR Assistant Area Wildlife Manager) to walk us through adaptive management grazing, their successes and challenges, and of course figuring out how to get grazing animals back on the prairie when the historical pattern is largely unknown and some historical grazers no longer roam widely or free.

Today's podcast is talking about a very special occurrence that happened right here in southern Minnesota just outside of the City of Mankato. It's a story of healing, Dakota history, ecology, and restoration of a landscape that has been reduced to just under 2% of its native range in Minnesota.

Today's podcast is talking about ssssnakes! Don't get scared, snakes are a super important part of the prairie. Whether we're talking the fabulous bluff prairies of the east or the majestic expanses of prairie in western Minnesota, snakes are an important piece of what makessss prairies function.

The Minnesota Prairie is a legacy that connects us through the sounds, sights, smells and memories for all who are lucky enough to stop and take notice. This year, for the holiday #prairiepod we offer you the power of prairie through the voices of people who share our passion. We hope you'll laugh, cry, and lose yourself for a little while in the stories of what prairie offers us: the power to make us whole again. We recommend a blanket, fuzzy slippers, a mug of hot chocolate, and at least 20 cookies as you listen. #discovertheprairie

On today's podcast, we're covering Part 2 of our special bonus episode where we're offering you a virtual way to connect with each other and answer your questions! If you missed it, make sure you check out part one because it covers your questions about prairie reconstructions in the establishment phase, how to balance cost, nesting sites for bees and dealing with climate change. This episode covers questions related to restoration management: how can I make my prairie more diverse, what to do about weeds, and how to burn and provide refugia for pollinators. Special thanks to our partners (MnDNR, Prairie Reconstruction Initiative, The Nature Conservancy, UMN Bee Lab, and USFWS) from our Restoration and Pollinator Field Days Team. #prairietuesdays just got even better in September! For resources and more details related to today's episode, find us on the web at mndnr.gov/prairiepod

Today's podcast is a land manager takeover. We'd much rather be in the field with you sharing this knowledge and learning from you and your experiences, but we're still excited to offer you this virtual field day with all of the original partners that would've been in the field with you: MN DNR, UMN Bee Lab, TNC and PRI. Establishment phase challenges, cost, climate change, host plants, and creating nesting sites for pollinators are just some of the questions you asked and we answered. We think these are great Q+A and we're not pollen your leg, either! For resources and more details related to today's episode, find us on the web at mndnr.gov/prairiepod

On today's podcast, we're getting back to our roots with Justin Meissen with the Tallgrass Prairie Center in Iowa. We'll be digging deep and I mean really deep because we're talking about prairie roots, people! Some prairie roots have been documented to grow more than 14' into the ground and that's not even counting how far they can go horizontally! We'll learn more about the intricate underground world that makes prairies one of the most productive places on earth! For resources and more details related to today's episode, find us on the web at mndnr.gov/prairiepod

Today's podcast we are going to cover the Grassland Monitoring Team. Did you know even prairies need a health check-up? Turns out, there's a whole team of scientists invested in assessing the health of Minnesota's prairies! Diversity, resilience, and persistence are all top marks we want to see on this health exam. For resources and more details related to today's episode, find us on the web at mndnr.gov/prairiepod

Today's podcast is going to talk about bees! Wait, didn't we just do this one? We did talk about surveying for bees during our last episode, but bees are so important we're covering them again and this time we're going to focus on what you can do on and around the farm to help provide habitat for these winged beasties! We're joined by Karin Jokela with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation to hear about how she works with farmers and land managers to spread the buzz (literally). For resources and more details related to today's episode, find us on the web at mndnr.gov/prairiepod

Today's podcast is going to talk about bees! They've been in the news, they've been in your garden, and most importantly they're on the prairie! We'll chat with a familiar voice in Invertebrate Ecologist, Jessica Petersen, joined by MBS Bee Survey Specialist, Nicole Gerjets, to hear about their work surveying bees, why these tiny fliers are so busy, and all the incredible things they're doing right under our noses. For resources and more details related to today's episode, find us on the web at mndnr.gov/prairiepod

Today's podcast is going to feature a very special prairie enthusiast, yes, we mean that literally. Prairie enthusiasts are not just people who drive around getting excited any time they see grasses and wildflowers blowing in the wind. They are groups of dedicated individuals who take their personal time to educate, protect, and restore prairie and savanna habitats in the Upper Midwest. In short, they're a prairie army equipped with drip torches, clippers, and knowledge. Just the kind of army you want when you're working to preserve this amazing landscape. We'll chat with prairie enthusiast and Minnesota landowner, Henry Panowitsch, about his experiences with the prairie and how he first fell in love with this incredible landscape. For resources and more details related to today's episode, find us on the web at mndnr.gov/prairiepod

Today's podcast is talking about my favorite subject: diversity! After all, it makes the world go round. We'll be highlighting key updates about seed mix design including the latest research findings, plant and pollinator relationships, wildlife benefits, and more. Mike and I may even duke it out to see who has the best diversity knowledge. Science is fun! For resources and more details related to today's episode, find us on the web at mndnr.gov/prairiepod