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September 2016
 
In this Issue
 
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Want to make a
Difference?
How about reducing your mowing by just ten percent? And getting your neighbours to do the same. How about your employer? Little steps by many add up to huge progress for our planet.
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Retail Locations

Princeton Retail:
763-631-9458

Scandia Retail:
651-433-1437

Customer Service:
800-837-5986

Email: 
  info@prairieresto.com
 
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I was able to experience a highly diverse, urban landscape this summer that provided a fabulous example of pollinator habitat. It is located in the middle of small lot residential properties which utilize mostly mowed turf with scattered ornamental garden plantings and few native plants. Regardless, it was alive with butterflies, bees, beetles, wasps, birds, and all sorts of other life. It was, and is, a living testimonial to the value of diversity and habitat, and provides an example of what could be. Obviously, I believe our world needs more of this - lots more!

Unfortunately, this oasis of life is offset by a large amount of habitat loss and abuse elsewhere. Chemicals are used to eliminate plants and insects around the world, leaving us with fewer insect bites, but also with fewer species, reduced amounts of food that require pollinating, fewer flowers, fewer monarchs, less diversity, and a diminished capacity for our very own survival. It seems obvious that we are living on a very slippery slope.

The folly of our ways is easy to see. In our seed production plot of meadow blazing star (Liatris ligulistylis) we have historically had hundreds, even thousands, of monarch butterflies per day during August. This year we barely reached 100 at peak. Those that were left are now flying south and there may be enough to rebuild populations of this fascinating and beautiful creature, but just maybe. And those on the east coast will be flying into oblivion if they travel into the millions of gallons of insecticide being sprayed to kill mosquitoes potentially carrying the Zika virus. It makes me wonder if this can possibly be worth doing (maybe in the final analysis we are actually sliding further down that slippery slope?).

On a more positive note, business is good. The world continues to realize the need for, and value of, restoration. Our challenge at PRI is mostly focused on how to get everything done, and this is a good problem. It has also been another good year to validate the viability of restoration. We have completed many projects that will help to create or improve habitat, and to offset losses elsewhere. Most older projects are beautiful aesthetically and are functioning as valuable, diverse living plant communities. The practice of restoration is working!

So thanks to all of you who have contributed to this effort. Your support, energy, and hopes, have been immensely helpful. Hold on to that spirit and enjoy this fall. There will never be another just like it.

Always vote for the environment,
 
Ron Bowen
PRI President
  
  
Project
The Fall Harvest...PRI Style:
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Most people know that fall is a very busy and important time of year for farmers as they spend countless hours in the field harvesting their valuable crops.  Ever hopeful for a bountiful harvest, they reflect on the hard work and challenges they overcame during the past growing season.  Things are much same at PRI for our seed production team.

Although the seeds of many species are collected at different points throughout the growing season, the vast majority of seed harvesting takes place in September. Prairie grass seed is mainly harvested from monocrop plots using customized gleaner combines. Although combines can be used on some flower seed plots, most is collected the old fashioned way - by hand. This is part of the reason why flower seed is generally more expensive than grass seed.

Once the seed is collected, it needs to be dried as soon as possible to prevent it from fermenting. For large volumes of seed, this is accomplished by using blower systems that circulate air through the seed pile. Smaller seed piles can be spread out on a tarp or concrete floor and periodically "flipped" by hand with a shovel.

Throughout the winter months, the seed will be cleaned, processed, bagged, and then stored in our climate controlled seed warehouse. Come next spring, the seed will be used on restoration projects across the Upper Midwest, and possibly on your property as well!
  
 
EE
  Employee Profile:  Stephanie Hyllberg
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Stephanie Hyllberg recently re-joined the Prairie Restorations' team as the new services administrative assistant working out of our main office in Princeton, Minnesota. Previously, Stephanie worked for PRI at the Watertown office from 2004 until 2011, first as a field technician, and eventually as the Land Management Coordinator.

As administrative assistant, Steph's responsibilities include invoicing of all six locations, working with the sales staff on coordinating insurance, bonds, and other necessary bid items, as well as fielding phone calls and assisting the services managers when needed.

During her hiatus from PRI, Stephanie lived in Illinois, working for a small family-owned business and continuing her work in native restoration. She has been married for 3 years, and has a 14-month old daughter, Morgan, who keeps her on her toes. In her free time, Steph enjoys hunting and fishing with her family, skydiving with her husband, and watching her daughter explore everything around her.

 
 ProjectNews Project News:  Otter Lake Elementary
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Two Oaks office Site Manager Jeff West recently met with teachers and students from Otter Lake Elementary to check on the status of the prairie that was seeded at the school last fall. The project was coordinated by teacher Thom Green in cooperation with the local Pheasants Forever chapter and Prairie Restorations, Inc. Each classroom at the school was given a section of the prairie to seed and each student had their own bag of grass and flower seed to spread. Since then, students had compiled many questions about the prairie including 'what animals live in our prairie?' 'what weeds should we be pulling and why is it important to get rid of the weeds?' and 'are there seeds that were planted that haven't come up yet?'. All important questions to hear from young inquisitive minds - and also the same questions that many of our adult clients wonder about.

We are happy to report that the nearly 1 year old prairie is doing quite well, with species such as wild lupine, yarrow, and black eyed Susans already blooming. As is normal, there are weed species present that are currently being held in check with repeated maintenance mowing to keep them from proliferating and also from crowding out the smaller and slower growing native seedlings. Many different creatures were observed by the students during the walk in the prairie including grasshoppers, monarch butterflies, white tailed deer, voles, and a even a bluebird. As the prairie continues to mature we expect to see more grass and flower species become more noticeable and additional species such as butterfly milkweed to germinate and flourish. Overall the prairie is right on track and with continued monitoring and establishment period vegetation maintenance should become a beautiful and productive prairie ecosystem in the coming years.

To learn more about this important project check out this Star Tribune article which was written last year during the installation and describes the background of the project and how the students played a key roll in the installation.


  
 retail Retail News:  Fall Sale
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The Princeton and Scandia retail stores are having a sale the last week of September!  All *in-stock plants, including trees and shrubs will be 10% off.  All single species .04 oz. and .25 oz. seed packets will also be on sale at 50% off.  

Fall is a great time to seed or plant so take advantage of these lower prices.  Contact the retail stores directly to find out if they have what you want.

Retail Store Hours Beginning September 26th.

Monday-Friday: 9-5
Saturday: 9-5
Sunday: Closed
651-433-1437
Princeton
Monday-Friday: 9-6:60
Saturday: 9-5
Sunday: Closed
763-631-9458



*Discounts apply to in-stock items only.




 
 
  
  
 spotlight Spotlighting:  Bottle Gentian
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Bottle gentian ( Gentiana andrewsii), also referred to as Closed gentian, is a late summer/early fall blooming beauty. It's native to much of Minnesota except for the extreme north and northeast portion of the state. It requires wet soils and is most often found in sedge meadows. It's a long-lived perennial and where there's one there is often more, because it often forms large colonies. Bottle gentian typically only grows to a height of one to two feet, the taller ones have a tendency to bend over from the weight of their flower.

The closed flower head protects the nectar and pollen from rain and wind which then presents a challenge for pollinating insects. Only the large bumble bees are strong enough to pry open the closed flower head to extract the nectar and pollen. The flower tips are specially coded to tell the bees which blooms have already been visited and which have not. If the tip of the flower is white that means it has not been harvested yet and if it's a dark purple it indicates to the bumblebee "don't bother shopping here!" It's really a site to see, check out this  video and you'll see what we mean.




 
 
  
  
 resourceResource Library
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Interested in the concept of landscaping with native plants but wondering just where to begin?  A visit to our Resource Library may be the answer.  Packed with pages of useful information, this library can help you get acquainted with all things native.  And remember, an on-site consultation with one of our restoration ecologists is only a phone call away!
 
"Get a life in which you are generous.  Look around at the azaleas making fuchsia star bursts in spring; look at a full moon hanging silver in a black sky on a cold night.  And realize that life is glorious, and that you have no business taking it for granted."
 
Anna Quindlen