Tag: Prairie

Biography: Dr. Judy Wu-Smart received her BS degree in Zoology at Humboldt State University, CA, then completed her graduate programs in Entomology, receiving a MS from Washington University and PhD from University of Minnesota. Her research has focused on understanding the sub-lethal and behavioral impacts of pesticides in managed honeybees and wild bumble bees. She’s […]

David Wedin is a professor  in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), where he conducts research and teaches ecology and management in UNL’s grassland and forestry programs. Dave grew up in Iowa, visiting pasture and forage research across the state with his agronomist father. His undergraduate (St. Olaf College), graduate […]

In January, 2018, Chris marked out a square meter plot in Lincoln Creek Prairie on the east edge of Aurora, Nebraska. Over the next year, he visited the plot repeatedly and tried to photograph all the beauty and diversity he could find within it. By the end of the year, he had photographed 113 species […]

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) has monitored the state’s prairie grouse populations since the 1950s using spring lek counts and wing-ratio data collected from hunters in the fall. While these indices have been used to evaluate short-term trends in abundance and production, no one has used the data to assess long-term historical population […]

Ranchers on the tallgrass prairie traditionally burn their pastures each spring before summer grazing. After fire, plants grow more quickly, and the new growth is very nutritious. But the practice is problematic for migratory birds. It reduces nesting and feeding habitat just when they need it most. So, how can ranchers balance getting great forage […]