Research and Restoration Sites

We have experiments, demonstration sites, and other study areas throughout eastern and northeastern Iowa, but we work more broadly in working landscapes throughout the Upper Midwest via participation in the conservation and ecological restoration community.  Key research and demonstration areas are listed below:

Protected Lands

Irvine Prairie

Irvine Prairie is a 292-acre prairie-in-progress on the farm of Cathy Irvine in memory of her husband David. In partnership with Cathy and the farm operator, we are restoring an ecologically diverse tallgrass prairie in a way that allows research and adaptive restoration.

Publications

Technical Reports

Annual Science Reports

Posters

Biodiversity off the shelf: trade-offs with commercial native seed. Fifth National Native Seed Conference, Alexandria, VA, Mar 27-30, 2023.

Collaborations

Pheasants Forever, USDA-NRCS, UNI Biology Dept

Cedar River Natural Resource Area Biomass Site

The Cedar River Natural Resource Area Biomass Site is part of Black Hawk County Conservation's Cedar River Natural Resource Area. 

Publications

Technical Reports

Giddens, E. 2017. Linking Nutrient Reduction Practices with Biomass Energy: Quantifying Thermal Energy Demand and Supply Capacity for Representative Farms in Eastern Iowa

Cambardella, C., K. Elgersma, E. Giddens, et al. 2015. Prairie Power Project: Determining Maximum Sustainable Production of Biomass With a Mixture of Prairie Species

Theses

Butterfly and floral community dynamics at a native prairie agrofuel research site

Biodiversity and ecosystem function and the design of tallgrass restorations for biomass production

The utility of high-diversity prairie mixtures as bioenergy feedstocks

Early avian colonization in a prairie biofuel project

Effects of soil type and plant diversity on soil respiration and litter decomposition in a tallgrass prairie biofuel production system

A comparison of the effects of burning, haying and mowing on plants and small mammals in a tallgrass prairie reconstruction

The effects of mycorrhizal inoculant and micronutrients on early plant establishment during a tallgrass prairie reconstruction

Collaborations

Cedar Falls Utilities, UNI Biology Dept, Black Hawk County Conservation

Dedicated Research Areas

Prairie on Farms Research and Demonstration Area

Prairie on Farms Research and Demonstration Area, located on the grounds of the Tallgrass Prairie Center and University of Northern Iowa campus, serves as an experimental field station and demonstration site to address topics in prairie reconstruction with relevance to incorporating prairie in agricultural landscapes.

Publications

Peer-reviewed Articles

Glidden, A. J., M. E. Sherrard, J. C. Meissen, M. C. Myers, K. J. Elgersma, and L. L. Jackson. 2022. Planting time, first-year mowing, and seed mix design influence ecological outcomes in agroecosystem revegetation projects. Restoration Ecology e13818.

Theses

Glidden, A. J. 2021. Seed mix design, planting time, and first-year mowing management to improve multifunctionality and cost-effectiveness of tallgrass prairie reconstructions

Technical Reports

Meissen, JC. 2022. Assessing outcome predictability in prairie strip establishment. Technical report. Tallgrass Prairie Center, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA.

Meissen, JC. 2020. Assessing cost-effectiveness and establishment in prairie strips using surface and drill seeding methods. Technical report. Tallgrass Prairie Center, University of Northern Iowa.

Collaborations

TPC Prairie on Farms Program, UNI Biology Dept, UNI Geography Dept

Field Experiments at the ISU Northeast Research Farm

We have a seed mix design experiment located at Iowa State University's Northeast Research Farm in Nashua, Iowa. This long-running experiment is also being used to answer new questions about grass-specific herbicide management.

Publications

Peer-reviewed Articles

Meissen, J. C., A. J. Glidden, M. E. Sherrard, K. J. Elgersma, and L. L. Jackson. 2020. Seed mix design and first year management influence multifunctionality and cost-effectiveness in prairie reconstruction. Restoration Ecology 28:807–816.

Technical Reports

Meissen, J., 2023. “Enhancing CRP for Monarchs Using Mid-Contract Management”, Iowa State University Research and Demonstration Farms Progress Reports 2022(5), 33-34.

Collaborations

ISU STRIPS, ISU Northeast Research Farm