Monroe City 鈥� As beautiful as a tallgrass prairie in bloom is, establishing one is equally unglamorous.
First invasive species, like autumn olive or bradford pear trees, have to be ripped out and burned off. And even after prairie grass seeds are thrown, it won鈥檛 be pretty at first.
鈥淎nd next year, you look out there and you just weep because it looks disgusting,鈥� said Bob Kendrick, a member of the Mississippi Hills chapter of the Missouri Master Naturalists.
After that, the prairie slowly creeps in and then leaps to its full beautiful form. It鈥檚 the 鈥渨eep, creep, leap鈥� cycle, as Kendrick calls it.
鈥淏ut that鈥檚 not really true because sometimes it鈥檚 six or seven years,鈥� Kendrick said, drawing knowing laughs from fellow master naturalists as they mixed seeds from a dozen species with cat litter to toss on a patch of ground near Mark Twain Lake that the Army Corps of Engineers had just burned.
The Mississippi Hills group has committed to reestablishing seven prairies each year for seven years. Kendrick and fellow volunteers hope to bring native wildlife back into abundance by reestablishing grasslands that were wiped out after European settlement of Missouri.
鈥淲ithin a 40-mile radius of the town of Monroe City, there are two remnants of the 8,000-year old prairie,鈥� Kendrick said. He said the two total less than two acres.
The group is in its third year and has established a seed bank that provides free seeds to landowners who want to establish a prairie. It鈥檚 got four more years 鈥� or 12 more prairies 鈥� to go.
They want people to know anyone can do it. Kendrick pointed out a sign where the group tossed seed that should have read 鈥減rairie in progress.鈥� Instead, it said 鈥減rairie in progess.鈥� Another 鈥渞鈥� had been squeezed in after the fact.
鈥淭hey鈥檒l look at it and say, 鈥榃ell, if those people can do it, I know we can do it,鈥欌�� Kendrick said.
A committed group聽
Kendrick and Kristy Trevathan were in the inaugural class of master naturalists in north-central Missouri.
Trevathan said the term 鈥渨eb of life鈥� used by an instructor in their training four years ago still stuck with her.
鈥淏ecause when you plant a prairie, you bring the insects. When you bring the insects, you bring the birds and you bring the little mammals and then the little mammals feed the turkeys and the deer,鈥� she said.
She continued: 鈥淚t all started making sense 鈥� why we do what we do.鈥�
Before his training as a master naturalist, Kendrick said he thought he knew a fair bit. But the knowledge he gained about invasive plants and the sheer number of species of animals in Missouri made him rethink that.
鈥淚鈥檓 in the woods a lot. I thought I knew a little bit of stuff,鈥� Kendrick said. 鈥淎nd I found out I was a babe in the woods.鈥�
One of the group鈥檚 instructors said their newfound knowledge of invasive plant species would ruin every walk from then on.
When Alan Miller started to establish an acre of prairie on his property, he first had to clear out rampant invasive species 鈥� primarily autumn olive trees. A friend who helped him then started noticing the trees everywhere as he drove home.
鈥淲hen I got my place, there was鈥ne place in my area that had that autumn olive, and now it is just spread out all over the place,鈥� he said.
This year, Miller said he cleared autumn olive on 12 acres. He had to fight autumn olive as it tried to encroach on land he cleared four years ago.
But on the acre he started establishing a prairie on a few years ago, he鈥檚 seeing results following a prescribed burn last year.
鈥淥ne of the guys that helped on that burn came to my place,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 goes, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e in for a treat now,鈥� and it was blooming and it was just full of flowers.鈥�
In Kendrick鈥檚 own yard, he estimates he has four or five species of birds that weren鈥檛 there before.
It鈥檚 not just the master naturalists who are helping. Kendrick said more than 40 people have pitched in to collect seed from swaths of prairie for the seed bank. Kendrick said he bought enough seeds for two acres and it cost more than $1,000.
So he鈥檚 giving away seeds for those who want to help establish the prairie.
鈥淢y garage is a mess,鈥� Kendrick said. 鈥淢y wife is ready to kill me.鈥�
Trevathan is establishing a prairie on her one-acre yard and a songbird garden on a neighboring property she rents out.
鈥淓verybody can do their part,鈥� she said.
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