Friends of Nachusa Grasslands
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Robert and Patricia Anderson Outstanding Contribution to Science at Nachusa Grasslands Award

In 2021, Friends of Nachusa Grasslands used a substantial gift honoring Robert and Patricia Anderson to establish the Friends Endowment for Nachusa Science. The goal of the endowment is to permanently fund science research at Nachusa Grasslands. To honor this gift, Friends annually recognizes the work of a Nachusa researcher or research team who has demonstrated a commitment to scientific excellence at the preserve with the non-monetary Robert and Patricia Anderson Outstanding Contribution to Science at Nachusa Grasslands Award.

2025: Laura Adamovicz

Dr. Adamovicz is a veterinary epidemiologist who in her own words, works to understand how to keep “wild reptiles and amphibians healthy and better equipped to survive in our ever-changing world.” She first began her work at Nachusa in 2016 with a Friends of Nachusa Grasslands science grant to collect baseline data on Nachusa’s ornate box turtles.

Working with other members of the Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she began her work at the preserve by collecting baseline data to not only gauge the health of Nachusa’s turtle population but also to compare to populations at other locations where this state-threatened species survives.

Since that first field season at Nachusa, Dr. Adamovicz has returned every year to continue to develop and perform diagnostic tests that provide valuable measures of the turtles’ health and population dynamics.
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These tests along with the other work of the lab have been invaluable in developing strategies for protecting Nachusa’s ornate box turtle populations. She has published six peer-reviewed scientific papers including data collected at Nachusa Grasslands, and she provides regular, clear feedback to the Nachusa community about her findings and potential management implications.

Dr. Adamovicz is a valued member of the Nachusa Grasslands community and we are pleased to honor her with the 2025 Robert and Patricia Anderson Award for Outstanding Contribution to Science at Nachusa.


2024: Holly Jones

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Dr. Holly Jones, Professor of Biology, at Northern Illinois University began investing in long-term research at Nachusa Grasslands in 2012, knowing bison would be reintroduced in 2014. Along with her collaborator Dr. Nick Barber, Dr. Jones developed a core research project that integrated multiple trophic groups to examine how management activities: prescribed fire, restoration age, and the introduction of megaherbivore grazing, impacted not only individual populations and communities, but how they impacted ecological interactions.
 
Dr. Jones’ work has been funded multiple times from the National Science Foundation, supporting numerous graduate students who have a strong track record of being funded by the Friends of Nachusa Grasslands science grants. Her work has been published in leading scientific journals including Ecology and The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. These strong scientific outcomes are largely a result of Dr. Jones’ dedication to fostering a supportive and inclusive lab group, putting the physical and mental well-being of students first.
 
Dr. Jones and her lab are valued members of the Nachusa Grasslands community, and we are pleased to honor her with the 2024 Robert and Patricia Anderson Award for Outstanding Contribution to Science at Nachusa.

2023: Sean Griffin

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Dr. Sean Griffin began studying bees at Nachusa in 2013 in partnership with Dr. Bethanne Bruninga-Socolar. Beginning with a baseline survey of the bee populations on remnants, restored land, and alternative land use areas at the preserve, the work grew into an exploration of the impact of management actions including bison introduction on the diversity and abundance of bee species and their interactions with plants. Together, Dr. Griffin and Dr. Bruninga-Socolar are creating one of the few existing long-term data sets of native bees very useful for studying fluctuating bee populations and long-term trends.
 
Their exciting discoveries of rare and endangered bee species as well as their many publications and presentations about the bees of Nachusa have drawn the attention of other researchers who now consider the preserve one of the Midwest’s preeminent sites for the study of native bees.
 
Dr. Griffin is presently the Director of Science and Conservation at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, but he will be continuing his long-term monitoring of bee populations at Nachusa in partnership with Dr. Bruninga-Socolar.


2022: Bethanne Bruninga-Socolar

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Nine years ago, Dr. Bruninga-Socolar began studying bees at Nachusa. She was awarded her first of several Friends of Nachusa Grasslands science grants in 2015 to support her ongoing work with Dr. Sean Griffin. Beginning with a baseline survey of the bee populations on remnants, restored land, and alternative land use areas at the preserve, the work grew into an exploration of the impact of management actions including bison introduction on the diversity and abundance of bee species and their interactions with plants.
 
Exciting discoveries of rare and endangered bee species have been dramatic highlights of Dr. Bruninga-Socolar’s work. Her numerous publications and presentations about the bees of Nachusa have drawn other researchers to the preserve and made it one of the Midwest’s preeminent sites for learning more about these important pollinators. Dr. Bruninga-Socolar is now an Assistant Professor at Albright College in Reading, PA and plans to continue her long-term monitoring of bee populations at Nachusa.

2021: Rich King, Tom Anton, and Dave Mauger

The first Robert and Patricia Anderson Award presented in 2021 recognized the long-term and continuing work of Dr. Richard King, Tom Anton, and Dave Mauger who study, manage, and promote the populations of endangered Blanding’s Turtles at Nachusa and other sites in northern Illinois.

Their ongoing effort to increase the population and promote the persistence of the state endangered Blanding’s Turtles at Nachusa adjacent properties within the Franklin Creek corridor entered a new phase in 2020 when thirty-seven hatchlings were released. Additional eggs were also collected in 2020, and the hatchlings have been reared for release in 2021. In addition to tracking the new “head-start “hatchlings to obtain data on their survival, movements and habitat use, this research team has tracked adult females to their nest sites and collected eggs for head-starting and release in 2022.
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UPDATED 05/2024

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  • Home
  • About Friends
    • Mission, Leadership, Objectives, and Financials
    • Friends Annual Meeting 2025
    • Endowments
    • Heritage Heroes Initiative
    • Friends Annual Reports
    • Newsletters >
      • PrairiE–Update (email)
      • A Prairie Calling (print and digital)
    • Commenting Policy
  • Plan Your Visit
    • Hours & Parking
    • Directions and Map
    • Visitor Center
    • Pet Policy
    • Public Bison Tours
    • Bison Viewing
    • Hiking >
      • Hiking Guidelines
      • Hiking Destinations
      • Guided Hikes
      • Stone Barn Savanna Tour
      • Visitor Center Trail
      • Scavenger Hunt
    • Autumn on the Prairie >
      • Yearly Festival
    • What's In Bloom?
    • Exploring Nachusa Grasslands on Your Own
    • Things to Do
    • Places to Eat and Stay
    • Local Sites to Visit and Explore
  • Donate
  • Calendar
  • Volunteer
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • Thursday and Saturday Workdays >
      • Workday Signup
      • Workdays – November to February
      • Volunteer Workday Safety Protocols
      • Leader Workday Safety Protocols
      • Steward Workday Tips
    • Workday Email List
    • Volunteer Recognition
    • Docents
  • Stewardship
    • Nachusa Stewardship
    • Restorations
    • Planting Histories >
      • Stewardship Unit Planting Histories
      • Planting Histories in Chronological Order
    • Weed Reports
    • Native plant resources
    • Volunteer Stewards
    • Groups and Committees
    • Available Units
    • Controlled Burns
    • Prescribed Fire Recruitment
    • Restoration Publications
    • Stewardship Resources >
      • Seed Collection Guides
      • Invasive Plant Management
      • Invasive Identification
      • Monitoring
      • Resource Links
  • Science
    • Science at Nachusa Grasslands
    • Science Symposium 2025
    • 2025 Science Symposium Abstracts
    • Science Grants >
      • Science Grants 2025
      • Science Grants 2021 to 2024 >
        • Science Grants 2024
        • Science Grants 2023
        • Science Grants 2022
        • Science Grants 2021
      • Science Grants 2016 to 2020 >
        • Science Grants 2020
        • Science Grants 2019
        • Science Grants 2018
        • Science Grants 2017
        • Science Grants 2016
      • Science Grants 2011 to 2015 >
        • Science Grants 2015
        • Science Grants 2014
        • Science Grants 2013/2012/2011
    • Potential Research Topics
    • Scientific Publications
    • Anderson Science Award
    • Science Videos
    • Become a Community Scientist >
      • About Community Scientists
      • Butterfly Monitoring
      • Calling Frog Monitoring
      • Dragonflies & Damselflies
      • RiverWatch
  • About Nachusa
    • General Info
    • Nachusa Staff
    • Prairie Smoke Annual Reports
    • Plant Inventory >
      • Common Names
      • Genus Species
    • Animal Inventory >
      • Amphibians
      • Birds
      • Bison Bison >
        • Bison
        • Bison Babies Broadcast Videos
      • Fish
      • Insects
      • Mammals
      • Other Arthropods
      • Reptiles
    • History
    • Jobs
    • Hunting
    • Geology >
      • Geology Part 1
      • Geology Part 2
      • Geology Part 3
    • Websites of Interest
  • Teacher Resources
    • K-2nd grades
    • 3rd-5th grades
    • 6th-8th grades
    • High School
  • BLOG AND MEDIA
    • Nachusa Blog
    • In The News
    • Photo Gallery >
      • Spring Photos
      • Summer Photos
      • Autumn Photos
      • Winter Photos
    • Videos
  • Contact Us / FAQs