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Nachusa Grasslands

A Prairie State of Mind . . . Now and Forever

12/11/2016

6 Comments

 
​As I prepare this week to graduate with my Master’s degree from Northern Illinois University, I found myself reflecting on how much my experience at Nachusa shaped my life. I fell in love with Nachusa in 2013, after a volunteer work day collecting seed for one of my courses at Northern Illinois University (NIU). After less than an hour out in the field, I realized how much natural beauty I had missed out on while growing up in “The Prairie State,” and I was determined to make a difference. Standing on that knob surrounded by smiling stewards, seeds and sunshine sparked an everlasting passion in me to conserve, protect, and connect communities to their natural areas.
Picture
Angie Burke measuring the tail length of a male deer mouse.
I was honored to research the effects of bison grazing and prescribed fire on small mammal communities at Nachusa for my graduate degree. Being able to witness the reintroduction of bison to the prairie and to be part of the team of scientists documenting their impacts is a once in a lifetime experience that I will cherish. I had the privilege of witnessing first–hand how different mice, voles, and ground squirrels thrive in this ecosystem filled with towering grasses and successional bursts of flowers. 
Picture
Bison grazing in the North Unit with their calves.
​Bison are truly amazing and I honestly was clueless as to how they would influence my research, and the herd always made sure to keep me guessing. It is really no joke that bison can be hard to find in the tallgrass, and I spent just as many hours fascinated watching them as I did capturing little critters. In early 2015 when I first saw that they had been through one of my trapping sites, I laughed because they had kicked around a few traps and bent over poles marking where the traps were, making the message loud and clear that my equipment was apparently in their way as they grazed. 
Picture
Bison kicked/stomped a small mammal trap (no small mammals were injured).
Picture
Bison herd camping out in one of my small mammal trapping locations.
That following summer I saw many bison grazing patches dotted with the peaking heads of 13–lined ground squirrels and began to capture them more frequently in the areas the bison stuck around in. It was surprising to me how quickly the deer mice returned to the areas that were recently burned, making them appear like giants among the emerging vegetation. The elusive capture of specialist small mammals like the western harvest mice and meadow jumping mice were always a treat to photograph. From the excitement of not knowing which little small mammal I was going to capture to the increasingly frequent “bison delay,” my adventure was filled with many fun experiences that definitely made me a prairie enthusiast for life. 
Picture
A 13–lined ground squirrel strikes a fierce pose during processing.
Picture
A meadow jumping mouse.
​My time at Nachusa documenting this healthy and diverse ecosystem, filled with so many amazing small mammals, are among the best memories I have spent with friends and family. Watching the seasons and the colors of the flowers change was always the highlight of my time out there. I will never forget the colors of that first sunset and how the fog rolled between the remnant knobs as the sun came up the next morning. At that time I never would have guessed that capturing adorable small mammals in this breathtaking landscape would bring so many people of diverse backgrounds together. 
Picture
The excitement of processing small mammals with Jessica Fliginger (left), a 2016 summer crew member and former Jones lab undergraduate student.
Picture
Small mammal processing of a prairie vole with NIU student Alyssa Marchetti (left), Angie Burke (center) and Buzz Burke (right).
Sharing my time with all of you in the prairie truly inspired me to pass on the Nachusa spirit and help connect more people with their natural areas. Recently I accepted a position with The Nature Conservancy in Ohio as their Conservation and Volunteer Coordinator. I can only hope that I am able to pass along even a small bit of the Nachusa spirit that makes us more than volunteers or nature enthusiasts, but rather a family working together for the benefit of everyone through restoring and protecting nature. For this I graciously thank the amazing people who made Nachusa my home away from home and for a prairie state of mind . . . now and forever. 
Picture
Stonebarn planting in mid–June with pale purple cone flower stretching across the horizon.
Today’s author is Angie Burke, a graduate student and researcher from Northern Illinois University. To read more about Angie's research, visit The Jones Lab at NIU.
6 Comments
Paul Swanson
12/13/2016 09:25:18 am

Thank you for choosing to do your research at Nachusa. What an exciting project to observe the response of small mammals to the return of bison to the prairie ecosystem. I have enjoyed reading many of your incites and hope your finished work will be made available for us prairie geeks to read. May your blog writing inspire other young people to do research at Nachusa. Good luck in your new position with the TNC in Ohio.

Reply
Jim Vanderpoel
12/14/2016 01:07:29 pm

This is a great article--will you publish the findings of your research?

Reply
Angie Burke
12/20/2016 12:52:11 pm

Paul and Jim,
Thank you for your comments. I am currently in the process of preparing my manuscript for publication. I will make sure to keep Nachusa up to date on when and where it is available.

Reply
Jim Vanderpoel
12/20/2016 04:27:07 pm

Good news, I look forward to reading it.

James McGee
12/26/2016 09:47:56 pm

Angie, I have a question that I bet you can answer. My brother-in-law has a large property he mows and I've suggested that he should turn it into prairie restoration. He said he does not want tall grass because it encourages the mice. I have always thought the mice that are a pest in houses are different than the species found on prairies. Can you confirm whether turning an area into a prairie restoration would or would not increase the likelihood of getting mice in your house or buildings?

Reply
Holly Jones link
2/15/2017 10:15:54 pm

Hey James! I notice Angie hasn't yet responded, probably because she's still getting settled into her job. I'm her former advisor so I can answer your question!

The mice that inhabit buildings, etc. are a different species from those found in prairies. House mice are the ones in buildings and deer mice are the ones in houses/buildings. Deer mice prefer to be outside but will occasionally try to come into buildings - much less often than their house mouse counterparts, though. I have planted a small patch of prairie right by my house and have had no issues with critters!

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    Blog Coordinator

    Dee Hudson
    I am a nature photographer, a freelance graphic designer, and steward at Nachusa's Thelma Carpenter Prairie. I have taken photos for Nachusa since 2012.

    Editor

    James Higby
    I have been a high school French teacher, registered piano technician, and librarian. In retirement I am a volunteer historian at Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society. 

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  • Home
  • About Friends
    • Mission, Leadership, Objectives, and Financials
    • Endowments
    • Heritage Heroes Initiative
    • Friends Annual Reports
    • Newsletters >
      • PrairiE–Update (email)
      • A Prairie Calling (print and digital)
    • Friends Annual Meeting 2022
    • Commenting Policy
  • Plan Your Visit
    • Hours & Parking
    • Directions and Map
    • Visitor Center
    • Pet Policy
    • Public Bison Tours
    • Bison Viewing
    • Hiking >
      • Hiking Guidelines
      • Hiking Destinations
      • Stone Barn Savanna Tour
      • Visitor Center Trail
      • Scavenger Hunt
    • What's In Bloom?
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    • Exploring Nachusa Grasslands on Your Own
    • Things to Do
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  • Donate
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    • Restorations
    • Planting Histories >
      • Stewardship Unit Planting Histories
      • Planting Histories in Chronological Order
      • Science Symposium Abstracts 2016
    • Stewards and Staff
    • Groups and Committees
    • Available Units
    • Controlled Burns
    • Prescribed Fire Recruitment
    • Restoration Publications
    • Stewardship Resources >
      • Weekly Top Picks
      • Seed Collection Guides
      • Invasive Plant Management
      • Invasive Identification
      • Monitoring
      • Links & Resources
  • Science
    • Science at Nachusa Grasslands
    • Science Grants >
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    • Potential Research Topics
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      • Dr. Nick Barber
      • Kimberly Elsenbroek
    • Science Videos
    • Become a Community Scientist >
      • About Community Scientists
      • Butterfly Monitoring
      • Calling Frog Monitoring
      • Dragonflies & Damselflies
      • RiverWatch
  • About Nachusa
    • General Info
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    • Plant Inventory >
      • Common Names
      • Genus Species
    • Animal Inventory >
      • Amphibians
      • Birds
      • Bison Bison >
        • Bison
        • Bison Babies Broadcast Videos
      • Fish
      • Insects
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      • Other Arthropods
      • Reptiles
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