Friends of Nachusa Grasslands
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Nachusa Grasslands

Autumn on the Prairie

9/15/2016

4 Comments

 
Picture
Photo by Bill Kleiman
Every year, on the 3rd Saturday in September, Nachusa Grasslands puts on the Autumn On The Prairie festival. This tradition started in 1988 with only a couple tents and a few dozen visitors. This year's festival boasted many vendors and attracted over 900 visitors. Walking and riding tours went out throughout the day and the site was filled with activities for all ages. Lunch was catered by Oliver's Corner Market.

Picture
Photo by Mark Jordan
Bison tours, such as the one above, went out from the site all day. The herd put on a good show for one wagon load after another. 
​
Picture
Photo by Mark Jordan
Walking tours explored many areas of the preserve, including Tellabs Savanna (pictured above).

​Among the vendors this year were many local artists.  From photography to beading, each displayed their unique style and inspiration from the prairie.
​

Picture
Artist Cindy Winterfeld
One tent was devoted to painters. Several gorgeous landscapes, such as the one above, were painted on–site.

Picture
Photo by Dee Hudson
(Above) A visitor tries the atlatl, an ancient spear–throwing technique, at Alan Harrison's tent where Native American skills were demonstrated.

Picture
Photo by Mark Jordan
The welcome tent sold 290 t-shirts!

Thank you to everyone who was involved with the festival, especially to all the volunteers who put in months of effort to make this event happen every year. We look forward to seeing you all next September! 

​
Today's author is Leah Kleiman.
4 Comments

Nachusa's Gift From The Sea

9/4/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
The first time I experienced the bluffs, in what would become Nachusa Grasslands, was fifty years ago.  My Boy Scout troop would camp in the woods.  The bluffs were a good place to erect a tent and build a fire.  Half a century later, these bluffs of my youth are found in the Tellabs Unit of Nachusa Grasslands.  "It doesn't seem like we are in Illinois," is a common remark from visitors hiking below or on the bluffs.
Picture
Four hundred fifty million years ago Illinois was located near the equator and covered by water.  In these seas life was abundant.  Trilobites, snails, clams, cephalopods and sponges inhabited the waters.  As the climate cooled and glaciers formed, land began to emerge.  On the shorelines, fine white sands composed  largely of quartz accumulated.  The sands were made pure by repeated washing in the surf.  Shells and other potential fossils were ground up.  These sands accumulated to depths of 100 feet or more.
Picture
Over the last half billion years or so, waters have advanced and receded, glaciers have grown and melted, tectonic activity has moved land masses, and rock and soil have accumulated and eroded.  Today the sands deposited during the Ordovician Period of the Paleozoic Era have been compacted, and uplifted as sandstone bluffs.  St. Peters Sandstone, named for the St. Peters River in Minnesota,  can be found in several areas in Nachusa Grasslands. 
Picture
St. Peters Sandstone is composed of small grains of quartz that are weakly cemented together.  It erodes easily and is incorporated into sandy soils.  The bluffs are beautiful and support unique plant communities.  They form shelters and nesting locations for various animals.  St. Peters Sandstone connects us with large and small events that have occurred over long, active periods of time. Oaks grow in soils abundant with sands that once were moved by jawless, armored fish.
Picture
Nachusa Grasslands is known best for the restored prairie and bison.  Before the bison and the grasses these areas were tilled and planted.  On the hillsides beyond the reach of the plow, cattle grazed.  Beneath the hooves dormant prairie seeds and roots were nestled in a soil rich in sand.  And below the soil rose the bluffs of sandstone.  Nachusa is a fertile and diverse place with its roots beneath an ancient sea.  Come try the Stone Barn Savanna hike, touch and enjoy the sandstone.
Picture
Text and Photography by Mark Jordan
1 Comment

    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
    • Friends Annual Meeting 2024
    • 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