Friends of Nachusa Grasslands 2019 Scientific Research Grants – $38,218

To support scientific endeavors, Friends of Nachusa Grasslands awards monetary grants to qualified candidates conducting scientific research significant to Nachusa Grasslands.

Research projects focus primarily on prairie, savanna, wetland, woodland, and stream habitat management such as prescribed fire, seed collection, weed control, general or specific flora or faunal populations, and natural areas restoration.

Thanks to a 1:1 challenge grant and the generous support of individual donors, organizations, and foundations, Friends has awarded $38,218 for 2019-2020, divided in varying amounts among ten researchers.

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Donations to Friends can be designated to Scientific Research Grants.

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2019 Grant Recipients, Projects, and Amounts

Laura Adamovicz, DVM, PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  “Continued Health Assessment of Nachusa’s Ornate Box Turtles.”  Dr. Adamovicz is going to continue her last three years’ work assessing the health of the ornate box turtles (Terrapene ornata) at Nachusa. This work will help direct conservation strategies for the species at the preserve. It will also provide baseline data for use with other populations of this species in other preserves. This grant will specifically pay for the hormone and venous blood gas data collection used to assess the response to acute and chronic stress in box turtles. ($2,613)

Kaleb Baker, M.S. graduate student, Northern Illinois University.  “Basal Bark Triclopyr and Fire Efficacy on Lonicera maackii and Their Off-Target Impacts After One Year.” This project seeks to understand the effects of basal bark treatments and prescribed fire on L. maackii as well as the off-target impacts of such treatment. This grant supports surveys of surrounding vegetation for one year after treatment by the investigator and an assistant. ($1,067)

Nicholas Barber, PhD, Asst. Professor of Biology, San Diego State University. “Continuation of Long-Term Monitoring of Ground Beetles and Dung Beetles at Nachusa.” This work will continue to strengthen a unique data set addressing the questions of 1) the effect of prescribed fire on beetles with specific traits, 2) the comparison of beetle communities in remnant and restored prairies over time, and 3) the stability of beetle populations in restorations of different ages. ($2,520)
 
Victoria Borowicz, PhD, Asst. Professor of Biology, and Anna Scheidel, M.S. graduate student, Illinois State University. “Do Hemiparasitic Plants Increase Diversity, and, if So, How?” An important question for Nachusa stewards will be addressed by this study. How do the nine species of annual and perennial hemiparasitic plants at Nachusa impact the biodiversity in their local plant communities? Vegetative surveys and nutrient analyses of both leaf litter and soil samples should begin to tell the story of the hemiparasites’ ecological roles and perhaps direct future management decisions. ($3,126)

Catherine Dana, PhD graduate student, Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “Song Analysis of Dog-Day Cicadas to Identify Potential Hybrids.” This study is a follow up to Ms. Dana’s 2018 work surveying cicada species at Nachusa. In addition to using audio recording and molt collecting to look for rare cicada species that may have been missed in 2018, Ms. Dana will be searching for hybrids of the three dog-day cicada species found at Nachusa. This information is important for potentially listing the species as threatened. Additionally, she will be looking for evidence that there will be an early emergence of periodical cicadas in 2020 (Brood XII). ($4,271)

Devin Edmonds, M.S. graduate student, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “When Do Ornate Box Turtles Emerge from Hibernation?” Knowing when it’s safe to carry out prescribed burns in the state-threatened ornate box turtles’ habitat at Nachusa is an important question for managers. Using radio telemetry and temperature data loggers, Mr. Edmonds will attempt to provide specific data on emergence dates and correlated soil temperature for spring emergence of the turtles. Poster ($1,860)

Richard King, PhD., Northern Illinois University, Thomas B. Anton and David Mauger, independent researchers. “Refinement and Implementation of Blanding’s Turtle Management Strategies.” Using inventory methods to determine population status, radio-telemetry to monitor habitat use, and nest protection to promote juvenile recruitment of Blanding's turtles at Nachusa and adjacent properties within the Franklin Creek corridor, this ongoing multi-year effort is designed to develop and implement on-the-ground management strategies to promote the persistence of the state-endangered Blanding's turtles. ($6,500) 

Michele Rehbein, PhD graduate student, Western Illinois University. “Identification of Culex and Aedes Mosquito Microbiomes from Wetland and Lower Order Stream Habitats.” Analyzing DNA from the midguts of trapped female mosquitoes, this research will identify the microbiome (fungi and bacteria populations) living in the mosquitoes of the wetland and stream habitats of Nachusa. There is very little generally known about this topic. This second year of the study will continue to document the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of these aquatic habitats, adding to our knowledge of Nachusa’s aquatic environments, and it will expand our knowledge of Nachusa’s insect inventory by identifying mosquito species that live on site. ($3,170)

Wayne E. Schennum, PhD, Independent Researcher. “Survey of the Remnant-Dependent Macromoths and Orthopterans at Nachusa Grasslands.” This study will identify the number and relative abundance of macromoths and orthopterans (grasshoppers & katydids) restricted to tracts of remnant and restored prairie, savanna, and wetland communities at Nachusa Grasslands and compare those survey results with a survey done thirty years ago. It will also determine vegetation types associated with each species and suggest potential impacts of prescribed burning, bison grazing, vegetation quality, and brush management on these taxa. ($3,000)
 
Pallavi Singh, PhD, Assistant. Professor of Biology, Northern Illinois University. “Characterizing Intestinal Microbial Ecology of Bison Introduced to Restored Tallgrass Prairie.” Learning as much as possible about the bison inhabiting Nachusa and their ecological impact on its prairie communities is a high priority for the preserve. This study will use DNA analyses to identify the intestinal microbial population of the bison and determine if it varies with age, gender, season, diet, and/or habitat. ($7,700)

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For project descriptions, recipients and award amounts from other years, see Science at Nachusa Grasslands.

To receive information about the grant guidelines and application process when it is available in the late summer, contact [email protected].

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UPDATED 08/2024