The Derr House was the home of the Derr Family who sold what is now the two prairies to The Conservancy. The house serves as an office and meeting site but retains its four bedrooms. Those bedrooms are used.
The first person I met was Nanette. She is from Texas and is in the midst of a five-month stint at the prairies; the third year in a row she has maintained such a schedule. While working at the prairies, she resides at Derr House and says she is content reading and spending time with the friends she has made here. When our chat ended she was off on the four-wheeler to do seed work. What dedication.
My host for the afternoon was Chris Helzer, Program Director of the Nature Conservancy’s Eastern Nebraska Office, “The Prairie Ecologist” (http://prairieecologist.com), photographer and author. After applying ample sunblock, drinking water and strapping down our hats, we began walking the two prairies the Conservancy and Chris restored and preserves. The 100-degree temperatures and strong (20 mph+) winds precluded photography but did not dampen enthusiasm.
I learned much, saw many plant and wildfire species and now understand the role of grazing cattle and prescribed burns to prairie restoration and preservation. Highlights of the walk included learning why prairies are important, observing numerous blooming wildflowers and regal fritillary butterflies and adding to my total of identified birds (male and female Dickcissel, red-winged Blackbird, and western Meadowlark, Nebraska’s state bird, are three examples).
Following the prairies, Chris took me to across the road to the Conservancy’s wetland, which borders the Platte River (now bank full and flowing fast) and will undergo restoration later this summer. The wetland was beautiful and provided sightings of a Great Blue Heron, a Red-Tailed Hawk and Killdeer. Eagles are routinely seen there and migration season brings Sandhill Cranes.
With some sadness about leaving the area, but secure in the knowledge I’ll be back, I said goodbye to Chris and headed to Grand Island for my room at the Comfort Inn, paid for with points from my son (thanks Ryan), and a good night’s sleep.
Friday found me in Aurora, the prairie capital of America and the home of the Prairie Plains Resource Institute (“PPRI”) (http://www.prairieplains.org). PPRI is responsible for seven prairies, three of which are near Aurora and on my itinerary.
The first, Lincoln Creek, is on Aurora’s fringe and includes a walking trail. Lincoln Creek is a very small prairie with features much like what I experienced at the Platte River Prairies. The prairie’s location, inside Aurora’s city limits and adjacent to a walking path, make it unique and insure many people see it and learn about prairies.
Whatever size and breadth the Lincoln Creek prairie lacked was more than made up for by PPRI’s Griffith Prairie and Farm. Griffith, comprising 390 acres, dwarfs the other prairies I walked. It is also the most diverse with rolling hills, plateaus, Platte River frontage and panoramic views. The word “stunning” comes to mind in trying to describe it. Highlights for me, beside Griffith’s scale, were the presence of regal fritillary butterflies everywhere (somebody must have flipped a switch overnight turning them on to hyperactivity) and seeing how many red cedar trees, invasive to prairies, have had to be burned.
Griffith is also home to PPRI’s greenhouse. I mention that because an employee, despite weather conditions identical to Thursday afternoon, was hard at doing seed work while I was there. Conversation revealed she was the daughter of a coworker with whom I talked about jazz music and exchanged CDs. Small world indeed.
The third prairie on my list (six miles east and five and one-half miles south of Aurora as Nebraskans give directions) was the Marie Ratzlaff Prairie Preserve. I walked it, despite being tired, hot and hungry with home beckoning. The allure was just too strong and I was rewarded. On the way back to my vehicle, walking through a tree and brush line, a young fawn came out – perhaps twenty yards away - to see who was there. Every time I moved, the fawn stiffened its neck and craned to see what I was up to.
To borrow a word, “priceless!”
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