Instructor Information & Event Descriptions

Amie Adams (she/her) is a writer and certified Iowa Master Naturalist. She is a 5th-generation Iowan who grew up on the shore of Clear Lake and now resides near the Skunk River in central Iowa. Amie is the author of The Observer: The Life and Writings of Bernt Olaf Wolden. Writing in the Spirit of Iowa's Naturalists: We will begin with a discussion of early Iowa nature writing--including the work of B.O. Wolden (1886-1968)--and move into a guided writing workshop to explore our personal connections to flora, fauna, land, and water. 
 
Shayne Bennett is currently a Wayne State College student and is an enthusiast who enjoys learning about and practicing primitive skills. Join them for their program - Primitive Hunting Tools: Atlatl - Come learn about early hunting tools, hunting tool construction, and test your aim by learning how to use a real atlatl and getting to launch real atlatl darts. Program is family friendly, all ages and abilities are welcome. Program supplies provided by the Woodbury County Conservation’s Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center.

Connie Betts is Harrison County Conservation’s Naturalist. Whooo’s There? What is that sound in the night? What owls are flying around and what are they eating? Bring the kids to learn all about Iowa owls, listen to their calls, and find out their adaptations to live at night. We’ll also dissect owl pellets to see what they have been eating and everyone gets to take the bones home! All materials supplied.

Jeanne Bockholt is a member of the Northwest Iowa Group of the Sierra Club. Northwest Iowa Group Sierra Club will be leading My Patchwork Prairie on Friday night and Saturday night.

Butch Bowman is an instructor of the 4-H S.E.S.S. (Safety Education Shooting Sports) program. During Introduction to Archery, participants will learn how to handle a bow and arrows in a safe manner. You will also be able to practice target shooting.

Lance Brisbois of the Golden Hills RC&D will lead a Bike Tour of the Loess Hills on gravel roads through the Loess Hills around Turin. Bring your own gravel-friendly bike, a helmet, and water. The route will be 10-15 miles and include some hills but also flatter sections.
   
Mark, Ed, & Lee Brogie are a family of naturalists that have a passion for sharing their knowledge about birds at the seminar. They will be leading early Birding Walks for All Ages. Each will be offered in the early morning hours to ensure a variety of birds can be seen both Saturday and Sunday morning. Some binoculars will be provided. The Brogies will also provide a Bird Tour by Auto. Car caravan to several different habitat stops in the Loess Hills. You can choose to leave to be back by the 10:15AM session. 

Seth Brooks returned home to Nebraska in 2020 after living in Spain for seven years, where he hiked the Camino de Santiago six times. He works at Golden Hills RC&D as a project coordinator and has written three hiking guidebooks for Falcon Guides: Hiking Nebraska, Hiking Iowa, and Hiking Kansas. Hiking off-trail in the Loess Hills: There are miles of trails in the Loess Hills, but there even more hiking opportunities on public land where there are not maintained hiking trails. Join Hiking Iowa guidebook author Seth Brooks for an off-trail hike in the Loess Hills. The route will be scouted beforehand to ensure safety. Wear sturdy shoes and long pants.

Doug Chafa works as the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Biologist for the Missouri River Wildlife Management Unit, which totals six counties. He and his team are based out of Lewis and Clark State Park near Onawa, IA and manage such areas as the Loess Hills Wildlife area, the Sylvan Runkel State Preserve, and organize the annual pre-LHPS, G.R.A.S.S. event. Calling to the Hills Join Doug Chafa, Anna Buckardt Thomas, and the Brogies for this thrilling night time program that will focus on calling to wildlife such as coyotes and owls and listening for their response in the Loess Hills.
Anna Buckardt Thomas is an Avian Ecologist and works for the IA DNR with the Wildlife Diversity Program. The Wildlife Diversity Program has shifted its focus to landscape and ecosystem management, statewide inventory and monitoring of all wildlife species, and training volunteer wildlife surveyors, while still continuing public outreach functions and a reduced species reintroduction program. The program also currently oversees implementation of the Iowa Wildlife Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy that will help guide the DNR’s fish and wildlife management activities over the next 25 years. Loess Hills Habitats and Birds: How Does Management Impact Species Composition? Hike with Anna Buckardt Thomas, an avian ecologist, and Doug Chafa, a wildlife biologist, viewing birds and land stewardship practices. We will explore a variety of Loess Hills habitats, from Grassland, Savanna, Forest, and look for identify the birds that use them. We will discuss and see on-the-ground implementation of habitat management strategies and learn about how management impact birds. (Note: Some binoculars will be provided, but personal binoculars will help to ensure we have enough for everyone.)
Glenn Pollock is known as a prairie enthusiasts and a primary activist with the Iowa Prairie Network, as well as heaving interests in history, ecology, restoration, advocacy, and much more. Tracking of Migratory Birds using Wireless and Computer Technology (MOTUS) Travel with Glenn Pollock and Anna Buckardt Thomas to Lewis and Clark state park to see the MOTUS migratory bird tracking telemetry receiving station. Discussion will focus on the installation and operation of the station and how the public can use and contribute to the information collected. For reference, see the website Motus.org 

Theresa Dehn is a 200-hour certified yoga teacher.

Judy Ehlers, Chair of Monona County’s Historic Preservation Commission and retired school teacher will be leading a session on the Mann Country School Experience: Visit the Mann Country School and learn what a typical classroom day was like for a one-room country schoolhouse. Activities to include writing on a blackboard and using nib (fountain) pens. The Hidden Past of the South Jordan Cemetery: Judy will be discussing the history and importance of preserving this historic site, located north of Moorhead, IA. Judy will be joined by Seth Brooks as co-presenter and the tour will also make an effort to visit three other historic locations: Mann School, Soldier Country Church and Ingemann Danish Church.

Marlene Ehresman is the co-founder and executive director of the Iowa Wildlife Center. A wildlife biologist by academic training, she is also a licensed wildlife rehabilitator with experience caring for many Iowa wildlife species, including several lovely native snakes. Marlene has been coming to the LHPS since her sons were in grade school (one just turned 44) and has given several programs over the years, solo or with her husband, Bruce.

Sunday Ford is with the Sioux County Conservation Board in northwest Iowa. She has been the Assistant Director and Environmental Education Coordinator for the SCCB for 26 years and is based out of the Prairie Woods Nature Center at Oak Grove Park near Hawarden. The Loess Hills and the seminar are dear to her heart in that she attended middle and high school in the loess hills at Akron Westfield, where she grew roots in her love of the prairie,the Big Sioux River "boot sucking mud", the floodplain where she ran wild and the leadership of a very special special mentors including science teacher, Ron Wilmot, and former Plymouth County Naturalist, Rachael Shillinglaw Siebens. The Loess Hills Seminar has shaped her with experiences such as studying the hills with her Briar Cliff College professor of botany Brian Hazlett and professor of ornithology, Steven Munzinger, and special friend and photographer, Don Poggensee. "To be invited back to this event is like being called home. I look forward to sitting around the campfire with family, new and old". Children can join Sunday Ford for an "Incredible Journey”, a program where she will turn children into a drop of water and send them through the water cycle. Sunday will also do a felt board story involving a boy who moved into a new urban development called "My Changing Neighborhood", followed by some team building fun! Children can also join Sunday Ford for her Nature Explorers session on Saturday during session #2, where you will follow trails, examine tracks, listen to birds, examine rocks, find walking sticks and play in nature. This is a kid friendly activity. 

Karen Grimes
Meditative Stitching on the Prairie Take a break from life’s hectic pace. Slow down and slow stitch a prairie memory. Materials (fabric, needle and thread) provided. But bring small scissors, and a photo if you have a specific flower or other subject that inspires you.

Brian Hazlett is a professor of biology and environmental science at Briar Cliff University (Sioux City, Iowa) where he has directed the Center for Prairie Studies since its inception in 2009. Named BCU’s Distinguished Scholar in 2015 and recipient of the Pursuit of Excellence award in 2024, he is a regular facilitator at the Loess Hills Prairie Seminar and has presented at the Iowa and North American Prairie conferences. Research projects include floristic inventories of local natural areas. Hazlett enjoys leading student trips locally, nationwide, and abroad. He is leading a session on Woody Plants for Beginners. This session is designed for those who wish to gain a greater familiarity with our local trees, shrubs, and vines. Participants should expect a medium walk on level ground. On Common Ground: Learning and Living in the Loess Hills (Ice Cube Press) is an anthology of essays, poems, photographs, and artwork initiated by a gathering of writers, naturalists, and artists in the northern Loess Hills in September 2021.  Highlights from that weekend included a prairie burn and encountering the Nature Conservancy’s bison herd at Broken Kettle Grasslands.  Published in 2023, the book has been incorporated into Briar Cliff’s First-year Experience course and was featured at the South Dakota Festival of Books and the North American Prairie Conference.  For this Loess Hills Prairie Seminar presentation, co-editor Brian Hazlett and contributor John Price will read from their essays and discuss how they were inspired. John T. Price, editor of The Tallgrass Prairie Reader, is the author of three prairie-centered memoirs, including Man Killed by Pheasant and Other Kinships and Daddy Long Legs: The Natural Education of a Father.  His nonfiction has appeared in Orion Magazine, Terrain.org, and Best Spiritual Writing. A Regents/Foundation Professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, he directs the English Department’s Creative Nonfiction Writing Program. His most recent book is All is Leaf: Essays and Transformations. 
 
David Hoferer grew up in Cedar Rapids with a love for animals. He graduated from Drake University in Des Moines and then earned advanced degrees in theology and environmental science. Since 2016 he has been a professor of biology and environmental science at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City. Together with his students, Dave has been working to restore prairie gardens utilizing plants local to northwest Iowa in Sioux City and on Briar Cliff’s campus. He and his students are also writing a plan to restore a small prairie on BCU’s campus. He has been active in the Loess Hills Audubon Society, the Sioux City Environmental Advisory Board, and the Northwest Iowa Group of the Sierra Club, where he currently serves on their Executive Committee. He has given presentations at local environmental group meetings and for the Environmental Advisory Board of Sioux City. What is Rewilding and How Could It Be Done in the Loess Hills? Dave Hoferer will talk about how the term “rewilding” has been used in the context of restoring biodiversity and natural areas. The main concept of “cores, corridors, and carnivores” will be explored alongside the reinvigoration of the human spirit. The possibilities of rewilding in the Loess Hills will be explored, including the history of land transformation in Iowa. The presentation will conclude with an overview of plans for how corridors might be accomplished in and around the Loess Hills, including detailed maps showing these possibilities.

Katie Hoeppner is the IA DNR Park Ranger at Lewis and Clark State Park and the IA DNR Conservation Officer for Monona County. Josh Schaben is the current Monona County Conservation Director and Park Ranger.

Andrea Porter works for a non-profit in Sioux Falls called EmBe. She works for two departments childcare and school aged care. She is a Site Coordinator at Lowell Elementary school within the Community Learning Centers. Recently she has been working to reinstate her class B CDL to provide field trip transportation during summer care. Andrea will also be teaching science and nature related field trips as well. You could call her the next Miss Frizzle and the magic school bus. Kayaking & Fishing in the Loess Hills - Do you have the desire to learn the fundamentals of fishing and kayaking? Join Katie and Josh for a fun time fishing and Andrea for a great time exploring the water on some kayaks! You'll get to gain some life skills in these two great recreational activities! There will be a short drive to a local pond. Please be ready to be near and or on the water. Also, be prepared with the possibility of getting wet. Water shoes may be desired as well as sunscreen, hat, water, and camera. If participating in the kayaking activity, please bring a proper sized PFD if you have one, otherwise we will do our best to accommodate attendees with our limited variety of PFDs.

Be sure to join Andrea for her Creepy Crawly Critter Exploration program on Sunday. Are all creepy crawlies the same? They may give you the heebie jeebies but they are not all the same. Let's explore what makes an insect an insect. Some are given the name of an insect but they are imposters in the insect world. This program is open to everyone but is geared toward families with children. All are welcome!

If you have a bug net and collection containers feel free to bring them along we will be collecting insects  

Chuck Hopp has gained his skill through the Wilderness Awareness School in Washington. Nature Awareness & the Art of Mentoring - We will learn new ways to move and interact with nature. Through natural movement, sense meditation, storytelling, discussions and nature games. May also include bird language and animal tracking.

Chris Jones is retired from IIHR-Hydrosocience & Engineering at the University of Iowa, where he worked as a research engineer focusing on water quality in agricultural landscapes. Prior to that, he worked for the Des Moines Water Works, Iowa Soybean Association and as a consultant for water and wastewater utilities. He has a BA in Chemistry and Biology from Simpson College and a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Montana State University. Dr. Jones has authored 55 articles in scientific journals, several book chapters, and is the author of The Swine Republic, Struggles with Truth About Agriculture and Water Quality. His writing has appeared in the Des Moines Register and Cedar Rapids Gazette and in the on-line periodical, Civil Eats. He's a frequent guest on Iowa Public Radio and was a guest on NPR's On Point. He also writes a Substack column that can be found at riverraccoon.substack.com. He lives in Iowa City, Iowa. Keynote: This Land is Their Land Join Dr. Chris Jones for a presentation with a focus on water quality within the context of Iowa's historical agriculture production systems, and how the state can get better outcomes going forward. 

Katherine Koskovich is a retired wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. She was the Private Lands Biologist for NW Iowa. She provided technical assistance to private landowners who wanted to create wildlife habitat on their property. Kathy lives in the Loess Hills of eastern Woodbury County! She's a watercolor artist and loves to incorporate nature into her artwork. Join Kathy for an Organic Painting session. We will use natural items to create painted works of art!!! Students will go out and collect natural items to use in the class. No artistic experience needed! Adults and children welcome, small children should be accompanied with an adult. 

Deb Lewis is the herbarium curator at Iowa State University and a board member and the newsletter editor for the Iowa Native Plant Society. Who’s Your Neighbor? A Plant’s-Eye View of the Prairie - A hands-on, non-technical introduction to prairie plant interactions with their living and non-living environment. We’ll begin with a walk, then sit in the prairie (an old towel or cushion might make it more comfortable). Rich Pope is the vice-chair of the Loess Hills Alliance. He returned to western Iowa after a career with ISU Extension. Join Rich and Deb as they discuss Collecting, Documenting, and Pressing Plants - plant specimens (samples) document the occurrence of a plant population in a particular place. The session will introduce collecting “ethics”, the tools and techniques for collecting, pressing, and drying plant specimens and the information needed for labeling them.

Kelly Madigan writes poetry and creative nonfiction, and teaches an annual place-based writing workshop centered on the Loess Hills through Larksong Writers Place. Slope, Rise, Smoke, Wise: A Reading of New Work by Loess Hills Writers Creative writers from the region, as well as those writing about the Loess Hills, will share samples of their new work. As time allows, there will be a Q & A and an "open mic" for attendees to share their own writing related to the Loess Hills.

Matt Mason is the Nebraska State Poet and has run poetry workshops in Botswana, Romania, Nepal, and Belarus for the U.S. State Department. His poetry has appeared in The New York Times and Matt has received a Pushcart Prize as well as fellowships from the Academy of American Poets and the Nebraska Arts Council. His work can be found in Rattle, Poet Lore, Prairie Schooner, and in hundreds of other publications. Mason's 5th book, Rock Stars, was published by Button Poetry in 2023. Find more at: https://matt.midverse.com/

In The woods. I have lived near wooded areas much of these past 25 years, so I've done a lot of writing out in the trees as well as a number of poems written in National Parks. I find spaces like these to be great inspiration for poetry so will read poems about birds, trees, National Parks, and more. Join me for a poetry reading of my works.

Writing Down the Outdoors: Participants will come with me on a guided writing exercise where we will talk about nature as inspiration and (weather permitting) walk outside in a writing exercise.

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Hi, I'm Bee Miller, a master's candidate in the Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology department of Iowa State University. I began my biology career in 2018 when I started studying at Luther College as an undergraduate in the Biology department. In 2020, my entomology professor, Dr. Kirk Larsen, and I conducted bumble bee surveys in tallgrass prairies of Winneshiek County Iowa. From there my love for bees and other pollinators took root, and today I am grateful to be a part of the Iowa Bumble Bee Atlas project led by the Xerces Society, where we will be collaborating with citizen scientists to document the bumble bee community across the state. Join Bee and Stephanie Shepherd for their Iowa Bumble Bee Atlas Field Training Program. Limit of 15 participants. For any adults or older children interested in collecting data and contributing to the Iowa Bumble Bee Atlas, the Iowa DNR and Iowa State University will host a 2 hour field training. Participants will get an overview of the project, instruction on safely catching and handling bumble bees and then how to id the bees they've caught including practicing the photography required for the surveys. It is recommended but not required that attendees should have watched the two available training workshops that were held in April (more info on available recordings at https://www.bumblebeeatlas.org/) prior to this field training. Please bring a camera (phone camera is fine) and an aerial insect net if you have one. We will have some nets for folks to use and vials for storing the bees before I.D.

Don Poggensee is a very talented photographer who enjoys every chance he can to live out his passion. He has been coming to the seminar year after year offering programs and using his talent by photographing this event. Don will offer two programs: Prairie Photography and Digital Images. His sessions will include an introduction in how to capture the best photo in the field, setting up a photo shoot, selecting a subject, lighting, and best composition. Checking exposure and knowing your camera settings will help you capture that great image! (Note: Please bring your own camera to this session.) 

Dr. Tom Rosburg is an expert in the field of biology and professor at Drake University. Nature Scavenger Hunt for Kids - This is a hands-on, fun-filled activity for kids ages 5 to 12. We will take nets and bottles to nearby areas to look for natural treasures and collect or observe items on a nature checklist. Parents are welcome to join us. Prairie Flora of the Loess Hills - This session will explore the prairie ridges and slopes in the Sylvan Runkel State Preserve to find and identify plants, provide identification tips, and discuss their biology and ecology. At least 125 plant species in the Preserve are native to the prairie communities on the Preserve. We’ll make an effort to find 100 of those prairie species. It will be a moderate to long hike, but we go pretty slow. Making Friends with Sedges - Sedges (Carex) are the most diverse group of plants in Iowa and North America, and one of the most important ecologically. There are about 120 sedges species in Iowa that inhabit every kind of ecosystem from very dry sand prairie and rocky outcrops to very wet bogs and fens. This field trip will challenge participants to learn identification skills for some of the forest sedges that we can find.  Sedge ecology will also be discussed.  By the end of the hike, participants should be able to amaze their friends by easily identifying ten sedge species. 

Kari Sandage is a Woodbury County Conservation Naturalist at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center in Sioux City, IA. Insect Safari - During this interactive family program, we will learn all about bugs and why they are important. We will also go on an “Insect Safari” where we will walk and look for bugs. Nets and bug carriers will be provided so that kids can catch, study, and release the critters we find.

 

Renee Sans Souci utilizes her degree in education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in  combination with her life experiences as an Umonhon woman with a learning process that helps learners to engage in their own cultural identities and languages. Renee is a Cultural Consultant and Curriculum Developer, and has been a Teaching Artist with the Lied Center for Performing Arts since 2009. She has provided keynote speeches on the topic of Water and Environmental Science, has presented at numerous conferences on various topics related to #MMIR, Native Science, History of Indian Education, Native languages, Poetry, and Sustainability. Sans Souci was featured in the PBS American Masters Series, UNLADYLIKE 2020: Susan LaFlesche Picotte: The First American Indian Doctor.  She is also a Co-Leader for the Niskithe Prayer Camp and is a recipient of the UNL Institute of Ethnic Studies 2023 Leo Yankton Award for Indigenous Justice. We are the Buffalo and the Buffalo are Us!: The American Bison, also called Buffalo, have many names in Native Languages. For UmoNhoN (Omaha) People in this region, we call them Te. For this presentation, the UmoNhoN worldview of Te will be shared. Many Tribes throughout Turtle Island have hunted Buffalo since time immemorial. They were seen as Relatives, a sacred being that brought life to the people. They were also healers of the land, Mother Earth, and helped to maintain the balance of the Tall Grass Prairie and watershed ecosystems. Currently, there is Buffalo Restoration taking place, especially with Native Tribes throughout the Great Plains. There will be a Buffalo Table or exhibit for participants to look at, touch, feel, and smell.

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Stephanie Shepherd has been a biologist with Iowa DNR’s Wildlife Diversity program since 2005. She coordinates the Iowa Volunteer Wildlife Monitoring Program which trains community scientists to collect data on Bald Eagles and other raptors, Frogs and Toads and Bats. She is also excited to also be a part of the new Iowa Bumble Bee Atlas because she has a special interest in butterflies, bees and other pollinators.  Join Stephanie and Bee Miller for their Iowa Bumble Bee Atlas Field Training Program. Limit of 15 participants. For any adults or older children interested in collecting data and contributing to the Iowa Bumble Bee Atlas, the Iowa DNR and Iowa State University will host a 2 hour field training. Participants will get an overview of the project, instruction on safely catching and handling bumble bees and then how to id the bees they've caught including practicing the photography required for the surveys. It is recommended but not required that attendees should have watched the two available training workshops that were held in April (more info on available recordings at https://www.bumblebeeatlas.org/) prior to this field training. Please bring a camera (phone camera is fine) and an aerial insect net if you have one. We will have some nets for folks to use and vials for storing the bees before I.D. Community Science in Iowa: Building a volunteer army, one member at a time. Discover citizen science programs in Iowa and find out how you can participate. Volunteers assist in monitoring important species throughout the state, enabling us to assess the overall health of our ecosystem and take necessary steps to conserve it.

 

Megann Schmidt is a Private lands Biologist with the Wildlife Burea with the IA DNR. 
Private Lands Protection and Management in the Loess Hills: There are many opportunities available to private landowners to assist them in protecting and managing the Loess Hills. During this session, we will highlight some of the conservation programs available to landowners looking to improve prairie diversity and wildlife habitat on their land. We'll also touch on some of the management practices that are frequently recommend to achieve these goals. Lastly, we'll go over protection options available to landowners who want to ensure their Loess Hills prairie will continue to flourish for generations to come. 

Larry Stone is a semi-retired freelance writer/photographer/lecturer. Join Larry for a discussion on Hog Confinements and Human Health, featuring a book Larry co-authored titled "Hog Confinements and Human Health: The Intersection of Science, Morals, and Law.”

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Anna Stoysich is an artist and art educator living in Malvern, Iowa. She graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with emphasis in ceramics. She was awarded artist residencies at the Archie Bray Foundation (Helena, Montana), Whiterock Conservancy (Coon Rapids, Iowa) and Waubonsie State Park (Hamburg, Iowa). She actively exhibits her work and is an award winning artist; her most recent awards include grants from the Iowa Arts Council. Her recent exhibitions include the Nebraska Biennial at Gallery 1516 (Omaha, Nebraska) and Perspectives, a duo show, with her husband, Jorge Colorado, at Moonrise Gallery (Elkhorn, Nebraska). Her first public tile mural with an Iowa wetlands theme is scheduled for installation in the summer of 2024 on the Wabash Trace Nature Trail in Malvern, Iowa. She has taught at Montessori schools in western North Carolina and Mexico and was the seasonal naturalist at Waubonsie State Park in 2018 and 2019. She currently teaches summer art camps and clay classes out of her home studio and other locations in Western Iowa and the metro Omaha area. Keynote: Personal Perspective: A Relationship with the Hills In a round table discussion with Doug Chafa, Dr. Tom Rosberg, and Katherine Koskovich, Anna will facilitate a conversation about their personal experiences with the Loess Hills. Come learn about why each of them are called to the hills and what their responses are. Interrelationships in the Loess Hills In this session we will make willful attempts to draw relationships between the different elements within the Loess Hills while taking a short walk. Then, we will translate that into a collaborative art piece. (Imagine a photo of a sunset over a common house, we see the house, a car in the driveway, a tree, there's grass, there's flowers, there's a horizon, there's a little bit of moisture and dew in the air. We see those objects and that's how we would describe the picture. But we don't see the interrelationships of those things. Try this next time you walk down the street, look at the category of things that you see and make a willful attempt to draw relationships between those things, as opposed to just observing the things. It's a very unique exercise.)
 

Patrick Swanson is a private landowner and author who has been working to restore a native prairie remnant in Harrison County. Restorative Recreation: exploring intersections between Nature Deficit Disorder, Nature Prescription, Avocation, and Creation Care to Human and Ecosystem Health. Emerging science has established the importance of contact with nature as providing important physical and mental health benefits, and a proactive way of reducing risks of non-communicable diseases. Beyond a passive interaction with nature, direct actions to intentionally restore ecosystems to a more natural state provide additional reciprocal benefits to individual, community, and ecosystem health. Based on his personal experiences restoring a native prairie remnant in the Loess Hills, and teaching a medical humanities course on this topic, Dr. Patrick Swanson will discuss these intersections and lead a conversation to further explore how the concept of “Restorative Recreation” can be applied at an individual, community, and health system level.  You can read more about his restoration project here: 
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2688-8319.12063 
and his medical humanities course here:
https://epublications.regis.edu/jhe/vol12/iss2/18/ 

Tim Youngquist, along with his wife, Mandy, and his parents, farms corn and soybeans near Kiron on his family’s heritage farm. He has overseen the creation of buffer strips using native prairie in fields and riparian zones on his family land. Tim also grows and harvests prairie for native plant propagation. Tim serves as the farmer liaison for Iowa State University’s STRIPS program, where he helps farmers and landowners implement prairie strips on their farmland. Prairie reconstruction within Iowa’s corn and soybean fields: how to achieve positive outcomes for the environment & the economy: Iowa’s landscape, once dominated by tallgrass prairie, is now covered by only two crops: corn and soybeans.  This change has brought great economic benefits at the cost of unintended environmental problems.  Research at Iowa State University is proving that conservation and row-crop production are not as at odds as they may seem.  Tim will talk about what the STRIPS (Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips) team has found over the last 15 years of research and ways that you can add prairie to your farm field or your home landscape to make a big impact.  

Anita Westphal is a dedicated professional with a passion for horticulture, entomology, and conservation. As the Assistant Curator of the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing at Reiman Gardens, Iowa State University, Anita brings over a decade of experience and expertise to her role. Anita's commitment to environmental stewardship extends beyond her role at Reiman Gardens. She serves as the coordinator for the Iowa Butterfly Survey Network (IBSN), a citizen science program launched in 2006 to monitor butterfly populations across the state. Through her leadership, the IBSN has become a vital tool for conservation efforts and scientific research. During the summer months, you'll often find Anita immersed in her other passions: gardening and exploring the great outdoors in search of fascinating insects. Insect Exploration- Head out into the prairie with Anita Westphal, Assistant Curator of the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing at Reiman Gardens, to search for butterflies and insects and learn. We will identify our discoveries and learn how they fit into the ecosystem. This is open to all ages. Community Science in Iowa: Building a volunteer army, one member at a time. Discover citizen science programs in Iowa and find out how you can participate. Volunteers assist in monitoring important species throughout the state, enabling us to assess the overall health of our ecosystem and take necessary steps to conserve it.