The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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  • Stewart Hunt (left) and Brian Peterson strip seeds from switchgrass stalks Saturday at Minneopa State Park. They and about 50 other volunteers, mostly from the Harry Meyering Center, are helping the Department of Natural Resources build its stock of prairie seeds. Dan Linehan

    prairie

September 29, 2012

Volunteers help prairie grow

By Dan Linehan The Free Press

MANKATO — In 2004, the prairie along the Minneopa State Park entrance near the falls was limited to a patch by the ranger station.

Since then, it's blossomed to several acres with the help of volunteers who cut the plants and separate the seeds from the chaff.

They were at it again Saturday, and about 50 people from the Harry Meyering Center were on hand to help. The center provides housing and support for people with cognitive and other disabilities.

The work is simple, but time-consuming.

It starts with a snip to the upper part of the plant, which is then placed in a bag or bucket with the same species. Some years, the stalks and seeds need to be dried, but that wasn't a problem this year. So they just skipped straight to the seed removal.

It's slightly different for each plant.

Stewart Hunt, a Harry Meyering employee who's volunteering on this day, and client Brian Peterson are stripping switchgrass seeds into a box. The reed-like grass can be parted from its seeds by running a thumb and forefinger up its shaft.

Nearby, a team of four wears gloves to strip the seeds from the spiky bulbs of rattlesnake master, so named because Native Americans believed it protected against snakebite, said Molly Tranel Nelson, a regional resource specialist for the Department of Natural Resources.

A few tables over, four young children alternate between removing seeds and playing in fallen leaves.

Mankato parents Joel Anderson and Amy Deike said it's a good teaching opportunity.

"We think it's a fun service project," Deike said.

Their 5-year-old daughter, Clara, is stripping a rough blazing star. She likes the fuzzy feeling of the seeds on her fingers. In life, these flowers are a deep purple. In death, its stalk is faded yellows and reds.

These volunteers save the DNR time and money.

Prairie seeds are expensive, Tranel Nelson said, costing between $2 and $100 per ounce.

The DNR will create a mix of the 15 or so seeds collected today, and plant them; some in winter, some in spring. Just tossing them on snow can work -- the freeze and thaw cycles help some of the seeds germinate.

This summer's drought has exacted a toll on these prairie plants. The little bluestem isn't as vibrantly red as usual. Some of the plants are stunted. Even the seeds themselves may not germinate as often.

Those who want to try this at home can seek help from the DNR or the Prairie Enthusiasts, which has a Mankato-based chapter.

People shouldn't expect much growth in the first year though, as most of the action happens underground. Once established, the prairie doesn't need much help.

 

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