Life on the Prairie
Recently, we had some teams serving at Prairie State Park with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. While prairies once covered over 1/3 of the state, less than 1% now remains. Read what our Members had to say about their time serving at this very special park! While at the park, our Members had some fun seeding the prairie - check out the TikTok they made!
“One of my favorite projects so far has been my 10 day at Prairie State Park. When we first arrived, it was apparent that it was a very different type of service location than any of my past projects. The flat grass land was a sight to behold, one that I had very much missed.
Our contact, Andrew, helped us all to realize the importance of the service that we were doing there. It made a impact on me because there were many factors to revitalizing prairies that I had never considered. Namely, tree removal. Usually we try to leave trees unless they present a hazard. But at Prairie State park, Andrew had us clearing whole sections in hope that native prairie grass could return. It was a very eye opening experience that has helped to further my knowledge and interest in preserving prairie life.” - Josiah Sutton
“On our first full day of service in Prairie State Park, we were driving south on the main road through the park when we realized the bird flying over was a hawk with a snake dangling from its beak. It was a dramatic beginning to what would be the best week for wildlife sightings so far (at least for me). We saw coyotes running over the gentle hills, purple martins, scissor tailed flycatchers, and an American woodcock pressed to the ground, huddled over its eggs. And of course there were the 35 bison that the park is known for - but with over 4,000 acres for them to roam, any sightings felt special. If visitors to the park spotted us working, they would pull over and ask something along the lines of, “Where are you all hiding the bison?” Initially we only saw some of the lone bulls, but finally by the end of the project we spotted the rest of the herd.” - Zoey Craun