PRAIRIES 101: WHY DO WE BURN PRAIRIES?  
 

A prairie burn is an amazing sight. The fire snakes through the dry thatch until it explodes in a sea of flames. At the conclusion, the landscape looks like a wasteland - bleak, covered with black ash, and completely dead. While burning a landscape until it looks like a wasteland may seem counterproductive to the promotion of a healthy ecosystem, it is essential for a successful prairie for a number of reasons:

• Burning removes old growth and thatch which allows the sunlight and wind to warm the soil surface more readily. The black ash resulting from the fire absorbs the sun's energy during the day and insulates the soil against heat loss at night. This warmed soil speeds up the development of underground shoots. Once the shoots reach above-ground they receive full sunlight, providing them the energy for growth. In addition, moisture can reach the plants more readily after a fire since dead standing material intercepts and absorbs a great deal of moisture.


• Burning helps prevent the spread of invasive and woody plant species. Plants that are native to the prairie have adapted to survive and even thrive with fire, whereas invasive and woody species are destroyed by fire.


• Burning helps to promote the germination of dormant seeds. The warmer soils resulting from a fire is often what is needed for a dormant seed to germinate.


• Burning helps to return nutrients to the soil. The vegetative matter contains many nutrients which are returned to the soil after a fire and then become available for new plant growth.  


• Since burning enhances native prairie plant communities, including the foraging and nesting opportunities, it also enhances wildlife habitat.  

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HOME AND GARDENING TIPS!

Below are some tips to help you prepare for your spring and summer planting/gardening:

Lawn Mower Maintenance:

Trees and Shrubs: 

• Shape, thin out, and clear dead, damaged branches
• Prune rose bushes
• Fertilize as needed
• Check for early signs of insects and diseases (treat immediately)

Planted Beds:

• Weed
• Remove debris
• After last frost, begin installation of annuals, perennials, etc.
• Apply fresh mulch

 Lawns: 

• Fertilize
• Seed
• Inspect for insects and diseases (treat immediately)
• Inspect irrigation systems 
   

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The Plant Corner

In each newsletter, we will highlight one native plant species and one invasive plant species found in our region.   

Invasive
Common Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)
 
    

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EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT - JIM PAPA

ASK THE ECOLOGIST . . .
 

What is the best way to get rid of Canada thistles?  My garden bed is full of them this spring.

RESPONSE:

They are deep rooted, rhizomatous, perennials thistles so are difficult to control.  Rhizomatous means that they have many stems coming from a shared root forming large patches. Repeated pulling or digging can be effective if done over the course of a season or two. Typically the best option is to spot spray the thistle rosettes while they are still small using a specialized herbicide that translocates deep down into the roots to kill the entire plant.  The products we use are not packaged for use by small landowners however you should be able to purchase a similar product from a garden center if you explain to their staff what you are trying to eradicate.  You could also call Tallgrass who has licensed and certified staff to take care of the application for you.  Hope this helps.

Chris Kaplan,
Sales and Project Manager

THE WETLAND RESERVE PROGRAM



The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) is a voluntary program which offers landowners financial incentives to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands on private property.   Local USDA Natural Resources and Conservation Service (NRCS) offices administer the WRP and provide technical and financial support to landowners. 

Landowners who enroll in the program have three participation options to choose from.  The first is a cost-share agreement with a minimum of 10 year duration.  This choice provides the landowner with funds to restore, protect or enhance wetlands, but doesn't require the landowner enter into an easement limiting use of the land.  The second choice is a 30 year easement where the WRP program pays for much (if not all) of the restoration and an additional easement payment to the landowner.  This easement is limited to 30 years; after that the landowner is not limited as to how it uses the land.  The third choice is a permanent easement.  Like the 30 year easement, the WRP program pays for much (if not all) of the restoration and an additional payment to the landowner.  Unlike the 30 year easement, this choice requires the landowner to put permanent limitations on the use of the land that will survive even when the land changes hands.   The easement payments are larger with the permanent rather than the 30 year easements, and are based on the Geographic Area Rate Caps of the county in which the land is located. 

The WRP is a great choice for landowners who are interested in restoration and/or landowners who own property with a low agricultural yield.  Enrollment in the program can be competitive because the payments can also be quite high.  More information about the WRP program can be found on your local NRCS website.

Tallgrass Restoration is a full-service restoration company which can, and often does, provide the services required under a WRP contract.  Please call our offices at 847-925-9830 in Schaumburg, Illinois or 608-531-1768 in Milton, Wisconsin for more information or to set up a time to meet with one of our professional staff to help you enroll in this program.

THE CITY OF CHICAGO HELPS LANDOWNERS GO NATIVE   
 

Recognizing the substantial environmental, aesthetic and financial benefits of sustainable landscaping, the City of Chicago is sponsoring an innovative cost sharing program to help landowners plant native trees and plants.  The program provides 50% rebates for the purchase of a tree (up to a $100 limit), native plants (up to a $60 limit), a compost bin (up to a $50 limit) and a rain barrel (up to a $40 limit), per address per year.  The landowner need only purchase the items locally and then submit an original receipt and completed rebate form.  The program provides background on the need for sustainable backyards, information on the appropriate trees and native plants to use, lists of providers, and tips on how to design and plant sustainable backyards. 

For more information see:

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TALLGRASS CEO SHARES THE BEST ADVICE HE EVER RECEIVED . . .
 

Peter Layton, CEO of Tallgrass Group, was recently interviewed by Career Connections magazine, a SIFE USA publication.  Mr. Layton is a Board member of SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise), which brings together business leaders and students to help create a more sustainable world.   Below is the article for your reading enjoyment. To read the entire magazine or for more information on SIFE, see

www.sifeusa.org/career_connections_magazine

SEEK TO UNDERSTAND BEFORE WANTING TO BE UNDERSTOOD.

"That concept resonated strongly with me early in my managerial career," says Peter, who leads the Tallgrass Group, LLC in Arlington Heights, Illinois. "As a leader and manager, it's critical to understand and appreciate the variety of ways people communicate. To achieve effective communication, it's important to be aware of your own preferences as well as how others listen, understand and respond. Only then can you truly share a vision and respond to their needs.

"Becoming aware of that concept was a game changer for me. I'm comfortable communicating with numbers and equations, but that doesn't resonate with everyone. Being aware of whom I'm speaking with and what we need to accomplish makes a big difference in my approach."

In 2005, after retiring from a career as partner with Goldman, Sachs & Co., Peter made the transition to the environmental restoration business. He serves as CEO of the Tallgrass Group, the parent company of a number of corporations specializing in different aspects of ecological restoration, where he applies his deep knowledge of financial rules and trends. A key member of the Tallgrass Group is Tallgrass Restoration, LLC, which focuses on environmental projects concerned with the preservation and restoration of natural resources. Project teams provide ecological restoration services including stewardship, native plant installation, wetland delineations, erosion control, invasive species control and more.
In addition to his responsibilities with the Tallgrass Group, Peter continues to manage investment funds financial futures as a partner in both Blackthorne Capital Management and Efficient Capital Management. He is also Chairman of the Boston Options Exchange Group, LLC, a joint effort by the Boston Stock Exchange, Inc., the Montreal Exchange and Interactive Brokers Group LLC.

Peter shares the success philosophy and leadership advice that have helped him navigate his career path and manage a wide range of businesses and people.

"What I do in the world of finance didn't exist when I went to school. That came about with the advent of computer technology, financial theory and evolution of the markets. It's unlikely that what you study in college will be the same as what you end up doing in your career, and chances are you won't learn the skills from a textbook. You will be given tools and have to figure out how to apply them. It's challenging and rewarding. It pays to hone and identify your skill sets, explore the variety of ways you can use them, and take advantage of the opportunities.

"I recommend getting the best education possible. My parents and high school teachers emphasized that point and I viewed it as an option to do more with my life. I knew if I was going to succeed, it was going to be based on the effort I made. Going to the University of Chicago made a positive difference, especially because of the doors it opened and exposure it gave me to the financial community.

"As you enter leadership roles, always hire people stronger than you. Find the absolute best talent you can and pursue them aggressively.

"By building strong organizations you can make a real difference. At Tallgrass, many of our people are biologists and botanists who came from the nonprofit arena, and some were not comfortable with a for-profit model. Some didn't think we could make a profit and still do good works. I tell them we will do more environmental good with a for-profit because we work with organizations that have resources and can invest in making a real difference in our environment. That's the beauty of the free market system. If we meet the needs of clients in a competitive manner, we can make a profit and give back. That's a cornerstone of the SIFE philosophy. In fact, being involved with SIFE is some of the best advice I can offer to any college student!"