As we pass another summer solstice it occurs to me that one of the great joys of working at a place like PRI is all of the time spent outside.  This is especially true of the time I get to spend on our farm here in Princeton.

 

Like most property, this place has undergone a tremendous amount of change.  Only 150 years ago its sandy soils were covered with a mosaic of prairie, savanna and wetland plants that provided food for bison, elk and a whole raft of other species.  Today the bison, elk and all but two tiny remnants of those prairies are gone, the wetlands are diminished by a county ditch, the savanna is either gone or grown over and there are many new unwanted members of these plant communities.  The fact that during this extremely brief 150 years the prairies were plowed, some of the sandy topsoil blew away, fences were put up, the wetlands were grazed, exotic species were planted and then some of the prairie species were restored, fences were taken down and exotic species are now being removed is actually quite remarkable.  Natural history is interesting and we, as a species, are quite busy.

 

It can be argued that all of these changes are natural events - human influenced, natural events.  I believe that accepting this concept is an essential first step in the process of restoration.  Our species has exceptional reasoning power to analyze cause and effect relationships at many levels.  By studying natural history we have seen that plowing prairie results in soil erosion, species loss, and ultimately increased food production.  The balance between soil, species diversity and food can be and is influenced by what we do, so we need to be thoughtful and careful in our actions.  Let's look at the history of a place like our 387 acres in Princeton and learn from what has happened.

 

Are all exotic species bad?  Probably not.  Do we need food? Certainly.  Do we need prairie, savanna, wetland and woodland?  Absolutely!  Can they be restored?  Yes, within reason.  It's all about the balance and as the pendulum swings into the future, we are finding out just how critical and essential restoration really is.