A Broad Sky of Pure and Intense Light
I found a little gem of a book the other day about the tallgrass prairie called Where the Sky Began by John Madson. It’s a highly informative book detailing much of the natural history of the tallgrass prairie all the way from the reasons that prairies exist on the continent: “Our northern grasslands took shape […]
Yes! Let’s do it.
There is no doubt that 2012 was a great year for the Great Plains Trail! We formalized the process of creating a new National Scenic Trail by creating our official organization, Great Plains Trail Alliance, and in March, we became officially recognized by the IRS as a 501c3 charity. We have an awesome group of […]
Lyle Lovett Loves the Tallgrass
In 2001, a documentary film came out titled last stand of the tallgrass prairie (lower case letters are publisher’s choice). It included an introduction by singer Lyle Lovett, and was a call for the preservation of the Flint Hills in Kansas. This film, as well as the excellent companion book were part of a larger […]
“Grass No Good Upside Down”
The Last Prairie – A Sandhills Journal by Stephen R. Jones is a collection of essays that all relate to the Nebraska Sandhills. Jones is a naturalist, and his essays contain a nice variety of science, from the big, “I lie in the moist sand gazing up at the constellations – the summer triangle overhead, red […]
Timing is Everything
The entire history of the Earth is, well, pretty long. It stretches back some 4.5 billion years to the time when the earth formed in the planetary disk of the young star we would come to know as the sun. Life first began to appear somewhere within the first billion years after the earth settled […]
Dealing With a Pervasive Invasive – Kentucky Bluegrass in Prairies
An important topic to prairies is discussed here. This is great information!
Proving Up
I just finished a book called Ghost Dances – Proving Up on the Great Plains by Josh Garrett-Davis. (The link above is to the author’s website and contains a nice little video promoting the book). “Proving Up” refers to homesteaders “improving” the land and gaining full title to it under the law. I found the […]
The Great Plains and 007
I’m no different from most people in that I enjoy the movies. Some people are more into movies than others, but I don’t know anybody who doesn’t enjoy sitting down in a theatre, or at home, and diving into a good flick. The topic is on my mind these days because the new James Bond […]
Islands of Grass
Continuing with our recent discussions on books about the Great Plains, not long ago I ran across a neat little book called Island of Grass by Ellen Wohl. She is a professor of geology at Colorado State University and an author of several books. She lives in Fort Collins and writes in this book of […]
And Carry a Big Batch of Candles!
Yesterday was the birthday of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. He was born on October 27th, 1858 in New York City. Theodore (known as Teddy) is perhaps the most ardent supporter of protecting lands who has ever held the office of President. He gained his afinity for wild lands by spending […]
The Long Trail
It came to my attention recently, never mind how, that the oldest long distance trail in the United States is not the Appalachian Trail (although the AT still has the honor of being the oldest National Scenic Trail) but the Long Trail in Vermont. The Long Trail runs the length of the state from north to […]
Prairie Spring – Pete Dunne
Continuing with my recent theme of good books about the Great Plains, I would like to share a bit from a little gem I recently came across called Prairie Spring by Pete Dunne. Mr. Dunne is Vice President of the New Jersey Audubon Society and Prairie Spring is an account of a recent trip he […]
