My Story
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The
natural world has resonated deep within my soul as early as I can remember. My
first encounter with a native tall grass prairie was when I was about
12 or 13 years old. I remember it well. My oldest brother Joe took me to a
nature preserve in Illinios. We walked on trails with big bluestem on each
side. It completely captured me. I could only imagine that this is what most of
Illinios looked like before settlement. If only I could go back in time to
see the beauty of the native Midwestern prairies and oak savannas.
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When
I think about that time and realize what I am doing today several decades
later, I am in some ways trying to go back in time. My work is trying to
recreate the landscape to what it was like before European settlement. I
like to say it is my attempt to heal the land. The satisfaction is that it
can be done. I have witnessed it over and over again. This effort is extremely
labor intensive and requires, most of the time, years to see significant
progress. Patience is always required for this endeavor. One of the keys of
trying to cope with impatience when trying to restore prairies/savannas is
getting rid of your mind's idea of time. I try to think of time now in my
restoration work more akin to geologic time. In short it takes time, years
for nature to do its thing.
One of my most satisfying attempts at restoration is my
work at Dorothy's Grange and home of Indigenous Restorations. It is 50 acres of
upland prairie/savanna with a wet meadow and cold water stream. My partner,
April, and I decided on calling it Dorothy's after my mother. She in
so many ways made all of it possible. The word grange is defined as a
country house with farm buildings. I have for the last 10 years been practicing
restoration ecology at Dorothy's Grange. It is ongoing, and I have been
very pleased of the progress made. The work there is my resume. I encourage and
would invite all who are interested to come visit Dorothy's Grange to see the
ongoing restoration work in progress.