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Science Update

Science Update archive
August 19, 2008

Phil Gerla presenting at 2008 Glacial Ridge Science Conference
Attendees at grassland monitoring workshop,
July 2008. Photo © Meredith Cornett/TNC 
Interagency Grassland Monitoring Project

In July, 2008, more than 30 participants gathered for a grassland monitoring workshop in Glenwood, Minnesota. The group spent the morning on field methods for assessing structure and composition in native grasslands. In the afternoon, training in data management and entry into a common database was provided. The database was developed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service especially for this innovative project. 

The Interagency Grassland Monitoring Project represents an unprecedented collaborative effort to evaluate the condition of prairie remnants throughout the Northern Tallgrass Prairie and Prairie Forest Border. 

A joint effort between the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy, the US Geological Survey and the Forest Service, the group will inventory thousands of acres of native grasslands in 2008. 

The project was designed to track changes in native grasslands over time, and to compare the effectiveness of fire, grazing, and haying treatments in accomplishing long-term management objectives.