The plant communities of our Great Plains and Midwest prairies contain a host of characters—some are common and familiar faces, and many are uncommon to extremely rare. Sometimes our research finds that the common characters, like the iconic tall grasses and sunflowers, are key players in stories of how prairies change over time, drive ecological function (like plant productivity), and stabilize communities through stresses like drought. This is critical information for those of us working hard to restore and manage resilient, diverse prairies. On the other hand, other research suggests that rare plants also have similar roles to play in these stories—but how can we learn what that is when we often don’t know where or in what numbers these rare species exist? This talk will be a tour through applied and fundamental research questions about conserving our prairies and an overview of upcoming conservation work on Great Plains rare plants at Lauritzen Gardens.

Dr. Katharine Hogan recently joined Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha as the director of a growing plant conservation program. Since 2009, she has worked in native plant and habitat conservation and restoration, from New England wetlands to the Chihuahuan Desert to the open expanses of the Nebraska Sandhills. Most recently, she did a post-doctoral research fellowship in prairie ecosystem ecology at Northern Illinois University after receiving her doctorate in natural resources science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In her free time, Dr. Hogan enjoys going on long walks (in the prairie, of course!) with her dog and partner, watercolor painting, drawing, and never following recipes while she cooks.

Join Wachiska on Thursday, February 13, at 7:00 p.m. at Lincoln’s Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street, for this free, public, in-person talk which will also be live-streamed on YouTube at

 https://youtube.com/live/6IBLpsw22O8?feature=share

No registration is needed. This program can also be viewed at a later time. Check Wachiska’s website for links to past programs.

Wish List for Prairie Pines

We appreciate all of the donations we have received for Prairie Pines so far. We will continue to accept hand or power tools, lawn items (sprinklers and hoses), or other equipment you would like to donate. We are also looking for a vehicle to transport disabled or elderly visitors as well as for maintaining trails and fences. An electric golf cart would be ideal or a UTV or side-by-side all-terrain vehicle. We are also in the market for a small- to medium-sized tractor for various duties in the future.