North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City, Iowa is proud to host the first North American Prairie Conference of the new century, July 16-20, 2000.
Prairie heritage is rich in Iowa.
The variety ranged from prairie fens to sand prairie, to savannas, to blacksoil tallgrass prairie riddled with wetlands. Iowans, like so many of you in other prairie states, are developing a powerful passion for prairie and we are eager to share that with you. Roadsides that were regularly sprayed and mowed ten years ago now present a palette of color for travelers. Fragments of native prairie in cemeteries and pastures are being protected and treasured like never before. Reconstruction efforts abound across the state, including the most ambitious Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge and Prairie Learning Center near Prairie City, where 6,000 acres of native prairie and savanna are abeing reconstructed or restored.