Ryan Klopf and Ryan Campbell (AKA Ryan Squared) will be leading a planting event of native prairie and savanna plants on Saturday, November 3rd at 9AM. This planting will signify the beginning of the long-lasting educational and aesthetic benefits that the Life Science II prairie garden will have on the SIUC campus. Please join us in planting and remembering our prairie heritage. Coffee and donuts will be provided.

“The Plant Biology Graduate Student Organization (PBGSO) will be working in collaboration with Beautify Southern Illinois Student Alliance (BSISA) and the SIUC Physical Plant staff to plant and seed in native prairie plants at two locations (northwest corner of Life Science II and north of Center for Environmental Health and Safety –CEHS) on campus to increase student and faculty awareness of our rich natural heritage as ‘the prairie state’, to beautify the overall campus community, and to provide rare and unique habitat for wildlife.  Both sites will additionally serve as educational forums for many plant, zoology, and fire ecology classes.”

PLB-GSO got economical support from the Graduate and Professional Student Council of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

Benefits of this event to this campus, community, and region:

1. Provide an opportunity for collective participation for all students, faculty, staff, and citizens of Carbondale to actively participate in educational advancement and to increase our social welfare of the campus community.

2. Raise awareness to all students (current and prospective), faculty, staff, visitors, and citizens about our shared natural heritage as the “Prairie State” with signage and the possibility of brochures.

3. This one time planting event will continue to raise awareness every day at two locations on campus for years and even decades to come. (Compare this fact with the benefits of a one time speaker brought in for one event at one location for one day).

4. Opportunity for faculty who are experts in things like, Fire Ecology, Botany, Prairie Restoration, Grassland Ecology, Carbon Sequestration, Microbial Ecology, Soil Science, Landscape Design, Horticulture with Native Plants, Ornithology, Wildlife Management, etc. to speak with those attending the event. (i.e., the experts are already on campus)

5. Offers a unique forum for both graduate and undergraduate students to enhance and advance their education at SIUC. This includes, general biology, plants and society, grassland ecology, training of students for their federal certification in the use of prescribed fire, wildlife classes, landscape designers, artists, photographers, and many others.

6. Reduction of land at SIUC that requires mowing, herbiciding, etc. therefore a direct reduction in fuel used and CO2 emissions, thus contributing to the social welfare of the campus community.

7. Increase in habitat for specialized grassland birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects, therefore contributing to places of refuge for these species. Note: this is extremely important in that less than one tenth of one percent of original tallgrass prairie exists today in Illinois. (i.e., every square foot of plants restored is an opportunity for these other species). *refer to point # 2

8. This project will be supporting regionally local native plant and seed dealers thus supporting our regional economy.

9. Provides an opportunity for press releases about the event to expose a positive action taking place on the Southern Illinois University campus that addresses things like: climate change, land-use change, habitat loss, invasive species, habitat restoration, and most importantly cooperation and dedication across and between undergraduate (Beautify Southern Illinois Student Alliance and USG) and graduate student organizations (Plant Biology Graduate Student Organization and GPSC), the faculty (Drs. Sara Baer, Charles Ruffner, David Gibson, etc.), and staff (Paul Restivo-Director of Center for Environmental Health and Safety, Phil Gatton- Director of the Physical Plant) who will be working together to mitigate and address the issues mentioned above.