A Turtle With
A Yellow Chin

You may have seen numerous nets in several marshes at Goose Lake prairie and asked yourself, what are those?  Well, they are turtle traps.  I have been trapping turtles, specifically Blanding’s turtles for two years now.  Goose  Lake prairie is one of the few places left in the state where there appears to be a thriving population, although their status is unknown.  I have captured 57 Blanding’s turtles in 9 weeks of trapping over 2 years.  In addition, around 70 painted turtles and a handful of common snapping turtles have also visited my nets.  The next several years should paint a better picture of the status of Blanding’s turtles at Gooselake prairie.

Blanding’s turtles are a medium sized turtle, to about 10 inches long that inhabits shallow marshes with emergent vegetation, wet prairies, sloughs and bogs.  A dark shell speckled with numerous yellow spots and a bright yellow chin is the distinguishing characteristic.  Blanding’s turtles were once common throughout its range, which extends from Nebraska eastward to southern Ontario, with disjunct populations in New York, New England, and Nova Scotia, while the Great Lakes region is the stronghold of the species.  It is listed and endangered or threatened in 10 states and 2 Canadian provinces.  The major problem facing Blanding’s turtle today, particularly in Illinois, is habitat fragmentation and destruction. 

A LETTER HOME by Partner Jo Fleming

29 July 1846

Dear Mother and Father

Your box of gifts arrived with the last stagecoach, and we are so grateful for your thoughtfulness. The children are delighted with the schoolbooks, and especially the slates, as now each has their own. They were weary with learning letters and words form the Bible, and the sonnets and poems of Shakespeare were the only other books I have, and interested the children not at all. Never did we think of teaching the children when we packed to travel here to settle. Then, we had a wonderful surprise. The widow Macon packed up her babes and went back to her family in Pennsylvania, and has sold the farm. The new family arrived this past fortnight, a couple near our ages, with children in the same ages. Mary has had as much schooling as I have, and loves history as much as I love English, so we have decided to do some teaching together. We may even take some time to teach the girls embroidery; there has never been time to teach more of these female arts, other than knitting. The boys will be going out with the men for hunting, and that will help the Huff family, as this is not a good time for re-settling, and they knew this, but brought many supplies to start out with. When we went to visit, we did find that the Macon's had planted a garden before Jacob’s death, and the root vegetables had survived. The deer had broken down the fences, and devastated most all-else. We will share as we can, and we are sure the other neighbors will do the same. Hunting will bring them abundant meat, and we will have a barn raising as soon as harvest is over, but before winter sets in.

Our garden and our animals are all doing well. Bossie is with calf, and all the goats are thriving. The Huffs have said that if Bossie’s offspring is a cow, they would like to buy it, and also a pig or two. We have been so fortunate, as John loves the farm, and seems to thrive on the work, as hard as it is. He is so gland to have got away from the city. I was apprehensive about this move, but now am happy, and we have a lovely family. I do wish you could see the children, Mother. Young John looks just like his father, but George looks like Father, and the girls all resemble you. They are growing fast.

This year we are hoping to acquire some sheep, so that I may weave our own fabrics. John has already cut two Beech trees he found and has them aging so as to build me a loom. Mr. Morrison, of the trading post has said that one of the families who trade there will have some wool to sell. Possible I will be able to buy some and begin spinning. With the influx of so many new settlers, Mr. Morrison is adding on to his post. It is now called a “General Store”. John says there will be so much more merchandise and that we will travel there after harvest to visit. The children are so excited and I am too. We accept whatever entertainment we can find.

We are hoping to gather several of the neighbor families and start having prayer meetings. We could each host the gatherings. It might lead to a formal school and church in time. Today the children found the blackberry patch and we will have a dumpling tonight. Tomorrow we will make jam. They also found another wild apple tree and it has much fruit, so we will feast! Are we not most fortunate? We all send our love to you both and wishes for your health

FIRE, WIND,
DROUGHT & BISON

by Art Rohr, adapted from Peterson’s Field Guild on the North American Prairie.

( April 2006 issue)

Periodic fires burned throughout the prairie region, blackening hundreds of square miles at a time. In tallgrass prairies, fires raged as fast as 40 miles per hour and sent flames 30 feet or more into the air. Elk and deer scattered before the rolling clouds of black smoke.  Herds of Bison and groups of people on horseback could be swallowed up by the conflagration.

Newcomers to the prairie found the fires both frightening and alluring.  While canoeing up the Minnesota River in 1847, George Featherstonhaugh watched a fire burn for days.  Before going to my pallet, I made another journey to the upland behind the Fort, to see the prairies on fire.  It is a spectacle one in is never tired of looking at: half the horizon appeared like an advancing sea of fire, with dense clouds of smoke flying towards the moon.

Lightning, especially on the arid plains during late summer and early fall, started many fires.  A high percentage of fires in the tall grass region were deliberately set by Plains Indian - to signal, to drive game, to repel the enemy, to create a defensible perimeter around villages, or to encourage growth of new grass that attracted Bison herds.  Lewis and Clark commented on the prevalence of smoke and fire in the Missouri River Valley.  On March 6, 1805, Lewis wrote, "...a cloudy morning and smoky all day from the burning of the plains of which was set on fire by the Mine tarries for an early crop of grass, an inducement for all the Buffalo to feed on.  When these explorers wanted to parlay with groups of Indians, they followed the regional custom of igniting the prairie to signal their intentions.

The effects of prairie fires vary depending on time of year, Weather, fire intensity and frequency, and the type and condition of prairie.  In tall grass prairies, fires typically reduce the litter layer, allowing rainfall and nutrients in the ash to quickly enter ground and sunlight to bake the soil. Rhizome and tiller growth of dominant grasses generally increases after a fire. Under certain conditions, particularly in late summer and early fall, fires may lead to greater diversity of native forbs. Frequent spring fires often decrease species diversity, however, by stimulating growth of dominant grasses.

In short grass and mixed‑grass prairies, the impacts of periodic fires are less well understood. But virtually all fires in all regions of the prairie kill or damage invading trees and shrubs.  Even fire resistant trees such as Quaking Aspen and Bur Oak wither before repeated waves of flame. Vast areas of prairie, from central Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma east to Ohio and Missouri, have become overgrown by trees since fire suppression began during mid‑nineteenth century.

Most prairie grasses are fire‑adapted, meaning they evolved with and can benefit from fire. Since grass stems grow from the base rather than from the tip, they recover quickly after being lipped or burned away.  In many prairie grasses, the apical meristem, the point from which cell growth is initiated, is located underground.

Many grasses are long‑lived perennials with extensive root systems. Ninety percent or more of their mass may lie underground, insulated from disturbances. In experiments conducted at Konza Prairie in the Kansas Flint Hills, areas that were periodically burned and grazed produced a higher volume of grasses and forbs over time than did areas that were neither burned nor grazed.

Like fire, wind and drought help to create grasslands and rid them of trees. Because the North American prairie region lies in the center of the continent where major weather systems collide, it experiences some of the most violent weather on Earth.  Warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico clashes with frigid arctic air and hurricane‑force winds sweeping eastward off the Rocky Mountains.  The resulting instability and turbulence cause startling temperature fluctuations and violent storms.

In Spearfish, S.D., weather watchers once recorded a 49 F. temperature rise in just two minutes.  Bozeman, Montana experienced a 100 F temperature range, from +44 F to –56 F, in 24 hours.  A grapefruit‑sized hailstone that fell in Kansas weighed 1.67 pounds, a world record, Tornadoes strike with more frequency and fury on the southern plains than anywhere else in the world.

People who live on the prairie learn to make light of weather extremes that would drive others to despair.  In Where the Sky Began, John Madson recounts the tale of a Nebraska farmer who died in retirement in San Diego. They took his remains to a crematorium and baked them for an hour or so.  When the furnace door was opened, the farmer stepped out looking healthy and tanned.  He wiped some sweat off his face, gazed up at the hazy blue sky, and said, "Sure good to be home again.  But by God, another couple of weeks of this and we ain't gonna get a corn crop this year!"

The violent winds that swirl across the grasslands can uproot mature trees and flatten saplings, but the winds' desiccating effect probably causes the most damage to shrubs and trees. Torrid spring and summer winds can suck the soil dry even the relatively wet tall grass prairie region experiences a net annual water deficit when you factor in evaporation, much of it caused by scorching winds. Exposure to intense sunlight and long periods of drought also dry prairie soils. 

Grasses are particularly efficient at tapping and retaining moisture.  The root systems of Big Bluestem extend as far as 10 feet underground; a cubic meter of Big Bluestem sod may contain more than 20 linear miles of rootlets and root hairs.  Leaves of many grasses curl up in hot weather, minimizing exposure to sun and wind.  Waxy coating on grass leaves reduces water loss from evaporation. Grasses' pliant yet sturdy stems can withstand the fiercest gales; a wind seems to flow effortlessly through fields of grass, creating a mesmerizing interplay of waves and eddies.