Slow Jam Prairie Strips
Much of Iowa and the Midwest today is covered by corn and soybean crops that have a shallow root system and only remain in the ground 5-6 months out of the year. This can leave both soil and nutrients vulnerable.
However, by integrating strips of perennial prairie plants right into crop fields, water movement across the landscape is slowed, and reduced sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen export, plus increased biodiversity can be realized. Let’s all slow the flow! Tune in as the Water Rocks! team, with special guest Dr. Lisa Schulte Moore, Professor in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management at Iowa State University, gives us an in-depth look at how it all works as they SLOW JAM Prairie Strips.
Enhanced Learning Activities for Slow Jam Prairie Strips
Additional Prairie & STRIPs-Related Resources
- STRIPs Project (Iowa State University)
- Video: A Difference You Can See with Lisa Schulte Moore
- Small Changes, Big Impacts: Prairie Conservation Strips
- Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge
- Iowa Prairie Plants Online Database
- Iowa Prairie Network
- Proof: Digging Deep Reveals the Intricate World of Roots (National Geographic)
- Build-A-Prairie Game (University of Minnesota)
- DIY: Make your own prairie seed “bombs”
- Book: “Plant a Pocket of Prairie” by Phyllis Root