Prairie

Scattergood seeks not only to be a refuge from a chaotic world for its students and faculty; it also serves as protective habitat for many wild animals. Walking or cross-country skiing on our 40-acre restored prairie during different times of year will provide glimpses of white tailed deer, pheasants, quail, bobcats, skunks, opossums, rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, field mice, voles, red-tailed hawks, Canada geese, owls, and other animals. Scattergood maintains paths around and through the prairie, and when conditions and timing allow, staff and students use prescribed burning to help maintain grass vitality and to keep too many trees and bushes from becoming established. The prairie is an excellent place to get some exercise and relax, and is an example of one of the many ways the Scattergood landscape is designed to accommodate and encourage biological diversity.

Inclusion into Classes

Although Scattergood students come from a variety of states and countries throughout the world, they quickly become familiar with the Midwestern ecosystem through regular contact with the farm and prairie. Students regularly enjoy the prairie during free time, but they also interact with the prairie through their academic classes. We have had night walks to the pond and prairie to allow students to observe the night sky, and drawing project has recently incorporated an exercise in which students sketched on the prairie. In biology classes, students make observations and collections to understand the prairie ecosystem. Advanced Biology students recently co-authored and received an Iowa Conservation Education Council grant. As part of their science classes, many students also experience the excitement of burning a portion of the prairie, an activity that we do almost every year to help maintain the prairie.