March 2025

Last week a much-anticipated event took place at Pathways: the new prairie was seeded!  While this may not seem like a big deal, it was preceded by years of dreaming, planning, and preparation. 
 
When the roughly three acre parcel of land affectionately dubbed Meadowlands* was purchased in 2016, no one really knew what to do with it.  Fast forward a few years and plans to build a pavilion and convert a little less than 2 acres into native prairie were put into action.  The goal was a short profile, native prairie with forbs** outnumbering grasses, access to open sky, and sparsely planted trees providing transition to forest.
 
Five years ago this plot was a haven for invasive plant species***, most notably fescue grass and shrubs like Asian honeysuckle and privet.  These invasive plants have been removed over the past several years through cutting, burning, and rounds of herbicide.  Groups of volunteers helped remove unwanted trees and shrubs and cleared out rocks, stumps, tree branches, and golf balls (don’t ask).  Beginning in 2023, Pathways partnered with Blue Heron Ministries to complete the final site prep, which involved two years and at least four rounds of herbicide application to remove as many weedy plants as possible. 
 
I’ll spare you the details of all the drama and anxiety involved in an ecological restoration project such as this.  Just know that many last-minute changes to the restoration plan were made and many delays were endured.  Mother nature was characteristically uncooperative, so we had to deal with drought, soil erosion, pesky mole tunnels, and invasive plants that just wouldn’t die.  It turns out that ideal conditions are hard to come by in the real world. 
 
Thankfully we benefited from the help of experts from the IN Department of Natural Resources and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.  Biologists from both of these agencies provided expert advice, funding, and answers to our many questions.  This project would have been much more difficult without their knowledge and help.  We also benefited from our partnership with Blue Heron Ministries, who helped with site prep, acquiring the seed mix, and getting the seeds on the ground.
 
So now, here we are!  Site prep is completed and seeds are in place****, but the work is not done.  After several years of the unsightly brown, bare landscape, it would be wonderful if spring brought with it a beautiful, mature prairie.  The reality is that we will continue managing invasive species while regularly high-mowing the site for the next couple of years to favor growth of the native prairie plants found in our seed mix. 
 
Eventually we anticipate a native, short profile prairie full of beautiful flowers.  This prairie will provide habitat for many species of insects, birds, reptiles, and small mammals; improve soil health; sequester carbon; and provide beauty for human visitors.  Sky-gazing rocks are already set in place in the middle of the prairie and, as the plants grow, we’ll mow walking paths through the prairie.  There’s even talk of a viewing platform*****, but I make no promises.
 
So, I encourage you to come out and check on the progress of our baby prairie over the next few years.  Observe the wildlife, greet your favorite plant species, and take time to breathe deeply. 

Janell Stoltzfus******
Co-land Steward, Administrator, & Volunteer Coordinator

*The name Meadowlands really doesn’t make sense any longer.  It started being used when a task force was charged with dreaming up plans for the plot of land in 2019.  At this point Meadowlands has been used by Pathways staff and board members for so long that there’s really no hope of changing it now.
​
**Forbs are flowering, herbaceous plants that aren’t grasses 
 
***This is not the place to go into why we wanted to replace invasive plants with native species, so I’ll spare you that rant for now.  But if you are curious, feel free to reach out and I’ll be happy to talk at you on the subject for as long as you like.  
 
****You may be wondering about the timing of this seeding.  Winter seeding is pretty common for prairie installation and favors the growth of forbs.  On the day John from Blue Heron came to do the seeding, it was about 10 degrees and snowing; he declared that it was his favorite weather for seeding and he was going to go home and seed his own prairie project that same day.
 
*****For insurance purposes we refrain from using the words “tree” and “house”
 
******I apologize for my liberal use of endnotes.  It would seem that I just can’t help myself.