"I spent 21/2 years in Nepal while in the Peace Corps. But I've worked here since the beginning of this project -- 1999. When it was decided not to put an airport here, TNC bought a big block of land from Prudential. "Initially, this area was marsh. Then, it was drained for grazing. Then, it became farm ground. Prairie soils have fertile soils and are fairly easy to turn over because there aren't a lot of trees. In '99, this was a soybean field." We'd like to have 400 to 500 different kinds of plants at Kankakee Sands. The magnificent thing is they're all from Newton County. For us to plant something here, there has to be some kind of historical record of the species being here in the past."
Restoring the prairie is her labor of love for Nepal RPCV Alyssa Nyberg
Restoring the prairie is her labor of love
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April 22, 2010
BY JEFF MANES jeffmanes@sbcglobal.net
Caption: Alyssa Nyberg, 37, manages The Nature Conservancy's native plant nursery. She has worked there since 1999. "It's an honor to work on this prairie restoration," she said. "It's so much bigger and richer than any of us." -- PHOTO PROVIDED
"Amie what you wanna do?
I think I could stay with you
For a while, maybe longer if I do ... ."
-- Pure Prairie League
T he Nature Conservancy's native plant nursery is nestled near North Newton High School, between the intriguing ghost town of Conrad and the hamlet called Enos.
The nursery is an integral part of TNC's 7,800-acre Kankakee Sands Prairie Restoration project in Newton County, along both sides of U.S. 41. Alyssa Nyberg, 37, is the nursery manager; she also is my Earth Day interview.
Nyberg lives in Lake Village with her husband, Gus, the executive director of Niches Land Trust in Lafayette, where he does land protection work along the Wabash River.
Conservationists at heart, the Nybergs named their 5-year-old daughter Savanna Rose and 2-year-old son Forest Burns.
With Marley, her pound-rescued dog, at her side, Alyssa was busy in the nursery greenhouse, transplant-ing Scirpus acutus, more commonly known as bulrush.
. .
Are you from Lake Village?
"Indianapolis," Nyberg said. "I went to Bishop Chatard High School."
College?
"Indiana University; I have a master's degree in environmental science and did my college internships in organic farming."
Did you go to work for TNC right out of college?
"No, I spent 21/2 years in Nepal while in the Peace Corps. But I've worked here since the beginning of this project -- 1999. When it was decided not to put an airport here, TNC bought a big block of land from Prudential.
"Initially, this area was marsh. Then, it was drained for grazing. Then, it became farm ground. Prairie soils have fertile soils and are fairly easy to turn over because there aren't a lot of trees. In '99, this was a soybean field."
How big is the nursery portion of Kankakee Sands?
"About 120 acres."
How many beds?
"A lot; some are only 6 feet by 6 feet, and some are as big as five acres. The point of the nursery is to germinate seeds for our restoration.
"We'd like to have 400 to 500 different kinds of plants at Kankakee Sands. The magnificent thing is they're all from Newton County. For us to plant something here, there has to be some kind of historical record of the species being here in the past."
Thank goodness the tongue depressors designating these flats use the common name. All that Latin is Greek to me. Besides, I like the cool names: Jacob's ladder, black-eyed Susan, rattlesnake master ... .
Alyssa, these bulrush seedlings you're transplanting from germination trays to individual plugs aren't ornate bloomers or fruit bearers, yet they must produce some sort of pod.
"Yes, they have a little seed head; in the fall, we'll go out with a pair of scissors and clip the seed heads. Then, we'll take them to our seed barn, where we let the seeds dry out."
Separating the chaff from the grain as it were.
"That's right. Direct seeding can be tricky; you hope they hit soil, don't get eaten and receive the right requirements to germinate.
"Some people tell us to be patient, 'Your restoration is still very young; you need to wait 50, 60, 70 years.' I think there's a lot to be said for that."
Summer help?
"I hire five high school kids every year; most are from North Newton. For many of them, it's their first real job or opportunity to be around science and nature. Last year, everybody who worked for me wanted to come back. It's wonderful.
"At Kankakee Sands, we don't have someone on our staff who is dedicated to public education or public outreach. But there is a group called Friends of the Sands who have decided to get these native plants into the community; they encourage people to incorporate them into their landscapes. The FOS has planted some of these species at area libraries and also by the old log cabin on display at the government center in Morocco."
What are Work Days?
"Work Days are when the public is invited to volunteer time here. That's how a lot of this stuff got transplanted. I had 12 people show up for each of our last two Work Days; I was really pleased. We transplanted more than 10,000 plants."
When is the next Work Day?
"Saturday, May 8. We'll transplant violets into our prairie restoration. Violets are a food source for the larvae of the regal fritillary butterfly. The violet is a good example of why the project is here. We're re-creating the system here, not only for plants, but for the insects, amphibians, reptiles and mammals.
"Jeff, it's an honor to work on this prairie restoration; it's so much bigger and richer than any of us."
. .
Nyberg grew up in the city, but lives just five miles north of the nursery where she works and next to the northeast corner of TNC property.
I grew up with LaSalle Fish and Wildlife Area in my backyard.
Nyberg has seen a glass snake, a type of legless lizard, and has held one. She's one up on me there.
The glass snake probably was extirpated from my boyhood stomping grounds by then. But, they're coming back, thanks to people like Alyssa Nyberg.
Forty years ago, I once saw a badger while exploring the woods of LaSalle. I've never seen one since.
Nyberg saw a badger not long ago on the Kankakee Sands.
Stop by the TNC office, along U.S. 41 in Morocco. Ask about the hiking trails. Take in the beauty of blooming bergamot, boneset and black-eyed Susan. You might even spot a badger in the bulrushes.
It's pure prairie league.
