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North Tama eighth graders visit Irvine Prairie

Against the backdrop of the Irvine Prairie located in rural Dysart, Laura Fischer Walter (second from right) speaks with North Tama science teacher Jean Matzen’s eighth graders on Oct. 14 about the root systems of native prairie plant species using a life-size poster of big bluestem. PHOTO COURTESY OF JEAN MATZEN
North Tama eighth graders gather around TPC Plant Materials Program Manager Laura Fischer Walter (center back) during a field trip to Irvine Prairie located in rural Dysart on October 14. PHOTO COURTESY OF CATHY IRVINE
Eighth graders from North Tama science teacher Jean Matzen’s classes conduct an infiltration experiment at Irvine Prairie on October 14. PHOTO COURTESY OF JEAN MATZEN
Eighth graders from North Tama science teacher Jean Matzen’s classes conduct an infiltration experiment at Irvine Prairie on October 14 with guidance from TPC Plant Materials Program Manager Laura Fischer Walter (left). PHOTO COURTESY OF JEAN MATZEN
Eighth graders from North Tama science teacher Jean Matzen’s classes conduct an infiltration experiment at Irvine Prairie on October 14 with guidance from TPC Plant Materials Program Manager Laura Fischer Walter (back row, second from right). PHOTO COURTESY OF JEAN MATZEN

Students from Jean Matzen’s North Tama Schools eighth grade science classes visited the Irvine Prairie located in rural Dysart on a blustery Friday afternoon earlier this month. Members of the University of Northern Iowa’s Tallgrass Prairie Center (TPC) – including Plant Materials Program Manager Laura Fischer Walter and Community Engagement Coordinator Anne Phillips – led the students in several activities on October 14 on the 77-acre prairie-in-progress including a prairie exploration scavenger hunt, an infiltration demonstration that explored how long it takes for different types of soil to absorb one inch of rain, and a purple prairie clover seed gathering expedition. TPC hosts several school groups each season at Irvine Prairie which is open to the public. The preserve is located on the farm of rural Dysart conservationist Cathy Irvine. The land was donated to TPC in 2018 in memory of her husband David. To find Irvine Prairie, navigate to 1173 55th Street, Dysart. Park on the south side of the road in the grass, near the stone marker.