A film crew with Perennial Films documents the ‘Big Dig’ at Irvine Prairie which took place last week on Aug. 5 and 6. PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNE PHILLIPS/TALLGRASS PRAIRIE CENTER

IRVINE PRAIRIE – What do prairie roots look like? A recent dig at Irvine Prairie north of Dysart set out to answer that very question.

Last Monday and Tuesday, August 5 and 6, staff with UNI’s Tallgrass Prairie Center (TPC) dug a pit – roughly 10 feet deep and 12 feet wide – and then sprayed the soil wall with water to expose roots from the oldest part of Irvine Prairie, a 292-acre ‘prairie-in-progress’ located roughly five miles north of Dysart as the crow flies. The first prairie parcel at the preserve was seeded six years ago.

According to TPC Director Dr. Laura Jackson, “Many roots extended through a stone line, all the way to the water table and slick blue clay.”

The dig was completed as part of the upcoming documentary “Prairie Prophecy” which focuses on perennial agriculture.

In addition to the documentary, root images captured during the dig will also be used by the Tallgrass Prairie Center to illustrate the prairie as an ecosystem.

Dr. Laura Jackson (center), Director of UNI’s Tallgrass Prairie Center (TPC), works alongside TPC staff including Green Iowa AmeriCorps members at Irvine Prairie early last week to expose prairie roots by spraying the soil with water. PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNE PHILLIPS/TALLGRASS PRAIRIE CENTER

“Many hands made this happen,” Dr. Jackson said of the dig, “including Perennial Films for funding the ‘Big Dig,’ Brian Pippert (excavation, safety, the water pump system, and much more), Benton County Roadside Management, UNI students Maddie Carleton and Rachel Lursen, and Green Iowa AmeriCorps!”

To stay abreast of all the happenings at Irvine Prairie including any public programming offerings, follow UNI’s Tallgrass Prairie Center on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tallgrassprairiecenter.

The Irvine Prairie, located at 1174 55th Street, Dysart, is open to the public daily from sunrise to sunset. Visitors are asked to park on the south side of the road in the grass, near the stone marker. A portable bathroom facility is available from April through October. For more information visit https://tallgrassprairiecenter.org/irvine-prairie#visitorpolicy.

Some of the oldest prairie roots at Irvine Prairie pictured last week following the ‘Big Dig.’ PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNE PHILLIPS/TALLGRASS PRAIRIE CENTER

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNE PHILLIPS/TALLGRASS PRAIRIE CENTER

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNE PHILLIPS/TALLGRASS PRAIRIE CENTER