CEDAR FALLS – The University of Northern Iowa’s Tallgrass Prairie Center (TPC) is set to kick off its spring 2026 seminar series focusing on restoration and management of prairies. Free and open to the public through both virtual attendance and in-person, the series’s theme is Tallgrass Prairie-Heritage & Innovation and will feature one seminar a month beginning in February.

“While there isn’t a talk explicitly about Irvine Prairie [in rural Dysart], the series focuses on the people and key innovations that have made prairie restorations, like Irvine’s, possible,” TPC’s Mallory Sage told the newspaper. “The last seminar in particular celebrates UNI’s connection to this legacy and I am certain Irvine will be mentioned alongside the rest of the university’s prairie accomplishments.”

The first seminar takes place on Tuesday, Feb. 24, beginning at 6 p.m. and is titled “The Persistence of Prairie and People: The Emergence of the Native Seed Industry in the Upper Midwest.” Guest speaker Andy Olson, former TPC Prairie on Farms Program Manager, will lead the seminar.

“This talk explores the emergence of the native seed industry from the Dust Bowl until present day,” TPC materials state. “A wide array of individuals – including growers, scientists, and government officials – have persistently utilized and advocated for the use of native vegetation in a political and cultural landscape often hostile to the idea. Only in the face of environmental and financial crises have farmers, private-industry, and government turned towards prairie as a solution.”

The second seminar takes place on March 10, also at 6 p.m. and is titled “Aldo Leopold, Paul Johnson, and a Land Ethic for Iowa (and Beyond).” During this seminar, biologist/historian/writer Curt Meine will share stories of Aldo Leopold – a native Iowan widely considered to be the father of wildlife ecology/modern conservation – and Decorah farmer Paul Johnson. “[Meine] will share stories of his work on these two conservation leaders and the connections between them — and what their legacies hold for Iowa today.”

UNI's Tallgrass Prairie Center staff conducting a controlled burn at Irvine Prairie northeast of Dysart. NORTH TAMA TELEGRAPH FILE PHOTO

The final seminar in the series will take place in conjunction with Earth Week on April 21, beginning at 5:30 p.m. and is titled “Tallgrass Prairie at the University of Northern Iowa: A Proud Past, A Bold Future.”

“This free seminar features a screening of the 2002 feature film ‘America’s Lost Landscape: The Tallgrass Prairie’ and a panel discussion featuring UNI alumni [and TPC founder Dr. Daryl Smith]. Hear from UNI’s ‘Prairie Panthers’ as they continue to build the future of prairie restoration in Iowa and beyond,” seminar materials state. Virtual attendees are invited to watch the film independently, joining the panel discussion that follows. The film can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/79230293.

For more information on the 2026 seminar series, including registration, visit tallgrassprairiecenter.org/resources/tpc-seminar-series.