Preserving the sand prairie

Millions of years ago, a shallow sea covered Southeast Missouri. As the sea receded, sand prairies were left behind.

Two sandy ridges, the Sikeston Sand Ridge and another that begins south of Crowley's Ridge near Malden, were inhabited by species and plants that adapted to a harsh, desert-like environment.

Because of urbanization and agricultural growth, a large portion of sand prairies were destroyed. A small percentage of this habitat remains in Southeast Missouri, primarily near Benton and Malden.

"I could tell you we have no sand prairies left in the area, and that would be close to the truth," said Bob Gillespie, a natural history biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. "Many of our remnants of sand prairies have been disturbed in some way by man. They have been plowed, grazed, roads have been built through them. The list goes on and on."

The Missouri Department of Conservation manages approximately 200 acres of public sand prairies near Benton, trying to save this endangered habitat.

"In Missouri, sand prairies are critically imperiled," Gillespie said. "Which means that they are an extreme rarity or especially vulnerable."

Conservationists are also managing about 120 private acres of sand prairies.

"Private landowners are very important to the recovery of sand prairies," Gillespie said. "We have formed partnerships with these landowners who have allowed us to collect seed from several of the endangered plants in this habitat."

Some of the vegetation found in the area's sand prairies are species found in desert-type habitats, including Patterson's bindweed, jointweed and curly three-awn, all facing extinction.

At one time, bison, elk and prairie chickens wandered the sand prairies. Recently, a species of snake thought extinct, the dusty hognose, was found in a sand prairie near Benton.

Gillespie said the Conservation Department partnered with Southeast Missouri State University to help regenerate these endangered plant species found in sand prairies.

Bill Eddleman, chairman of Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Biology, has been teaching a freshman seminar course, "Wildlife in American Culture," in which students created a sand prairie at Cape Girardeau's Conservation Campus Nature Center in Cape County Park North.

The Conservation Department brought in sandy soil from Scott County to lay the foundation for the sand prairie. In total, students planted about 200 species, including splitbeard grass, Patterson dawn flowers and cacti.

"The students were introduced to the project the first day of class," Eddleman said. "We took a field trip to a sand prairie in Scott County, located on privately owned land. I had never actually walked in a sand prairie, and you really have to watch your step. Some of the grasses are quite beautiful and unique."

Eddleman broke the students into four groups, responsible for designing the sand prairie, researching the plants found in sand prairies, creating a brochure and making signs for the demonstration.

Student Andi Kloppenburg of Cape Girardeau was responsible for researching the types of plants.

"What I learned most from this project was what exactly a sand prairies is," she said. "I learned that they are becoming extinct and that there are very few of them around."

While Kloppenburg is proud of the finished project, she wanted to put a dusty hognose snake in the sand prairie demonstration.

Eric Schatz, an environmental science major, enrolled in Eddleman's class because he was interested in nature. Working on the sand prairie was an added bonus to the course.

"I learned something I didn't know about," the St. Louis freshman said. "I would advise the public to learn about sand prairies and just realize that they should be protected."

Most of the students, ranging from business to sports management majors, enjoyed working on this project, Eddleman said.

"Some of them could have cared less, but I think the majority of them were really pleased with the finished product," Eddleman said. "Bob Gillespie will be able to use some of these seeds from the plants to try and hopefully restore this habitat."

That is Gillespie's goal.

"Right now it is kind of in its infant stage," he said, overlooking the newly created sand prairie. "But we hope that by creating the sand prairie, and making the public aware of it, we can recover what's left of sand prairies in Southeast Missouri."

jfreeze@semissourian.com