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| North American Prairie Conference | |
|---|---|
| Name | North American Prairie Conference |
| Formation | 20th century |
| Type | Scientific conference series |
| Region | North America |
| Fields | Ecology; Botany; Zoology; Conservation |
North American Prairie Conference
The North American Prairie Conference is a recurring scientific meeting focused on prairie ecosystems, bringing together experts in Ecology, Botany, Zoology, Conservation biology, Restoration ecology and related fields. It convenes researchers, land managers, representatives from National Park Service, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Parks Canada and academic institutions such as University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Iowa State University and University of Manitoba to share findings, coordinate projects and influence policy. The conference has influenced major initiatives associated with Prairie Restoration, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Mixed-grass prairie and collaborations among networks like the Society for Ecological Restoration and the Botanical Society of America.
The conference traces roots to regional meetings in the 20th century involving researchers from Cornell University, University of Minnesota, University of Kansas, Kansas State University and Oklahoma State University who studied topics tied to the Great Plains and Central North America. Early gatherings featured speakers from institutions such as Smithsonian Institution, Field Museum of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum and agencies like U.S. Department of Agriculture and Canadian Wildlife Service, addressing issues from fire ecology to bison management. Throughout the late 20th and early 21st centuries the series intersected with milestones including the designation of Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, establishment of the Prairie Window Project, and synthesis efforts by scholars at University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Oklahoma University and Texas A&M University.
Organizing committees typically include faculty from Iowa State University, University of Illinois Chicago, Montana State University, and representatives of NGOs like The Nature Conservancy, Audubon Society, World Wildlife Fund and regional groups such as Prairie Plains Resource Institute. Membership comprises researchers affiliated with National Science Foundation grants, graduate students from Michigan State University, postdoctoral fellows from Yale University and agency scientists from Environment and Climate Change Canada. Partnerships have connected the conference with funding bodies like Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and foundations including the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
Meetings rotate among venues in the Midwestern United States, Canadian Prairies, and occasionally Mexico, with past host sites at Chicago Botanic Garden, Royal Saskatchewan Museum, Field Station for Ecological Research and campuses like University of Saskatchewan and University of Nebraska Omaha. Programs blend plenary sessions led by scholars from University of California, Berkeley, Duke University, University of Toronto and workshops run by practitioners from Quivira Coalition and Natural Resources Canada. Symposia have focused on themes that overlap with work by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, National Phenology Network and the Long Term Ecological Research Network.
Research presented has included long-term monitoring from Konza Prairie Biological Station, experimental studies by teams at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest and modeling efforts using tools developed at Princeton University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Contributions span plant community dynamics involving genera studied at Missouri Botanical Garden, pollinator research involving organizations like Pollinator Partnership, and wildlife studies on species such as Greater Prairie-Chicken, Bison, Prairie vole and Black-footed ferret. Collaborative projects reported at the conference have informed restoration protocols used by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuges, seed transfer zone guidelines produced with input from USDA Forest Service, and landscape-scale analyses employing datasets from Global Biodiversity Information Facility and LANDSAT.
Conservation outcomes tied to conference networks include coordinated efforts between The Nature Conservancy, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Wildlife Conservation Society and local land trusts to protect remnants of tallgrass prairie, mixed-grass prairie and shortgrass prairie. Outreach has involved partnerships with museums like Field Museum, schools connected to Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, community organizations such as Minnesota Land Trust and Indigenous groups coordinating with Assembly of First Nations and National Congress of American Indians on culturally informed stewardship. The conference has influenced policy dialogues involving legislators from state bodies such as the Illinois General Assembly and agencies like Environment Canada.
Proceedings have been published in outlets associated with Ecological Society of America, edited volumes from university presses like University of Iowa Press and special issues in journals including Rangeland Ecology & Management, Restoration Ecology, Journal of Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology. Abstracts and datasets from meetings have been archived in repositories linked to Dryad Digital Repository, USGS National Gap Analysis Program and university libraries at University of Kansas and University of Manitoba. Prominent authors who have contributed works include researchers affiliated with University of Minnesota Duluth, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences and University of Missouri.
Category:Conferences in North America