Botanical Diversity Back from the Dead: Finding Hope in Oak Savanna and Prairie Fen Restoration

with Mitch Lettow, Stewardship Director, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
Many conservationists dwell on ecological loss we have experienced on our planet. But what if some of those things we considered to be “lost” are simply dormant, forgotten, un-tended, waiting to be brought back into the light out of the depths of time, shade, and suppression? Well-intentioned concepts of preservation have led the most biodiverse communities in our region to slip into stagnation by “letting nature be.” The resuscitation of these stagnant oak savannas and prairie fen wetlands has been the most fulfilling privilege of my career, and witnessing their botanical vibrancy emerge with the elements of light and fire has been addicting to say the least. What’s best is that this kind of recovery is not most effective when done in secret away from people, but when the community is part of the process. Come learn about these incredible systems that were nearly forgotten, but are beginning to take their rightful place back on a landscape stewarded by humans once again.