The
Conservation Garden of the Great Plains
Lauritzen Gardens is a participating institution in the Center
for Plant Conservation, a coalition of the nation's leading
botanical institutions working to prevent the extinction of America's
endangered plants. Our conservation work is focused on the Great Plains region
where more than 100 plants are in danger of becoming extinct in their native
habitat.
The work of conserving endangered plants involves research, seed
banking, and restoration projects.
Research
Project: Sandsage Prairie in Nebraska
Sandsage
prairie is a steppe community in which the shrub sand sagebrush (Artemesia filifolia) is
a dominant element. This community type is found in sandy habitat throughout a
large part of the western Great Plains. Sandsage
prairie is important for many species of grassland birds but is declining in
both quality and quantity and has been identified as a conservation priority in
the state wildlife action plans of Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas. Lauritzen
Gardens conducted a rare plant survey of Nebraska sandsage
prairie in 2016 and 2017. The report can be viewed at:
Research
Project: Endemic Plants of the Central Grassland of North America
Knowledge of the endemic plants of a region is an important
element in understanding the biological diversity of that region and in
prioritizing areas for conservation action. Research by Lauritzen Gardens has
identified 382 plants with geographic distributions that are mostly limited to
the Central Grassland of North America. Of these "endemic" and uniquely
grassland plants, 124 or 33% are at risk of extinction. A publication
documenting the distribution, ecology, and conservation status of these plants
can be viewed at:
Research
Project: Sandsage Prairie-Clover
Lauritzen Gardens is engaged in a multi-year research project to
document the ecology and conservation needs of sandsage
prairie-clover (Dalea cylindriceps),
a native wildflower that appears to be in serious decline. Sandsage
prairie-clover is rare throughout its range in the western Great Plains and is
ranked as a Tier I At-risk Species in Nebraska. Publications resulting from
this research can be viewed at:
·
2015 Dalea Cylindriceps
Report
·
2013 Dalea Cylindriceps
Report
·
Prairie-Clover Taxonomy & History
Research
Project: Kimball Grasslands
The
Kimball Grasslands is recognized as a Biologically Unique Landscape by the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project . Located in
the southwest part of the Nebraska Panhandle, the Kimball Grasslands hosts a
significant number of Nebraska plants of conservation concern. Most of these are associated with
escarpments, bluffs and other rocky habitat.
Director of conservation Jim Locklear conducted a reconnaissance survey
of this region during the spring and summer of 2014 to gain a better
understanding of the ecology of rock outcrop communities in the Kimball
Grasslands and of the associated rare species.
The
report on the Kimball Grasslands can be viewed at:
·
2014 Kimball Grasslands Research
