Minnesota DNR Prairie Pod Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Prairie Pod listeners, we are delighted to be here with you again during this holiday season and season of reflection, joy and, most importantly, hope. We’re closing out season six with our final episode of the Prairie Pod. We know endings can be hard, and we want you to know how much joy this special project has given us, sharing our love of the prairie with all of you. But while this is one sunset, the sun rises again tomorrow and there are lots of Prairie Pod episodes to go back and listen to! Thank you for spending this time with us. Listening to our passion, our joy, and how wonderful it is when you discover the prairie.

The prairie and indigenous people have persisted through time, and indigenous people’s role in prairie stewardship is intertwined with the survival of prairie on the landscape. Prairie Pod listeners, we’re honored to debut for you part two of our Dakota connections to the prairie series, featuring staff from the four Dakota communities within the borders of Minnesota. These episodes were recorded on November 9, 2022. The second part of this series covers how Dakota people and tribal staff are managing and stewarding the prairie today, and how we can all learn from each other to strengthen our understanding of prairie and the landscape as a whole. If you missed part one, make sure to go back and listen, to learn about Dakota historical and cultural perspectives and connections to the prairie. We hope you enjoy learning during these episodes, just as much as we did while making them.

The prairie and indigenous people have persisted through time, and indigenous people’s role in prairie stewardship is intertwined with the survival of prairie on the landscape. Prairie Pod listeners, we’re honored to debut two special podcast episodes we’ve been working on with staff from the four Dakota communities within the borders of Minnesota. These episodes were recorded on Nov.9, 2022. The first part of this series will cover Dakota historical and cultural perspectives and connections to the prairie. Next week, we’ll be right back here to talk about how Dakota people and tribal staff are managing and stewarding the prairie today. Both episodes feature traditional ecological knowledge and the power of prairie. We hope you enjoy learning during these episodes, just as much as we did while making them.

We're talking about how our love of the prairie and its many forms inspires us and sparks our imaginations to energize us into action. Namely, the act of creating art.

We also know that we've lost much of our connected native prairie as well as our large grazing mammals like bison. And while there are some places where we're working hard to reintroduce bison to their prairie home, what about the places where we can't reintroduce bison? We're talking about research on haying prairies as a management tool to limit invasive cool-season grasses and to promote overall prairie biodiversity.

We know that we've lost much of our connected native prairie as well as our large grazing mammals like bison. And while there are some places where we're working hard to reintroduce bison to their prairie home, what about the places where we can't reintroduce bison? We're talking about research on haying prairies as a management tool to limit invasive cool-season grasses and to promote overall prairie biodiversity.