Restoring Prairie Wetlands is a guide to restoring wetlands in the southern portion of the prairie pothole region, which covers parts of Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota. Based on data collected from restorations throughout this region, it provides specific information on the plants, animals, soils, and hydrology of prairie potholes; the selection of suitable sites; and the design, evaluation, and management of wetlands. Many practical and easy-to-use tools are included, such as the nomogram for predicting a restored basin's hydrology, guides to identifying plants and animals, data sheets to assist all aspects of the restoration, and lists of the hardware suppliers, agencies providing planning assistance, and sources of plant materials. Restoring Prairie Wetlands is designed for farmers; personnel in government and private agencies that fund, plan, construct, and manage restorations; and public officials and other policymakers concerned with natural resource issues.

Ecological Restoration provides a comprehensive overview of the strategies being used around the world to reverse human impacts on landscapes, ecosystems, and species. This book aims to improve the outcomes of restoration practice by strengthening the connections between ecological concepts and real-world decision-making. Students explore each topic considering both research-based knowledge and lessons learned from 19 actual restorations. Details of these ecological restorations, from underwater reefs to mines in hot deserts, are woven into each chapter, presented as case studies, and used in exercises. The book explains and applies basic concepts from many supporting fields that serve as the foundation for practice, including ecology, conservation biology, earth and water sciences, environmental design, and public policy.

This research developed a predictive understanding of P. arundinacea (a perennial grass) dominance in prairie pothole wetland restorations and investigated potential control techniques. A large-scale field experiment demonstrated that the most effective way to control P. arundinacea is a combination of later season herbicide applications to maximize rhizome mortality, and burning to reduce the P. arundinacea seed bank density.

Phalaris arundinacea invades sedge meadow restorations, forming persistent monotypes that prevent community establishment. Eradicating Phalaris, however, leaves restored ecosystems prone to reinvasion. In order to restore desired plant communities, methods to control Phalaris are needed. To determine if reducing light by sowing cover crops and reducing nitrogen by incorporating soil-sawdust amendments would prevent Phalaris invasions, a study was conducted under conditions similar to a restored wetland in two experimental basins with controlled hydrology. Seeds of a 10-species target community and Phalaris were sown in plots with high diversity, low diversity, or no cover crops in soils with or without sawdust amendments. Nitrogen, light, tissue C:N ratios, firstyear seedling emergence, establishment, and growth, and second-year above ground biomass were measured. Only high diversity cover crops reduced light and sawdust reduced nitrogen for about 9 weeks. Similar trends in firstyear seedling data and second-year biomass data suggested Phalaris control efforts should focus on establishing perennial communities rather than implementing separate resource-limiting strategies. Sowing high diversity cover crops resulted in Phalaris-dominated communities, making cover crops an ineffective Phalaris control strategy. Using sawdust amendments did not reduce Phalaris invasion much beyond what the target community did but resulted in a community similar to those of natural sedge meadows by increasing the abundance of seeded species from the Cyperaceae family and colonization of non-seeded wetland species. The target community apparently reduced Phalaris invasion by reducing both light and nitrogen. Regardless, no treatment fully prevented invasion, making follow-up Phalaris control necessary to ensure community recovery.

The definitive work on Minnesota's natural history and ecology--updated, expanded, and copiously illustrated to account for profound changes to the state's natural landscape over the past twenty-five years The story of Minnesota's natural landscape, reaching back to the time of the glaciers, covers at least 12,000 years. Yet even against that vast expanse, recent decades have significantly transformed the natural world that is Minnesota's greatest resource. In the twenty-five years since the first publication of Minnesota's Natural Heritage, the definitive volume on the state's natural history and ecology, human activity and climate change have profoundly altered the major ecosystems that give our state its rich and varied character. The second edition of Minnesota's Natural Heritage introduces readers to these ecosystems--the lakes and rivers, forests and prairies, farmlands and wetlands--and explains how they have come to be, how they function, and how they have changed so rapidly and dramatically in recent years. Full-color illustrations document the state's striking natural beauty in all its vigor and fragility, while maps, drawings, diagrams, and graphs amplify points of historical, ecological, and geological interest. The most complete treatment of Minnesota's natural environment, compiled and accessibly written by scientists whose collective knowledge spans the book's expansive content, Minnesota's Natural Heritage is the one indispensable companion for both visitors and inhabitants, as enlightening to page through as it is valuable to study.