Midewin Volunteers Bring Prairie Plants out of Bunker Hibernation

By Ann Baskerville


Prairie Volunteers and Boy Scouts spent a Saturday morning helping Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie staff take native prairie plants out of winter storage.  According to Midewin botanist Jennifer Durkin, native prairie seedlings are housed in bunkers during the winter because the seedlings are still developing a strong root system and can not handle harsh winter weather.  The same characteristics that made the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant bunkers good places to store ammunition make them ideal for storing baby plants.  The bunkers's solid concrete covered by earth creates an insulated space that allows the plants to survive even the drastically low temperatures we experienced this winter.


Ammunition bunkers in Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.  Native prairie plant seedlings are stored in a bunker through winter.
Native plants stored inside a bunker at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

Volunteers form an assembly line to move plants from the bunker to the trailer for transport
Volunteers and Midewin staff loaded seedlings onto a trailer for transport back to the Horticulture Center

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie staff and volunteers take native plants out of winter storage--an ammunition bunker
An example of a tray of plugs containing prairie plants: French Grass, Psoralea Onobrychis
Prairie Plants taken out of winter storage in the bunker were to be moved to the outdoor hoop houses near the Midewin Welcome Center

Volunteers viewed old Joliet Arsenal Ammunition Plant buildings during the group's caravan through Midewin to reach the site of bunkers storing prairie plants

Popular posts from this blog

Will County Emergency Management Agency Coordinating Migrant Bus Arrivals in Will County Suburbs

Image
  After reports of buses from Texas dropping off asylum-seekers at Metro stations in Will County, the Will County Emergency Management Agency released the following press release : "The Will County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is working to provide information and coordinate with municipalities and state agencies as the Chicagoland region is experiencing an increase in buses transporting asylum-seekers from the State of Texas. “Our municipalities have seen an increase in buses from Texas disembarking passengers at Metra stations and other locations throughout the county,” said Will County EMA Director Allison Anderson. “We are working to coordinate information between public safety agencies, the State of Illinois, and the City of Chicago. Our priority is ensuring humane transportation of asylum-seekers to the official Chicago landing zone.” An official landing zone for asylum-seekers is being operated by the City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communication at
Read more

Local VFW Post Joins Work to Keep Gemini Giant in Wilmington

Image
The Wilmington VFW Post is joining the local effort to keep the Gemini Giant in Wilmington.  The statue is up for online bid at the Grafe Auction website . Wilmington's VFW Post 5422 posted to their Facebook page on March 8, 2024 that: " The Wilmington VFW Post 5422 along with Save the Gemini Giant have teamed up to make an effort to keep the Gemini Giant in Wilmington and relocate it 1 mile west on Route 66 to the VFW.  We need your help. "   Read the full post here . The Gemini Giant has greeted Route 66 travelers to Wilmington for decades:
Read more