By Kirsten Wandrey for The Reader.
Broadcast version by Deborah Van Fleet for Nebraska News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service Collaboration

In the midst of droughts during the state's driest year on record, homeowners struggle to maintain the ideal image of the impeccably-manicured, emerald-green front yard.

As the weather turns to fall and Nebraskans finish up summer's final yard work and prepare their lawns for cold weather, many may find themselves frustrated with brown, patchy grass or struggling garden beds.

An alternative landscape is growing in popularity among those who find themselves tiring of grass upkeep and hesitant of heavy water usage: the prairie lawn.

Also commonly referred to as natural gardens, residential prairies or meadow lawns, a prairie lawn consists of a varied collection of grasses, wildflowers, shrubs and trees that are native to the Great Plains.

Benjamin Vogt owns and operates Monarch Gardens, a prairie-inspired landscape design firm that specializes in lawn-to-meadow conversions. Growing up, his mother was an avid gardener and he decided to follow in her footsteps by gardening at his own home beginning in 2007. Vogt's interest only grew and he started designing full-time in 2016.

Vogt uses almost entirely native plants in his designs, citing their resilience and abilities to retain water in soil and avoid topsoil erosion. He also believes that native plants are a crucial defense against climate change and increasing numbers of extreme weather events.

"I firmly believe native plants are going to be the most adaptable plants we're going to have for climate change," he said. "These plants will give us more buffer than if we're using exotic species, and I am definitely a native plant champion for that reason."

Indeed, the Midwest is beginning to see the effects of climate change. According to Nebraska state climatologist Martha Shulski, about 86% of the state is currently under drought conditions. She reported that although it's normal for Nebraska to have both floods and droughts, the frequency of these weather events is becoming amplified due to climate change.

The growing season is becoming longer, warmer and drier, Shulski said. As dry soil cracks apart, heavy rains run straight through the ground, so rain becomes less effective when it finally does fall. She views recent climate trends as hints that people must look at alternatives to traditional lawns, as droughts grow more frequent and water shortages persist.

Shulski sees an opportunity to mitigate future water shortages through lawn conversions, as native plants can withstand moving from extremely wet years to extremely dry years better than non-native plants. According to Shulski, 2019 was Nebraska's third-wettest year on record, yet in 2020 the state entered the drought that is still ongoing today.

In fact, she strongly urges property owners to take steps toward lawn conversions as soon as possible. She warned of the dangers to Nebraska's climate if no preventative measures are taken.

"If we don't act now, the changes in several decades will surpass what we can actually adapt to," she said, "To me, the worst-case scenario is business as usual."

Longer, hotter summers will lead to more competition for limited water resources, meaning that there may not be enough water to maintain traditional grass lawns in the near future, Shulski noted.

"If it's a choice between whether you have water to drink and grow food, or if you have a green lawn, to me it's an easy choice," she said. "You have to choose keeping people healthy and alive."

Recently, Vogt and his colleagues have seen an increase in people seeking to convert their yards into prairie gardens.

"I think people hear about insect and pollinator decline more and more in the news, and they start to think 'What can I do?'" Vogt said, "and that leads them to people like me."

He cites several reasons that homeowners may be interested in converting to prairie lawns. Reduced maintenance is one tempting benefit. Traditional grass lawns require mowing about once a week and consistent watering to keep the grass alive, along with regular aeration and fertilization.

Prairie lawns, however, can be fairly hands-off once the plants begin to grow.

"Once these gardens mature and establish, you only have to mow them down every March and tweak them throughout the year by removing some weeds or adding some plants," he said. "It's not heavy handed and you aren't using lots of inputs like fertilizers or water."

Dense prairie lawns can also protect against erosion as native plants retain more water within the lawn's soil. Converted lawns also prevent storm drains from becoming overwhelmed during the state's sporadic, heavy downpours.

Energy costs can even go down in homes with a prairie lawn, said Vogt, because native landscapes help cool the air and shade homes more effectively.

Troy and Anna Hiser of Seward, Nebraska, recently finished their own lawn conversion in September 2022. They were mainly driven by a desire to avoid chemical fertilizers, air and noise pollution from lawnmowers and the time and financial resources required to maintain a traditional lawn.

"Our yard stands out among the boring sea of green, and we can take solace in knowing, at least in some small part, we are doing what we can to improve the environment we spend the most time in and around, our house," Troy Hiser said.

According to Shulski, housing and farmland development can fragment native habitats and cause undue stress to prairie wildlife that is already dwindling because of climate change. Shrinking the remaining grasslands hinders the positive climate effects brought by native vegetation.

Vogt agrees that converted lawns assist birds, insects and pollinators by preserving wildlife habitats. According to Vogt, urban areas are actually crucial to plant biodiversity in ways people may not expect. He says that in farmland, there is actually less plant diversity because fields are monocultures of crops such as corn and soybeans. In towns, there tends to be more bee activity because there are more floral resources and plant species present.

"If we can start creating these little islands of habitat that can connect through the urban core, that's going to help species a lot because they are here even if we don't see them," he said. "They're critical to our environment and ecological future."

After the Hiser's lawn conversion, Troy Hiser noticed a large increase in the numbers of bees, hummingbird moths and butterflies present in their yard.

Families with children can especially benefit from prairie lawn spaces. Vogt's own four-year-old son prefers the parts of their yard that are filled with long grasses and flower bushes, to watch the bees and butterflies within the garden. He also mentioned a recent client who homeschools her children, using the prairie habitat as an outdoor classroom for immersive biology, art and history lessons.

"There are a lot of studies that show when kids are surrounded by more natural landscapes, there's a host of psychological and physical health benefits," Vogt said.

Despite the personal and ecological benefits, there are challenges associated with converting to a prairie lawn. For starters, some people may face hesitation from neighborhood homeowners associations (HOAs).

Monarch Gardens has a discussion with all clients about their neighborhood regulations before beginning the conversion process. If clients do live under an HOA contract, Vogt studies the specific rules to decide how to make a prairie lawn fit under those guidelines. Sometimes he must get approval for a conversion, in which case he creates a detailed design plan and list of plants that will be installed.

Sometimes, people anonymously complain to the city about a neighbor's prairie lawn.

"I have started to tell people that if you're going to do this, it's already a lot of hard work to learn about the plants and prep the site, but you also must be psychologically ready for the long haul where you might face issues with neighbors," Vogt said.

It's important to ensure that a prairie design blooms for the entire growing season and looks intentional, as most laypeople cannot tell the difference between certain native species and weeds, advises Jeff Carney, a nursery and garden center manager at Campbell's in Lincoln. He has experience in prairie preservation projects and native plant installations.

Overall, Vogt said that among Monarch Gardens' clientele there have only been "two or three" instances of neighborhood complaints in the last few years. To avoid any potential conflicts, he recommends including sculptural elements and planting in odd-numbered groups to make the design appear aesthetically appealing. He also mentioned that installing a sign about the purpose behind prairie lawns can better inform passersby why the yard looks out of the ordinary.

Carney recommends choosing short and compact native plants that stay under three feet tall, to avoid unruliness and encroaching onto others' property.

Vogt and Carney both pointed to first-year weeds as the main annoyance facing new prairie lawns. When the ground is disturbed, it gives weeds more chance to grow. As long as property owners stay on top of weed control for the first year, the desirable native plants will begin to outperform any annual weeds and the issue should resolve itself. Both gardeners said they rarely see weeds persisting longer than the first year or two after prairie installation.

A typical lawn-to-prairie conversion begins with a one-time treatment to kill off the non-native grass. The next step is installing a one-time mulch layer to fend off weeds. Monarch Gardens installs baby plants throughout the space, to get clients more bang for their buck as baby plants are less expensive than fully matured plants. Plants are installed densely, and within one to two years the prairie will be fully grown.

Prior to any hands-on work, though, Vogt recommends that homeowners do their own research. He says it is essential to learn more about native plants than what appears on small tags in a store. Begin by researching plants by their Latin names instead of common names, and establish a baseline of gardening knowledge before diving into a lawn conversion.

The Hisers began by installing a "test bed" in one section of their yard a few years before jumping into their total yard conversion, to see how native plants would grow with their home's soil, water and sunlight conditions. They planted large swaths of clover to replace portions of their traditional grass before opting for an entirely native yard. The couple chose raised plant beds and layered straw, dirt, cardboard and mulch over remaining grass to prevent it from growing. They used large pieces of cardboard to map out plant locations and visualize a design that left enough room for native plants to fully mature.

Carney advises installing a varied mix of native plants that will bloom in the early spring, summer and fall. This way, a yard will remain in bloom for much of the year.

He says that any compact native grasses, such as bluestem and prairie dropseed, are a good method for adding texture and visual interest to a prairie yard. Coneflowers are a shoe-in for any yard due to their cheerful color. Coreopsis flowers also add bright pops of pigment and boast a long blooming season. Of course, Carney also frequently recommends goldenrod as it is the Nebraska state flower.

Viburnum shrubs are a hardy, water-smart plant that bloom white in spring and show vibrant red colors during fall. Chokeberries also have desirable fall foliage and are highly adaptive.

If people prefer large trees in their prairie lawn, Carney likes adding swamp white oaks and northern red oaks as they are fast-growing, water-efficient varieties.

Vogt believes in the importance of prairie lawns as ways to reconnect with one's history and heal communities. He says prairie plants' complex root structures and biodiversity is what made Nebraska's croplands possible in the first place.

"The prairie is our natural heritage, it's what makes Nebraska," he said. "Preserving the prairie is a way of celebrating Nebraska and where we live."

In the face of climate change and increasing droughts, more people see prairie lawns as a way for the average person to coexist with the environment.

"We shouldn't be here to dominate nature. We need to exist within it - we are not the overlords," Carney said, "You can still have a showy landscape and mitigate our impact on the environment."

As the Sunshine State grapples with rising temperatures and escalating weather events such as hurricanes, a new study sheds light on the pivotal role of Florida's Wildlife Corridor in mitigating the effects of climate change coupled with a surge of new residents.

The report is trumpeted as a first-of-its-kind study showcasing how the 18 million acres of the Wildlife Corridor, which runs throughout the entire state, ease the worst impact of climate change. It paints a picture of investing in resources supporting cohabitation to be mutually beneficial with nature and the economic growth coming from people who flock to the state to enjoy it.

Colin Polsky, professor and founding director of the School of Environmental, Coastal and Ocean Sustainability at Florida Atlantic University, and the study's lead author, said the corridor benefits the state.

"It's an attempt to welcome the 1,000 people a day approximately who move to Florida, but to do so in a way that allows for the wildlife to continue to thrive," Polsky explained.

About 10 million of the 18 million acres of corridor are permanently conserved. The report calls on state leaders to keep working on investing the remaining 8 million. In March, the governor and Cabinet touted the state's largest investment in decades, a 25,000-acre acquisition within the Caloosahatchee-Big Cypress Corridor.

Joshua Daskin, project manager and director of conservation at the Archbold Biological Station, said since the corridor effort was steering billions of dollars toward land conservation in the state, the report's focus is on showing the science behind it all.

"Climate resilience is one area in which land conservation can help both nature and people," Daskin pointed out. "But no one had assembled the state of the science for all of the ways that climate resilience can be impacted by land conservation."

The report shows 24% of all Florida properties have a more than one in four chance of being affected by flooding in the next 30 years. To combat it, one solution is to keep floodplains undeveloped. The corridors have 10 million acres of floodplain. The report also recommends mixed-use development to minimize habitat fragmentation and keep working lands in production.


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Ballots are due back in the Montana Secretary of State's office later this week, as lawmakers decide
whether to override Gov. Greg Gianforte's veto of a high-profile funding bill that would reapportion money from the state's marijuana sales tax.

Gianforte vetoed Senate Bill 442 after the Montana Senate had adjourned last session, which left lawmakers no chance to override it.

It would fund veterans' services, provide permanent property tax relief for vets & Gold Star families, invest in county road maintenance, and support land conservation and habitat management.

Montana Wildlife Federation Executive Director Frank Szollosi said the legislation has received broad support inside and outside the capitol.

"That's why agricultural interests have supported 442," said Szollosi. "Counties have supported 442, and the conservation & sporting communities have supportted 442, and local governments."

Gianforte said in his veto note that using state funds for local responsibilities such as road improvements is a "slippery slope."

A veto override requires the approval of two-thirds of lawmakers. Ballots are due back in the Secretary of State's office on Thursday.

Twenty percent of the sales tax revenue would be used specifically for habitat conservation - but equally important, supporters say, is the money that would be spent to improve veterans' programs and rural infrastructure.

The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Mike Lang - R-Malta - said S.B. 442 would provide services for groups that have not historically shared common interests.

"I just want to bridge the gap," said Lang, "between recreationists and hunters, and private landowners."

Critics of SB 442 have argued the funding distribution formula isn't equitable, while supporters say it directs resources towards those who need them most.

The bill passed the Legislature with 130 of 150 votes in last year's session.

More than $11 million in federal grant money will go to improve land and water conservation in the upper Verde River Watershed and Big Chino Grasslands in north central Arizona.

The grant requires a 50% non-federal match, which The Nature Conservancy Arizona and partners will provide - bringing the total to $23 million.

Kimberly Schonek - Arizona water director for the conservancy - said the Verde River is one of the state's last free-flowing rivers, and calls it a "critical water supply" for not only the Phoenix metro area but for the biodiversity around the river, which starts just north of Prescott.

She said the conservancy in Arizona will be using the money to purchase easements from willing landowners to ensure land preservation and limit groundwater use.

"The landowner will continue to ranch and farm their property into the future," said Schonek, "but it'll restrict that ability for them to develop it, and what that does is keep the water use on the land what it is now."

Schonek said as Arizona thinks about its future, it's important to limit the amount of water use in what she calls a "critical area."

She added that her organization has been enacting conservation easements and other measures along the Verde River since 2012.

Schonek said no landowners are required to participate, but adds many find value in being compensated and reinvesting those funds onto their properties.

Schonek said over the last 20-years, with drought, they've noticed river levels drop - and have also seen land usage around the river change.

She added that while certain areas of the river have less flow, others are now experiencing more water due to the collaborative work the conservancy and agricultural partners have fostered.

"So the future looks good, so long as the community continues to engage, and everybody has a part to play," said Schonek. "And so we are really excited and optimistic to continue partnering with rural communities and agriculture in protecting this river for the future."

Schonek said it is exciting to see this level of investment as they've been working on conservation efforts for decades.

She added that this is by the far the largest amount of money that'll be dedicated to the Verde River.




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