Thank you, Jim!   You did much more than your share to provide enlightened and thoughtful input to the DOT.

I especially appreciate your inclusion of the local-ecotype prairie seed issue.  For those not familiar with this term, local-ecotype prairie seed refers to seed that is genetically descended from nearby native prairie remnants.  Iowa-ecotype refers to seed genetically descended from native prairie remnants within Iowa.

Much if not most of the prairie seed planted in Iowa in the past forty years, by both individuals and agencies, was genetically descended from seed originally collected in prairies in other states, some hundreds of miles away.  Some of this seed was modified by plant breeders for grazing purposes.  The resulting cultivars are often aggressive, and don't look or behave like the plants found in Iowa prairie remnants.   (Some cultivars of switchgrass are especially known for this.)

Some of this distant-origin prairie seed is grown and sold in Iowa, and is often (and accurately) called "Iowa-grown prairie seed."  But Iowa-grown prairie seed is not the same as Iowa-ecotype prairie seed.   Iowa-grown prairie seed may come, genetically, from Colorado or Texas.  

The Iowa DOT has been working to use more Iowa-ecotype seed, and needs thanks and encouragement for doing so.  Using Iowa-ecotype seed lessens the potential for genetically polluting prairie remnants near highway plantings (through wind-blown and insect-carried pollen). 

It also lessens the risk of accidently introducing new plant diseases and inappropriate species.   Using Iowa-ecotype seed also provides income for Iowa-ecotype seed growers, and it helps protect and expand Iowa's own unique prairie heritage.   Thanks again, Jim!  


Cindy Hildebrand
[log in to unmask]
Ames, IA  50010

"Tell the truth and run."  (Yugoslav proverb)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp