Pioneering Partnerships

Mrs. Johnson encouraged this kind of partnership!
A popular postcard from the prairies.	Kathy Bolin unveils the Prairie Passage logo in Minnesota in 2002.
The partnership in 1997: L-R, Fred Markam, Stacy Armstrong, Terry Cederstrom (National Park Service), Laurie Stillings, Joanne Orr, Melody Hughes, and Larry Pulchalski

By the end of the twentieth century, railroad and highway rights-of-way were often the only place to find remnant native prairie. In the late 1970s and early 1980s surveys to identify locations of native grasses and wildflowers were conducted along several active and abandoned railroad and highway rights-of-way in Minnesota. Several segments of high quality remnant prairie were identified. Encouraged by Mrs. Lyndon "Ladybird" Johnson's emphasis on roadside beautification and her love of wildflowers and Mrs. Johnson's life long friends, Dr. and Mrs. Jim and IdaMae Cain, in Rochester, Minnesota, in 1983 roadside wildflower enthusiasts in the North Star State proposed a national prairie wildflower route connecting the two states. The idea was slow to take root taking a detour before it eventually did.

In 1987 upon the suggestion of roadside prairie enthusiasts, Minnesota's then Lt. Governor Marlene Johnson appointed a Wildflower Task Force charged with identifying potential wildflower routes and opportunities to plant natives grasses and wildflowers along roadsides. In their report to the Governor the Task Force recommended that a national prairie wildflower route be considered. The report was circulated throughout numerous states and agencies.

In 1993, Oklahoma contacted the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Native Wildflower Program and asked to explore the concept of connecting our borders with a wildflower route. The States of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas met with the FHWA in 1994. This group coined the name "Prairie Passage," conducted surveys to identify a potential route or routes, proposed management actions and as the saying goes, the rest is history. For the rest of the story, read the many articles in this edition of Greener Roadsides.

In a pioneering partnership Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas were funded by the Federal Highway Administration to develop a plan for a national wildflower corridor. The effort promotes awareness of natural and cultural resources and encourages the protection and planting of native wildflowers and grasses along roadsides. Prairie Passage states identified a network of signed routes following interstates and highways to related natural, historic and cultural sites across the prairie landscape. Each state's plans to implement the Prairie Passage program varies depending on that state's resources and routes. Plans include:

Protection

Remnants of native grasses and wildflowers are being protected along many segments of highway right-of-ways. A variety of management techniques are being explored and used such as biological controls for problem species to reduce mowing and the use of herbicides. Signs have been created to identify environmentally sensitive areas and prescribed burns are being conducted on selected segments where traffic control and safety issues can be managed.

Restoration

Native grasses and wildflowers are being planted along many segments of right-of-ways. These provide beauty, wildlife habitat and erosion control. Once established native vegetation is proving to be more cost effective than many of the non-natives planted frequently in the past.

Public Outreach and Information

Interpretive signs, roadside kiosks, posters, maps and brochures are being, and have been developed, to help residents and visitors learn more about their prairie heritage and how transportation systems have affected this landscape.

Community Involvement Economic Development

Recreation and educational opportunities are being promoted and developed in several Prairie Passage communities. Nature observation and photography are two of the fastest growing forms of tourism and many of the towns and cities in the prairie landscape are featuring the rare prairie resources in their efforts to increase economic stability.