From: dennisf@uchicago.edu [mailto:dennisf@uchicago.edu]

Sent: Monday, June 11, 2007 10:29 AM

To: borevitz@uchicago.edu

Subject: Prairie site

I just talked with Stephanie Franklin, who is one of

the 'managers' of the prairie restoration site in Nichols

Park. She was very enthusiastic about the prospect of some

students who could maintain and improve the site (plenty of

non-native invasives, like bindweed, reed canary grass, and

woody plants like mulberrys and elms). They are just short

on manpower, and that has apparently pushed them to hush-

hush methods (I'm not supposed to tell anyone this, but to

create an incentive to get over there and fix stuff up),

like the park district applying pesticides (toxic enough to

require a license - not just your usual Roundup). The dead

bunches of reed canary grass are the victims.

As a potential future field trip / final project for further

permutations of the prairie class, I thought I'd let you

know. She also mentioned that they'd love to have it

function as a research station. The school next door hasn't

proven very helpful, since the kids just get distracted by

the butterflies and the rabbit who lives there.

You can reach her at 773.955.3622, or

sngfranklin@earthlink.net. She seemed to prefer the phone

number, since there have been problems with her email.

I'll hopefully be meeting with Blair Archambeau this week,

as well as Bill Michels from Development (though I hear he

just says whatever needs to be said to keep people happy,

regardless of actual intention to commit or follow through).

So I'll be on guard. Here's hoping!

best,

dennis