Who supports the Oak Savannah?  Department of Natural Resources Habitat Fund awarded the money for these savannah seeds for this project in the year 2000.  SIUE Foundation also footed 1/3 of the bill as a match.  It was subsequently planted that year.  Before the seeds could be planted the Fescue and bluegrass had to be killed by repeated tilling and two treatments of Roundup herbicide.  These grasses were long established and would present too much competition for the newly planted prairie seeds to overcome.

What is an oak savannah?  Illinois was once covered by prairie which began 8000 years ago after the glaciers retreated. By 1850 most of it was gone. Few remants and restorations remain, less that .01% remaining today.  The prairie was composed of tall grasses like Big Bluestem, Indian grass, switch grass, prairie cord grass and a large assortment of flowering plants.  Flowering plants of  the prairie are plants such as leadplant, Prairie Blazing Star, Purple Prairie Clover, Rattlesnake Master, Purple Coneflower, Butterfly Milkweed, Goldenrods, Prairie Dock, Round-Fruited St. John's Wort, Rosin Weed, Compass Plant, Gray-headed conflower, Prairie Coreopsis - the list goes on.  Plant List

If you might be interested in helping to pull out invasive weeds or to help with burning this or other local prairies give me at call at    618-650-2453  or email at    eabusha@siue.edu