A Living
Laboratory

The Prairie Restoration Project

Updated: July 2024

In the days before the land was plotted, plowed and paved, the patch of Palouse prairie that EWU calls home was part of a magnificent landscape with sun-kissed rolling hills carpeted by a kaleidoscopic of native flora.

Today, with just a sliver of that wild frontier remaining, Eastern Washington University has embarked on a project to transform this 120-acre parcel of university-owned land back to its native habitat.

As the Prairie Restoration Project unfolded, it gave birth to a “living laboratory” that serves as a hub for environmental research and interdisciplinary collaboration.

EWU students and faculty have expanded those community partnerships - working with the Spokane Tribe of Indians and other Native peoples, whose ancestors for millennia called the prairie home. This collaboration incorporates our tribal partners' vast knowledge while honoring their histories and connecting our communities.

Now, after nearly three years of extensive research that included planting, monitoring, and collecting data on a 13-acre test plot as it experienced both drought and heavy rain conditions, we're preparing to implement the most successful strategies across the entire site.

Today almost nothing of the original Palouse Prairie remains. EWU researchers are working to change that.
The project will provide a unique educational and recreational space, one that connects visitors to a long-lost landscape.
EWU is cultivating seeds to restore Lomatium, a favorite flower of bees and other pollinators.
Satellite map of project area
Campus border in red. Prairie border in blue.
Aerial view of campus and the Prairie Restoration Project area.

A grant from the EWU Foundation funded much of the planning and research. Biology students and faculty collaborated to create a workshop that connected land-restoration experts from across the region with Eastern students. Using their research, and input from experts, students then put together a master plan for land restoration.

“A big part of the project is to make it really inclusive", says Erik Budsberg, Prairie Restoration project leader and EWU sustainability Coordinator. “We want to use it to de-silo things, to truly create a lot of multidisciplinary relationships and opportunities across campus.”

Project leaders have also worked with faculty and students in departments across the campus. The opportunities for collaboration will only grow as the pilot site expands.

Campus Partnerships

Successful Restoration Is a Multidisciplinary Collaboration

Biology

  • Identified native plants and mapped remnants of Palouse prairie landscapes
  • Collected and cleaned seeds to develop a seed bank
  • Expanded garden space and greenhouse use for the prairie nursery
  • Developed a master plan for the pilot plots
  • Worked with the Salish School of Spokane, a private K-12 school dedicated to preserving the culture and language of the Native American tribes, to learn more about prairie communities and propagate plants together

Geosciences

  • Environmental science is conducting soil analysis and investigating high lead concentrations due to prior trap shooting in the area
  • Geology installed wells and hydrogeology equipment to study and monitor the groundwater
  • Geography is using GPS mapping techniques to assist in land-use decisions

Partners

  • Education and biology collaborated to bring prairie related conservation lessons to local schools and the wider community
  • Computer science is developing a project database
  • Public health and outdoor recreation consulted on trail building and usage
  • English assisted with grant writing
  • Anthropology, archeology, American Indian studies, technical communications, and visual communication design have also offered consultations or completed prairie related projects
Development over the last 150 years has eliminated most of the Palouse Prairie.
The extent of prairie “remnant” patches is less than one percent.
EWU is dedicating a third of our campus land and resources to restoring this endangered ecosystem.
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It starts with
soil

The unique and diverse soil communities that sustained the original prairie have long been depleted. The change has had a profound effect on which plants will thrive there.
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Healthy soil will retain the water and nutrients prairie plants need to grow

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Reestablishing flowering plants (forbs) is critical to species diversity in the prairie ecosystem

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Pollinators will return, promoting fertilization and seed production

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Insect habitats are formed, which are essential to mammals, birds and reptiles

In the greenhouse, biochar is measured and then added to a soil mixture to boost carbon content.
EWU partnered with Ag Energy of Spokane to apply a product called biochar to the restoration site to boost soil properties. Biochar is created by burning plant matter at a high temperature and in an oxygen-free environment. The dense, high-carbon mixture boosts the carbon content in the soil and retains water and other nutrients, improving soil structure and enhancing plant productivity.
This unique public-private partnership will benefit Eastern Washington University and Ag Energy. Eastern faculty and students will study plant production in pilot plots with and without biochar. Ag Energy will also use that data for their own research and marketing.
Project lead Erik Budsberg collects seeds for cleaning and storing.
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Gather

If we want to have a restoration that represents the biological diversity of a native prairie, we need to do a lot of creating and finding of plant materials.
idaho fescue in the wild
Idaho Fescue
Arrowleaf Balsamroot in the wild
Arrowleaf Balsamroot
purple camas in a green field
Camas
bluebunch wheatgrass being inspected in the wild
Bluebunch Wheatgrass
Most of our region’s remaining “remnant” prairie can be found in the southern Palouse. However, the northern Palouse, home to the EWU campus, is a unique ecosystem with different soil composition, weather and native plants. Therefore, researchers set their sights on collecting seeds within a 20-mile radius of campus.
Not a lot of research has been done on northern prairie ecosystems, making Eastern’s restoration project particularly vital. The northern prairies border similar ecosystems, such as the channeled scablands and ponderosa-pine woodlands. EWU research will better define the overlaps.
Eastern students and faculty collect seeds from native plants around 20 miles from campus, then clean and store them for planting.

The Steps to Collect Native Seeds

1
Track
Faculty and student teams regularly track when plants flower and seeds ripen
2
Collect
Seeds are carefully collected and brought back to the EWU greenhouse and dried
3
Clean
The seeds are cleaned by hand—a long and tedious process without cleaning equipment
4
Store
Seeds are stored in the refrigerator and will be good for up to 10 years
“One of the most fascinating things I’ve learned about seeds is that the same plant growing here and in the mountains on the Washington-Idaho border have different traits. So, if you took the seeds from the plant that grows in the mountains and put them here where it’s a little drier and hotter—even though they’re the same plant—they might not perform as well because they haven’t grown up in the same sort of environment.” Sarah Hill ’21, Biology Graduate Student
Biology students assist in the maintenance of the seed garden and greenhouse.
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Restore

The restoration work is the backbone of the project. Five years of interdisciplinary research has determined a sustainable, cost-effective plan forward.
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Phase 1: Completed
  • Masterplan Finalized
  • Seed Cultivation Expanded
  • Seed Nursery Created
  • Viable Seed Mixes Identified
  • Seed Propagated
  • Two Test Plots Planted
  • Planting Methods Determined
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Phase 2: Ongoing
  • Fundraising
  • Planting 120-acre site
  • Seed drilling with wild grass mix
  • Expanding community partnerships
  • Increasing interdisciplinary collaborations
  • Continuing ongoing research
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Phase 3: Goal
  • Planting Forbes
  • Planting Trees and Shrubs
  • Constructing a Trail System
  • Installing Signs, Benches and Outdoor Classrooms
  • Planting Trees
  • Implementing Sustainable Site Management
students taking notes and discussing at the prairie site on a warm day
Geoscience students look at soil infiltration rates and perform swale tests on the prairie site. Their work helped to establish baselines crucial to the success of future plantings.

The project is a true measure of collaborative, interdisciplinary research so much that the prairie has come to be known as a “Living Laboratory.”

Perseverance and ingenuity prevailed over uncooperative weather, over-saturated soil and other challenges as teams built on knowledge from season to season.

Research teams tested a biodiverse array of seed mixes, incorporating grasses and forbs that once grew in the area. They spread different mixes in separate, well-marked areas to determine which seed groupings most successfully produced healthy mature plants.

Today, their thoughtful research is leading the project into the next era with the development of a campus wide climate-resiliency landscape master plan and nurturing a new generation of environmental scientists along the way.

“What we've learned from the Prairie Restoration Project has also informed our decision to develop a climate-resiliency landscape master plan. We will be converting all of campus landscaping over to the native drought-tolerate plants that are more representative of the regional biodiversity.”

-Eric Budsgberg, Director of EWU Sustainability

Prairie Restoration Next Steps

1
Preparation
The entire 120-acre site will be prepped for seeding including noxious weed control.
2
Planting
The full site will be planted with a mix of native wild grass seeds.
3
Landscaping
Forbes will be planted after the wild grass is established along with shrubs, trees, trails and signage.
A mix of native wild grass seeds will be drill seeded by tractor to cover the entire 120 acres.
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Community
Connection

This major sustainability initiative is larger than just 120 acres. It will impact the community for years, preserving natural land, increasing biodiversity and providing educational exploration.
mockup of someone in front of educational plaque in a restored prairie on a bright day

Education

The Prairie Restoration Project will expand learning opportunities for students and visitors to campus. We envision a space that will inspire outdoor exploration and connections to natural environments, helping to develop a strong sense of place.

presentation in a group setting

Research

Converting the site from wheat cultivation to native grasslands will create new opportunities for faculty and student research. The living laboratory will provide real-world experiences that prepare students for their future careers.

cross country skiers on the prairie

Recreation

A multi-use trail system will provide access to the restoration site and encourage exploration and recreation, ultimately leading visitors to stunning 360-degree views of the region. The community can use the trails to walk, run, mountain bike, cross country ski and observe nature.

gathering at a drumming circle outdoors on the prairie

Connection

We want to cultivate rich and reciprocal relationships. Many of the plants in the ecosystem are culturally significant to Native Americans for food, medicine, art materials and more. The project will provide renewed access and educational opportunities for local tribes and will be the home of the Lucy Covington Initiative.

hand inspecting plant starters

Inspiration

With proper education, we hope community members will be inspired to plant native plants in their yards to create their own “pocket prairies.” This simple, actionable step allows supporters to create immediate benefits that will continue for generations.

bee on white flower pods

Biodiversity

More than 120 plant species will attract and retain additional pollinators in the region and supply nutritional seeds for birds and other small animals. The vast root systems will hold soil in place, reducing the risk of erosion and drawing water down deep into the soil to recharge the groundwater supply.

native prairie flowers on a spring day
“Prairie cannot be replaced. Were we to allow the last remnant to be destroyed, we would lose forever the unique inheritance of millennia.”
— Project advisor Kurt Merg

Get Involved in Transforming This Landscape

Eastern can't do this project without dedicated supporters like you. From becoming a partner to making a gift or jumping in and getting your hands dirty, we'd love your help. (Naming and sponsorship opportunities are also available.)

Visit the Prairie Restoration Campaign website to learn more.

Support the Prairie Restoration Project

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