Identifying Optimal Restoration Sites to Connect Prairie Remnants in Southwest Wisconsin

Abstract

Wisconsin prairies are significantly reduced from their original pre-settlement range. Remaining remnants are often small, fragmented and isolated making them vulnerable to environmental threats and prairie-dependent species more susceptible to edge effects and genetic bottlenecks. We will identify optimal sites for prairie restoration that will create natural corridors connecting existing prairie fragments in southwest Wisconsin. We will assess restoration potential and identify sites by intersecting historic prairie boundaries, current land cover, and the habitat needs of a prairie-dependent species.