Iowa Prairie - An Endangered Ecosystem

Prior to Euro-American settlement 85% of Iowa was occupied by prairie. Today less than 0.02% of pre-settlement prairie remains; a few small remnants are scattered across the original 30 million acres. Settlement of Iowa was rapid; most of the prairie was converted to cropland by the end of the 19th century. Since prairie preservation activities were initiated in the 1930\u27s, a number of prairie remnants have been preserved by public and private agencies. Iowa needs to be surveyed and inventoried so that the significant remaining prairie remnants can be located and preserved. Recent prairie preservation efforts have been supplemented with prairie restoration and reconstruction projects