What is the Prairie?

by Cecilia Bergman

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An infographic titled 'What is the prairie?'. Details are in the text below.

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The prairie region encompasses the vast North American grassland that once overspread the central part of the continent from the Rocky mountains to Illinois and from Mexico to Canada. Rootstalk is published in Iowa, which lies within the easternmost portion known as the tallgrass prairie.

Since 1850, 99.9% of the tallgrass prairie in Iowa has been destroyed, arguably fastest and most complete destruction of an ecosystem in human history. The major cause of the destruction of the tallgrass prairie has been its conversion into farmland.

Many groups of people have found home in the prairie region, including indigenous peoples – who were here first – then beginning around 1850 Euro-American and African-American settlers, and most recently people from Mexico and Central America, Laos, Bosnia, and Somalia. The prairie region has been a wellspring for the arts, including art, architecture, music, and literature.’ Rootstalk leaf-bug icon marking the end of the article's text.

About Author Cecilia Bergman
Portrait image of author Cecilia Bergman.
Photo by Sonia Chulaki
Cecilia is a second-year Spanish major with a Global Development Studies concentration at Grinnell College. Her experience with layout design in high school, combined with an interest in environmental justice, led her to create this infographic. Cecilia hails from the Washington D.C. area but has always spent her summers outdoors. She cares deeply about protecting the environment.