February 01, 2009
The Glacier Creek Project seeks to enhance and protect Omaha’s Allwine Prairie Preserve, one of the oldest restored tallgrass prairies in the nation.
Editor’s Note: This is the 15th in a continuing series of entries from the first Omaha Catalogue of Urban Design Philanthropy, a compendium of strategic giving opportunities that focus on the city’s natural and built environments. The Omaha Catalogue was published in December 2007 by Omaha by Design and the Omaha Community Foundation. It has attracted donations from Omaha’s philanthropic community at both the foundation and individual level, including a $10,000 gift to the Big Garden and a $25,000 gift to the South 24th Street Tree of Life Project. For more information on how to donate to a project, contact Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design, at 402.554.4010 or Sara Boyd, vice president of the Omaha Community Foundation, at 402.342.3458.
Nebraska’s tallgrass prairie has captured the hearts of poets and shaped the lives of a pioneering generation, yet today, this once vast landscape remains only as islands in a sea of agriculture, city and roadways. One small piece, however, remains standing amidst Omaha’s westward development – Allwine Prairie Preserve.
Allwine Prairie, established in 1970, is one of the oldest restored tallgrass prairies in the nation. Located at 144th and State, the 160-acre preserve with its diversity of habitats supports an equally diverse assemblage of more than 260 species of prairie plants, 133 species of birds, 28 species of mammals, 15 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 53 species of butterflies, including the regal fritillary, a prairie butterfly of national concern.
Allwine Prairie, established in 1970, is one of the oldest restored tallgrass prairies in the nation. Located at 144th and State, the 160-acre preserve with its diversity of habitats supports an equally diverse assemblage of more than 260 species of prairie plants, 133 species of birds, 28 species of mammals, 15 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 53 species of butterflies, including the regal fritillary, a prairie butterfly of national concern.
Allwine Prairie supports 53 species of butterflies, including the regal fritillary, a prairie butterfly of national concern.
The Glacier Creek Project seeks to enhance and protect this unique Omaha-area prairie resource by developing an on-site environmental education/research facility and acquiring an additional 200 acres or more of surrounding land.
The 10,000 square foot environmental education/research facility will feature lab space, a classroom, office space and a residential component to house visiting scholars with additional space for the preserve’s on-site manager. The facility’s AIA award-winning sustainable green design, created by Randy Brown, architect, mimics the growth of a blade of grass with telescoping sections extending out over the prairie. The minimal building footprint and large deck limit the impact on the hillside site. Salvaged materials will be part of the construction components, and its compact design will promote efficiency in heating and cooling.
Acquiring the land adjacent to Allwine Prairie will enable restoration of a broad wildlife corridor connecting the preserve to the Big Papillion Creek. Wetlands, swales and a greatly lengthened Glacier Creek channel will characterize the future of the land being acquired, greatly expanding the diversity of habitats and wildlife available for environmental education and outdoor enjoyment at the preserve.
The University of Nebraska at Omaha Department of Biology will expand its current management of Allwine Prairie to incorporate the additional land. In addition, it will coordinate use of the site and provide outreach support to interested groups and individuals.
The total estimated cost of the education/research facility is $1.5 million. The total estimated cost of land acquisition is $2.7 million, which is in addition to support currently being provided by the Nebraska Environmental Trust and the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District. Naming rights are available for the facility, for individual labs and lecture rooms within the facility, and for the new land acquisition.
To visit the preserve or for more information, contact Tom Bragg at 402.554.3378.