The UW-Madison Arboretum’s Curtis Prairie, named for renowned UW-Madison botanist John Curtis, is often regarded as the world’s oldest restored prairie. With restoration efforts commencing in 1935, Curtis Prairie has a long, rich history shaped by surrounding land-use change, an influx of disturbances, scientific research, and the restoration process itself, among many other things. This presentation will discuss how these different factors have shaped Curtis Prairie over the past 80+ years, what they have taught us, and how we might apply what we’ve learned to the management of the prairie’s future.
