08/02/2006 Env Bd Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Biodiversity Continued from page 1 College of Biological Sciences, which operates the Cedar Creek field station. "That means that if a plot with one or two plant species produces 100 pounds of vegetation a year, a plot with 16 species [the most diverse plots planted at Cedar Creek] will produce 340 pounds. This huge advantage comes when you plant numerous grasses and legumes and various prairie flowers together." Findings from Cedar Creek suggest that plantings of multiple species of prairie plants will produce fuels, such as ethanol, with greater net energy gains per acre than corn, soybeans, or even switchgrass, which has been touted as a promising source for biomass. But the higher energy gains aren't just from higher productivity. Diverse plantings require little or no inputs of fertilizer or pesticides, both of which require lots of energy to make and apply. Experiments now under way in Germany and the Netherlands are yielding similar effects of diversity on yields, says Tilman, even though they use totally different species. Also, because prairie plants are perennial, they would not have to be replanted year after year. Farmers would need only to mow their fields in the fall. Biomass could replace some coal If burned, biomass could replace some of the coal that now pumps carbon dioxide and mercury into the atmosphere. "You can bum prairie grass using the fluidized bed technology of existing coal -fired power plants, and can mix it in with coal," says Tilman. "The energy density of biomass is 60 to 70 percent that of coal. If power plants wanted to buy biomass and fanners wanted to grow it, it could happen, but it will take much work to get there." 4 Now that the value of biodiversity has been shown, the next step should be an economic analysis, says Tilman. It remains to be seen whether biomass farmers, along with energy producers and the people who transport biomass from one to the other, can each make money if they put the vision that he and his colleagues have into practice. For optimal results, each region of the country and the world would have to be studied to determine what mix of plant species would work best in that particular soil and climate. "In Minnesota, there are over a million acres of abandoned farmland in the Conservation Reserve Program," says Tilman. "That land is mainly planted with just a few grass species" and so may hold potential as a future site of biomass plantations. Planting more species should allow not only bigger yields of vegetation, but more predictable yields. As the Cedar Creek experiments show, yields of vegetation fluctuate less from season to season if the vegetation contains many species. This kind of reliability is important, because no one wants to see boom and bust years in the energy supply. "This paper suggests there might be an unsuspected benefit to restoring land to a more native condition," Tilman says. "Restoring land so it can produce biofuels is a new idea, but there are many reasons to do it. We need a stable and productive source of bioenergy. Biodiversity can give us this on abandoned agricultural land around the world, and it doesn't have to be just grasses. As we get away from fossil fuels, we're going to have to have a diversity of approaches." Plant sale results Treasurer Ron Huber reported net income from the June 2006 plant sale was $789. Non - auction plants sold for $749. Profit from the auctioned orchids was $40. The late Tim Wallace's trees brought in $73, which has been added to his memorial fund. Hastings turns industrial park into a prairie by Karen Schik A drive on Eddy St. from downtown Hastings to Lock and Dam Number Two used to include a drive past a series of petroleum storage tanks owned by Flint Hills Resources. In 1995, the tanks were removed and a portion of the land was given to the City of Hastings. What was once an unsightly industrial park is now being slowly transformed into mesic prairie through a native planting completed in 2003 by Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR). Although some Minnesotans are able to recognize the hallmark native plants of a wet prairie and meadow, others may only recognize the former tank farm as a grassy field. In an effort to raise consciousness of the area as a restoration site, the City of Hastings erected a sign welcoming visitors to the Hastings Nature Preserve. In the spring of 2006, a group of Hastings High School students, in partnership with the city and FMR, planted native grasses and forbs around the sign. Now a sign surrounded by beautiful native plants will highlight the area and attract visitors even more effectively. The project partners would like to thank the Minnesota Native Plant Society for the "Think Native" grant, which helped in purchasing the plant materials. This was a great educational project for the students and something they can take pride in every time they pass the park. Getting students and other community members to participate in restoring their local natural areas is one of the best ways to ensure long -term protection of such areas.