Nancy Schlimgen is pursuing her passion for prairies and pleasing many people in the process.

Schlimgen recently received the Environmental Stewardship Award from the Sisters of Saint Benedict of Madison and the Benedictine Life Foundation for her work in prairie restoration on their property off of Highway M.

A Westport resident, Schlimgen’s interest in prairie preservation and restoration grew out of watching prairie land near her home disappear for a quarry, she said.

“I had been appreciating the diversity of one patch. I came home one day and it was just gone,” she said. “I thought it would be so cool to put back different species.”

Schlimgen also had a professional interest in prairies. A former Waunakee biology teacher, she used a conservancy in the village to teach her students.

But when she taught seventh grade science in Sun Prairie, she found they had no natural areas to study.

“I was interested in enhancing the school site for environmental education,” she said.

Eventually she became involved in species selection for prairie restoration at Patrick Marsh Middle School.

Schlimgen went on to pursue her master’s degree in landscape restoration with a focus on native plants.

In her research, she has found that the Town of Westport is home to patches of drumlin prairies with threatened species of prairie bush clover.

Having grown up in the area of Governor Nelson State Park and Saint Benedict Center, she helped those two areas with prairie restoration projects.

The two sites managed to blend their projects together, allowing them to “extend their wildlife corridor,” she said.

Schlimgen has led groups on seed collection outings, gathering seed for the native prairie grasses and flowers at Saint Benedict Center and Governor Nelson.

“We’ve been fortunate to have volunteers from the neighborhood and people from the community of Madison that have come out to help out. It’s a time-consuming process,” she said.

Schlimgen sees great value in plant communities, she said.

“It really is kind of a miraculous interaction that happens between the species,” she said.

Many of the plants also have medicinal or herbal value, according to Schlimgen.

“The rain forest is getting all this publicity. It’s almost like people didn’t look in their backyards to understand or appreciate what is there,” she said.

Prairies also support other wildlife. Grassland birds such as meadowlarks, grasshopper sparrows and upland plovers thrive in open spaces.

Even birds that are associated with wetlands, such as ducks, need upland prairies for a feeding and nesting area.

At the Saint Benedict property, just north of Lake Mendota, the prairies also act a buffer for runoff that would otherwise flow into the lake.

“I appreciate that they are willing to put time and effort into protecting the watershed and the quality of Lake Mendota,” Schlimgen said.

In fact, Schlimgen served on a committee to help form the sisters’ 10-year master plan for the buildings and grounds.

That plan also includes restoration of Lost Lake—a glacial lake that had been filled with runoff— and a retention pond.

On Schlimgen’s own property, she has removed non-native shrubs and extended the prairie.

Prairie restoration takes patience.

Seeds can either be collected in the fall or purchased before planting in the spring.

Schlimgen suggested planting a blend of different species that are adapted to the location’s amount of sunlight and soil conditions.

During the first few years, invasive species should be removed, and the area should be kept trimmed.

“The weedy annuals will start to disappear as the perennials take hold”, she said.

“A lot of people give up before the prairie gets growing,” she said.

It takes a couple years before the grasses and biennials like primrose and black-eyed susans begin to appear.

It’s also important to plant other flowers such as wild roses and asters for bird population.

After 23 years, Schlimgen took a hiatus from teaching, noting that she is “on career exploration.”

She plans to make a career of land management and restoration or teach in an outdoor classroom setting, she said.

Clearly, whichever path she chooses is sure to lead her to a prairie.