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Garden plot filled with native plants? Not a prairie. Whereas the word forest immediately conjures up specific images - people know what trees look like - prairie draws a blank or, worse, the brain serves up uninformed guesses, like faulty search engine results or autocorrect failures. вЂњThere arenвЂ™t that many opportunities to go and visit prairies.вЂќ вЂњI donвЂ™t think people have a chance to see and understand prairies,вЂќ said Kelly Mikenas, assistant professor of biology and director of the environmental studies program at Elmhurst University. Indeed, so little prairie still exists in Illinois, most residents of the state have never encountered this rare landscape. 01 of 1% of high-quality original prairie remains. Among conservationistsвЂ™В most oft-cited stats, only. WhatвЂ™s left is measured in decimal points. In the process, prairie, which once covered 60% of IllinoisВ was all but erased. or churned to make room for cities and ultimately suburban sprawl.

In short order, millions of acres of prairie that had gone undisturbed since the retreat of the last glaciers were transformed into some of the most productive farmland in the U.S.

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