Members of the Schuyler FFA work at removing an old fence and the brush and trees that has grown up around it. The fence split the 43 acres in half and it's removal will open the meadow up and make it a complete unit. Pictured in February, from the left, James Jedlicka, Edgar Estrada, and Andy Schmidt.

Activities Fence Line Clean-up Prairie Burn Four acres of prairie was burned in April. Beetle Survey A four-year project being conducted by a Schuyler FFA student. Plant Checklist and Photo Gallery The Schuyler FFA is working at getting a herbarium started, listing all the plants that can be found at the prairie site. Field Trips The Schuyler High School's plant science classes have made several field trips to the site. On a couple of them, botany students from Central Community College - Columbus came out to mentor the High School students.

The summer sun sinks beneath the rim of the earth, sending rays of fire scorching the land. As far as the eye can see, a sweeping ocean of grass and wildflowers mirrors the golden face of the sunset. Hissings and creakings emerge from the land as the tall grasses undulate in the wind. Thick clouds pile in the west, foreboding a drizzled morning. Rolling hills cast purple shadows in their wake, and light flashes off of the rippled waters of a meandering creek. The last rays of the sun pierce the clouds, exploding them with colors: crimson, gold, violet. Stretching out to the encroaching night, deep blue shadows creep out from the undergrowth. A lone bird twitters a song in the twilight, and the land suddenly comes alive. Snuffling at the cooling air through striped snouts, badgers peek out of their dens in the bank. Mice scurry between the stems of the grass, scavenging for seeds and insects. Cicadas hum like living musical instruments, casting their songs into the breeze. Waving long ears, rabbits sit entranced by the harmonious serenade. Stars twinkle like jewels in the eastern sky as indigo blankets the land, enveloping the world in shadow.

Musings by Katie Schmidt