Gone to gravel roads and highways, to towns and cities, to farms and industries — the tallgrass prairie that once covered part or all of 13 states has almost disappeared.

One hundred fifty years ago, tall-grass prairie covered 85% of Iowa's 36 million acres. Only .1% of that prairie remains. That's why Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge exists — to bring back some of the plants and animals that were the tallgrass prairie.

If you travel across the Rockies from the west on Interstate 80, you climb the tree-rich and well-watered western slopes. As prevailing westerly winds rise up over the mountains, they release most of their moisture in the form of rain. By the time these winds blow down the eastern slopes and spill out onto the Great Plains, they are dry. The plants of these plains are low moisture plants — prairie grasses and other flowering plants. The Great Plains stretch out to the east in a nearly treeless landscape. This shortgrass prairie is typical of the western portion of what is called the"prairie wedge."

As the winds proceed toward the east across the Plains, they collide with the moisture-rich winds sweeping up from the Gulf of Mexico and rainfall grows more plentiful. As more moisture becomes available, the prairie species gradually change from mixed-grass species in Nebraska to the tallgrass species of Iowa.

As early Euro-American pioneers gazed across the seemingly endless prairie, they reasoned that"If it can't grow trees, it must be poor ground," so they passed it by. Later, however, Iowa was found to contain some of the richest soils in the world.

The tallgrass prairies provided a diversity of wild life — hundreds of plant species — over 350 species of birds — nearly 100 species of mammals — scores of amphibians and reptiles and fish — and uncounted thousands of insect species.

Often dry and unpredictable? To be sure. Lifeless and dull? Hardly.

Neal Smith offers you a rare peek at this incredible collection of life we call the tallgrass prairie. You can take a driving tour through this developing remnant of our history. Or search for the bison herd in its native tallgrass habitat. Wander through the myriad of prairie blooms with a new show each week during the growing season. Lend a helping hand by helping plant some of prairie seeds in the spring. Take a walk among the open-grown oaks of the oak savanna with the ghosts of thousands of elk.

In the shortgrass prairies, trees were few, restricted almost entirely to the river bottoms. In tallgrass prairies trees grew also in savannas, those scattered oases of tree groves with prairie plants beneath that dotted the tallgrass landscape The trees were often oaks, burr oaks especially — trees with thick bark that could withstand the prairie fires. Their spreading branches provided welcome shade to the bison and elk that roamed these lands.

The plants and animals growing and living in prairies are adapted to the hot, dry summers and cold, windy winters. They are adapted to the quickly changing weather and the cycles of drought and floods. They are adapted to the fires that often swept over them. The plants and animals that live in prairie — including people — are adapted to living here. They are elegant survivors.

While we won't be able to save all the pieces, Neal Smith NWR intends to save as many as possible by:

• restoring small prairie patches that were left, including some savannas and small prairies;

• reconstructing prairies by planting 200 species of prairie seeds, many collected by volunteers from tiny remnants in cemeteries, roadsides, and railroad tracks in south-central Iowa;

• reintroducing a herd of buffalo to help understand their roles in shaping the tallgrass prairie;

• reconstructing by taking out trees that don't belong and using fire to encourage prairie and savanna and to control unwanted weeds and other nonnative plants.

Neal Smith has four major goals:

• to increase biodiversity by restoring and reconstructing tallgrass prairie and savanna habitats
  
• to increase public knowledge and understanding of prairie through environmental education
  
• to increase scientific knowledge and understanding of the prairie and savanna through ongoing research
  
• to provide a diverse recreational landscape for public use and education

It is possible that, some day, elk, fritillary butterflies, northern harriers, upland sandpipers short-eared owls, glass lizards, sedge wrens, pocket mice, speckled snakes, and spotted skunks will all, once again, live at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge.