Protecting grasslands helps protect our feathered friends and water quality in one fell swoop—listen up:
What’s the bird’s-eye take on grasslands?
A lone bobolink ponders life in the grasslands…or maybe just needs a break in the action. (via CheepShot/Wikimedia Commons)
From bobolinks and northern harriers to some sparrows, many birds rely on grasslands for food and habitat. But a grassland also delivers another ecosystem benefit—it absorbs water when it rains.
To learn more, CurrentCast caught up with Rebeccah Sanders, executive director of Audubon Great Lakes, who explains how a grassland area absorbs water.
“It sucks down those waters from those heavier and heavier rain events that we’re getting,” she says. “And it prevents the water being released into the sewers, and then released back into the rivers.”
In order for grasslands to provide these benefits, they need to be healthy. So Sanders says volunteers can help remove invasive plants and replace them with native species.
That kind of effort not only helps protect our water—it also supports our feathered friends, too.
Hear More:
Listen to Rebeccah Sanders explain further how to kill two birds with one stone, er, save two birds with water protection.
Get schooled:
Rebeccah Sanders of Audubon Chicago
- Learn more about Audubon’s efforts to protect grasslands birds
- Read up on the many types of grasslands found around the world, via National Geo
- Find out why the USDA says prairie restoration also protects water quality
Take action:
- Chicagolanders, consider volunteering with Audubon Great Lakes
The fine print:
- This segment was produced in partnership with Cornell’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future
