Nancy Braker, the Puzak Family Director of Carleton’s 800-acre Cowling Arboretum, has received a grant from the Conservation Partners Legacy program to restore and enhance McKnight Prairie, a 33.5-acre prairie remnant located about seven miles east of campus. McKnight is home to a variety of native prairie plants and animals, including a number of rare species. The CPL grant will fund brush-control efforts, led by Braker and arboretum manager Matt Elbert, to improve habitat for prairie plants and animals by reducing the cover of invasive trees and shrubs.
Funded by the Outdoor Heritage Fund and administered by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the CPL grant program funds conservation projects that “restore, protect, and enhance wetlands, prairies, forests, and habitat for fish, game, and wildlife” in Minnesota.