Nine Mile Prairie

UNL Natural Resources student Cobey Daily lights a Nine Mile Prairie burn, April 2008. Cobey and the other students received "red card" wildland fire training through their summer jobs with state and federal agencies, or through UNL's Red Card course taught by the Nebraska Forest Service (photo by Brett Hampton, IANR).

Institutional Affiliation

Owned by the University of Nebraska Foundation (purchased in 1983) and leased to the University of Nebraska (see History of Land Ownership). The initial purchase of Nine Mile Prairie was made possible with a generous donation by Mrs. Marguerite Hall.

Mission

Nine Mile Prairie is preserved for teaching, research, and for nature study. It is leased to the University of Nebraska for $1.00 per year with the stipulation that the prairie be kept in its natural state and used for educational purposes.

Location

Approximately 9 miles (14.5 km) northwest of Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska, USA (40 52' 11.5" N, 96 48' 20.3" W).

Directions to Nine Mile Prairie:

From the East - from the intersection of Interstate 80 and Highway 34 (Exit 401), take Hwy 34 west 4 miles to NW 48th Street. Take NW 48th Street south (left) 0.8 mile to W. Fletcher Avenue. Turn west (right) on W. Fletcher Avenue and proceed 1 mile to parking area.

From the South - From the intersection of W. "O" Street and NW 48th, take NW 48th Street north 4 miles to W. Fletcher Avenue. Turn west (left) on W. Fletcher Avenue and proceed 1 mile to parking area.

The gate to Nine Mile Prairie is due south of the parking area.

Overview

Nine Mile Prairie is a 230-acre (97-hectare) relict tallgrass prairie owned by the University of Nebraska Foundation. It is located in on the northwest edge of Lincoln, in Lancaster County. The prairie was so named because it is five miles west and four miles north of the University of Nebraska campus in downtown Lincoln.

Three hundred and ninety-two vascular plant species and over 80 species of birds have been observed on the prairie. Notable species include the federally-threatened prairie white fringed orchid (Platanthera praeclara) and the rare regal fritillary butterfly (Speyeria idalia). The prairie is also used as a seed source of local genotypes of grasses and wildflowers for use in prairie restoration efforts in the region.

The Nine Mile Prairie Management Committee, comprised of UNL faculty from several different departments plus resource people from several agencies and organizations, is charged with the stewardship of this biological treasure. Management consists of springtime burning on a 3-year fire-return interval (current burn plans: 2007, 2008, 2009), along with periodic haying and weed/brush control using herbicides. The prairie has not been grazed since 1968.

Research

Nine Mile Prairie provides many values to the UNL community. As one of the largest intact tracts of tallgrass prairie left in the Midwest, it serves as a nationally important outdoor laboratory for the study of biological processes in grasslands. Nine Mile is the longest-studied natural area in Nebraska, serving as the site of pioneering research in plant ecology by Professor John E. Weaver, the father of grassland ecology, beginning in the 1920s, and seeing decades of continued use by researchers at UNL and UNO.

Chronology of Nine Mile Prairie Documents

A number of research and popular articles, newspaper clippings, legislative bills and other reports, from 1930 to the present, about Nine Mile Prairie (see Chronology of Documents).

Education

In addition to its exceptional research value, Nine Mile Prairie also is a major educational resource for the University as well as the citizens of Nebraska. Students from a diversity of UNL classes visit the prairie each year for experiences ranging from plant identification to writing poetry. The Prairie is also the setting for tours and special events for the general public aimed at fostering understanding and appreciation of Nebraska’s prairie heritage.

Support Nine Mile Prairie

Please consider supporting conservation, research and education at Nine Mile Prairie by contributing to the Nine Mile Prairie Excellence Fund (Fund #10531) at the University of Nebraska Foundation.

Contact

Dr. David Wedin (Director, Nine Mile Prairie)
School of Natural Resources
411 Hardin Hall
University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0974
402-472-9608 (voice)
402-472-2946 (fax)
email: dwedin1@unl.edu

Aerial Photographs (to enlarge, click on an aerial photograph)

• Additional aerial photos (from 1949, 1965 and 2003)

Soils Map

• See Soils Map of Nine Mile Prairie (source Lancaster County, Nebraska Soil Survey).

Relief Map (to enlarge, click on the map)

Climate Data

• See historical climate data from the nearest weather station at Lincoln, Nebraska, Municipal Airport.