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Science Cafe to focus on prairies, wildlife

Nebraska’s prairies and the wildlife that call them home are the subject of Tuesday's UNMC Science Café.

Chris Helzer, program director for the Nature Conservancy, is Tuesday's presenter. He says prairies are in poor condition worldwide, with many areas fragmented for other uses.

Helzer says preservation of Nebraska’s prairies is essential.  "We want to make sure that the prairie that’s left is conserved, because it does have a lot of different species in it of birds and mammals and reptiles and flowers that really are tied to that grassland habitat. You don’t find them in woodlands or in other kinds of habitats, and not only are they important for their own purposes, but it’s sort of a heritage of the state."

Helzer believes many Nebraskans are uneducated about prairies, even though Nebraska is a prairie state historically. The Nature Conservancy maintains prairie lands near Grand Island and Hastings.

The Science Café begins at 7pm at The Slowdown.