Prairie Research Institute

🔗 Read more: stateclimatologist.web.illinois.edu/2025/07/28/s...

A rainy evening in the streets of downtown Chicago.

⛈️ Intense rainstorms are hitting Illinois harder and more often because of climate change. Illinois State Water Survey is tracking these extreme events to help improve flood maps and models so communities can better prepare.
👉 Read the latest @ilclimatologist.bsky.social blog in the thread

A man with glasses holding two turtles.

A man wading in a wetland holding a turtle trap.

A man holding a snake.

Congratulations to Michael Dreslick, the new director of the Illinois Natural History and Illinois State Biologist! 🎉 Read how we went from doctorate student to state leader: blogs.illinois.edu/view/7447/29...

Thank you AASC for the 30 Year Mesonet Award celebrating ICN's 30+ years of collecting high quality weather and soil data for Illinois @prairieresearch.bsky.social

Three individuals at an archaeological excavation site, with text overlaying that says, "We're hiring."

⛏️ Visiting Senior Scientific Specialist, Archaeology – Join Illinois State Archaeological Survey! Conduct and lead field archaeological investigations, analysis, and reporting. Located in Elgin, IL. Apps due Aug. 7, 2025. 👉 blogs.illinois.edu/view/7426/12...

June 2025

A warmer, drier June for IL with declining water tables and soil moistures. Details in the latest IL Water & Climate Summary -- blogs.illinois.edu/view/8935/59.... #ilwx #ilsoils #ilgw @prairieresearch.bsky.social

Can artificial reefs in Lake Michigan slow erosion and boost fish population? Researchers aim to find out. Rubble ridges, which have been built parallel to the shore, help retain some sand without fully stopping the natural flow in the lake.

Rubble ridges aren’t just typical rocky reefs found on the bottom of the Great Lakes — they’re entirely man-made and designed as a cost-effective tool to prevent erosion.

Breaking ground at the newest ICN station in Coles County yesterday. The station is made possible thanks to funding from the Lumpkin Family Foundation. Look for the new station on our website this fall. #ilwx #ilsoils

Chicago-based Asian carp dog treat helping save Great Lakes from invasive fish Dogs are taking the bait! A Chicago-based pet food company is offering up an Asian Carp dog treat.

If you can't beat 'em, have your dog eat 'em? A Chicago-based company is using invasive silver carp from the Mississippi River to make dog treats abc7chicago.com/post/chicago...

Closeup of Flathead catfish

Closeup of channel catfish

Blue catfish

Happy #NationalCatfishDay! Illinois is home to 13 native catfish species! Here are a few you might find out on the Illinois River!

Starting with our common commercial and recreational species: Flathead, Channel, and Blue catfishes

@prairieresearch.bsky.social

🔗 Learn more and apply: blogs.illinois.edu/view/7426/12...

A topographic map with contours depicting sinkholes. Text overlay says, "We're hiring."

👷 Visiting Scientific Specialist, Environmental Assessments – Join Illinois State Geological Survey! Help evaluate potential environmental and geologic hazards and risks for IDOT infrastructure improvement projects! Apps due Jul. 9, 2025. 👉 Find the link to apply in the thread!

A colder, drier May for Illinois with decreases in streamflows, soil moisture, and water tables.
More details at blogs.illinois.edu/view/8935/98... #ilwx #ilsoils #ilgw @prairieresearch.bsky.social

You find the most interesting things at monitoring stations. Thankfully it was fake. @prairieresearch.bsky.social

Study of invasive mussels finds PFAS is nearly everywhere in the Great Lakes | Bridge Michigan A recent report that PFAS contamination is widespread in Great Lakes mussels give a clearer picture of where the chemicals are concentrated.

NOAA's National Mussel Watch Program - which has used invasive zebra + quagga mussels to track contaminants in the #GreatLakes since 1992 - finds that PFAS are ubiquitous in the lakes, with mussels in Lake Michigan having the highest average PFAS concentrations www.bridgemi.com/michigan-env...

Adult Japanese Beetles begin emerging when pest degree days are greater than 1020. We have reached that at the ICN Dixon Springs and Rend Lake stations and the DDs are quickly rising at other stations. Keep track at warm.isws.illinois.edu/warm/warm_pd.... #ilwx #PDDs @ilpestsurvey.bsky.social

Two turtles on a log.

A false map turtle on a log.

A landscape of the pond at the arboretum.

Since 2023, the PaCE Lab at the Illinois Natural History Survey has been tracking turtle populations at the University of Illinois Arboretum—and they’ve spotted at least 8 different species! 🐢 From red-eared sliders to false map turtles, these ponds are a surprising hotspot for freshwater wildlife.

New crayfish curriculum engages students in Great Lakes and local invasive species issues - Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Crayfish can frequently be found in the role of classroom pet, but as with many school critters, they can pose a threat if they are released into local waters—non-native species can prove to be invasi...

Out now! Our new curriculum for grades 6-12 helps educators across the #GreatLakes region engage their students to think critically about freshwater ecosystems through the lens of crayfish - read more about it here: iiseagrant.org/new-crayfish...

When will the other boot drop?

Yellow warbler perched on a tree branch.

Over 1,000 volunteers fanned out across Illinois for the 53rd Spring Bird Count last weekend, covering nearly all 102 counties! 🐦 Launched in 1972, SBC is now coordinated by Illinois Natural History Survey at PRI. Data is used to track bird populations and is published each fall.

Who is ready for a hot one today? Temperatures in the mid-70s at 9AM with forecasted highs in the low 90s for most of the state today. #ilwx

A man pours out an orange bucket into a oval-shaped pool with bright green algae.

Illinois Sustainable Technology Center researchers test algae cultivation in raceways. Algae can grow on wastewater and captured carbon, then be harvested for livestock feed or biofuel. The team tweaks light, flow, and nutrients to find the most efficient, sustainable methods.

Magnitude 3.3 earthquake reported in Illinois overnight CHICAGO (WGN) — Residents in parts of Illinois were rattled awake after an earthquake shook Cumberland and Coles counties late Monday night. According to the United States Geological Survey (U…

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a magnitude 3.3 earthquake was reported around three miles SSW of Lerna, in Coles County, late Monday.

Center for Digital Agriculture, Prairie Research Institute partner to support joint agriculture research

Drones, data, and digital tools are shaping the future of sustainable agriculture. 🌽 PRI and the Center for Digital Agriculture at the University of Illinois are funding research to tackle farm challenges with tech.
👉 blogs.illinois.edu/view/7447/1641183321

A person smiling at kids at science activity.

A person demonstrating how to throw an atlatl

A person teaching a group of kids.

Two people showing materials in jars!

Thanks to everyone who joined us at the Prairie Research Institute Expo! 🌟 We had a blast sharing our work with you.

Cover of Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology, Volume 49, Issue 3, Fall 2024 Official Journal of the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Inc. Orange and blue background with a postcard of southern Singapore, Michigan, in 1869.

Authors from @prairieresearch.bsky.social used existing site data to estimate relative changes in population over the course of 12,500 years in the Wabash Valley in Illinois. Read about the study in Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology 49.3. scholarlypublishingcollective.org/uip/mcja/art...

Thanks for sharing @smilepolitely.com!

Prairie Research Institute Expo makes environmental studies fun and engaging - SPlog Friday, May 2nd, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday, May 3rd, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Forbes Natural History building on the University of Illinois Campus will be packed with over ...

People of all ages can engage in activities such as fossil digging, stone tool identification, observation of real fish, turtles, and amphibians of Illinois, and more.

Candy-striped leafhopper

Leafhoppers are a big deal! 🪲 Get an up-close look at these tiny insects and the big impact they have on plants with Illinois Natural History Survey entomologists at the PRI Expo!
📆 May 2-3, 2025
📍 Research Park, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
👉 More info at expo.prairie.illinois.edu

A soybean leaf with water drops on it.

Go full circle with the water cycle! 💧 Check out the tech that Illinois State Water Survey scientists use to track rainfall, irrigation, & groundwater. Don’t miss it at the PRI Expo!
📆 May 2-3, 2025
📍 Research Park, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
👉 More info at expo.prairie.illinois.edu