Grand River Grasslands Consortium

Through the Grand River Grasslands initiative, Drake students collaborate with organizations across Iowa and Missouri to bring native prairie back to life—gaining hands-on experience while supporting biodiversity, working landscapes, and long-term sustainability.

Grand River Grasslands Consortium

The Grand River Grasslands Consortium is a four-year project running from 2024 to 2027. It is led by a coalition of Iowa and Missouri environmental organizations, including the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy, the Jay N. Darling Institute, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever, and the Missouri Prairie Foundation.

The group aims to restore native grasslands in southern Iowa and northern Missouri. These lands, once dominated by tallgrass prairie and bison, were converted to livestock pastures by European settlers, and we aim to return them to their original state (native prairie land). Through this effort, the collaboration plans to restore and manage 28,000 acres of prairie and savanna, with a focus on private lands, which have historically received limited restoration funding.

Thanks to a significant $4.7 million grant from the America the Beautiful program, alongside a generous $1 million estate gift for scholarships and project operations in the Darling Institute, the consortium is set to make a considerable impact.

Students in Action: DarlingCorps’ Role in Grassland Conservation

Each year, a portion of the project’s funding will support a few DarlingCorps students who will live on-site at Dunn Prairie Ranch in northern Missouri for 2 months. These students will gain hands-on experience in managing native grasslands and help local livestock producers transform their pastures back into vibrant native prairies.

2025

In the summer of 2025, students took on two key projects: developing a comprehensive botanical field guide of 120 prairie species, and conducing Community Health Indices (CHIs) to assess biodiversity and restoration success.

Workdays also included invasive species management, assisting with bird surveys, and engaging with conservation professionals from both Iowa and Missouri through stewardship meetings and field visits. Students gained certifications in prescribed burning and UTV operation, preparing them for continued involvement in land management work.

Hear directly from both Taylor and Addison in this video from Dunn Prairie Ranch.

“Leaving this internship, our hearts are fulfilled by the work we did at Dunn Prairie Ranch.”
—Taylor Fruehling and Addison Darrah

Image of Taylor Fruehling and Addison Darrah

(Left to Right: Taylor Fruehling and Addison Darrah)

2024

Maddie Christian and Rory Hetz were the first DarlingCorps students to participate in this project during the summer of 2024. Through their time in the internship, they focused on improving private pastures and public grasslands, enhancing their drought-resilience and making them easier for landowners to manage.

Project collaborators have already expressed interest in expanding from 2 DarlingCorps students to 4 next summer in order to further advance efforts and continue nurturing our heartlands’ grasslands.

Unmatched Experiences Now. Extraordinary Careers Later.

This special internship opportunity will help to set Drake environmental science students apart from their peers upon graduation by providing them with extensive field experience and skills training. For example, the students participating in the grasslands DarlingCorps program opportunity will have an unparalleled advantage over other internship candidates.

“This is a rare and exciting opportunity for students because they will get to play a firsthand role in changing the trajectory of the ecosystem in this area. They will be immersed in the work by getting to live on-site and to see what it’s like to be a conservation professional through hands-on involvement in the project.”

Keith Summerville
Paul and Claudia Schickler Executive Director of the Jay N. Darling Institute