Most of the historic prairie in Harvey County was tilled for agriculture by 1900. As a result, seeds and roots from the original prairie are no longer present in the soil. Land must be reseeded with native grasses and wildflowers adapted to local soil and climate in order to successfully reconstruct a prairie.
Our prairie reconstruction, the Prairie Window Project, was planted between 2005 and 2009. It was modeled after more than one hundred remnant prairies within sixty miles. Dyck Arboretum of the Plains staff and volunteers collected seed from 117 species of grasses and wildflowers. Seed was cleaned, weighed, mixed, and planted in desired proportions. The goal of this reconstruction is to represent as closely as possible the historic prairie that once grew here.