Last year, the Macon County Conservation District purchased property near Fort Daniel outside Mt. Zion to restore to pre-historic prairie land.

That process took a step forward in December when the first round of prairie grass seed was dropped. Conservation District Executive Director Richie Wolf indicates this planting of prairie grass is only a portion of the entire property.

It is quite costly to buy prairie grass seed. According to Wolf, the difficulty of prairie grass seed collection along with the scarcity of providers of the seed make it very expensive.

Winter is ideal for the planting of prairie grass. Wolf explains the freezing and thawing of the soil acts a natural planting of the seed and gets it to just the right depth in the soil.

If you are hoping to see the progress of the planted seed, Wolf says you might have to wait a few years. Additionally, they are looking at another 70 to 80 more acres to plant in the years ahead. The goal is to restore the property to its native state, which in central Illinois is prairie grass.