Ewing Park Native Prairie Establishment Project

Our project is located in the historic Ewing Park in southeast Des Moines along the Yeader Creek greenway. Our goal is to restore approximately 20 acres of parkland to its historic condition as a native prairie - oak savanna transitional zone.  Prior to initiating the restoration efforts, the project area's predominant land cover was a combination of open space with non-native cool season turf grass and undermanaged wooded areas that had overgrown into a forested condition. The restoration efforts were initiated in 2022 by reducing canopy cover and a native Iowa ecotype seed mix with over 90 species was seeded in 2023.