Researcher ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8629-6495
Graduation Year
2022
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Environmental Analysis
Reader 1
Dr. Char Miller
Reader 2
Dr. Marc Los Huertos
Reader 3
Dr. Charlotte Chang
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2022 Anna M Burns
Abstract
This thesis begins with the local history of the Liberty Prairie, the land where I conducted the ecological field-work that I later discuss in my second thesis on soil microbiome diversity (“Examining Soil Microbial Diversity in Transition Zones Between Corn Fields and Restored Prairie in the Upper Midwest"). I examine the Indigenous histories of the land, and the conflicts between the Bodwéwadmi and Euro-American settlers that resulted in the land being farmed for cattle, corn, and soy for over a hundred and fifty years. I then take a step back and analyze the broader historical contexts of Midwestern Corn Belt agriculture, from foundational policies to sustainability narratives. From there, I explore the landscapes that agriculture replaced, detailing the ecology of the once-ubiquitous prairie landscape. Finally, I discuss the history and politics of prairie restoration, which ties this thesis to my later scientific examinations of prairie microbial life.
Recommended Citation
Burns, Anna M., "Footprints on the Prairie: Examining the Interlocking Land Histories of the Liberty Prairie Reserve, Illinois" (2022). Scripps Senior Theses. 1831.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/1831
Data Repository Link
https://github.com/aburns2293/BurnsThesis2022
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agriculture Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons
