Norris Institute
Prairie Arboretum & Study Center
Our Mission
The first project of the Norris Institute is to create a Prairie Arboretum and Study Center. The vision of the Arboretum is to bring together the natural prairie grass, plants and flowers that are native to Southwest Nebraska and build an Arboretum around them.
The Arboretum will consist of approximately four or five areas that will be connected by meandering gravel paths, a dry creek bed and dotted with areas of varying varieties of trees. There will be park benches scattered throughout the grounds and information signs that will name each plant and give biological information for all plant life. We already have an authentic stone building we are excited about relocating to the Arboretum that will be turned into a gift shop or small informational museum that will be open to the public.
The goal of the Arboretum is to have something for all ages. The quiet, beautiful atmosphere will be perfect for anyone looking for a place to read or just sit and enjoy nature. The soft, gravel paths provide a great place for morning walks with friends or evening strolls with the entire family. While you get exercise, you will be enjoying the beautiful prairie flowers and native grasses strategically placed throughout the Arboretum. Education is also an important aspect of the Arboretum. Educational seminars and classes will be offered for students from elementary school through the college level. It will also be a place for applied prairie research, one example would the research of cellulosic ethanol, a fuel chemically identical to conventional ethanol but instead derived from "biomass," a term encompassing everything from waste materials like corn stover and paper pulp to fast-growing plants like switch grass, willow, and poplar. The Arboretum can also be used for community education: botany classes, an inspiring location for art classes and even a serene location for yoga classes.
Finally, we are hoping the Arboretum will bring some tourism opportunities to our small town. The vision of this Prairie Arboretum is very unique to this area; there is nothing similar within a few hundred miles. The different offerings of studying native plants, a place for photography buffs, a museum and gift shop or simply a place to just enjoy nature, the Norris Institute Prairie Arboretum and Study Center will have something for everyone to enjoy.
The emergence of the prairie grass and wildflower industry was triggered by the 1987 passage of the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act, which added a requirement that all Federally aided highway landscaping projects must contain native wildflower seeds or grasses. At least one quarter of one percent of all funds expended for a landscaping project must be used to plant native grasses or wildflowers. Many Midwestern states have also included roadside restoration programs to include secondary road landscaping.
Interest in using prairie grass as a biomass energy source gained considerable attention with the passage of the Renewable Fuels Standard in 2006, which showcased switchgrass as a potential contributor to a growing ethanol industry. Information about biomass for energy can be found by clicking here.
Before People
Before the People, there was Grass.
And the Grass invited the Sky to enrich the Earth with its Rain and Sunlight.
And the Earth and Sky were joined together in the Grass.
And the Grass clothed the Earth with Beauty and preserved it for the People yet to come.