March 2021 • Nebraskaland 53
at the WMA also has benefi ted wildlife. More dense and
diverse plant growth, for example, provides plentiful food
and prime nesting cover for turkeys, quail and other ground-
nesting birds. The richer fl ora also supports more insects
for their chicks to eat. In addition, conservation groups
have assisted neighboring ranchers in cutting cedars
and conducting prescribed burns on their prairies. This
management has further benefi ted grassland birds, such
as prairie-chickens and bobolinks that thrive only in larger,
treeless grasslands that support fewer tree-dwelling nest
predators.
Many of the large oaks scorched by the big burn did not
recover. But even in death, as standing snags they nourished
a variety of life, from insect-scrounging woodpeckers to
wood-consuming mushrooms. To Seitz's relief, however,
the small to medium-sized charred oaks, though top-killed,
sprouted from their base, creating a new generation. Also, in
Rock Glen's now more-open savanna, oak seedlings, sprouted
from acorns and released from shade, can rise to maturity.
The WMA is one of the few sites in Nebraska with healthy
oak regeneration.
For Seitz, restoring Rock Glen has been a long but
worthwhile struggle, and he is now enjoying the fruits of his
labor. "I love that there are so many wildfl owers. For me, they
indicate the health of the land," he said. "And with the cedars
gone, I can see the rocks. I love their permanence."
N
Cedar cutting and prescribed fi re at Rock Glen has allowed sun-loving bur oak seedling and saplings
(lower left in the photo) to thrive and eventually grow to maturity.
