ILLINOIS AUDUBON BULLETIN 11 
PRAIRIE PROVIDES COMMUNITY EDUCATION 
by ALFRED E. DUPREE 
I.A.S. Director 
The Belmont Prairie is educating the people of Downers Grove — a 
typical suburban community. There are not an unusual number of Audu- 
bon members or nature buffs in Downers Grove despite the fact that it 
includes the official headquarters of the Illinois Audubon Society. 
Many classes from local 
schools, scout troops and other 
groups have taken guided tours of 
the Belmont Prairie. Teachers 
and leaders as well as the young 
people have had their eyes 
opened to the rare and beautiful 
plants found in this good native 
prairie remnant. They have de- 
veloped a certain amount of local 
pride in the Belmont Prairie. My 
wife, Margo, is often available to 
lead the tour groups. 
Neighbors have become inter- 
ested in saving this beautiful 
area, serving on the Belmont 
Prairie Preservation Association, 
helping to burn the encroaching Shooting Star 
brush, posting signs and hauling (Dodecatheon meadia) 
off accumulated pockets of junk. 
The Belmont Prairie has been named an official project of the 
Downers Grove Bicentennial Commission. The Commission is not in a 
position to contribute direct financial support; however, the recognition 
has resulted in invitations to show slide programs about the Prairie to 
many groups such as the local Rotary Club, Lions Club, Friends of the 
Library, a Parent-Teachers’ Association and the DuPage County Press 
Association. All have enjoyed the slides and learned about the prairie as a 
unique ecological system. 
The Belmont Prairie Association has received sound advice and an 
education on prairies from our scientific members, Dr. Robert F. Betz 
and Raymond Schulenberg. Much has been written elsewhere on the 
botany, zoology and ecology of prairies, therefore, we will not delve into 
these areas in this article. 
