TAMA — Buds and blossoms, nature and wildlife: the South Tama Prairie draws in all elements of the outdoors. Established in 2021 after Denise Fletcher was awarded $1,500 of prairie grass seed, the prairie is currently thriving and in bloom just south of the STC elementary school.

The last few years have included a lot of hand weeding for Fletcher. Eliminating thistles, pigweed, prickly lettuce, and many other weeds are key to getting the area off on the right foot.

Taking the prairie a quarter at a time, she pulls weeds. Earlier this year, she would spend an hour and a half in the morning and an hour and a half in the evening, a true time commitment.

One of the pitfalls of being an outdoor addition to the community is that she has no idea how many people use the area she has worked so hard to create. Fletcher encourages trail users, curious folks, and nature enthusiasts alike to utilize it. Some recommended activities in the prairie include reading, stargazing, nature identification, meditation or just simply walking through.

The STC Community Garden group recently released butterflies onto the prairie. These natural areas used to cover a majority of the state but now only account for 0.01% of the total land in Iowa. Along with being an aesthetically pleasing element of the community, the area has genuine benefits. From reducing carbon to soaking up flood water more effectively to giving wildlife a habitat, the prairie is already paying off for the community.

Contributors to the South Tama Prairie include Larry Fletcher, Allie Barth, Melody Bro, Andy Moran, Jan Wobeter and the entire school district.

When asked why she spends so much time on the prairie project Fletcher simply smiled.

“With my personality I just have to be outside, it’s a perfect fit for me, I love it,” she said.