In this episode of the NIU STEAM Podcast, we dig into one of Illinois' most iconic yet often overlooked landscapes: the prairie. Ahead of the upcoming Tuesday, September 8th STEAM Café event at Lucha Cantina, titled Snacking on Sustainability, host discussions feature Courtney Gallagher, Director of Campus Sustainability at Northern Illinois University, and Holly Hanson, Community Engagement Manager at Wild Roots Nature Center.

The conversation explores why Illinois is known as the Prairie State and how more than 99% of the state's original prairie habitat has disappeared due to agriculture, urban development, and changing land use. Today, organizations across Illinois are working to restore these ecosystems, bringing back native plants, improving wildlife habitat, ...