The Native Grass Manager Going Cyber

Coming in late January '99 The Native Grass Manager will be going online. New articles and information will be posted as I write them and all articles from past issues will be posted.
Though the final form has not yet been decided The Native Grass Manager will probably be indexed by topic to make searching easier. The Native Grass Manager and all back issues online will be free. I have decided to handle subscriptions the following way: You will continue to receive a hard copy in the mail for the balance of your subscription. When your subscription expires you will be given the option of renewing at $2.00 per issue to continue receiving hard copies via the mail, or if you wish, let your subscription expire and read it online, free of charge.

The Native Grass Manager will be part of a larger site www.PrairieSource.com. PrairieSource will be a clearing house for information about prairie, native grasses and wildflowers. It will have a lot of useful content and will also serve as a launch to many other prairie related sites.

PrairieSource will have a bibliography of native grass related research papers; a list of reference books, a link section divided into 3 categories, agency/university, special interest groups and commercial; and a forum area to post questions and read responses. Probably the most useful part of the site will revolve around a database of wildflower information. You will be able to do a scientific/common name cross reference, look up specific information about a particular wildflower, including site adaptability, including soil and sun requirements, range of adaptability, planting rates, germination tips, plant descriptions, ethnobotany, bloom color and time, etc. You will be able to search by any one or several criteria, for example: Yellow flowers, blooming in July, adapted to partial shade for a dry site, or simply yellow flowers. Another exciting feature is a "Create a Wildflower Mix" section. You will select the species and the percentage of each you want in the mix and a formula will calculate the proper amount of seed to keep the mix proportionate. You will be able to add species to your mix as you explore them through the species accounts.

I'm excited about this new site and I believe you will be too. Be sure to visit www.PrairieSource.com in late January 1999.