The History of the Loess Hills Prairie Seminar
As described by Rollie Henkes in Midwest Woodlands and Prairies, each year hundreds of people head for the hills, the Loess Hills, that is… a 200-mile-long wrinkled ridge that rises mysteriously above the flat farmlands of western Iowa… like a giant speed bump… to spend a weekend soaking up the lore and legends of the hills in an event almost as unique as the hills themselves.
The Loess Hills Seminar began in 1977 when Carolyn Benne organized a small group of people to backpack into the Hills to study the unique characteristics of this special area. Although a campground, food, and port-a-pots are now provided, the original idea of preserving the “back to nature” concept of the seminar is still the major goal.
Carolyn, working for Western Hills Are Education Agency (AEA), set the original tone of the seminar as an educational event that welcomes people of all ages and from all walks of life. The combination of outdoor field sessions and indoor programs presented by those with knowledge from their vocation or avocation has become a time-tested method of environmental education for all. Facilitators immerse themselves in the natural world and draw in the participants to share their passion for nature and the environment.
Carolyn had an infectious enthusiasm that encouraged people to network. Following her untimely death in 1980, Larry Benne stepped up to fulfill the promise of what she had begun. He skillfully led the seminar through decades until 2006, when Dianne Blankenship became coordinator. The Northwest AEA (formerly AEA 12 or Western Hills AEA) has sponsored the seminar each year since its beginning and makes it possible for educators to receive credit. AEA is aided by the able staffs of the Monona County Conservation Board and Iowa Department of Natural Resources. A diverse group of organizations, agencies, institutions, and individuals also lend their support to the seminar.
The seminar is dedicated to its founder, Carolyn Benne. This website is dedicated to Larry Benne, for his role in nurturing the seminar through the twenty-five years after Carolyn’s death.
Larry Benne
The outdoor location for the seminar is the Loess Hills Wildlife Management Area in Monona County, Iowa, northeast of Onawa. The LHWMA includes a special prairie ridge, the Sylvan T. Runkel State Preserve. This area was dedicated in 1996 to honor “Sy” Runkel (1906-1995). Sy shared his love for the “natural citizens” of the Loess Hills for sixteen years at the LHPS, from 1978 through 1993. Larry Stone and David Zahrt lead walks that honor Sy. Thomas Rosburg of Drake University annually leads a prairie walk in the Runkel Preserve. Entertainers such as Ron Cisar and Douglas Wood lead participants in singing “An Occasional Ode to the Loess Hills” written by Sy.
The indoor location for the evening programs has for many years been the West Monona High School in Onawa. This partnership allows for exhibit space, an auditorium for speakers, and ample room for children’s programs and activities. Originally the Onawa Methodist Church was the home for the evening programs, and a food crew from the church continues to provide meals for the seminar.
There are many other people beyond Larry Benne who have been involved in facilitating at the seminar for nearly a quarter century or more. These include Ed Brogie, Mark Brogie, Tom Bruegger, Bill Pusateri, and Carol Schwarting. Also, Don Poggensee has documented the seminar through the years with his camera and has educated hundreds of people in nature photography. Complementing these devoted presenters, each seminar brings new facilitators and topics.
The Loess Hills were formed thousands of years ago after the last glacial period. The Missouri River Valley flooded every summer with the ice melt from the glacier. During the cool months, the flow declined, creating expansive mud flats. Winds dried and picked up this soil causing huge dust storms. Much of the wind-blown soil or loess was dropped near the mud flats as a dune field. These “dirt drifts”, which can rise up to 200 feet above the valley floor, were eventually stabilized by an ecosystem of mixed-grass prairie.
There are several reasons why the Loess Hills are unique. The soil itself is composed of “silt-sized” particles. This allows water to rapidly pass, which creates a well-drained, arid soil. The south and west facing slopes of the Hills are baked in sunlight, while the north and east slopes are more shaded. These shaded slopes are often wooded with relatively young stands of Bur Oak. In pre-settlement times, even these slopes would have remained grasslands due to the effects of prairie fires. The sunny, steep SW slopes have remained in native grasses and wildflowers. Many of the flowers are special to the western part of Iowa. The combination of both timber and prairie make the area ideal for environmental studies.
The original concept of the seminar was to know the area personally, through intimate contact. This aim of the Seminar lives on today. The Loess Hills are one of Iowa’s last wilderness areas. The LHPS attempts to perpetuate this wilderness spirit and character for everyone to experience.
