Ep. 351 (Coffee Time) The Pollinator Prairie Death Spiral and the Details on The Boundary Waters

Ep. 351 (Coffee Time) The Pollinator Prairie Death Spiral and the Details on The Boundary Waters

From The Prairie Farm Podcast by Nicolas Lirio & Kent Boucher

April 22, 2026 · 48 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the interdependence of pollinators and prairies, alongside the ecological stakes in the Boundary Waters mining debate.

A new ISU study is shaking up how we think about prairies. It turns out pollinators don't just need the prairie, the prairie needs them back. Kent, Nicolas, and Riley dig into what declining pollinator populations mean for plant diversity, then shift to the Boundary Waters mining fight and what's actually at stake ecologically. Hoksey Native Seeds (for all your backyard prairie, CRP, Prairie Strip Mixes, Hunting Habitat and More) IowaCoverCrop.com (for all your cover crop and small grain needs)

People in this episode

Hosts: Kent, Nicolas

Guest: Riley

Topics covered

  • pollinators
  • prairie ecology
  • plant diversity
  • Boundary Waters
  • mining impact
  • environmental issues

Keywords

  • pollinators
  • prairie
  • ecology
  • Boundary Waters
  • mining
  • plant diversity
  • environment

Sponsors

Hoksey Native Seeds, IowaCoverCrop.com

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ISU

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