Research Projects

Current Research Projects

Each year the Prairie Fork Trust issues a “Request For Proposals” to fund innovative research that explores natural communities and conservation education. 

The proposals listed below were funded in 2026. They are all from faculty and graduate students in the School of Natural Resources; College of Agriculture Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri.

The Trust is pleased to support innovative science and both the graduate and undergraduate education associated with these projects.  

• Chantelle Wimms/ Dr. Samniqueka Halsey: Project Title: Impact of prairie management on pathogen prevalence in ticks and small mammals. 
• Andrew Kaul- Dr. Samuel Lord: Species selection strategies for prairie seed mix design: a test of the spoil nutrient hypothesis. 
• Ms. Gina BeeBee: Micronutrient profiles of native prairie forage species across a reconstruction chronosequence at Prairie Fork CA.  
• Dr. Samuel Lord: Soil Microbial Diversity and Active Gene Expression Across a Restoration Chronosequence. 
• Dr. Christine Brodsky: Two Decades of Change Linking Bird Communities, management and visitor experience at PFCA.  
• Skylar Ciccolini/ Dr. Samniqueka Halsey: Human health risks of Ticks Diseases in Reconstructed Prairie: a System Wide Approach.  
• Dr. Samuel Lord: Building Resilience from Below: Mapping Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Succession in White Oaks.

Research Projects 2024

• Using Above-Water Radiometric Measurements in Crow Pond to Validate Satellite Retrievals from Small Eutrophic Waters

• Investigating the Potential Presence of Niche Partitioning in Various Tick Species Found in Missouri

• Enhancing Conservation Management at Prairie Fork Creek Conservation Area Through the Use of Precision Remote Sensing and Integrated Modeling

• The Relationship Between Viral Ticks and Chiggers in Tall Grass Prairies