Eddyville Sand Dunes Prairie - A Rare Place Indeed

Eddyville Sand Dunes Prairie is a patchwork of wind-blown sand, glacial till, associated wetlands, and woodlands. You can see evidence of all three of Iowa’s main plant communities as well as Earth’s systems interacting. The area is home to some of Iowa’s rarest plants and animals, including the pale green orchid, the eastern ornate box turtle, and the six-lined race runner. The biodiversity that can be witnessed there is truly unique. The area was formed as glaciers retreated from Iowa more than 10,000 years ago and has undergone both natural and human designed changes. 

• How was the Eddyville Sand Dunes Prairie formed?

• What areas of the sand dunes represent each of the following Earth’s systems: hydrosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and atmosphere? 
• How do the formation of the dunes and the management of the dunes represent Earth’s systems interacting with each other? 
• What data could we collect from the dunes to provide evidence for feedback of two of Earth’s systems in the dunes?  

Students could:  

• Identify different Earth systems in the Eddyville Sand Dunes.   
• Infer how the parts of the dunes were formed by interactions between Earth’s systems.  
• Make claims on how human activity could impact the Earth’s systems represented here in positive and negative ways.  
• Design an investigation to provide evidence for their claims. 

• Iowa Association of Naturalists | Iowa Biological Communities: Iowa Association of Naturalists book on Iowa’s woodlands, prairies, and wetlands.
• PhET Simulation | Glacier: Simulation of advancing and receding glaciers.
• Iowa State Extension | Iowa Soil Regions: Map and descriptions of Iowa’s soil regions.