A Galesburg couple wants to plant a prairie in their back yard. Tonight, the city council will consider an application from Fred and Yvonne Apsey. And the project must comply with all the requirements of an eight-year-old ordinance.
The couple hired consultant and contractor, Daniel Thompson, to design and manage the project. He says a Knox College biology professor helped Galesburg write the "prairie plot" ordinance in 2006.
Prairies must also be burned occasionally. And he thinks this is the first application the city has received.
Thompson says the Apseys just want to enjoy the beauty of tall grasses and native, flowering plants. And Yvonne is an artist.
Galesburg's rules require the prairie to cover no more than ten percent of the back yard, and it must be set back at least five feet from property lines.
Each year before the prairie is burned, Thompson must apply for permits from the Illinois EPA and the local fire department. And water must be readily available during the burn. In addition, he'll notify neighbors who might worry if they saw a lot of smoke in the area.
Thompson is excited about the project and hopes more people will plant prairies in Galesburg. He says "far less than one percent" of Illinois' original prairie has survived.
